First wet tumble with SS media - WOW

[thor447]

I know it's been stated on here before by others, but I just got through my first 2 batches of wet tumbled brass, and WOW!!! I was initially satisfied with my little corn cob tumbler until I saw what @Mad Professor had going on. My eyes were opened. My formerly 'clean' brass is now back in the dirty bin to be wet tumbled.

 

[Mad Professor]

Looks Good!!!!

 

[thor447]

Looks Good!!!!

Yep, thanks for the recipe with the Armor All. I wouldn't have ever considered that. Can't argue with the results.

 

[swampratt]

Yep the wet stuff will spoil you.
Aluminum cases will be eaten by the citric acid.
Not that anyone here loads aluminum but me.

You have some good looking brass now.

 

[MR.T.]

I had a few aluminum cases in a batch that i wasn't aware of. When I dumped my brass out to dry I saw a few of these small pitted chunks of metal. I had no idea what they were until I examined one a little closer & realized it was a aluminum case that was pretty much dissolved away.

 

[Mad Professor]

I had a few aluminum cases in a batch that i wasn't aware of. When I dumped my brass out to dry I saw a few of these small pitted chunks of metal. I had no idea what they were until I examined one a little closer & realized it was a aluminum case that was pretty much dissolved away.

It will also coat the other cases. Run your media by itself about 30 minutes. Rinse and rerun the brass about an hour and it will clean up.

Even nickel will discolor the brass a bit.

 

[thor447]

It will also coat the other cases. Run your media by itself about 30 minutes. Rinse and rerun the brass about an hour and it will clean up.

Even nickel will discolor the brass a bit.

Good info. Thanks.

 

[Mad Professor]

Found the pictures.

This was some brass that a friend had that had been wet and in the back of his truck (with a bedcover) a few weeks.

It was so bad that I just decided I would scrap it. However if I put that in the scrap brass bin, it will lower the value of the entire lot. So I tossed it in for a quick tumble.

It came out looking like this.

As I rinsed it, I found the culprit. An aluminum case was hiding in there. What is left of it anyhow. The Citric Acid destroys aluminum. The tumbling accelerates it.

A quick 30 minute tumble and rinse of the pins and then a full tumble of the brass turned well enough that I though the brass might be worth saving.

So they were decapped and final cleaned. Yep, absolutely reloadable. Now to rollsize and maybe tumble one last time to remove rollsizing marks.

 

[RickN]

If you get one of those brass colored steel cases, it turns the other brass pinkish. Thought about doing some special for Thatgirl.

 

[Profreedomokie]

Wet is the way to go. I built one that will hold about 2 gallons years ago .