Discolored Brass

[BHPSteel]

If at some point in the past, you cleaned that brass with chemicals that included ammonia, that will have leached some zinc out of the brass - which will usually turn patches of the brass pink.

If you then process the brass again, or if you just leave it around, the areas that have lost zinc are richer in copper, which will oxidize brown.

My guess is that a really thorough polishing with pins or nut media will get rid of it eventually, if it means that much to you. Providing you inspect your cases well, I don't see a problem with using them with the discoloration.

 

[palmettomoon]

Old Big Dawg tumbler in operation (happened to be tumbling 2- 5 gal bucket of 9mm brass yesterday and today.

Here is the result:

 

[Wilfully_Armed]

Not normal at all. My brass looks new, brand new....too new really. It's so clean that when I anneal (rifle brass) it you can't even see the annealing line/color at the neck. I have to allow it to oxidize for a few months if I want that annealing to show.

Cheap dish liquid (6 second squirt) and Lemi-Shine (about two .45 ACP cases full) and 2.5 gallons of water in my tumbler is what I use. Hot water seems to work better than cold. I'll take video and show it.

"2.5 gallons" Jesus! and I thought my Extreme Tumblers Rebel17 was on the large size.

 

[Wilfully_Armed]

palmettomoon

That looks great. How long did you tumble it for?

 

[palmettomoon]

palmettomoon

That looks great. How long did you tumble it for?

3 hours is the norm. Rarely ever let it go longer than that. It's not necessary.

Fully loaded the tumbler weighs in at about 70 lbs.

 

[Wilfully_Armed]

3 hours is the norm. Rarely ever let it go longer than that. It's not necessary.

Fully loaded the tumbler weighs in at about 70 lbs.

I'll run out and get some citric acid and throw them in tonight and see.

Thanks for all the info

 

[palmettomoon]

I'll run out and get some citric acid and throw them in tonight and see.

Thanks for all the info

Lemishine is in the dish detergent section and you might find citric acid in the canning section (but that's a seasonal business and canning season is over I think). I was a Ball Corporation broker for a long time.

 

[Freshly Minted Georgian!]

Batch of creedmoor last week

 

[Freshly Minted Georgian!]

Recipe is simple. Dawn (about a 6 second squirt as palmettomoon stated), Citric Acid (food grade, Amazon, because its cheaper than Lemi Shine) about 3/4 teaspoon, and about 2 tablespoons of ArmorAll Wash and Wax. Wax is why the water is beading that way. From there it goes into a food dehydrator on low temp and dried for usually 4 hours, on a timer. Stays super shiny and the wax helps it stay shiny over time. It'll darken a bit but I've shipped brass I processed two years ago and people asked if I had just polished it before shipment.

Used to use a Frankford wet tumbler until I burned the motor out on it after about 3 years and maybe 3 tons of brass processed. When it died I went to buy another but that was Covid/supply chain time frame, it wasn't available so I went with the Lyman wet polisher and ended up liking it better anyway. Seems to be a sturdier unit.

 

[Freshly Minted Georgian!]

Oh, and I double rinse it to ensure all soap and acidity is rinsed off, running it through the Frankford media separator filled with water. Turn about 40 times, dump the pins and water, refill a second time with water, turn another 40 times, then in to the dehydrator.