brass treatment ?

Buffalow Red · January 18, 2011, 06:50:00 AM

im having a problem with my brass corroding turning green

in spots grungy etc.... after they have been cleaned & loaded
come back in a few months & tere all ugly

so i was planning on loading up a few 1000 rounds to rat hole/hide away in different places

& dont want any crudy stuff
does anyone put some treatment on reloaded brass

like lacquer spray? ??

Pettifogger · January 18, 2011, 09:30:19 AM

What kind of powder was in them before they were cleaned and how are you cleaning them? What are you storing the brass in? If I shoot some ammo with BP and don't clean it, it will turn green. However, I have thousands of rounds of brass that have been cleaned and put in buckets, some of it has been sitting for years and none has ever turned green. The only other time any brass has turned green is the verdigris that forms if you leave brass shells in leather belt loops to long. If you are using a vibratory cleaner a cap full of polish in the media should keep the green free for decades. No way should cleaned brass turn green after a few months.

Buffalow Red · January 18, 2011, 12:19:30 PM

yes BP was in them
i run them in walnut crushed hulls in dry tumbler for 2-3 days they will look ok not great for a few weeks then start turing

Jefro · January 18, 2011, 03:40:53 PM

If they are green and corroding that started well before you tumbled them. Soak em in some vinegar and hot water for about 20 min, then clean and rinse with hot soapy water. When you tumble them add some media polish or car wax, should be fine for years. Good Luck

Jefro

Buffalow Red · January 18, 2011, 04:37:40 PM

ok thanks

August · January 18, 2011, 04:54:55 PM

Don't put them in leather loops or leather charging strips until the day of the match. And, take them out of the leather immediately following the match.

Pettifogger · January 18, 2011, 05:45:22 PM

+1 on the mild vinegar soak. You have to neutralize the BP fouling. After they have been soaked, rinse thoroughly, let them dry and then tumble in the walnut shells.

Driftwood Johnson · January 18, 2011, 08:22:31 PM

Howdy

I never let vinegar anywhere near my brass. And chemically speaking, you don't need to neutralize the fouling. You need to dilute it and wash it away. Two different things. Neutralize means bringing the pH to neutral, or 7 on the pH scale. Diluting it means just that, water it down.

I suspect if your brass is turning green over time you simply did not rinse all the fouling away, and it has started acting on the brass. Try rinsing it longer. Keep changing the rinse water until it runs clear. Then you will have washed away all the nasty fouling.

Frankly, all I do is dump my brass in a jug of water with a squirt of dishsoap in it. And you don't have to carry the jug around with you all day either. The end of the match is plenty of time. At the end of a match at my car I dump all my BP brass into my jug of water with a squirt of dishsoap. Then it sits on the car floor for the ride home. The vibration keeps the water agitated and keeps the fouling in solution in the water. Prevents it from precipitating out onto the brass again. Once home, I rinse it with PLENTY of water. Several jugs full. Then air dry and into the tumbler for as long as I feel like running it.

I have never had my BP brass turn green on me. You need to rinse away all the fouling.

Pettifogger · January 18, 2011, 09:28:44 PM

Neutralize/dilute same thing for the point that the fouling has to come off. I use a very small amount of vinegar in my rising solution because my brass typically has BP, APP and 777 all mixed together and I find that if a little green has started inside the case it helps take it off. Bottom line is you have to get the fouling off.