I been using a vinegar/dawn mix since I started this thread and I've noticed that the brass looks great for a few hours, but then begins to tarnish. Does the citric acid prevent this?
Using vinegar to clean brass?
- Thread starter Russell0331
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vinegar cleans heavy carbon buildup better than any solvent ive seen. if you shoot lots of lead, wear gloves. the lead dissolves in vinegar and become lead acetate which absorbs into your skin. i use it to clean the baffles on my suppressor.
Man I'm loving this thread!
I was just recently asked "is a tumbler necessary" then I informed them of this thread. The ratio's and actual cookbook style method is very helpful for those who are considering it but have not attempted it. Not everyone has the money to buy a new kit and all the bells and whistles starting out. It's one area a novice or even a pro could cut cost if needed.
I was more concerned with lead dust as I pour the vibe mix of walnut and brass. Pre-treating with a liquid solution will lower the potentially hazardous lead dust (watch the lead acetate-rubber gloves) and knock some of the grime of the cases so my media stays cleaner longer.
Really good thread keep it going.
I was just recently asked "is a tumbler necessary" then I informed them of this thread. The ratio's and actual cookbook style method is very helpful for those who are considering it but have not attempted it. Not everyone has the money to buy a new kit and all the bells and whistles starting out. It's one area a novice or even a pro could cut cost if needed.
I was more concerned with lead dust as I pour the vibe mix of walnut and brass. Pre-treating with a liquid solution will lower the potentially hazardous lead dust (watch the lead acetate-rubber gloves) and knock some of the grime of the cases so my media stays cleaner longer.
Really good thread keep it going.
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As RamRoddoc stated so well: You don't NEED a tumbler to load good ammunition. Prior to just a couple of decades ago there were no vibra-tumblers available to the general public. And guys had already been reloading for over 50 years! How do I know? I got started in reloading over 30 years ago!
Even with a vibra-tumbler in hand, I normally decap my brass, brush out the primer pockets, then wash it in a solution of vinegar / soap & water, rinse it thoroughly, then passify it with a 15 minute or so hot bath of citric acid solution (which I re-use until it starts to turn a blueish color (copper sulphate). I then rinse, dry, resize & trim for later reloading .... If I will be needing to use a re-sizing lube, I will delay the citric acid bath until after resizing and lube-rinse.
At this point, depending upon how the dry brass looks, I simply store it for later reloading, or vibra-tumble it prior to storage.
Now, that said, my ultimate goal is to process all of my brass in a stainless steel tumbler. Why? It will enable me simply de-cap and tumble prior to re-sizing.
Also, faster and cleaner than otherwise possible. Will the ammunition produced be any better? Probably not.
BTW: Citric acid "Passification" of brass chemically converts oxidized brass / copper back into its natural state. Thereby making re-oxidation take longer, with shiney brass being the result.
Even with a vibra-tumbler in hand, I normally decap my brass, brush out the primer pockets, then wash it in a solution of vinegar / soap & water, rinse it thoroughly, then passify it with a 15 minute or so hot bath of citric acid solution (which I re-use until it starts to turn a blueish color (copper sulphate). I then rinse, dry, resize & trim for later reloading .... If I will be needing to use a re-sizing lube, I will delay the citric acid bath until after resizing and lube-rinse.
At this point, depending upon how the dry brass looks, I simply store it for later reloading, or vibra-tumble it prior to storage.
Now, that said, my ultimate goal is to process all of my brass in a stainless steel tumbler. Why? It will enable me simply de-cap and tumble prior to re-sizing.
Also, faster and cleaner than otherwise possible. Will the ammunition produced be any better? Probably not.
BTW: Citric acid "Passification" of brass chemically converts oxidized brass / copper back into its natural state. Thereby making re-oxidation take longer, with shiney brass being the result.
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I can assure you, if I knew knew then how easy it was to clean brass I would have never bought a tumbler. I have been reloading since 03 and that is the one piece of gear I thought I HAD to have. I like the wet wash method better by far. So what if I have to wait for dry brass. Ga is quite warm these days and the deed will get done rather quickly. No bother anyway. I could be casting, cleaning or wrenching in the meantime while the brass dries. And I don't have to call the wife while I'm at work to tell her to turn on the tumbler....
