Grungy gray brass. . . . Shiny now. . .

Dick Dastardly · July 23, 2011, 04:38:22 PM

Howdy Pards,

I have to confess that I was getting concerned about grungy gray brass. My brass was coming out of the CP media clean, but not sparkling. It had a grungy gray color. I hated it. I fought it. Now, Iv'e fixed it.

After using with black powder brass long enough, the CP media gets, well, grungy. I called the manufacturer and he told me to tumble some of the grungy media with no brass in it and to change the tumbling solution every 90 minutes or so till it came out clean. I did it.

Below are the results. I shot a match today and used the cleaned media. I tumbled it 90 minutes, changed the solution and tumbled it 90 more minutes. It sparkles. It is clean as new outside and in. I'm a happy Cowboy.

Take a look at these photos taken this afternoon and you will see why. The first is the way the brass looked when I dumped it out of my wide mouth brass bottle. The second photo is the way this same brass looked after only 90 minutes. The last photo is the sparkling clean brass after another 90 minutes of tumbling after changing the tumbling solution.

DD-DLoS

Forty Rod · July 23, 2011, 05:02:41 PM

Does it shoot any better?

TwoWalks Baldridge · July 23, 2011, 05:30:02 PM

Dick I like the first picture best ... it looks antiqued and fits with my guns and my age.

Seriously, great advice thanks.

Dick Dastardly · July 23, 2011, 07:02:25 PM

My eye, my pride and my lil LEE Pro 1000 press like clean brass. Even though I shoot the Holy Black, I prefer the look of the angels. Yes, clean shiny brass does help my image. I mean, could you ever see Dick Dastardly loading grungy ammo? It's simply below him. The alternative, though very expensive, would to load only NEW brass. Ugh! That's far too hard on my allowance. . . . . . .

DD-DLoS

Noz · July 24, 2011, 11:27:34 AM

What cleaning solution did you use?

john boy · July 24, 2011, 12:57:01 PM

QuoteThe last photo is the sparkling clean brass after another 90 minutes of tumbling after changing the tumbling solution.

Dick, I had the nicest 'gray' 38-55's one time until I thought ... hey, foul consists of potassium bicarbonate and potassium sulfide ... that colors brass if the burnishing solution is black (dirty). Changed the solution and nice shiny brass.
I've not made the same mistake twice!

Dick Dastardly · July 24, 2011, 04:19:05 PM

I was using the tumbling solution I ship with my ceramic porcelain kits. I only use it as a one shot solution, but I think that it must have been overwhelmed by the crud on some of my brass. I think the media just got dirty and had to get cleaned up. FWIW, it's now very clean and white. I've resolved to change my solution more often.

Anyway, the reason I started this thread is because if I was having problems with one of my products, others may have also. Since it's my neck in the noose I thought it best to post the remedy. FWIW, my brass comes out nice and shiny now, just like it's supposed to.

Thanks JB, your answer and mine are the same.

DD-DLoS

Noz · July 25, 2011, 03:02:59 PM

My fourth try at cleaning the media was with a handful of Comet in the mix. Worked.

Montana Slim · July 25, 2011, 06:50:08 PM

Quote from: Noz on July 25, 2011, 03:02:59 PM
My fourth try at cleaning the media was with a handful of Comet in the mix. Worked.

Amazing coincidence...I add a sprinke of simlar cleaning agent to my 3-yr old corncob media, tumble for 1-2 hrs max....brass comes out sparkling...but a tad "dusty"...so, I give a rinse in fresh water & air dry.

Slim

Wolfgang · July 26, 2011, 07:46:36 AM

Quote from: TwoWalks Baldridge on July 23, 2011, 05:30:02 PM
Dick I like the first picture best ... it looks antiqued and fits with my guns and my age.

Seriously, great advice thanks.

I agree. That is about how mine looks "after cleaning" . . ya don't want to see the "before"

As long as it is clean enuf to reload and shoot . . . it's clean enuf fur me.