Cleaning brass without a tumbler?

[huntin24/7]

Does anyone here not use a tumbler or expensive tool to clean brass, and if so, how? I have a tumbler but it seems like the media is always kind of hard to get cleaned out good, and I’m cleaning pretty low volume of brass.

 

[huntin24/7]

I’m referring to pretty clean once used brass.

 

[HiMtnHntr]

You could use an ultrasonic cleaner. You could use steel wool and brake cleaner. If it's relatively clean stuff there is also no need to clean it.

 

[6mm Remington]

Before I got my tumbler I used 0000 steel wool. Cleaned the primer pockets with a primer pocket cleaner.

 

[huntin24/7]

Ok. I have a primer pocket cleaner. Is it necessary to clean the inside of once or twice fired brass? The outside is very clean, so I assumed just wiping it down would pretty much be enough or using some cleaning solution as well.

 

[HiMtnHntr]

Clean on the outside has little functional purpose as long as there's no crud on it that would impact cycling.

 

[SD_Prairie_Goat]

Ok. I have a primer pocket cleaner. Is it necessary to clean the inside of once or twice fired brass? The outside is very clean, so I assumed just wiping it down would pretty much be enough or using some cleaning solution as well.

I never clean mine, but I also only shoot bolt action so they never are dirty. I'll clean primer pockets every couple of reloads, but never noticed anything from doing or not doing it

 

[Jbotto]

When I first started I used a Lee lock stud and cutter to trim brass. Attached to a drill, it went pretty quick. While it was chucked into that lock stud, I’d also clean the piece of brass with a rag or 0000steel wool depending upon how bad they were. After trimming and cleaning the brass got chamfered and deburred. Honestly for a cheap system, that was a pretty useful tool.

 

[44hunter45]

One of the most important reasons to clean brass is to prevent scratching your dies. It does not need to be shiny. As dies get more expensive in general or if you are paying top dollar for something like Redding dies, cleaning brass is important.

Putting the brass in a confined space and agitating them together helps remove gritty particles that can scratch dies or gun chambers. The process can be done wet or dry.

I don't hand load 5.7x28mm, but it is commonly cleaned by soap and water or "Simple Green" and water. 5.7mm casings are coated and many contend they will stick in the chamber if the coatings are removed by tumbling.

When I was young and poor, I put my brass in a coffee can filled with used and dried coffee grounds and rolled it under my foot while watching TV. This gives it a flat dull finish, but it is clean and it functions.

I got good results from putting my brass in a mesh bag and running it through the clothes washer until Mrs45 put a stop to that. I've heard of some using the dishwasher this way, too.

Many cleaning solutions, especially those with high ammonia content, should not be used in cleaning brass. This includes adding many kitchen scrubbing cleansers to your media. I have admittedly used a lot of Brasso over the years, but have stopped doing this.

I've done the steel wool thing as well. I chucked steel rods in my drill press and tapered them with files until they would friction fit the correct size case mouth. This is a tedious process and as the brass heats up under the steel wool the neck expands. This results in the friction fit on the rod slipping. This method resulted in a lot of split case necks for me. At my age I also avoid rags and such near spinning drill presses. I cheated OSHA a few times doing this method.

Brass cleaning becomes a "Time value of money" equation. If you are OCD like me and enjoy a little more labor intensive process, alternative methods can be rewarding. If you measure your time by how much money you could be making instead of playing with weird ways to clean brass, you should just use a tumbler or ultra-sonic. Having said that - I have long since moved into the "just tumble it" camp.

BTW- Tumbling media should not be difficult to get out if it is fresh and dry. It should pour right out of 80% of your brass and the rest may need a little help. Lyman media re-activater may help with this. My favorite way to get media out of primer vent holes is a brass 45 caliber cleaning jag screwed into an RCBS prep tool handle. The little point on the end of the jag goes perfectly into the vent hole and the body of the jag being bigger than the primer pocket prevents the tool from being wedged in the pocket. Any 8-32 threaded jag will work.

 

[huntin24/7]

Thanks for the good info. I hadn’t really thought about dirty brass too much affecting my dies, but that’s a good point. It’s clean brass so won’t be much to clean. I was never really sure if the inside of the brass has to be cleaned like if the old powder residue affected accuracy at all.

 

[Don Fischer]

When I started reloading I don't even know if they had case cleaners. What I did back then was to take a wire brush and put it in a drill with 0000 steel wool wrapped around it. Then held the case in one hand wrapped with 0000 steel wool and ran the brush into the neck. Depending on the pressure with my hand the case either turned in my hand or the drill turned inside the neck. Amazing how clean that get the case's and inside of the neck.

 

[MJE2083]

I suppose you could soak it in a hot water/soap solution. I wet tumble my brass with dish soap and lemishine. If I didn't have a wet tumbler I would probably try a 5gal bucket with soap and water, maybe stir it around with a stick for a while and then rinse? I've never done this, just a thought.

 

[WyoDoug]

You want to make sure the primer pocket is completely clean and then I would use a bore cleaner brush and clean debris out of inside as well as you can using a small bit of bore cleaner BUT make sure they are completely dry before you reload. If there is any residue left inside the cartridge, it will affect your load. This takes a bit of time but for small batches it is an OK way to do it. The primer pocket firing hole should be visually checked and make sure you have no debris there.

 

[Millsworks]

I do tumble clean my brass now. But using the Lee trimmer chucked into a drill, you can easily trim, chamfer, then polish with 0000 steel wool.
I still use the Lee trimmer system for trimming and chamfering. And occasionally polish small batches with steel wool.
Clean brass helps to inspect for cracks and other flaws before loading. The inside rarely needs any attention. But primer pockets ,in my opinion, need to be cleaned every loading. It insures even seating of the primer across all your brass for consistency.

 

[BackofBeyond]

I wet tumble my brass with SS media/dawn/LemiShine like what's been mentioned before, but by no means spend an arm and a leg on a "reloading tumbler." I bought a $25 rock tumbler from Harbor Freight and it's been going strong for over 5 years now. Does the same job, and fits a decent amount of brass, depending on size.

 

[Jasher]

I use the lee cutter system. Give about 10 pieces of brass a spray with Hornaday 1 shot. Lock a piece of brass in the cutter. Get a blue rag from a roll. Turn on the cordless drill and clean the outside of the brass. Then go right to the press. There's normally enough of the 1 shot left on the brass to lube it. If it starts to get difficult to cycle the brass in the die I spray more 1 shot on the rest of the brass. To clean primer pockets I use the Lyman primer pocket uniformer.

 

[Justabirdwatcher]

Does anyone here not use a tumbler or expensive tool to clean brass, and if so, how? I have a tumbler but it seems like the media is always kind of hard to get cleaned out good, and I’m cleaning pretty low volume of brass.

I have cleaned a lot of brass with nothing more than a cotton T-shirt. The One Shot spray lube I use seems to act as a bit of a solvent, and I can clean each piece pretty well with the cotton T-shirt after sizing. I only tumble every 5th or 6th loading. Sometimes there is a slight ring at the base of the neck, but that doesn't bother me.

I'm not "that guy" that needs shiny brass to feel good about my loads. They shoot fine as is.

I do clean the primer pockets with a well-sized flathead screwdriver though. That's a must.

 

[antelopedundee]

Citric acid or vinegar work decent. Rinse with water and do a dip in rubbing alcohol and dry well. Citric acid is also good for cleaning your clothes and dishwashers too. You can buy citric acid for a decent price on eBay.

 

[Kennedy]

Sometimes I use an old t shirt and brasso if the case is real dull. Seems to work good.

 

[Bigjav]

I got a wet tumbler from harbor freight for like $20 bought some steel pins and put a little lemishine in with the soap and water when I tumbled and the brass comes out looking like new