Polishing brass with car polish

[Henry Dearborn]

I have used Turtle Wax for years. Only thing I ever had a problem with was when I dumped the cases in before the dollop of polish had broken up and circulated evenly throughout the media. It created a ball of polish and media that stuck in some of the cases...I ended up throwing them away- it was that bad. I really do like the "slickness" of the cases though, they definitely run through a progressive press better when treated this way.

Have also used the old dryer sheet pieces to keep dust down in the media works quite well. When I was a poor college student I actually used to fill old pantyhose with grungy media and wash it in a bucket. Then I would spread it out on a cookie sheet to dry in the sun, worked pretty well actually....These days I use dryer sheet pieces and just toss when it gets too bad.

[Opie]

(Excuse slight thread drift)

I purchased a cheap ultrasonic cleaner from Harbor Freight and have been cleaning my de-primed and resized cases for about 6 to 8 minutes. Works great! Not only are the cases bright (not as shiney as tumbling but very clean), the primer pockets and inside of the cases is perfectly clean! A little tumbling after that would certainly shine them up. I use a forumla I got from someone on the internet (name escapes me now) of 50% water, 50% white vinegar, about 1/8 tsp. of baking soda, and a drop or two of dish detergent. I set it for about 480 seconds with the little heater on and when I pull them out I rinse them in clean cold water and clean them two or three at a time with a blowgun hooked up to an air compressor. After blowing inside the case and in the primer pocket they are completely clean from any fouling, etc. Sounds like a lot of work but it really isn't. I can only clean about 30 or so cases at a time but it goes pretty fast. I can use the same cleaning formula 3 or 4 times depending upon the condition of the cases. Numbers of cases cleaned is determined by the size of the ultrasonic cleaner. A big one would clean a lot more but big ones are expensive. The very best thing about it is it cleans the primer pockets and ALL the insides of the case as clean as the outside of the case!

[Venus Pax]

Only thing I ever had a problem with was when I dumped the cases in before the dollop of polish had broken up and circulated evenly throughout the media. It created a ball of polish and media that stuck in some of the cases...I ended up throwing them away- it was that bad.

I had this problem too. The car polish and walnut media were creating a walnut mud that gunked up the casings. I stopped using the car polish and just stuck with dryer sheets cut into strips. The casings aren't as shiny, but they do smell good. They are also polished well enough for me to notice any problems with the shell.

[ForneyRider]

I used Brasso, then went to Flitz. The brasso discolored the brass. Flitz takes a big squirt to clean my cases. I will try Nu Finish or Johnson's past wax and mineral spirits next.

I get corn cob from Wally world for $4.

[KD5NRH]

I get corn cob from Wally world for $4.

Do you happen to have the UPC handy? My local one doesn't seem to have any in the pet section. I found some high-priced kitty litter at another local vendor that appears to be mostly some sort of nut hull and baking soda that works well, but I'm nearly out and haven't seen it on their shelf lately.

[getnit1]

Go to an automotive supply store that sells automotive paint. They have Gallaon Jugs of finishing compund that works well. The body shops use it to polish the paint after color sanding it.

[deadeye44]

Hi. I'm brand new to this forum. In fact this is my first post. I've been using the old dupont #7 car polish in my tumbler for years and it works great. Also, it's pretty cheap. It doesn't seem to leave any wax or residue on my cases. Try it. I think you'll like it. I hope this was helpful. Happy shooting.

Make the first shot count

[Kawabuggy]

I just got my tumbler today. I bought a box of walnut hull media from Harbor Freight for $27 dollars (Ouch!), and then a bottle of Mothers Metal Polish (8 oz. for $8). I ran the unit with about 2 oz's of polish for about 10 minutes to circulate the polish. Once I noted that all the balls of polish had disintegrated, I dropped in about 50 pieces of 7MM Rem Mag brass. In 1 hour they came out more shiny than even new ones! Just a little bit of dust on them though. I have an air compressor and I just blew them off and now they are ready to rock & roll! I wonder if the polish will also help delay the tarnish from starting again so quickly? Only time will tell. I have been reloading for a year now and finally getting around to tumbling. I like it!

[tfrazier]

I use a dremel with a polishing wheel and Mom's clay polishing compound. I can reload at a rate of 100 rounds per year. (Just kidding).

Actually, I've been spraying the brass in bulk with a combination car cleaner wax from an aresol can (I'll get the brand name and post it with a pic when I get home) and then tossing it in the vibratory tumbler with corn cob media (haven't resorted to the pet supply media options yet, but will soon) and a squirt of clay based car polish (again, I'll get the brand and post a pic upon arrival at the homestead).

Brass comes out nice and shiny, the square deal B runs really smooth, and the real beauty is my tight tolerance Kimber Eclipse Ultra II seats and ejects these reloads with no problem.

No gummed up media, and every round goes bang when I pull the trigger. Of course, these rounds don't sit for a long period of time so I don't know if there would be any eventual fouling of powder or primers should minute amounts of the spray wax manage to seep in. And I don't use reloads for anything but practice.

Granted, the spray wax cleaner I'm using is pricey at 14 bucks a can, but one can lasts forever since it's just a light spray over a few hundred pieces of brass, and the clay based polish runs about six bucks... but, same thing, it only takes a squirt.

[KaiserB]

I wish I could find a cheap car polish in gallon jugs.

Chas.

Try a car wash supply house http://www.chemicalguys.com/Auto_Detail ... ts_s/5.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Charles L. Cotton]

I wish I could find a cheap car polish in gallon jugs.

Chas.

Try a car wash supply house http://www.chemicalguys.com/Auto_Detail ... ts_s/5.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Now that's a very good tip.

Chas.

[tfrazier]

Almost forgot to follow up. Here's my top secret recipe for all the world to see. Hope you guys appreciate it, this has been a closely guarded family secret for almost 30 days.


200 rounds of dirty brass
One capful (or a heavy squirt) of Turtle Wax Liquid Clay Bar (thought it was a Mother's product till I read the back label)
Light spray over the brass before it goes in with the FW1 aerosol cleaning wax
Two hours in the vibratory tumbler

Before is on the left, after on the right.
Like I said, I've only used this method with corn cob media, I assume it'll be just as good with other media types.

And here's a link to an insane hi-def version of the photo if you want to really drill in on the brass to see the difference:
http://4fraziers.dyndns.info:9999/4fraz ... ss_big.jpg

[ninemm]

I wish I could find a cheap car polish in gallon jugs.

Chas.

You might try the suppliers who cater to detail shops. Google "auto detail supplies - xxxxxxxx" where xxxxxxxx is a major city near where you are.