Brasso OK on cartridge brass?

[Questor]

I have some Brasso and would like to polish up some brass. But I seem to remember that using Brasso on cartridge brass is a bad idea because it contains ammonia. Can you clear this up for me? Is there a good product for polishing cartridge brass?  (I do use a tumbler, I just want to pretty up some old brass I have.)

[Castaway]

After you polish it you can use the old mess sergeants trick of soaking them in Kool Aid.  First time I was the serving line at the end of the day I thought someone had spilled red food coloring in it.  Then I noticed how shinny the copper tubing was understood.

[KN]

Ammonia is BAD!!. I used Tarn-x once to clean up some old once fired 35rem cases that had been loose in a box of junk for years. They cleaned up pretty nice but the case heads were popping off at a rate of about one in 3 when fired. And this was only the second firing. Not sure what is in Tarn-x but don't use it on cases.

[Lloyd Smale]

ived used it for years and never had a problem. Now if you were to take cases and just clean them with brasso i dont know. but i use it in the tumbler. I put about a spoonfull in with the media and i doubt if used like that enough ammonia is going to get on cases to hurt anything. At least it hasnt in the last 30 years for me.

[wncchester]

Unfortunately, ammonia is bad for brass.  Fortunately, ammonia is a liquid and it evaporates.  Any polish with ammonia can be used on brass IF you get rid of the ammonia.

Put a spoon full of Brasso in your tumbler and spread it over the media, then run the tumbler until the media clumps have broken up.  Let it set for a couple of days, without the lid, to allow the ammonia to evaporate completely.  Ammonia has a distinctive "cat urine" odor so you can easily tell if it's not gone! 

When the ammonia smell is gone, put your brass in!

[Swampman]

If you replace your tumbling media with rice, you won't need anything else added to it.

[DalesCarpentry]

If you replace your tumbling media with rice, you won't need anything else added to it.

I plan on buying a tumbler myself. Am I correct in understanding that you can use rice instead of the regular media? If so that would be a lot cheaper. Dale

[charles p]

I purchase walnut shell at a pet supply store.  I think it is used by people who have parrots.  It's dirt cheap as a pet product. I think I get it in 5 or 10 pound bags.  Works great in my Lyman vibrator tumbler.

[1sourdough]

 I used Brasso in the past that I had left over from the military. I never had a problem with the little I put in the tumbler. I still have some but I have been using the regular polish made for brass. I may go back to using up my very old brasso when my other stuff is gone.

[Lloyd Smale]

rice does work. I just tried it recently and its does the job. Its a bit slower then corncob but the corncob i buy in bulk is to coursly ground and plugs up small rifel cases like 223s and the rice works great on them and replaced the ground walnut i was using thats pretty expensive

If you replace your tumbling media with rice, you won't need anything else added to it.

[DDelle338]

 I used Braso allot before "I knew better" and I STILL use it in the tumbler. And I don't wait a day to put the brass in. I just pour a little in, stir it around good to get it mixed well, add brass and tumble away. Make sure it gets well mixed before adding the brass or it may clump up inside the cases. (That's Bad) I have never found it to weaken brass. I’m sure if you had an analysis done by a metallurgist, they may be able to show you some degradation on a molecular level, but I don’t think it hurts enough to worry about.
  I have fired these Braso cleaned cases many many more times then people say you should. At pressures way above what you should. (also,,, before I knew better). I have never split one, or even cracked a neck. And they haven’t grown excessively in length. This is just my experience and your mileage may vary so to speak

[FW Conch]

   
      I'm a low volume reloader & I use "Never- Dull".  I always wipe it all off & I have never had a problem. Comments?? Jim

[wncchester]

Never-Dull is ammonia free.

[FW Conch]

      " OUTSTANDING "     Jim !