Real dirty brass

[TacticalGunny]

I have acquired quite a bit of real dirty .45 brass. Does any one have a tips/tricks for cleaning with walnut media I currently have?

[ScatterGun4015]

My most sucessful cleanings is when I throw it in right before bed and forget to turn it off in the morning. I then realize on the way home at 5 that it is still running......turns out pretty bling

[DitchDR]

I let some very tarnished and dirty 270 brass run in a vibratory tumbler with walnut media for about 14 hours (overnight) by accident. Meaning I forgot about it until I went to work the next day . They came out looking better than brand new. I did some 357 mag brass over an 8 hour time frame and had similar results.

[bpacman]

The dry media will get it done enough to reload, but if you want it to be shinny, add a couple of tablespoons of brass polish to the media and it will look really nice after 2-4 hours of tumbling. Not as nice is the SS pin tumbling but good enough.

[TacticalGunny]

I'll have to try leaving it overnight...next step would be is to add some brass polish

[Kskybroom]

Gunny Nu-Finish Car Wax works good..

[Seismic Sam]

And to keep the dust down, cut up a new dryer sheet in pieces and throw it in the tumbler. Also seems to make it work faster and make the brass a little more shiny.

[TH3180]

My most sucessful cleanings is when I throw it in right before bed and forget to turn it off in the morning. I then realize on the way home at 5 that it is still running......turns out pretty bling

Glad I'm not the only one.

[cobb]

I would suggest that if you have a habit of leaving you vibrating cleaning unit run when not attended, make sure it is in or on an area that is fire resistant. Something like an open concrete area would be good, so if there is a failure of the unit, it melts itself down safely with out starting a fire that can spread.

[deadarrow]

I get my media from John @ Gun Stop. It is his special reciepe. Corn cob with polisher added. I forget how much, like $ 8.00 a box or so. It fills up my Lyman turbo and it lasts quite a long time. I use the dryer sheet trick also. You can use them even after they have been used in the dryer. Just have the old lady keep them for you when she takes them out of the dryer. I plug my tumbler into a timer, the type you would use for a lamp when you are gone on vacation, set the amount of time you want it to run and forget about it. This has worked very well for me. Also don't de-prime until your brass before tumbling. That way you don't dirty up your die and the flash hole won't get media stuck in it. It's amazing how clean the brass will get. Looks better than factory stuff.........

[OldmanFCSA]

I left a tumbler on accidentally while on a 2 week vacation, outside was very clean, inside was still grungy, primer pockets and flash holes were plugged hard. These were 223 cases and were a bich to get PP & FH clean by hand.

Now the SS Pin process does all, outside, inside, PP & FH, are very clean with minimal tumbling time.

As always - Method used is your choice - mine is SS Pins.

[plblark]

A timer? Awesome idea!

[870TC]

For really stained/dirty brass: Couple tablespoons of citric acid (powder/granules) in hot water with the brass for a couple minutes , agitate by hand, then rinse and dry, then tumble as normal.
If you can't find Citric acid/Sour salt then use a cup or two of any kind of Vinegar with a hand full of table salt mixed in, agitate by hand, rinse and dry, then tumble as normal.

[slo squeezin]

I would recommend appropriating a timer most of us use to turn lights on / off at selected times. Set it to run for X hours, turn it on, it will stop when you decide and, normally, I remember to unplug it and remove the brass in less than 24 hours or the cycle repeats. You will also get a feel for how long you need to clean up once fired brass before you reload.

[ScatterGun4015]

And to keep the dust down, cut up a new dryer sheet in pieces and throw it in the tumbler. Also seems to make it work faster and make the brass a little more shiny.

Sam recommended this a while ago and holy crap does it make a difference. They even smell clean when you take them out