I found it at Walmart, for $3.77, where you buy dish detergent. Now, I will wait for someone to tell me how much of it to use in my ultra-sonic cleaner, assuming two liters of solution. Thanks.

I'll wait with you HB....

I wouldn't want you to wait HB ; 1 Tbs . You can also add 1 Tbs of hydrogen peroxide .


If unhappy attempt 2 Tbs . I wouldn't exceed this personally .


Below is if someone's in a hurry with the ultrasonic or if they wish to just soak their brass

prior to washing and rinsing . Remember ANY ACID must be rinsed with Baking Soda an water ,then

just fresh distilled water prior too drying . Acetic ( Vinegar ) Citrus ( Citric Acid ) Etc. .




Cleaning Brass
Some brewers use brass fittings in conjunction with their wort chillers or other brewing equipment and are concerned about the lead that is present in brass alloys. A solution of two parts white vinegar to one part hydrogen peroxide (common 3% solution) will remove tarnish and surface lead from brass parts when they are soaked for 5 minutes or less at room temperature. The brass will turn a buttery yellow color as it is cleaned. If the solution starts to turn green and the brass darkens, then the parts have been soaking too long and the copper in the brass is beginning to dissolve, exposing more lead. The solution has become contaminated and the part should be re-cleaned in a fresh solution.

So, Doctor, you prescribe 1 tablespoon Lemi-Shine in two liters of water? OK, I can do that. I think I also have some hydrogen peroxide around the mansion, too.

I just rinse my brass really well in copious amounts of warm water after it comes out of the vinegar solution. Given the molarity of the water-vinegar solution is so low, isn't just water rinsing good enough? And how can the acid's action continue when the solution has been rinsed away and the cases dried in a food dehydrator? Chemistry was not my strong suit in school...

http://eartheasy.com/live_nontoxic_solutions.htm
Some information from the above link .

* Baking Soda - cleans, deodorizes, softens water, scours.
* Soap - unscented soap in liquid form, flakes, powders or bars is biodegradable and will clean just about anything. Avoid using soaps which contain petroleum distillates.
* Lemon - one of the strongest food-acids, effective against most household bacteria.
* Borax - (sodium borate) cleans, deodorizes, disinfects, softens water, cleans wallpaper, painted walls and floors.
* White Vinegar - cuts grease, removes mildew, odors, some stains and wax build-up.
* Washing Soda - or SAL Soda is sodium carbonate decahydrate, a mineral. Washing soda cuts grease, removes stains, softens water, cleans wall, tiles, sinks and tubs. Use care, as washing soda can irritate mucous membranes. Do not use on aluminum.
* Isopropyl Alcohol - is an excellent disinfectant. (It has been suggested to replace this with ethanol or 100 proof alcohol in solution with water. There is some indication that isopropyl alcohol buildup contributes to illness in the body. See http://drclark.ch/g)
* Cornstarch - can be used to clean windows, polish furniture, shampoo carpets and rugs.
* Citrus Solvent - cleans paint brushes, oil and grease, some stains. (Citrus solvent may cause skin, lung or eye irritations for people with multiple chemical sensitivities.)
* Trisodium phosphate (TSP) - a mixture of soda ash and phosphoric acid. TSP is toxic if swallowed, but it can be used on many jobs, such as cleaning drains or removing old paint, that would normally require much more caustic and poisonous chemicals, and it does not create any fumes.



Metal Cleaners and Polishes:
aluminum: using a soft cloth, clean with a solution of cream of tartar and water.
brass or bronze: polish with a soft cloth dipped in lemon and baking-soda solution, or vinegar and salt solution. Another method is to apply a dab of ketchup on a soft cloth and rub over tarnished spots.
chrome: polish with baby oil, vinegar, or aluminum foil shiny side out.
copper: soak a cotton rag in a pot of boiling water with 1 tablespoon salt and 1 cup white vinegar. Apply to copper while hot; let cool, then wipe clean. For tougher jobs, sprinkle baking soda or lemon juice on a soft cloth, then wipe. For copper cookware, sprinkle a lemon wedge with salt, then scrub., A simpler method is to apply a dab of ketchup on a soft cloth and rub over tarnished spots.
gold: clean with toothpaste, or a paste of salt, vinegar, and flour.
silver: line a pan with aluminum foil and fill with water; add a teaspoon each of baking soda and salt. Bring to a boil and immerse silver. Polish with soft cloth.
stainless steel: clean with a cloth dampened with undiluted white vinegar, or olive oil. For stainless cookware, mix 4 tbs baking soda in 1 qt water, and apply using a soft cloth. Wipe dry using a clean cloth. For stainless steel sinks, pour some club soda on an absorbent cloth to clean, then wipe dry using a clean cloth.

This is what someone else made up and I found it on the net ;

" I finally decided to mix up some home brew brass cleaner..... It's good stuff. I had been using the Iosso premix, but it is sort of expensive and it really does not do a phenomenal job so I thought hell I can probably make something of similar quality for cheap.

So here is what I used:

In one gallon milk jug add the following

1 ounce laundry detergent.... Tide
1 cup lemon juice
1 quart white vinegar
top off with water

It worked as good or better then the Iosso. I can say it definitely works better then Iosso that has been used a few times. For a total cost of about $1.50 I got a gallon of cleaner instead of $25 a gallon for the Iosso. ?


My response too your question HB ;

I simply would use baking soda and water as a neutral base and just drop the cases in, once all cases have

been dropped in then rinse with water . It just saves using more water than necessary and insures inside

is neutralized that's all .

There is a long disscussion on the use of citric acid in hot/warm water for cleaning brass (and much more) at:
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/index.php
For information on the use of citric acid to clean brass (and much much more) log onto the above site and read the sticky" under the "Shooters.com" forum heading! I have not been able to find "Lemi-shine" around here, but I understand one of its main ingrediants is citric acid!

I'm gonna try two tablespoons of Lemi-Shine in two liters of water and see how that goes. I'll report back when I get the time to run the test. That will be this weekend at the earliest. I may even post pictures.

quote:

Originally posted by homebrewer:

I'm gonna try two tablespoons of Lemi-Shine in two liters of water and see how that goes. I'll report back when I get the time to run the test. That will be this weekend at the earliest. I may even post pictures.

Just tried two tablespoons of 'Shine in two quarts of water and one teaspoon (5cc) of dishwashing liquid: Fabulous! I cleaned just ten .223 cases in just ONE 380-second cycle (heat on) and the primer pockets are spotless. Next, we'll try 100 cases. The plan is to see how far this solution can go before it's exhausted.

quote:

Originally posted by homebrewer:

quote:

Originally posted by homebrewer:

I'm gonna try two tablespoons of Lemi-Shine in two liters of water and see how that goes. I'll report back when I get the time to run the test. That will be this weekend at the earliest. I may even post pictures.

Just tried two tablespoons of 'Shine in two quarts of water and one teaspoon (5cc) of dishwashing liquid: Fabulous! I cleaned just ten .223 cases in just ONE 380-second cycle (heat on) and the primer pockets are spotless. Next, we'll try 100 cases. The plan is to see how far this solution can go before it's exhausted.

I weighed two tablespoons of Lemi-Shine. It weighs 520 grains, meaning I can only get about ten two-quart batches out of the bottle. That means each batch costs 40 cents. A gallon would then cost 40 cents, but be half as effective. So I doubled just the water and the dishwashing liquid, and am running 100 cases right now. Through three 380-second cycles, the brass is looking very good and the primer pockets are cleaning up well but not as well as they did in the original solution. I guess it will just take more cycles. So Lemi-Shine works to beat the band. Now I need to find a chemical supply house that sells its active ingredient for much less than what comes in the retail bottle.

Lemi-Shine is made by Envirocon Technologies. P. O. Box 4444 in Midland, TX 79704-4444. Questions or comments? Call 888-336-2582 during sensible business hours Monday through Friday. Lastly, the website is www.EnviroconTech.com for your surfing and ordering pleasure.

At $3.77 for a twelve-ounce bottle plus the 7.25% tax I pay, the stuff comes to almost exactly $5 a pound. Probably no use in trying to find it in a chemical supply house for the $5 a pound somebody somewhere in some other thread, maybe on some other website, says citric acid costs in bulk.

Dirty brass:

Clean brass:

The Lemi-Shine does not "streak" or "mottle" the cases like vinegar does. Nice.

Primer pockets after just five or six 380-second cycles:



A few more will totally clean them out. You can see through the flash hole that the insides of the cases are also clean.

I use chemical supply houses when possible however accounts are required depending on requirements of materials

being purchased .

http://www.amazon.com/Citric-A...Pounds/dp/B000OZFECU

http://www.soapgoods.com/Citric-Acid-p-557.html

Try a little Borax an TSP dissolved in hot water with the mixture ; You can also pick up Stpp .

http://www.soapgoods.com/produ...php?products_id=1267

http://www.ehow.com/how_602297...der-citric-acid.html

FYI ; When I used too cut logs with chain or blades I would soak them in a light mixture of tide an borax

and warm water , it removed tree resin when acetone or lacquer thinner wouldn't touch it .

I wasn't a chemist back then .

Borax is a naturally occurring mineral, soluble in water. It can deodorize, inhibit the growth of mildew and mold, boost the cleaning power of soap or detergent, remove stains, and can be used with attractants such as sugar to kill cockroaches and Ants .


TSP is trisodium phosphate, a mixture of soda ash and phosphoric acid. TSP is toxic if swallowed, but it can be used on many jobs, such as cleaning drains or removing old paint, that would normally require much more caustic and poisonous chemicals, and it does not create any fumes.


Lemon Juice, which contains citric acid, is a deodorant and can be used to clean glass and remove stains from aluminum, clothes, and porcelain. It is a mild lightener or bleach if used with sunlight.


I'll make a chemist out of you yet HB ! ...

I went past Walmart this morning to buy the other bottle of Lemi-Shine that was there a few days ago. Someone bought it. Is the word getting out?

What about using lemon juice-- the kind in a bottle-- made from concentrate? I'm thinking one cup (250cc) in a gallon (3.8 lt) of water, a squirt of dishwashin' liquid and a teaspoon (5cc) of the powder that's supposed to be used in the U-S cleaner? What say you, Doc?

HB ; I'm thinking this is far less hassle and less expensive 8 lb should last you a VERY long time .

Don't forget Home Depot or Lowes for TSP ,also Dawn dish soap has a desirable grease cutting enzyme in it .

http://www.soapgoods.com/Citric-Acid-p-557.html

Lemon juice is functional especially if your going too make something too eat , but far more $$$ for what

your intended purpose is .

quote:

Originally posted by Doc224/375:
HB ; I'm thinking this is far less hassle and less expensive 8 lb should last you a VERY long time .

Don't forget Home Depot or Lowes for TSP ,also Dawn dish soap has a desirable grease cutting enzyme in it .

http://www.soapgoods.com/Citric-Acid-p-557.html

Lemon juice is functional especially if your going too make something to eat, but far more $$$ for what your intended purpose is.

Bought a quart bottle of lemon juice today. Just two bucks. I can make four gallons from that, or just 50 cents per gallon. I'm testing its efficacy right now.

A way to save on how much solution you use. Water outside the tin can, solution inside. Solution is one cup of lemon juice in one gallon of water, a squirt of dish soap and half-teaspoon of Harbor Freight powder. Cases are .223Remington.

The above set-up cleaned them little buggers slicker'n goose grease. Now I will see if I can fit two cans...

HB,
Thanks for posting the info.

quote:

Originally posted by 338zmag:

HB,
Thanks for posting the info.

Ye be most welcome...

Homebrewer,
How do you like the Harbor frieght sonic cleaner unit?

quote:

Originally posted by USAONE:

How do you like the Harbor Freight sonic cleaner unit?

I love it. I wish I had had one five years ago-- even ten. I absolutely hate taking the time to scrape out the primer pocket. The U-S cleaner does it with almost zero effort on my part. I just set the thing to run 380-second cycles over and over and over. I may run it twelve to fifteen times. It cleans the pockets out like the brass has never been fired. It also cleans the inside of the case. I have noticed that open-mouth cases like the .45ACP clean out to like-new cleanliness. .30-06 and .308Win also clean out very well. The .223Rem cleans out pretty good, but not to shiny-bright levels. Still, that's better than no cleaning at all.

I use a mystery mix of water, lemon juice, Lemi-Shine, dishwashing liquid and the powder HF sells for the cleaner. I real do not have a set recipe. I use the dirty stuff over and over, spicing it up with new lemon juice, a bit of Lemi-Shine and more powder. I let the stuff settle, then siphon off the clear stuff and filter the dregs after I use it. I really do not have to go to this extreme. I do it just to see how much use I can get out of a batch and how long it takes to clean once it gets a little dirty and worn out. Lemon juice and Lemi-Shine from Walmart is cheap enough to use the solution just once and toss it, but I like to wring it out-- make it work until it begs to be thrown out. I make half-gallon batches, which is about the same volume as the two liters to fill it once it has a bunch of brass in it. I stir the brass every so often as it cleans. I don't have to; I just do. I think stirring them allows the ultra-sonic waves to get in there and scrub the carbon off. I also do not sit there, waiting for the thing to end its cycle. I go off and do other things. When I hear it's not buzzing, I go into the kitchen and set it again. And again. And again...

I bought one of the Harbor frieght large units and I did not like mine. First, not enough capacity for me and second, I don't have time to fool around all day washing brass. I can tell you what I have tried that works very well. I used a foot massager to clean about 200 44 mag cases. It is much stronger than the home style sonic units and creates a very strong ripple effect. Does anyone know if they have a transducer like the sonics?