How to tumble and clean brass cases without electricity?

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Use the formula above, or get a zip trim and three jaw chuck and use steel wool . You can trim and clean all brass pretty fast. Works better than a cordless drill in my opinion.
 
I only tumble every few firings or as needed like when they get dumped in the mud or sand. Before I resize I just give them a good blasting with the air compressor to remove some of the dust and grit.
Even with plain old steel dies wear would not really concern me much. Dies will last a long time even if you just clean the die when you finish a session. Sizing dies are pretty inexpensive so if one gets really bad just replace it or polish it up and keep on rocking.
As long as a case will chamber after sizing and the neck tension is good I'm a happy hunter.
Dont sweat the small stuff.
T
 
Soak in old clay batter jug and stir with dried turkey leg, dry in sun. ;)
 

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I was told when I started reloading that I should always clean/tumble my brass prior to resizing to save wear and tear on my dies. This general advice, I believe, was meant to save my dies from the constant abrasion from the carbon left behind by the burnt powder...that made sense to me.

The original question was, what to do should we have a catastrophic failure of the power grid, how would one clean brass? Maybe at that point it really won't matter, and dirty brass will do!
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I don't know man, I have been loading since 1957 and for most of those years I never had a tumbler. I have yet to wear out a die. Most of my early dies were not carbide but hardened steel. It would be interesting to ask if anyone has worn out a die and especially a carbide die. I did already answer your question "how to clean brass without electricity", wipe it off with a cotton rag. That worked for me for a good many years. Enjoy the hobby.
 
Hmmm ... one could adapt a small windmill to drive a tumbler directly or through a belt or chain. With the wind we get in West Texas, the blades wouldn't have to be very big, either!
 
The original question was, what to do should we have a catastrophic failure of the power grid, how would one clean brass? Maybe at that point it really won't matter, and dirty brass will do!
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Bingo - if there was a major power grid failure, cleaning brass would be WAY down on the priority list of necessary things to do
 
I have an electric tumbler that I use for large batches but for a small number (100 or less) I use the Lee Zip Trim and 00 steel wool. That seems to do a better job on really stained brass.
 
How about rigging up a container attached to the lug nuts on your car or truck. As you are driving at certain slower speeds, the cases get cleaned.
 
EXACTLY!

Or, put the brass and water and media inside one of the old tires on your beater-car and drive around for a week with half a tire full of water, cases and media.

Only drawback would be you would need to have access to a tire machine to pull the tire each time from the rim.
 
How about rigging up a container attached to the lug nuts on your car or truck. As you are driving at certain slower speeds, the cases get cleaned.
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No electric to pump gas for cars. Need horse & buggy. Good to have the Amish for a friend. :D
 
Numerous chemicals have been used.

Most are acids, with even dilute sulfuric used.

Dip, swish, rinse, allow to dry.
 
Way back when I started reloading (and the Rural Electrification Administration was being set up) I was WAY too poor to afford a tumbler. I wanted one but the cost of one was about the equivalent of two mortgage payments.

I did the best I could with a rag and elbow grease. I didn't worry too much about it. Frankly I was just happy to be shooting.
 
Same thing we did to our wheat grinder. Attach it to the driven wheel of an exercise bike with a pulley and belt. You could do the same with a rotary tumbler. Just remove the motor and run a belt fro the tumbler to the driven wheel.
We did it to force us to exercise more regularly.
 
Put your brass & media in a bucket. Throw in in the trunk or bed of the truck. After you get home from work it should be ready to use.
 
I had a few cases I forgot to clean, and I wanted to use up the primers in the feed. So I just took the 357 cases and just ran them right through. They actually went very smoothly through the sizer. I guess soot is a lubricant? Compared to new brass or obsessively clean stainless tumbled brass, the press ran much more smoothly!

I also learned that the coffee tastes the same whether I clean the machine vs just dumping the grinds out and swishing some water through the carafe. I'm letting my rimfires stay dirty as well...
 
James2 said:
I loaded for many years before I even heard of tumbling brass. If you just take a cotton rag and wipe off any soot or dust lube them and resize them you will be just fine. Yes, over time brass darkens, but it doesn't need to shine to work. Shiny brass is cosmetic.

In fact, when out hunting the empties went into a pocket. By the time you got home the pocket had cleaned them. :)
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I too loaded several years, about 12 if I can 'memmer correctly, successfully, before I got a tumbler. When I inspected my brass before loading, I'd just wipe them off with a rag slightly dampened with mineral spirits. I never ruined/damaged a sizing die. When I wanted "show" or "BBQ" brass I'd polish some on a hardwood mandrel chucked in my drill or use nickel plated brass. When at the range it was easy to spot a reloader by his dull, obviously used brass. :p

I've never tried washing brass, but many fellers here do quite successsfully with the water, dawn, lemon shine mixture...
 
Mineral spirits and lemonshine are all I have heard of using. I know poeple who put a little mineral sp in there tumbler also.

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Get an empty Folger's coffee tub, the red plastic ones, fill with brass and media, snap on lid and secure with duct tape, find local friendly dog(retriever type), throw tub, repeat
 
Chris-bob said:
Same thing we did to our wheat grinder. Attach it to the driven wheel of an exercise bike with a pulley and belt. You could do the same with a rotary tumbler. Just remove the motor and run a belt fro the tumbler to the driven wheel.
We did it to force us to exercise more regularly.
Click to expand...
Reading this I had a flashback to an episode or two of Gilligan's Island. Thanks.

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