Vinegar, Water Salt dishsoap mixture to clean brass

[cica_trix]

Hi I am new to reloading. I having been cleaning brass using the 1 cup Vinegar, 4 cup water, 1 tablespoon of dishsoap, tablespoon of salt.
I leave about 20 cases of 308 brass in about 5-10 mins. Mix is it around a few minutes in. Long story short it seems to work pretty well, and clean the brass nicely.

Should I be concern about the salt, and its effect on the brass or the gun. Would the salt be corrosive to the rifle?

Can this mixture be bad for the brass long term or the rifle?

Thank you!

[Process_engineer]

I have been using this minus the salt. I've been putting in a 1/2 cup baking soda instead. Works well like you said

[schnyd112]

I may try this to help with cleaning primer pockets. I tumble my brass before I re-size and decap. Then I have to manually clean each primer pocket with a steel brush and a small flathead screwdriver to get the stubborn stuff. I think I will mix up a batch, pour a half inch into a Tupperware and just set the cases on the head. I will update after I try it.

The same concoction can be used to make tarnished pennies (most coins I believe) bright and shiny. The only issue is if the salt is not dissolved, ends up on the penny and it eats away a small amount of copper leaving an imprint of the grain of salt.

[Dennis]

You need a baking soda rinse after cleaning with vinegar. Vinegar does great, but you need to neutralize it after cleaning.

[cica_trix]

Thanks for the tips guys.
@Dennis, do you mean clean the brass again in a new solution with just baking soda? Or Use baking soda + Vinegar solution instead of salt?

[Robinhood]

Vinegear is around 5-15 % acetic acid. Dennis is suggesting a mixture of baking soda and water as a rinse to neutrilize the residual acid as a general precaution.

[bigedp51]

Homemade Firearm Cleaners & Lubricants

http://www.frfrogspad.com/homemade.htm

Chemical Case Cleaning Solutions

While tumbling cases in an abrasive media provides the best finish, extremely dirty cases can be decapped first (using a non-sizing die) and then washed in one of the following solutions. The final rinse in soapy water helps prevent tarnishing. All of these methods were approved by Frankford Arsenal and will not weaken your brass.

A 5 percent solution of citric acid (available from your drugstore) and warm water for about 10 minutes. If your water is very hard increase the amount of citric acid. You can add some Dawn™ or Cascade™ dishwasher liquid soap (which does not contain ammonia--be careful some do), 409, or Awsome to the solution for extra grease cutting ability. Follow with a rinse in hot soapy water (Ivory™ works well) and allow to dry. Don't overuse the citric acid or the brass may discolor.

A solution of 1 quart of white vinegar and 2 tablespoons of salt. Soak with some agitation for 15 to 20 minutes and follow with a rinse of soapy hot water and allow to dry.

A solution of 1 quart of water, 1 cup white vinegar, 1/2 cup lemon juice, 1/4 cup laundry or dishwashing detergent, 1/8 cup salt. Soak with some agitation for 15 to 20 minutes and follow with a rinse of soapy hot water and allow to dry. This may leave brass with a slight pinkish cast which will disappear with a short tumble in media.

Military arsenals use a heated 4 percent sulfuric acid dip with a little potassium dichromate added. The solution is heated until bubbles rise slowly without it boiling and the cases are dipped into it for 4 -5 minutes using a basket of copper screening or plastic. A final rinse using plain hot water is followed by hot water with Ivory™ soap in it and the cases are left to drain and dry. Because of the use of heated sulfuric acid this method is probably impractical for home use but is given here to show what can be safely used.

Cases which have been fired several times and which show signs of carbon build up internally can be rinsed in straight paint & varnish makers (P&VM) naphtha available at any paint store. Decap, soak for 5 - 10 minutes, drain, allow to air dry and then tumble as usual. Cases will be sparkling clean inside and out but not any shinier.

[LongRange]

Limi shine will do the same thing as vinegar...if you really want clean brass inside and out get a stainless steel tumbler.

[XL105]

...

[Dennis]

Vinegear is around 5-15 % acetic acid. Dennis is suggesting a mixture of baking soda and water as a rinse to neutrilize the residual acid as a general precaution.

Correct, I use a lot of vinegar for cleaning purposes especially around the house. My eyeglasses only get cleaned with vinegar.

[sixonetonoffun]

Still like the bright shiney brass :-)

[Robinhood]

One thing about shiney brass is the galvanic corrosion/reaction to the projectile. Some guys do things to create a barrier between the brass and the boolit.

[nhyrum]

I did a similar thing to a bunch of range brass the other day. Some guy shot a bunch of 223, 9,40 and 45 and left all the brass so I brought it home and cleaned it. I used near boiling water and let the brass soak until I could reach in. Now the brass is discolored. Was the water too hot or did I just let them sit too long? After cleaning I put them in a tied up jean pant leg full of rice and put them in the dryer with a load of towels. Not tumbler shiny, but better.

[TRDFurgesson]

I do my decapping, resizing, trimming, and chamfering/deburing before I clean my brass. I use a rotary tumbler (Thumblers Tumblers) with stainless steel pin media. What goes in is hot water a pinch of Leme shine and a couple of drops of whatever my wife has on the counter for dish soap. The results are amazing. At this point I could never go back to dry media In a vibratory bowl.

[TRDFurgesson]

I did a similar thing to a bunch of range brass the other day. Some guy shot a bunch of 223, 9,40 and 45 and left all the brass so I brought it home and cleaned it. I used near boiling water and let the brass soak until I could reach in. Now the brass is discolored. Was the water too hot or did I just let them sit too long? After cleaning I put them in a tied up jean pant leg full of rice and put them in the dryer with a load of towels. Not tumbler shiny, but better.

The only time I got discolored brass was trying to dry them in the oven at the lowest temperature. Now I just let them air dry.

[Iowa Fox]

Brass has gotten to expensive to screw it up. Too many chemicals that are harmful to brass in the OP. I like simple and easy that works well at my age. I wash my deprimed brass in HOT water, about a quart with a tsp of Lemi Shine. I use an old plastic coffee can and snap the lid on when they are all submerged. After about 20 minutes or when the water cools off enough to get my fingers in I pick um up one at a time and give the primer pockets a spin with a Q-Tip then put them all back in and let soak until the water is ambient temp. I give them 3 clean water rinses, shake them out and lay out on paper to dry. Gives the brass all the clean and shine I want, plus I don't think that shinny slippery stuff grips the chamber walls as firmly. Vibratory tumblers tend to put nicks in the necks which will scratch the heel of your flat base bullets, not as big a concern with BT bullets.

[Bolthead]

Am very new to reloading, but so far, the following procedure is working well for me. 1. 0000 steel wool quickly shines up the outside of the neck without removing any significant metal. 2. A 30 caliber brass bore brush chucked up in a drill takes two seconds to remove any buildup from the inside of the neck, again without removing metal. Metal is dark but clean. 3. Air hose removes the dust. 4. Neck sized and de-capped. 5. Clean primer pockets with pocket brush. 6. Good bath in hot tap water with a few drops of Dawn. Let soak for half hour to an hour, agitating occasionally, and rinse thoroughly with hot water. Blow dry with air hose and allow to dry overnight. The process is a bit more time consuming, but, it gives me time to inspect each and every case. Since I am not doing large quantities,(usually 40-60 rounds at a time) I am happy with this procedure so far.

[Iowa Fox]

Am very new to reloading, but so far, the following procedure is working well for me. 1. 0000 steel wool quickly shines up the outside of the neck without removing any significant metal. 2. A 30 caliber brass bore brush chucked up in a drill takes two seconds to remove any buildup from the inside of the neck, again without removing metal. Metal is dark but clean. 3. Air hose removes the dust. 4. Neck sized and de-capped. 5. Clean primer pockets with pocket brush. 6. Good bath in hot tap water with a few drops of Dawn. Let soak for half hour to an hour, agitating occasionally, and rinse thoroughly with hot water. Blow dry with air hose and allow to dry overnight. The process is a bit more time consuming, but, it gives me time to inspect each and every case. Since I am not doing large quantities,(usually 40-60 rounds at a time) I am happy with this procedure so far.

Good process, sounds like me when I stared about 53 years ago including the neck size. At some point you will need to full length size. On my first full length sizing I bumped my shoulders just a little too much on my 222. Not much but I could tell it in the web area. The internet is a great source of information.

[yobuck]

One thing about shiney brass is the galvanic corrosion/reaction to the projectile. Some guys do things to create a barrier between the brass and the boolit.

I just knew there was a good reason I'm not bothered by not having shiny brass lol.

[Bolthead]

At what point will I need to full length size? All of the cases have only been fired in my 116. What signs should I look for?