How to preserve fresh brass from tarnishing

[RImike]

After making the plunge into stainless steel media tumbling, I am blown away by how quickly and shinny the brass comes out. The most time consuming part is sorting the ss pins out of the .223 brass.

So my question is, how to maintain the appearance between now and when I load as well as after re-loading? The reason I asked is that I read and am not sure if it's true, that there is a coating sometimes on new brass? Is this true?

 

[jtnf]

Short secondary in corn cob or walnut media, loaded with NuFinish or other car wax?

 

[CaseHardened]

Try Camphor ?

 

[EddieCoyle]

Vagisil

 

[RImike]

Vagisil

I had to think long and hard from refraining a response on that one.

 

[EddieCoyle]

I wouldn't worry about how the brass looks. Case cleaning is the most over-rated and over-thought part of the process. Any cleaning beyond getting them clean enough to inspect is unnecessary.

Cleaning has become a silly hobby-within-a-hobby.

 

[RImike]

I wouldn't worry about how the brass looks. Case cleaning is the most over-rated and over-thought part of the process. Any cleaning beyond getting them clean enough to inspect is unnecessary.

Cleaning has become a silly hobby-within-a-hobby.

The only reason I'm going through this process is I have lots of brass that looks like they were stored in the bilge of the Queen Mary

 

[Eddie17]

A car wash and wax product , like ArmorAll Wash & Wax has been working for me. Mix it with a little LemiShine, and brass has stored well until I reload, or sell.

 

[Eddie17]

ArmorAll Wash and Wax

I've taken all my old brass, and all my range pick up brass and processed them with SS Wash and Wax, Lemi Shine process. All my reloading brass go thru this process now. They look great for a long peiriod of time.
I was trying to post pictures, I guess I'm not allowed yet!

 

[Fixxah]

Vagisil

You won. Hahaha

I've taken all my old brass, and all my range pick up brass and processed them with SS Wash and Wax, Lemi Shine process. All my reloading brass go thru this process now. They look great for a long peiriod of time.
I was trying to post pictures, I guess I'm not allowed yet!

Go green for posting pics.

 

[Arto]

ZeRust would do it - bags or tabs or blocks http://www.zerustproducts.com/products/electronics-tools-parts/multipurpose-vci-poly-bag/
(be sure to order enough for free shipping)

 

[CaseHardened]

I've taken all my old brass, and all my range pick up brass and processed them with SS Wash and Wax, Lemi Shine process. All my reloading brass go thru this process now. They look great for a long peiriod of time.
I was trying to post pictures, I guess I'm not allowed yet!

To post nice big pics, experiment with http://tinypic.com/

 

[jtcoinflip]

i use dawn soap and lemishine, never had a problem with them changing color afterwards.

 

[Gammon]

I am not a fan of wet tumbling as it is much more labor intensive and at least one reloading manual has stated that "chemical" cleaning actually leaves the brass "too clean". The author, writing under the pen name "John Paul Jones" maintains that dry tumbling leaves a slight residue of lubricant which makes the brass easier to resize. Personal experience has proven this claim to be true. Dry tumbling and storage in gallon freezer bags has kept my brass tarnish free for years. Just checked some Federal 45 ACP brass that has been sitting in a gallon trash bag for over ten years. No change; this stuff looks just as pretty as did ten years ago.

 

[radioman]

I love my stainless steel tumbler. I also love having shiny brass to reload it gives me pride in the final product and it gives me a little bit more desire to get out into the reloading room because I know I'm going to have nice clean brass to handle with clean primer pockets. It's also very true that inspection of the brass is a lot easier when it's clean. If you want to keep the brass shiny for an indefinite period of time seal it up in a vacuum bag the same one you use to seal up your deer meat to go in the freezer. I've got some sealed up that way for five years and they're just as shiny as when I put them in .

 

[radioman]

I am not a fan of wet tumbling as it is much more labor intensive and at least one reloading manual has stated that "chemical" cleaning actually leaves the brass "too clean". The author, writing under the pen name "John Paul Jones" maintains that dry tumbling leaves a slight residue of lubricant which makes the brass easier to resize. Personal experience has proven this claim to be true. Dry tumbling and storage in gallon freezer bags has kept my brass tarnish free for years. Just checked some Federal 45 ACP brass that has been sitting in a gallon trash bag for over ten years.
No change; this stuff looks just as pretty as did ten years ago.

I'm not sure what to clean means? I just ordered some brand-new 45 ACP cases from Star Line Brass. I just got them in a couple weeks ago and they're so clean and shiny they look like they should be in a jewelry case and they have zero residue on them so I don't know what that guys talking about. You can always lube them if you're worried they're to clean.

 

[Warm_Garand]

A quick bath in Lemishine will get them white again--I'm talking ten minutes in the tumbler, no pins.

Do this just before you are ready to reload them, and then the case lube and tumbling in corncob media ought to keep them looking nice.

 

[MGnoob]

I wouldn't worry about how the brass looks. Case cleaning is the most over-rated and over-thought part of the process. Any cleaning beyond getting them clean enough to inspect is unnecessary.

Cleaning has become a silly hobby-within-a-hobby.

This. But if you want it shiny completely dry it and store it in a bag or 5 gallon bucket depending on volume of brass.you dont need to put anything on it.
Also note you have to rinse the brass with cold water after your done Wet tumbling with lemishine.
And when i say dry i mean completely dry. The wetter you put it away the more tasrnished it'll be.

- - - Updated - - -

A quick bath in Lemishine will get them white again--I'm talking ten minutes in the tumbler, no pins.

Id hate to have to tumble them again then dry again thats 2 steps for no reason

 

[Warm_Garand]

This. But if you want it shiny completely dry it and store it in a bag or 5 gallon bucket depending on volume of brass.you dont need to put anything on it.
Also note you have to rinse the brass with cold water after your done Wet tumbling with lemishine.
And when i say dry i mean completely dry. The wetter you put it away the more tasrnished it'll be.

- - - Updated - - -



Id hate to have to tumble them again then dry again thats 2 steps for no reason

Ah. I rigged up a shelf in the clothes dryer, so drying takes all of five minutes.

 

[MGnoob]

Nice.. i time it with the weather and do in bulk. Spread it out on my deck perfect just take one hot day. It doesn't tarnish and its no work...
You must be single or have a cool wife if thats your main washing machine and not a spare.

 

[Gammon]

I'm not sure what to clean means? I just ordered some brand-new 45 ACP cases from Star Line Brass. I just got them in a couple weeks ago and they're so clean and shiny they look like they should be in a jewelry case and they have zero residue on them so I don't know what that guys talking about. You can always lube them if you're worried they're to clean.

According to "John Paul Jones" too clean was so clean that the cases were devoid of any trace of lube and much harder to resize. Of course you can lube the cases to ease the effort in resizing but I find it much easier to dry tumble and avoid the problem.

PS to understand the difference between wet/chemically cleaned brass and dry tumbled, just resize some samples of both. I did and gave up on wet cleaning as a result.

PPS Mr Jones also had an opinion on primer pocket cleaning. He had never cleaned a primer pocked and had no intention of ever doing so in the future.

 

[swampy]

Clean it, load it, shoot it...repeat! It doesn't have time to tarnish.

 

[MGnoob]

According to "John Paul Jones" too clean was so clean that the cases were devoid of any trace of lube and much harder to resize. Of course you can lube the cases to ease the effort in resizing but I find it much easier to dry tumble and avoid the problem.

PS to understand the difference between wet/chemically cleaned brass and dry tumbled, just resize some samples of both. I did and gave up on wet cleaning as a result.

PPS Mr Jones also had an opinion on primer pocket cleaning. He had never cleaned a primer pocked and had no intention of ever doing so in the future.

Im a progressive guy so it may not apply to true hand loader who handle the brass so much lube can simply by wiped on or wiped off..

The "too clean" brass just doesnt hold water with me.. it definitely can't be too clean for the gun. And as far as sizing (bottleneck) cases. Unlubed and too clean aren't really the same thing.
You clean your brass, you lube your brass, you process your brass, you clean your brass yet again(to remove lube) then you load your brass.

IMO if your not lubing your brass and then cleaning the lube off after sizing your doing it wrong.
I also prefer a clean primer pocket but for most ammo its not that critical

With pistol rounds lube and clean primer pockets are pretty low on my list of priorities

 

[EddieCoyle]

The "too clean" brass just doesnt hold water with me.

It's true. I base this on hundreds or maybe thousands of groups with both dry and wet-tumbled brass. It's an "inside-the-neck" thing.

Wet-tumbled brass is so clean inside that it causes the amount of "hold" on the bullet to vary, thus opening up groups. You can actually feel it when you seat, and see it on the target.

Dry-tumbled brass has trace amounts of residue inside the neck that ends up normalizing bullet hold.

You can say I'm full of shit, but it won't matter because I know I'm right.

 

[MGnoob]

Im always happy to be wrong, its how i learn.
But i have a hard time seeing how; as long as there consistant, how the groups would open up.

 

[Gammon]

Im a progressive guy so it may not apply to true hand loader who handle the brass so much lube can simply by wiped on or wiped off..

The "too clean" brass just doesnt hold water with me.. it definitely can't be too clean for the gun. And as far as sizing (bottleneck) cases. Unlubed and too clean aren't really the same thing.
You clean your brass, you lube your brass, you process your brass, you clean your brass yet again(to remove lube) then you load your brass.

IMO if your not lubing your brass and then cleaning the lube off after sizing your doing it wrong.
I also prefer a clean primer pocket but for most ammo its not that critical

With pistol rounds lube and clean primer pockets are pretty low on my list of priorities

I should have made my position clear. I was referring to pistol cases.

 

[RImike]

What if it was dry tumbled in crushed walnut shell after? Would the oils from the crushed shells work back into the brass?

 

[radioman]

This thread is going epic.

 

[EddieCoyle]

What if it was dry tumbled in crushed walnut shell after? Would the oils from the crushed shells work back into the brass?

I have no idea

 

[jtnf]

It's true. I base this on hundreds or maybe thousands of groups with both dry and wet-tumbled brass. It's an "inside-the-neck" thing.

Wet-tumbled brass is so clean inside that it causes the amount of "hold" on the bullet to vary, thus opening up groups. You can actually feel it when you seat, and see it on the target.

Dry-tumbled brass has trace amounts of residue inside the neck that ends up normalizing bullet hold.

You can say I'm full of shit, but it won't matter because I know I'm right.

I've got an Instron with a six digit readout that could end this argument, if either of us had the time to build the test populations and do the test!