Newish reloader, need advice

[Bookmark]

I've been reloading for about a year now and have been cleaning brass with an ultrasonic cleaner I already had. It does a good job cleaning inside cases and primer pockets, but doesn't polish much, and my brass is beginning to look pretty dark. Should I use a tumbler or vibratory type cleaner to clean and polish every so often, or will a lemon shine type product do the job in the ultrasonic? Also, if I need to change machines to polish, should I go with the vibratory type or the tumbler and what media works best? Thanks in advance for any advice. Mark

 

[mac45]

Here's the thing.....shiny brass doesn't shoot one bit better than dull brass.
If you just like shiny brass and want to polish it up, that's fine. Just be aware that we're talking about cosmetics here.
That said, a vibratory tumbler and some corn cob media with a drop or two of case polish would probably be the least expensive way to go about it.

 

[WhitleyStu]

I always give my brass 10-15 minutes in a vibratory tumbler with Lyman TuffNut media after UC cleaning. Also, there are UC cleaning solutions that leave the brass fairly bright. These solutions are sold as jewelry cleaners. I use Ottosonic, sold by Jules Borel, which is formulated to remove buffing compounds in the jewelry business. Ottosonic does a great job at leaving the brass with a bright finish, but not completely shiny.

 

[Kentuckyblue]

I use a vibratory and a few drops of polish in the media, they come out plenty clean and shiny.

 

[Leo]

Here's the thing.....shiny brass doesn't shoot one bit better than dull brass.
If you just like shiny brass and want to polish it up, that's fine. Just be aware that we're talking about cosmetics here.
That said, a vibratory tumbler and some corn cob media with a drop or two of case polish would probably be the least expensive way to go about it.

+1 When vibratory brass polishers first became cheap enough to be common, the guys who spent a lot of time winning laughed at the guys that had shiny brass, and the guys with shiney brass never got any closer to the winners circle. I often polish my brass, but mostly to make it easier to find in the grass.

 

[Bookmark]

Thanks for the helpful comments. Does polishing the brass make it easier to see splits and other case failures? I examine brass in a well lighted area and wondered if polishing would make it easier to see defects.

 

[mac45]

Thanks for the helpful comments. Does polishing the brass make it easier to see splits and other case failures? I examine brass in a well lighted area and wondered if polishing would make it easier to see defects.

Personally, I find most of my defective brase while I'm decapping before I toss 'em into the ultrasonic. So no, I don't think polishing makes it easier to find splits and the like.
Again, if you LIKE polished brass, (and it does look cool), polish away!
Liking how it looks is a perfectly valid reason for doing it. Just don't think that you HAVE to do it.

 

[wolfman]

Thanks for the helpful comments. Does polishing the brass make it easier to see splits and other case failures? I examine brass in a well lighted area and wondered if polishing would make it easier to see defects.

Split cases are easier to hear than see. Take a handful of known good brass, shake them in your hand like dice and listen, then add a known split and shake again. Once you know what you are listening for, finding splits is as easy as taking a small handful, shaking them and listening.

 

[olhorseman]

Thanks for the helpful comments. Does polishing the brass make it easier to see splits and other case failures? I examine brass in a well lighted area and wondered if polishing would make it easier to see defects.

Yes, polishing helps visually inspecting for defects. Defects are more readily detected when there is higher contrast between the defect ( dark areas) and the lighter, shinier areas. I just spent the past 6 months researching this topic to create training materials for nondestructive testing.

 

[Slawburger]

Split cases are easier to hear than see. Take a handful of known good brass, shake them in your hand like dice and listen, then add a known split and shake again. Once you know what you are listening for, finding splits is as easy as taking a usmall handful, shaking them and listening.

Split cases do make a distinctive sound.

 

[Bookmark]

That's something I haven't heard before, I'll give that a try. Thanks.