Case Prep. question.

[Rpknaz]

Newb question I know but I have to ask.   

After you run your brass through the media and tumbled it.  What do you do to get the powder from the media off?

Thanks.

[Boss Hogg]

1) wipe them down
2) size and deprimer
3) tumbler them
4) compress air both directions, make sure primer hole can be seen through ( I stuff a lock pick through each one)

[Rpknaz]

Someone told me to put a dryer sheet in with brass. Got a "What the Hell" look from my wife but it worked great.

[RustyFN]

Use some polish and a dryer sheet or paper towel and you won't have that powder. I use 1/2 cap full of Nu Finish car polish and never have a powder residue from the media. The polish also helps keep the brass from tarnishing over long periods of storage.

Rusty

[DKA]

Nu Finish, Good Stuff.

[Doug B.]

Use some polish and a dryer sheet or paper towel and you won't have that powder. I use 1/2 cap full of Nu Finish car polish and never have a powder residue from the media. The polish also helps keep the brass from tarnishing over long periods of storage.

Rusty

Rusty, Check the contents of the Nufinish. Does it contain ammonia? I have heard that ammonia is tough on brass and I am nearing the end of my Turtle Wax 2001 wax which I have been using for a number of years. I have been looking for another substitute for some time to no avail. May actually have to check a MSDS to be really sure.

Thanks!

[RustyFN]

No it does not contain ammonia. I stay away from products with ammonia because of all the bad stories I have heard that it sounds like you have also. There are too many good products out there to take a chance I figure.

[Doug B.]

No it does not contain ammonia. I stay away from products with ammonia because of all the bad stories I have heard that it sounds like you have also. There are too many good products out there to take a chance I figure.

Thanks Rusty. I am going to give the Nufinish a whirl. I have tried Flitz and it works GREAT! Only one problem.....it is quite pricey. Thanks for your help.

Doug B.

[RustyFN]

If you are going to start with a new batch of media I would add one full cap full to start. After the media has been used 1/2 cap full every batch is plenty. I also add a paper towel torn into eight pices to help keep the media clean.

[Rpknaz]

Thanks for the good info., I may have to try some Nufinish. 

[daboone]

I use a cap full NUfinish mixed with a cap full of mineral spirits, also called Stoddard solvent. Before I heard about Nufinish I just use mineral spirits and as I recall it work just as well all by itself!

[mikld]

Perhaps I'm different but I only use crushed walnut from PetSmart; lizzard litter. I tumble (not vibrate) my brass without any additives and get a semi-shiny finish, kinda satiny shine, vs. high polished brassy look. I have tried most of the gimmicks for cleaning brass; corn cob with and without polish, walnut with and without polish, rice, dried coffee grounds, kitty litter, beach sand, and a bunch more I can't remember (I'm a dedicated experimenter!). Most aren't worth the extra expense and trouble. With my method I get uniformly clean shiny brass; just put them in, turn it on, run until I remember to take them out, and take them out. I sift the brass in a colander or home made sifter (a coffee can with 1/4" holes punched in the lid) and very seldom is any media stuck in the primer pockets. No need to wash after tumbling as there is nothing to wash off. If I want some "Presentation Grade" high polish brass I use Brasso on a rag while spinning the case on a wooden mandrel chucked in a drill. When I keep it simple I enjoy it more...

[RustyFN]

If I want some "Presentation Grade" high polish brass I use Brasso on a rag while spinning the case on a wooden mandrel chucked in a drill. When I keep it simple I enjoy it more...

I always stay away from products with ammonia. I heard it will make the brass brittle.

[dhhardw]

Just a point to remember, friends.

At times, ammonia can be your friend. Remember that whenever you use mil-surp ammo for practice that has corrosive primers (mercury fuliminate, etc), salts will accumulate in your firearm that attract and hold moisture.  Typical solvents, although great stuff, won't neutralize these salts.  However, a cleaning fluid containing ammonia will do what you need.

My shooting tip of the day is this.  As you leave the house to go to the range with your corrosive ammunition, grab a spray bottle of your wife's window cleaner with ammonia.  (make sure it has ammonia)  When your shooting session is over, spray window cleaner on the barrel extension/chamber, internal receiver parts which normally are covered with soot, and pump a bit down the barrel, making sure to rotate the barrel as it runs down so that the entire internal surface of the barrel is coated.  This will neutralize the corrosive salts.  Then when you get home, all you need to do is a regular cleaning with solvent, bore cleaner, whatever is your personal routine.  Then clean as usual. 

I should mention that my local gun store sells a blue paste gun cleaner that is super for cleaning after shooting corrosive ammunition.  I can't recall the name right now, but it's in a tube and it's blue and it does the job of eliminating the corrosive salts as well as the regular cleaning. 

All of you probably know this, but its important to remember to clean from breech to muzzle, never from muzzle to breach.  That will keep all the bad stuff from dropping into your receiver, magazine, etc.  This is especially important when shooting corrosive ammunition. 

David

[Doug B.]

Tried the Nu finish wax in the tumbler......Worked GREAT!

Thanks.