New way to clean cases

19 January 2014, 07:02

dsmit50

I don't know if this has been discussed before but this evening I tried something new to get the lube off of some 308 brass I had just sized. Are you ready? Hot water and dish detergent! Yep, my tumbler will get used even less now.

19 January 2014, 07:19

craigster

Way too labor intensive. Put them in a mesh bag, toss it into the washing machine with a dark load. Decap first and they'll come out all nice and spin dried.

19 January 2014, 07:53

noylj

I find that handling the cases takes care of the very small amount of lube left on a case after sizing.
If I was concerned, I would dry-tumble before wet cleaning.
Back when I started to reload (mid-'70s), the whole "bolt thrust" issue leading to removing case lube was for cartridges that (1) were at 50000psi or more AND (2) fired in rear-locking rifles like SMLEs. The rear-locking bolts could actually flex and bind the action with the pressure the stretched case and bent bolt applied to the locking lugs.
Now we worry about it for everything.

19 January 2014, 14:38

Nordic2

After you used the dish detergent change water and try a teaspoon citric acid(for bakeing) and water to make them shiny(two minutes).

19 January 2014, 16:21

Greg K

I always rinse the lube off under running water, let them air dry for a day or two, then they go in the tumbler for a few hours.

19 January 2014, 20:58

wasbeeman

Holy tedious, Batman! I resize the case(s) and then toss them in the tumbler whilst I go make a PB&J or get a cup of coffee. When I come back, I dump them out, check that there's no grit lodged in the flash hole and start reloading. Clean, yes; shiny, no.
As posted before: shiny brass don't get you no extra points in the match, nor does it kill stuff deader. And, I might add, it doesn't make me feel like a better, more noble person.

19 January 2014, 22:18

Greg K

quote:
Originally posted by wasbeeman:
Holy tedious, Batman! I resize the case(s) and then toss them in the tumbler whilst I go make a PB&J or get a cup of coffee. When I come back, I dump them out, check that there's no grit lodged in the flash hole and start reloading. Clean, yes; shiny, no.
As posted before: shiny brass don't get you no extra points in the match, nor does it kill stuff deader. And, I might add, it doesn't make me feel like a better, more noble person.

I even wash my car once in a while, it doesn't get any better gas mileage, or ride any better either. But I still do it.

20 January 2014, 04:20

ted thorn

Yep....the bathroom will just get dirty again so why clean it

Last time I checked my tumbler cleaned my cases as I slept.

20 January 2014, 04:53

Jim C. <><

Everyone has an opinion on the value of who has the most shiney cases. I got over my fastination with shine years ago, clean is enough and that's quite easy to accomplish. The proof of good handloading is small groups and no amount of yellow glittter is a valid substitute.

In my opinion of course, YMMV.

20 January 2014, 05:07

p dog shooter

I been washing casings for years when they need it and that isn't very often.

20 January 2014, 06:45

wasbeeman

quote:
Originally posted by Jim C. <><:
Everyone has an opinion on the value of who has the most shiney cases. I got over my fastination with shine years ago, clean is enough and that's quite easy to accomplish. The proof of good handloading is small groups and no amount of yellow glittter is a valid substitute.

couldn't have said it better myself.

ted, when you talk about cleaning the bathroom, I assume you mean you go in with a rolled up newpaper and burn the dirt dauber nests out.

In my opinion of course, YMMV.

20 January 2014, 15:37

ted thorn

No....I live in Missouri not Tennessee....running water

20 January 2014, 18:02

vines

quote:
ted thorn
one of us

Last time I checked my tumbler cleaned my cases as I slept.

yep, me too.. resize, trim; 'if needed'
tumble..

21 January 2014, 00:30

Wes62

I see everybody's point here and won't argue against it, but I'm gonna give it a go anyway. I value my good brass more now than I ever used to and I'm 50 times more apt to collect and reuse that brass as often as i can, and for me it's just ten times easier to locate and retrieve that brass from the forest floor if it has a bit of shine to it. In 45yrs of hunting I imagine I've stumbled across enough discarded brass to fill a dump truck either because folks were too lazy, didn't care, or couldn't easily locate that spent brass! After putting 2 or 3 rounds down field after game your usually more concerned about keeping an eye on the game than you are about the cases, and dull cases on the woods floor are way harder to located at a time like that and often get written off. I'd like to be able to find mine more easily, that's just me, others will do as they please.

21 January 2014, 02:33

SR4759

You can't burn a dirt daubers nest.
You must be thinking of yellow jackets.

quote:
Originally posted by wasbeeman:
quote:
Originally posted by Jim C. <><:
Everyone has an opinion on the value of who has the most shiney cases. I got over my fastination with shine years ago, clean is enough and that's quite easy to accomplish. The proof of good handloading is small groups and no amount of yellow glittter is a valid substitute.

couldn't have said it better myself.

ted, when you talk about cleaning the bathroom, I assume you mean you go in with a rolled up newpaper and burn the dirt dauber nests out.

In my opinion of course, YMMV.

21 January 2014, 04:55

wasbeeman

Them too.

21 January 2014, 07:26

dsmit50

I notice a few comments about shiny brass. My goal was not shiny but clean. Powder residue, soot, maybe dirt from a case being dropped, are all things I don't wont an excess of in my guns chamber so I will make a small effort to keep them off my cases. I just read an article about citric acid as a case cleaner. I look forward to trying it and would love to hear from anyone who has.

21 January 2014, 07:27

dsmit50

Missed that

quote:
Originally posted by Nordic2:
After you used the dish detergent change water and try a teaspoon citric acid(for bakeing) and water to make them shiny(two minutes).

22 January 2014, 20:42

Lamar

you can get the citric acid super easy at the grocery store it comes in a package marked lemi-shine.
it is used to keep dish washers cleaned out and works like a water softener.
anyway it will clean your brass quite well.
I mix up about a gallon of hot water add in a few drops of liquid dish washing detergent, then throw in a tsp of the lemi-shine
[it's 96% citric acid and some fillers]
swish the brass around for a few minutes then throw it on an old tee-shirt to dry.