Comments on: TECH Tip: TOP TEN Ways to Dry Wet Cartridge Brass

By: Troy R Hayes

Troy R Hayes — Thu, 15 Oct 2020 20:34:38 +0000

(1) I used a brass-media separator to separate 100% of the pins from the brass as well as shake most of the water off. (2) I dumped the brass onto a fluffy towel and rolled them around. This left water in the flash hole and inside the case. (3) Overnight in a conditioned space this water dried up.

By: Josh Hall

Josh Hall — Fri, 10 Jul 2020 14:01:19 +0000

I use one of these. Works great. https://www.amazon.com/Boon-Lawn-Countertop-Drying-Green/dp/B004OR1DTC/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=bottle+drying+rack&qid=1594389643&s=baby-products&sr=1-4

By: spclark

spclark — Sat, 21 Apr 2018 15:00:58 +0000

Once my cases have been final-rinsed (I collect & save water from my basement dehumidifier for this) I put ‘em in saved 50-case plastic ammo holders, knock the water out of most of ‘em by rapping holder against my palm, then put the cases neck-up on a wire closet rack beside that dehumidifier’s outlet grille. Cases dry overnight this way. Otherwise it’s an afternoon on the porch or driveway in the sun from May-October.

If’n I need ‘em quicker I put a bunch in a metal sieve (also useful for catching them when they drop out of my MRB annealer) then heat ‘em up with an industrial heat gun. Takes maybe 15-20 minutes to do start to cool-enough-to-handle finish.

By: Bruce

Bruce — Sat, 21 Apr 2018 02:09:00 +0000

Has anyone tried replacing the water in the wet-pin tumbling process with alcohol, denatured or otherwise? Probably won’t need the detergent, either, the pins just knock the tarnish / dirt off the cases.

No water, no “water spots”, fast drying, no need to do any distilling of the alcohol, just filter out the “discolouration” and then store for re-use. If you start getting “spots’, it will probably be because the alcohol has absorbed water from the air, just like it does with E-10 etc. fuels

Definitely some fire risk; pure alcohol fumes, any heat or spark source….. Maybe best tried outdoors, away from the house and garage. Strain and shake off the excess alcohol. Spread the brass on a clean cotton sheet or old beach towel laid on a concrete pad or such. Will work better with direct sunlight in Summer.

By: Gareth Marijt

Gareth Marijt — Thu, 19 Apr 2018 11:57:02 +0000

There is some interesting information about water staining here
https://theconversation.com/no-more-water-stains-we-found-a-new-way-to-control-evaporation-using-maths-94858

By: mikee

mikee — Thu, 19 Apr 2018 10:19:37 +0000

After ultrasounding my brass all I do is drain it and then dump the moist cases into a tumbler. The tumbler medium absorbs the moisture and after twenty to thirty minutes the brass is perfect. Don’t need to dry separately. Works perfectly.

By: Sean

Sean — Wed, 18 Apr 2018 22:57:07 +0000

I dry my brass via a 5 gallon bucket of alcohol, dunk a basket of 500 pieces of brass in the bucket, the alcohol bonds with the water and then when removed the alcohol evaporates. Then test for water dilution of the alcohol to see when it needs distilled back to pure alcohol. Simple, easy, and clean, and requires minimal energy.

By: Richard

Richard — Wed, 18 Apr 2018 20:39:44 +0000

How about an article on the damage that these cleaning techniques do to the brass?

Or dirty versus clean accuracy?

Editor: You raise some important points. For restoring old range brass, ultrasonic cleaning can work wonders. But I have 8+ reloads on my centerfire match rifle brass and it simply gets a wipe with Ballistol after shooting to remove the carbon on the outside of the neck. No tumbling, no ultrasonic. And we believe that a little carbon inside the neck can be a GOOD thing. However, for PRS guys and other folks whose brass gets on the ground, or for those who want to get all the gunk off the inside, brass cleaning may make sense.

By: irright

irright — Wed, 18 Apr 2018 19:18:52 +0000

Be very careful with the oven drying method and make sure to use a thermometer. Overheating your brass can soften your case heads which can then expand inside the bolt face and be a REAL bear to extricate. Ask me how I know.