Keeping stored brass shiney
- Thread starter scalian
- Start date
Vaccum pack them. Make the bags too big to start and you can reseal when needed 8).
stay away from commercial units,mine will collapse necks!not the good ones from bass pro or cabelas.
Just store the clean brass in sealed zip-lock bags - squeeze to get most of the air out, and make sure that the brass is completely dry before sealing. I have SS media/dish soap-cleaned brass that is very bright and shiny after a year.
Also, I think that it's important to use Lemi-Shine during the cleaning process. A 40 S&W case full is plenty for a batch of cases, along with 1 or 2 tablespoons of dish soap (Dawn or generic equivalent).
Also, I think that it's important to use Lemi-Shine during the cleaning process. A 40 S&W case full is plenty for a batch of cases, along with 1 or 2 tablespoons of dish soap (Dawn or generic equivalent).
Sealing the brass in vacuum seal bag works because it deprives the brass of oxygen which is in the air. You cannot get any rusting/oxidation/tarnishing without oxygen.
The other way to deal with this is to make sure that you rinse the brass out really well. The problem here is there is a lot of minerals in the water after the tumble and it take many rinses to remove the majority of the stuff. I rinse mine out 6 times with care after each rinse to remove almost all the water from the previous rinse as this will make the rinse more efficient. For those who are really OCD, you can do the final rinse with distilled water.
The other way to deal with this is to make sure that you rinse the brass out really well. The problem here is there is a lot of minerals in the water after the tumble and it take many rinses to remove the majority of the stuff. I rinse mine out 6 times with care after each rinse to remove almost all the water from the previous rinse as this will make the rinse more efficient. For those who are really OCD, you can do the final rinse with distilled water.
I have used SSM for over 2 years and have never had my brass discolor. It stays shiny and bright without anything extra. I would guess it would be your water has heavy mineral content or you are not using Lemi-Shine. Just my 2 cents worth. These are my steps:
1-Dawn and Lemi-Shine
2-Clean in HOT-SOFT water
3-Rinse Tumbler in cold hard water removing all dirty water (dump out all excess water)
4-Fill Dillon media separator with SOFT -HOT water a remove the media
5- Put clean brass in a beach towel and rattle around to remove excess water
6-Stack brass on open bottom cartridge racks (primer up) and air dry (Racks are handy to inspect for any stuck media--I use a thin piece of Plexiglas to flip the 50 cases at a time over then inspect the necks for any media)
I have not had any discoloration using this method but only use SOFT-HOT water for washing and rinsing
RLP
1-Dawn and Lemi-Shine
2-Clean in HOT-SOFT water
3-Rinse Tumbler in cold hard water removing all dirty water (dump out all excess water)
4-Fill Dillon media separator with SOFT -HOT water a remove the media
5- Put clean brass in a beach towel and rattle around to remove excess water
6-Stack brass on open bottom cartridge racks (primer up) and air dry (Racks are handy to inspect for any stuck media--I use a thin piece of Plexiglas to flip the 50 cases at a time over then inspect the necks for any media)
I have not had any discoloration using this method but only use SOFT-HOT water for washing and rinsing
RLP
The thing to keep in mind is that soft water is not water without minerals. The minerals that make up hard water is calcium and magnesium and these minerals can clog up pipes and also make your soap not work well. Well normally the beads in your water softener grab hold of these two minerals and get rid of them to be flush out later.
But the key thing to understand is that when the beads in your softener grab hold of calcium and magnesium, they release sodium into the water. Also when your tank is full of captured calcium and magnesium, it is flush off with salt which is sodium chloride. So soft water actually has quite a bit of sodium in it which when paired with chloride is your regular table salt which we all know tends to cause rusting/oxidation/tarnishing.
This is not to say that if you dry the brass well that this will be a major problem, it is not. But to get lasting shine, you will need to get rid of most of the salt, whether it be sodium, calcium, or magnesium which is where the distilled water comes in as it has no salt at all.
But the key thing to understand is that when the beads in your softener grab hold of calcium and magnesium, they release sodium into the water. Also when your tank is full of captured calcium and magnesium, it is flush off with salt which is sodium chloride. So soft water actually has quite a bit of sodium in it which when paired with chloride is your regular table salt which we all know tends to cause rusting/oxidation/tarnishing.
This is not to say that if you dry the brass well that this will be a major problem, it is not. But to get lasting shine, you will need to get rid of most of the salt, whether it be sodium, calcium, or magnesium which is where the distilled water comes in as it has no salt at all.
Forum Boss
Administrator
I have new brass that has stayed shiny for three years when stored in heavy-duty zip-lock bags or Tupperwear type containers with a good seal.
For those that wet-clean/tumble their brass it's correct you want to rinse with distilled water before storage.
The best answer: Load it and shoot it and don't worry about your brass staying super shiny!
For those that wet-clean/tumble their brass it's correct you want to rinse with distilled water before storage.
The best answer: Load it and shoot it and don't worry about your brass staying super shiny!
... But don't you want to strut up to the firing line with your brass all shiny, smellin' good and squeaky clean??Forum Boss said:
most people laugh when they see my stained/ugly brass.....then they stop when i start shooting
brass prep and consistent loading > brass look
brass prep and consistent loading > brass look
Yea, unless you are prepping it for display, it’s not worth it to be too OCD about shinning brass.
One trick I learned over at AR-15.com is to just pour your brass on an old beach towel and just roll the whole batch in it to dry it out. Works very well and it’s easy. Just use a dedicated towel for this and don’t use it on your body afterwards.
One trick I learned over at AR-15.com is to just pour your brass on an old beach towel and just roll the whole batch in it to dry it out. Works very well and it’s easy. Just use a dedicated towel for this and don’t use it on your body afterwards.
If you are interested in using the CO2 method, there is a much easier way. Let's just say you want to store your brass in a 5 gallon bucket, first fill the bucket with the brass and when it is almost full, put a small chunk of dry ice on the top and leave the lid slightly ajar. Dry ice is solid CO2, as it sublimate (turn from soid to gas), the much heavier CO2 will sink to the bottom of the bucket and displace all the regular air including oxygen. after all the dry ice is gone, close the lid and seal it - you are done.
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