Brass Cleaners

[Buckskin]

Do you guys clean your brass w/ a tumber or chemically or not at all.
Ive been thinking of getting a tumber.  But I bet someone here has a nice recipe that would make it faster and cheaper.

Thanks,
Buckskin

[jcunclejoe]

I use two tumblers. One is set up with Lyman nut media, orange looking stuff with rouge added. I run it in there for 1/2 to 1 hour to get the cases really clean.

The second tumbler has ground corn cob to remove any of the rouge, another 1/2 to 1 hour. This step keeps the rouge out of the dies.

Then I size and perform all of my other brass prep steps.

One more trip through the corn cob, 1/2 hour, to remove the sizing lube. Poke the cob out of the flash holes and load em up.

It may seem like a bunch of work but it has taken me many years and 100,000 plus case cleanings to evolve to this procedure. It may not be the best way but it works great for me.

I like my cases sparkling. They might not shoot any better than just good clean cases. If I feel they shoot better being pretty then I will shoot them better.

Also, get a rotary media seperator. it really speeds up the process.

Good luck.
Joe

[Questor]

I use a vibrating tumbler and it works fine. It cleans the soot off and it's easy to use. One valuable accessory I've found is an RCBS media separator (?). It's basically a box with a cage in it. You dump your cleaned brass and media into the cage. You close the cage inside the box. Then turn a crank. That separates the brass from the media. I paid about $20 for it. Very nice!

I've used both corncob media and walnut media. I prefer the corncob media because it works fine and it's cheaper around here.

For tarnish, my mother in law showed me some awesome stuff called TarnX, which removes tarnish instantly. Really instantly. There are similar products on the market at hardware stores.

[Mark whiz]

I really like my Tumbler as well.  But if you want a CHEAP recipe - try Apple Cider Vinegar.   Swish some brass in it for 20 to 30min, then rinse in clean water and let dry.
Cleans brass pretty well and puts a decent shine on non-tarnished brass.  Plus if you really want to take the time to do it, taking Q-Tips to the inside of the cases while they're soaking in the vinegar gets the insides good too.

[Redhawk1]

I just prefer the Tumbler.  

[mountainview]

There some good "chemical" cleaning recipes given on other posts here in the forum that I use and they do a fairly good job. Goes something like a bit o' white vinegar, pinch 'o salt (swish or stir until the salt goes into solution), cover the brass with some H2O and let sit 20 minutes or so and then rinse thoroughly. Once the shekels ain't so tight I may get a tumbler but the above works right good for now.