Anyone know a good "homemade" case cleaning solution or are tumblers better than cleaners?

Tumblers and solutions are much different in results.

The fastest and best solution for cleaning was advanced by the NRA in the books on Handloading 40 years or so ago. I use it and it works great especially on heavily tarnished brass. You don't get quite the shine that you do from tumblers but it's fast and cheap

From their book. "The cases are soaked for 15 to 20 minutes in a solution of 2 tablespoons salt to the quart of vinegar, shaking or stirring occasionally." They should be drained and rinsed well in running water.

Eli,

Dry tumbling is the least messy, and you'll get the best results. I use a Dillon Magnum FL-2000 and dry ground corn cob. I add about 5 tablespoons of Dillon Rapid Polish to the mix. Even the dirtiest, most tarnished cases will come out bright and shining. Corn cob is cheap enough that when it gets dirty I simply toss it. I like nice clean ammo, and this is the cheapest, easiest way I have found to get it. Bill T.

Eli
Get a tumbler, buy your crushed walnut tumbler medium at pet supply store for dirt cheap for 50 lbs. I use a cup of rubbing alcohol dumped into tumbler to clean and degrease.
The alcohol will help clean the walnut hulls for extended life.
I'm curious if a cup of baking soda might act as a very mild abrasive to help the walnut hulls to polish the brass?
Jim

I've owned a RCBS sidewinder for many years, which is a good thing as I can't see spending the $240 that midway wants for one now! Just recently got a vibratory but not enough experience with that one yet to give an opinion.



If you don't have a tumbler and money is tight, take a gallon of water, 1/2 cup vinegar, and a squirt of dish soap and swish your brass around in that. To really impress yourself do it to a bunch of really tarnished brass. It works quite well and I'd strongly suggest you at least try it to see if you can live with the results. It also works in about one tenth the time too.

I use a 50/50 solution of hot water and vinegar with 1 tablespoon salt and squirt of dishwashing solution. Drop em in for about 10-15 minutes.
If i want my cases to look pretty in colour again (look 99% new) i drop them in warm water after rinsing and squirt a few drops of lemon juice in and let the cases stay in for about 1-2 minutes and the colour changes almost instantly. Then i just rinse them well again.

If you want to avoid the "salmon pink" color, skip the salt. 25/75 vinagar/hot water, 20-30 minutes stired around now and than. Rinse in more hot water and let dry (spread out in the sun works well).
I do this with grungy range brass before I put into my tumbler.

After decapping and (neck)sizing I put my brass into a cotton bag, for instance an old pillowsheet, wrap it around so that the brass is covered by some four layers of cloth, making sure the brass can move, but not rattle and then put them in the middle of a pile of trousers or whatever into the washingmachine at a hot programme. (no white or delicate stuff!) They come out clean and shiny like new brass without dents or other damage. It might look strange but it works well for me

I got this from a commercial reloader of many years...
First tumble in corn cob media dampened with a mixture of Coleman fuel and Brasso for an hour. Then tumble in dry corn cob media for five or ten minutes. It makes brass much cleaner and shinier than just using dry media.

I use a solution of hot water, concentrated lemon juice and sunlight dish detergent in a Thumber tumbler. One hour and the dirtiest brass is clean - inside and out.