Brass Discoloration from Laundry Detergent

[mtncwru]

I inadvertently left my once-fired brass bucket in the drip zone of our laundry detergent jug. When I started grabbing rounds to prep for my latest batch of ammo, I noticed that the rounds which had picked up drips of detergent had discolored spots where the detergent landed. I'm a complete newbie to reloading, so I'm wondering if these are safe to use? I'm less worried about pure accuracy, (my loads aren't anywhere near my performance limiting factor these days), but I'd rather not break my gun, my face, my neighbor's face, etc. I have a couple photos of the representative marks below.

And yes, I moved my brass bucket away from the washer for the future!

 

[Comrade Terry]

Do you have hard water? That's what it looks like to me.

If it had turned pink, I would be inclined to pitch it (de-zincification, as on a bronze through-hull fitting).

I'd say it's okay to use.

 

[spclark]

I'd use it.

Undiluted liquid detergent isn't as caustic as dry powdered stuff that gets damp or wet. If you tumble that brass for awhile in whatever you use to clean before sizing I think that discoloration will mostly disappear; it's likely just surface-deep.

 

[mtncwru]

Do you have hard water? That's what it looks like to me.

Thanks folks! In this case it's pure liquid laundry detergent that got dripped on the brass. Good to know about the "if it turns pink" rule of thumb; I'll keep that in mind for the future!

 

[M-61]

The second pic looks like it etched into the brass. (maybe)
Being neither a chemist, metallurgist. nor photo interpreter......I'd probably set them aside. How many pieces are involved.
Since you say you are "newbie" to reloading I'll assume that it's not some shortened, wildcat, neck turned, fire formed brass that you have a lot of time into making.
But I am one who err's on the side of safety.

 

[mtncwru]

Since you say you are "newbie" to reloading I'll assume that it's not some shortened, wildcat, neck turned, fire formed brass that you have a lot of time into making.
But I am one who err's on the side of safety.

Well, I did spend all weekend fire-forming that brass... by which I mean I bought a bunch of factory-loaded Lapua .308 and shot it out of my Palma gun . Not like it's irreplaceable.

The piece in the second photo is definitely worse than the piece in the first one: when I pulled it out of the bucket it had a drop settled on it, and had turned the detergent green (it's clear, normally; we like the no-dye/no-perfume kind).

Looks like it's only around 30 rounds, out of 600, so not terrible if I have to chuck them all. I, too, tend to err on the side of safety, especially when it comes to explosions happening right next to my head. Since I am still new to the game, I'm still getting a feel for the line between "safe" and "paranoid", though I recognize that can be blurry depending on the specific scenario.

 

[BenPerfected]

To be safe, my suggestion is ship any 6BR stained brass me. To help you out, I would be willing to pay the shipping.
Ben

 

[Webster]

Not a problem. Just about anything that dries on a case will leave a stain. After wet tumbling cases will stain when washed with tap water. The minerals remain. A couple wipes with 0000 steel wool will remove them. I used to work in a chemical/metallurgical R&D lab. Stains like this are usually only a few millionths of an inch in depth. I see no reason to suspect corrosion or dezincification. The worst common cause of corrosion in brass is from ammonia.

Corrosion takes time, certain chemicals and dampness. The liquid on the cases probably dried in a few hours.

Article on cartridge brass properties from the Copper Development Organization. Talks about brass corrosion about 3/4 of the way down the list.

https://alloys.copper.org/alloy/C26000

 

[DJSBRS]

To be safe, my suggestion is ship any 6BR stained brass me. To help you out, I would be willing to pay the shipping.
Ben

First class act buddy!
DJ