Wet processing for shiny brass

[Notalentbum]

I’ve forgotten how I used to get my brass real shiny looking. I was thinking I used Dawn dish soap but I also remember using or planning to use Lemi-shine. I have both the Frankford wet tumbler and a Lyman vibratory bowl. I started last week cleaning pistol cases with the Frankford cleaning packets. My brass was really clean which I love but they were really dull and had no polish look at all. I knew I had gotten polished looking brass in the past with the wet tumbler. I tried adding Dawn and that worked great for shining up the brass but now I’m fighting suds. After 5 rinses I’m still getting soap suds in the cases. I don’t know if the soap residue will hurt anything or not but I’ve always read they need to be rinsed clean.
Is there another easy way to get my brass all shined up? Does that little bit of soap suds left behind matter?
Is there a different cleaner that will polish as well as clean without all the suds?

Thanks, Matt

 

[indyblue]

I tumble mine in a Frankford tumbler with 5 pounds of steel pins a couple shots of dawn and a little lemi-shine pro.

After tumbling, I run warm water into the tumbling vessel and let it overflow with suds for a few minutes. I do that four or five times until most of the suds are gone and the water runs clear.

Then I pour everything into a large fine screen sifter and rinse that for several minutes.

Then all goes into a salad spinner where my brass is separated from the pins.

 

[Notalentbum]

That’s essentially my process other than you rinsing with the large fine screen sifter. Maybe just need more rinse time.

Matt

 

[Michigan Slim]

Or less Dawn.

 

[Blazer56]

My wife explained to me what I was doing wrong with the FART. Wash with HOT water but rinse with COLD water...much less suds! She's a keeper!

 

[Notalentbum]

My wife explained to me what I was doing wrong with the FART. Wash with HOT water but rinse with COLD water...much less suds! She's a keeper!

Definitely worth a try!

 

[Leo]

once everyone started making sure their brass was shiny as new, I quit cleaning mine. People just leave the dirty ones and I get more back that way

 

[BiscuitsandGravy]

Yep- wash hot, rinse cold. I also found that a little Lemi-shine goes a loooong way.

We found 2 food dehydrators at a garage sale that work well for drying washed brass.

YMMV.

 

[mark40sw]

I use the frankford. Dont use pins anymore. Use fair amount of brass fill to get cleaning action.

Wash small amount dish soap and maybe 1/2 teaspoon lemishine. Rinse.

Tumble again. With water & tablespoon "armor all wash & wax". After tumble lightly rinse once, leaves film to keep brass shine for a long time. I believe the film is silicone.

Without the pins, leaves a non-polished (but clean) inside surface with the film helps on loading on a dillon sticking on the powder funnel with pistol cases.

 

[Virch]

I tumble using hot water, lemishine, and tide HE detergent in place of dawn. Shiniest I’ve ever seen my brass. My wife switched to a different HE detergent and my brass isn’t as shiny so I’m gonna get my own little bottle to keep on hand.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Bill2905]

When I first started using it, I found that too much Lemi shine changed my brass appearance to a brownish tea color. I was using Dawn with it. Took a few batches to get it right. Has anyone else experienced that?

 

[t-squared]

Yup. With Lemi Shine, less is usually more...

 

[mark40sw]

When I first started using it, I found that too much Lemi shine changed my brass appearance to a brownish tea color. I was using Dawn with it. Took a few batches to get it right. Has anyone else experienced that?

Had that happen. Now I only use a very small amount of lemishine, like a 45acp case full. I believe the stronger acid solution will take the zinc out of the surface of the brass alloy.

 

[STFU]

Had that happen. Now I only use a very small amount of lemishine, like a 45acp case full. I believe the stronger acid solution will take the zinc out of the surface of the brass alloy.

Yes, this ^^^ exactly.
There are actually YouTube videos that discuss LemiShine leaching the Zinc out if you use too much.

 

[Notalentbum]

So after a couple weeks of cleaning my brass, I’m finally done for a while. The little bit of lemi-shine and Dawn are getting me some decent looking brass. I had a bunch of 9mm that was really filthy and I had to clean them twice. After the first wash, pouring off the water was pretty disgustingly dirty, basically black. Brass was still really dull and dark so I ran it through again. It was acceptable second time around.
One last question for you guys. What do you do with the stainless pins when you are done tumbling for a while, say more than a couple months? For now I’ve left them a bit wet in my drum but that doesn’t seem like a great idea for long term.

Thanks, Matt

 

[sugarcreekbrass]

I try to rinse them off good then let them dry out completely before putting them up.

 

[Firehawk]

Notalentbum, I know you said your finished cleaning for awhile but wanted to add my 2cents for future reference and others.

I often clean extremely dirty brass I rescue from an out door range. This is my process. I start with tumbling in my vibratory tumbler with corncob media and a drizzle of liquid polishing compound. When they come out they are polished but still dirty and dusty. I don’t want that in my guns. I run them through a universal de-primer in my press. Then I run them in my small ultrasonic washer ($60 on eBay). I use very small amount of Dawn Ultra Platinum, just a few drops (less than 1/4 teaspoon) a little goes along way. And about a teaspoon of lemon shine. I like the ultrasonic, it does a great job also cleaning the inside of the case and the primer pockets/flash holes. Then I rinse them well under the kitchen faucet running my fingers through the batch to move cases around while rinsing. I don’t worry about rinsing every case 100%. Any minor suds still left have never caused any issue. Then I lay them out on towel on a cookie sheet to air dry for a day. Here’s a pic of a few hundred 40 S&W range brass I processed this way.