Hand washing brass

[Carcanobrat]

Hey guys, After a lot of research and number crunching, I think I may be able to afford the Lee 50th Anniversary kit to get restarted on my reloading journey. That said it does not come with a tumbler. I’ve been researching different tumblers between vibratory, ultrasonic, and rotary. And it’ll be a month or two before I can afford to get one. Bare bones budget here. So I was wondering, since, at least according to some manuals as I’ve read testimony on the inter webs, you can ‘get away with’ hand washing brass, what’s to stop me from getting a cheap mesh laundry bag and tossing the brass in the bag and sticking them in a full load of laundry on cold or warm…AND OF COURSE LETTING THEM AIR DRY AND NOT PUTTING THEM IN THE DRYER. sorry for the caps. Just wanted to be clear that was not my intention.

 

[DaveTooley]

In 40 years of competitive shooting dirty brass was never a problem. I do remove sizing lube with paper towels and a degreaser. I would think the necks would suffer in a washing machine.

 

[rwj]

”Hand washing” was likely referring to wiping the cases with a cloth dampened with your choice of cleaner. I’d avoid any machine intended for cleaning clothes!

 

[Jager]

Many of us handloaded ammo for decades without having a brass tumbler. And to this day, the only times I ever use my tumbler is after forming wildcat brass wherein the inside of the neck has been wet-lubed.

No doubt, the bright, shiny brass that emerges from a tumbler makes ya smile. But please don't think a tumbler is necessary for mainstream handloading operations... because it's not.

And, no, please don't put your brass in the clothes washer.

 

[Carcanobrat]

Ok, red neck engineering squished. Thanks for the replies.

 

[HTSmith]

Yep save that money for these crazy expensive reloading components.

 

[41magnut]

I have gone from one way to the other. No cleaning other than wiping off with a rag to running the tumbler 24/7.

I was told/heard (40 some odd years ago) that brass should be tumbled to stop wear and tear on your dies.
I cannot say I have ever worn out a die or got a piece of brass stuck, as a result of resizing dirty brass.

Rifle brass brass gets tumbled so I can see imperfections, especially in brass approaching the end of its useful life span (7-10 re-loads) In a clean piece of brass I can spot a shiny line near the base where the brass is approaching case head separation.

Since you are just starting out wipe off the brass with an oily rag, or paper towel with some alcohol & continue. In all honesty the alcohol isn't necessary either.

I prefer denatured alcohol, (actually procured from the Matriarch's art studio) from the hardware store.

 

[ebb]

The priming compound is a chemical called lead styphnate (unsure of spelling) not something you want mixed with your clothes. TOXIC

 

[LVLAaron]

Sometimes I have a small batch of something I want to reload...

Some steel wool on the outside of the necks to remove carbon is all I use. After sizing I use rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle and a microfiber towel to clean the lube off.

 

[jepp2]

you can ‘get away with’ hand washing brass

For brass from my bolt guns, simply wiping off the exterior with a cloth is sufficient. For gas gun brass and brass I find at the range in the sandy soil, I put them in an empty coffee can, fill with hot water and a little Dawn dish soap, put the lid on a shake. Rinse several times, drain and lay them in the sun on a towel to dry. That is sufficient for the bare minimum case. Depending on how you lube your cases for sizing, case lube removal can vary.

 

[Coyotefurharvester]

I use my tumbler to wash brass that has been on the ground, if a small amount I just put in a gallon pail and wash by hand. Just avoiding grit running through sizing die. I mostly use One shot lube, so I just wipe off after sizing.

 

[Clancy]

You don’t need a tumbler. I don’t use mine anymore. Dirty brass doesn’t hurt a thing.

If you like them shiny, get a tub of New Finish and wipe them down. Remove case lube with microfiber cloth and alcohol if necessary.

For range brass, simple green and hot water will clean the snot out of them. I did it all the time in college. It’ll even clean the pockets.

 

[6BRA]

Ultrasonic/ anneal/ moly and drylube necks...doesn't beat the necks up..harbor freight ultra...all.made in China anyway.

 

[357Mag]

Hey guys, After a lot of research and number crunching, I think I may be able to afford the Lee 50th Anniversary kit to get restarted on my reloading journey. That said it does not come with a tumbler. I’ve been researching different tumblers between vibratory, ultrasonic, and rotary. And it’ll be a month or two before I can afford to get one. Bare bones budget here. So I was wondering, since, at least according to some manuals as I’ve read testimony on the inter webs, you can ‘get away with’ hand washing brass, what’s to stop me from getting a cheap mesh laundry bag and tossing the brass in the bag and sticking them in a full load of laundry on cold or warm…AND OF COURSE LETTING THEM AIR DRY AND NOT PUTTING THEM IN THE DRYER. sorry for the caps. Just wanted to be clear that was not my intention.

Carcano -

Howdy !

I used Birchwood-Casey " case bright " liquid, which is a concentrate you add to 1gl H2O; then air dry.

I put my cleaned brass on a window screen layed out flat, and suspended to gie me an air gap undernearth.
To speed drying and assure cases got dry inside, I used a hair dryer to help the process along.

I have cases I cleaned 45yr ago, that still appear clean w/ a sating patina to them. Not mirror bright, abrasive polished mind you; but claean.


With regards,
357Mag

 

[JMayo]

For me ...NO on the washer especially with clothes inside it. I wouldn't want to wear this stuff !

The water, vinegar, salt and dawn dishwashing liquid wash works.
I went for years cleaning pistol brass that way. Put them in the oven to dry them.

However with rifle brass I dont clean it other than just wiping it off. After sizing.

Now I have an ultrasonic cleaner that I ran my brass through at the end of last season. It went on sale, i couldn't resist... Sits there taunting me.....

PS
My scores didn't improve this season because of it..... :/

 

[Cemetery21]

As above, if wiping with a rag/alcohol doesn't get you what you want, wet wash in a plastic bucket - a dash of wash & wax and citric acid in hot water. Stir with a wooden dowel every 10-15 minutes. In an hour, drain, rinse, dry, bingo.

wash & wax (to clean and prevent tarnish) https://www.amazon.com/Armor-All-25178-Cleaning-Motorcycle/dp/B001GJ9J2E/ref=sr_1_10?keywords=car+wash+&+wax&qid=1658667176&sr=8-10&th=1

citric acid (to clean and shine) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B093ZZ95K...9Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

 

[6BRA]

Anyone really OCD? would 5 times fired brass with carbon buildup have any effect on case capacity. Curious....if you you would lose a grain or 2?

 

[drop_point]

If I were you, I would take the money I was going to save for a tumbler and go ahead and save it. Take that with your initial money and buy a better kit than the Lee. A tumbler isn't really needed at all, and the RCBS kit is much better than the Lee.

 

[Mark W]

Sometimes I have a small batch of something I want to reload...

Some steel wool on the outside of the necks to remove carbon is all I use. After sizing I use rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle and a microfiber towel to clean the lube off.

That’s pretty much what I do with all of my brass. I do make a single pass inside the neck with a nylon brush and use a primer pocket cleaner to knock out the crud.

 

[Clancy]

Anyone really OCD? would 5 times fired brass with carbon buildup have any effect on case capacity. Curious....if you you would lose a grain or 2?

Been studied, nope

I wish I could remember who did it and give you a link. It was posted on here. Seems they got like .04 grains out of a case with 30 firings vs one with a single firing.