cleaning fired brass 101

[lazyengineer]

Best advice I ever got: Throw out the vibratory tumbler and media. Get a wet tumbler. Knock out the primers with a dedicated depriming die ( Lee or mighty Armory). First wash will clean everything like it is new. You can use stainless pins or detergent of choice. Will even clean your primer pockets for you. After resizing and trimming put back in for a quick wash and add a little car wash soap with wax in it. You can use a food dehydrator, drying racks, or towel with fan to dry faster.

That's what I do. Pop the primer, wet tumble with SS chips and lemishine and a couple drops of blue dawn. Range pickups that are covered in mud and black, come out looking Shiney and new. With clean primer pockets and any stuck in mud, pulverized out.

Resize, then wet tumble again without media, with lemishine again, and usually some turtlewax to leave a fine residual coating to mitigate cold welding with the bullet and the otherwise "too clean", brass.