Play With Your Food: Clean Brass With Rice

[orkan]

Play With Your Food: Clean Brass With Rice

There are many ways to clean brass.
Cleaning your brass is a necessity. Foreign material in or on our cases can cause all kinds of problems. Damage to expensive reloading dies, damage to rifles, and various other issues can arise if proper care is not taken. Historically, shooters tumbled their brass in walnut or corn cob media using vibrator tumblers. This method works fairly well and has long since been the "standard" method. In recent years, a couple new technologies were explored. Ultrasonic cleaning was first, and used the power of ultrasonic transducers to "explode" the surface of the brass clean. Next came using a rotary tumbler, water, dish soap, and stainless steel pins to clean the brass. I have used each of the aforementioned methods, and in each instance I was left with the feeling that there is much room for improvement. A couple weeks ago while researching a completely unrelated topic, I was sent down a rabbit hole on the internet. You know how that is. Well I landed on an old forum post in some obscure corner of the internet, which outlined the use of rice and a vibratory tumbler to clean brass. That particular user hailed it as the best possible solution to the problem. The thought had never occurred to me before. I scooped up a handful of rice we had laying around and just by playing with it for a bit, was convinced that it may have merit. I had to try it. This article is the culmination of that testing.

 

[navyrad8r]

tag

 

[Hippy]

This idea was INTERNETTED a few years bac and some even tried liquid auto polish as a additive . I might not have given it much of a chance BUT my results were less that expected. I now use S/S pins and have purchased a Ultrasonic unit to try

Jim

 

[orkan]

This idea was INTERNETTED a few years bac and some even tried liquid auto polish as a additive . I might not have given it much of a chance BUT my results were less that expected. I now use S/S pins and have purchased a Ultrasonic unit to try

Jim

I can't imagine adding things to rice being a good idea. I'd think it would get gummy and stick to everything... as rice tends to when it gets wet. I can also see how specific brands of rice would be better at this job than others.

 

[joshb]

I tried it once. Too many grains got stuck in my flash holes.

 

[orkan]

I tried it once. Too many grains got stuck in my flash holes.

That is from using improper rice. If you use the rice I specify in the article, that will not be an issue.

 

[Ringostar]

I tried it once with long grain brown rice. My cases were packed tight with rice. I had to use a small punch to dig it out, which took quite a while! I'll stick with corn cob.

 

[zipollini]

I think most of the issues regarding SS pin tumbling have been solved regarding neck damage

1. I just trim and rechamfer with my Giraud trimmer after tumbling.
2. You can also just slip some small sections of Tygon tubing over the necks before tumbling. Goes really fast.. See image below

 

[Tacticaldonkey]

I think most of the issues regarding SS pin tumbling have been solved regarding neck damage

1. I just trim and rechamfer with my Giraud trimmer after tumbling.
2. You can also just slip some small sections of Tygon tubing over the necks before tumbling. Goes really fast.. See image below

What type of tubing did you get. I did a google search and there were lots of options, some with crazy price tags. Any guidance would be appreciated.

 

[zipollini]

I picked the tubing up at Lowe's home improvement store. They had lots of different sizes and types. Cost less that $ 2 to make over 100 sleeves. If you buy it thru a scientific supply house it will be called Tygon tubing.

You can also buy it here. I use 1/4 inch tubing for my 6XC brass. Beverage quality will be fine.

https://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&page=1&rh=n:16414401,p_4:Tygon&tag=accuratescom-20

 

[dcali]

Clean brass is absolutely not a necessity.

 

[Kurz]

There are many ways to clean brass.

What was once old is now new again.

This idea surfaces every few years from folks who have never heard of it and believe that it is the salvation for reloaders looking for cheap and easy cleaning media. It's always one of those 'slap yourself on the forehead' reactions. Gee, why didn't I think of that?

Yes it can be reasonably priced if you can find the correct type of rice to use. But the action of tumbling with rice will leave the surface of the brass slightly dull because of the starch from the rice being peened onto the surface. While this is not detrimental to the brass, it isn't as nice looking as brass tumbled with other media. You can also add polishes if you like, just remember that rice is very absorbent and can develop a stickiness from certain polishes.

Or you can stick with your favorite walnut, corn cob or stainless steel media and be happy that you don't have to do each case by hand...

Regards.

 

[orkan]

Addressing your comments in turn:

I said it was an old idea in the article.

I note the specific kind of rice to use for best results.

Having sparkly brass is not a requisite of accuracy or precision. Point in fact, it tends to inhibit it.

I've enjoyed handling each piece of brass with this process to check the case mouth and flash hole for obstruction. Doing so has allowed me to catch several creased necks/shoulders and other issues with brass that I had missed in two prior firings with my previous processes.

 

[Kurz]

Addressing your comments in turn:

I said it was an old idea in the article.

I note the specific kind of rice to use for best results.

Having sparkly brass is not a requisite of accuracy or precision. Point in fact, it tends to inhibit it.

I've enjoyed handling each piece of brass with this process to check the case mouth and flash hole for obstruction. Doing so has allowed me to catch several creased necks/shoulders and other issues with brass that I had missed in two prior firings with my previous processes.

I knew you would take this as a personal affront even though that was not my intention. I was actually trying to interject a little humor. But I forgot the wink or smiley face...

My last statement though simply forgot to include the rice as a variable of choice. I DO believe that we all have the right to choose whatever process suits us best and we are supremely confident in using. That can be a deciding factor in performance, confidence.

But I will say that I am a magpie by choice, I like shiny brass which is clean. I emphasize clean since some will take umbrage to the concept of shiny surfaces since it can connote being fouled by oils or other surfactants. I have personally never encountered any failure when firing clean, shiny cases.

*As an aside, Exeter University scientists now seemingly have disproved the idea that the magpie is attracted to and steals shiny objects, much to my chagrin.*

Best of Luck with your endeavors!

 

[orkan]

What? I didn't take it personally. I simply responded to the comments!

My word people on this forum sure have a tendency to be confrontational.

 

[Tacticaldonkey]

I picked the tubing up at Lowe's home improvement store. They had lots of different sizes and types. Cost less that $ 2 to make over 100 sleeves. If you buy it thru a scientific supply house it will be called Tygon tubing.

You can also buy it here. I use 1/4 inch tubing for my 6XC brass. Beverage quality will be fine.

https://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&page=1&rh=n:16414401,p_4:Tygon&tag=accuratescom-20

Thanks for the info.

 

[Brians356]

My word people on this forum sure have a tendency to be confrontational.

You said a mouthful, friend. But, what fun would a non-confrontational forum be? I can go elsewhere to sing "Kumbaya" with gentle souls. Let's just call this "spirited debate" and get on with it.
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[Steve Blair]

Having sparkly brass is not a requisite of accuracy or precision. Point in fact, it tends to inhibit it.

Please enlighten us poor, confrontational souls by explaining how sparkly brass inhibits accuracy or precision.

 

[Brians356]

It could be an indirect effect - spending more time cleaning brass leaves less time for proper load development, practice shooting and improving wind doping, etc. Just thinking outside the box here.
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[rardoin]

It could be an indirect effect - spending more time cleaning brass leaves less time for proper load development, practice shooting and improving wind doping, etc. Just thinking outside the box here.
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But....if you use instant rice, cleaning time is reduced dramatically thus regaining the lost time which is now available for proper load development, practice, developing wind reading skills,.....

Uhhh....maybe not.