HELP! Why will my brass not stay shiny????

[Tinyrebel]

after i tumble my brass it comes out with a mirror like finish and looks better than new but after just a few days it starts to dull out. Any advice on this? Is there and additive that I can put in my polishing media to help this? I know it doesn't effect the way my reloads shoot but I hate to see all the case prep go to waste after just a few days. Any advice on prepping brass for long term storage?

Thanks,
Tiny

 

[Clarke123]

Brass can and will tarnish after polishing ...
I rinse mine in a mild solution of citric acid (one teaspoonful per quart of tepid water).
It "passifies" the brass and retards the tarnishing process. The soak takes no more than 15 minutes
and can be left overnight (without any loss of brass like vinegar will do!).
GOOGLE "Citric Acid Cleaning of Brass" for the details ...

BTW: You can save and reuse the solution until it starts to turn green.

 

[UXO]

Your best bet would be to store it in a sealed container with some dessicant.

 

[b.a.customkydex]

My suggestion would be to go to the parts house. Buy a bottle of NUFINISH car polish in the orange bottle. When you get home turn your tumbler on with just media in it NO BRASS, then dump about a cap full of the nu finish in and let it run for about 15 to 20 mins, THEN add the brass to it.

You want to run the media without any brass in it with just the nufinish so it get mixed with the media and doesnt clump up.

Also if you are going to store your brass for a while before loading it I would suggest that you do it in a sealable container like a liplock bag or tupperwear. I have had spiders get into my brass and make webs in them and plug flash holes, and cause powder to overflow the case and you KNOW you didnt double charge.... dump the powder out and see that there is a web in the bottom of the case kinda pisses me off.

 

[Beerman]

Nu Finish works great. To keep down on the dust when you tumble, use a couple of used dryer sheets. I also use a sonic tumbler with distilled water and the sonic cleaning solution. Then I rinse them in cold water and set them to dry for over night.

 

[jeffdt]

After tumbling, if I'm not going to load right away, I store my brass in vacuumed and sealed food saver bags. Keeps brass shiny forever and the bags are reusable over and over. WallyWorld carries some cheap vacuum rigs.

 

[themayor]

I just switched from corn cob media to walnut media. My brass is super shiny as soon as it comes out and weeks later.

 

[Tinyrebel]

Thanks for all the replies! This is some very useful information! I was going to try the vaccum sealing this with the long term storage. Looks like NuFinish is worth a shot. Thanks for the input. Loving this forum the more I am on it! Thanks Guys!

Tiny

 

[Tinyrebel]

Mayor,
I am also using walnut media. Not working for me like that!

Tiny

 

[themayor]

Is your media fine or bigger chunks like the corn cob?