I was given some really stained/dirty brass. Is there such a thing as tumbling brass too long?

No, but some just will not clean up. Might try a litte vinager to get rid of the oxidation.

I don't mean to add that to the tumbler, just a wash off first.

Thanks---I soak the shells in a mixture of water and Lyman's case cleaner, swirl them around a bit, let them dry a day or two, then put them in the tumbler. I wasn't sure if I could tumble them overnight or not...afraid of too much tumbling/wear/etc. I use walnut media for cleaning.
Again, thanks for the feedback. It's good to be able to find primers, bullets and such again (to some extent)....been scarce for quite a while.

If they are real bad leave them for 24 hours they won't get hurt.Good Luck

Thanks for all comments. I've been "haunting" this forum for quite a while and finally decided to join in----it's a great forum.

When they have staining I use a little steel wool if that doesn’t work I use a piece of scotch bright.

I have not tried any of the soak them solutions. If there is a good one let me know.

yes - but that amount of time is measured in years

No you can't tumble to long but I give my realy dirty brass a 5 min. cleaning in ISO cleaning solution first, then rinse with water, dry...then tumble and this cuts the time down by tons.

Put a bit of Flitz in your tumbling media - shines up brass no end!

http://www.sinclairintl.com/product/5289/s

- mike

I wash my dirty brass by swirling it around good and rough in hot water and dish soap with a handful of old rags. This cleans up lots of the loose dirt and even cleans out some of the old powder residue in the case. The water will turn very, very dark gray (almost black) if you do it long enough. Then I rinse 'em and gently fry them on a low heat in a thin-bottom, stainless steel skillet for as long as it takes for the water to boil away and the poppin' noises to cease. Then they go into my tumbler for a few hours. They come out looking just great...