[Eric]

I just discovered a couple hundred used .44 brass that have been sitting in the shed so long they have started turning green inside. I would like to keep using them but I don't have a case cleaner/tumbler. Anybody got any ideas for a way to clean these up?

Thanks,

Eric

 

[Contender]

Hello Eric,

You can take a bore brush the diameter of the case and give it a few twists in there on the inside to clean out the case.

Just make sure there is nothing still growing in there. :biggrin:

As far as the outside you could use a a cleaner on it but nothing with ammonia in it to attack the case itself. Cases don't have to be brilliantly shiny just clean and free of dirt and grit so they don't ruin your dies. If they are really loaded with corrosion, consider pitching them and starting with some fresh cases.

You can try washing them in a mild detergent too but then you have to dry them thoroughly prior to loading. There are numerous homemade concoctions to do this also.


Regards

 

[James Gates]

Long ago and far away!....Before we had the nice tumblers, etc we had today...We cleaned cases with 1/2 vinegar and 1/2 water with some salt added. Enough to cover brass. Stir around until tarnish and grime is gone. Rinse well, first with clear water and then with water with a couple of tablespoons of soda. Dry in the sun on newspaper. Not as good as a tumbler, but works.
Best Regards, James

 

[Bill Lester]

Tumblers are nice,quick and convenient but are the No. 1 source of airborne lead. The dust generated by tumbler media is loaded with lead from bullet and primer residue.
I have read excerpts from a study that determined the handloader using a tumbler is exposed to more airborne lead by a substantial amount than someone who shoots in a typically ventilated indoor range.

So these days I change the cleaning media much more often than in the past, wet it a bit before emptying the bucket, and only do so outside in fresh air.

(Edited by Bill Lester at 4:27 pm on April 7, 2001)

 

[MT Callahan]

Thanks Bill, thats a great peice of information. Lead is only our friend as we guide it down the barrel and to the target. I worked at an indoor range for awhile and got more than my share of airborne lead.

 

[TBC]

I made a tumbler using a one gallon rubber barrell from a rock tumbling shop.  I mounted it on two parallel rods and put a piece of hose on the one rod.  I also put a twelve inch diameter pully on the end of this rod with the hose.  I then put a one inch pulley on a second hand electric motor and connected the two pulleys with a half inch belt.  I supported the two parallel rods in a box with hardwood bushings and turned on the motor.  It rotates about one and a half rotations per minute.  I put about three pounds of one inch finish nails in the tumbler and put one hundred 30.06 cases in and one teaspoon full of Dawn soap then filled it up 3/4 full with very hot water.  I let it run for about an hour and dumped it off in a screen bottomed box and I washed it down with hot water and dried the outside on a towel.  I then the cases in the oven at 150 degrees and took them out in about an hour.  They shined like new.

You will have to put a retaining nut on the lid of the barrel so that the barrel will not slide forward when it is turning.  This is a law of physics.  If you have any questions just ask.