Keeping reloads in like new condition

[Bill681911]

I have been having a problem in the last few years. Living closer to the coast I find that my reloads seem to age ( tarnish ) quicker than usual. My factory ammo doesn’t seem to have this problem
Q: has anyone found a way to keep their reloads bright & shiny looking like factory ammo??

 

[AJC1]

I have been having a problem in the last few years. Living closer to the coast I find that my reloads seem to age ( tarnish ) quicker than usual. My factory ammo doesn’t seem to have this problem
Q: has anyone found a way to keep their reloads bright & shiny looking like factory ammo??

You can polish them with wax in a tumbler when loaded as long as the projectiles are not lead

 

[wild willy]

You can polish them with wax in a tumbler when loaded as long as the projectiles are not lead

This right here just handle them with gloves afterwards.

 

[Captain*kirk]

You can apply a light coat of Flitz. Not only will it make them look brand new, but it also applies an anti-oxidant that keeps tarnishing at bay for quite a long time.

 

[NMachine]

Do you happen to wet tumble your brass?
I went back to dry tumbling with corncob media and a splash of NuFinish. Brass stays looking factory new now.

 

[hdwhit]

I still have several hundred rounds that I loaded in 1982/3, that are still brass-colored (albeit, not shiny).

These cases were (supposedly) 'once-fired', but I had my doubt about that. I polished them with Brass-O, washed them and then loaded them.

I still have several hundred of these rounds and they still all perform within 98% of the range when they were new

 

[armoredman]

I'm sorry, not picking on you, but your title made me laugh - reloads, by their very nature, cannot be new. No, not trying to be the grammar Nazi or any stupidity like that - I just found that funny.
I just store them in plastic baggies and seal them up. I don't have any nearly as old as hdwhit, but the oldest ones I have, about ten years old, still look decent. I agree, if the look isn't what you want, you can retumble them.

 

[LiveLife]

your title made me laugh - reloads

I agree. Title of thread should be changed to "Keeping [tumbled brass] in like new condition".

Living closer to the coast I find that my reloads seem to age ( tarnish ) quicker than usual.

I live at the coast about 3 miles from salt spray beach and found dry tumbling brass in walnut media treated with NuFinish retains the shine for years, even when exposed to air (I keep them in see through plastic tubs). And of course, if you want inside of cases to be "like new", then wet tumble deprimed before dry tumbling in NuFinish treated walnut/corn cob media.

 

[nettlle]

I agree. Title of thread should be changed to "Keeping [tumbled brass] in like new condition".


I live at the coast about 3 miles from salt spray beach and found dry tumbling brass in walnut media treated with NuFinish retains the shine for years, even when exposed to air (I keep them in see through plastic tubs). And of course, if you want inside of cases to be "like new", then wet tumble deprimed before dry tumbling in NuFinish treated walnut/corn cob media.

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[rdnktrkr]

I tumble after loading in walnut with Nufinish, then seal in vacuum bags stored in ammo boxes, you can write the load on the bag with a marker.

 

[nettlle]

As Livelife said tumbled with NuFinsh will preserve them for a long time provided not handled with bare hands. I do have a vacuum sealer and the only purpose of using it to preserve rounds seemed to be keeping my bare hands from touching them.

 

[Bill681911]

I live on the coast,
I tumble( brass looks good) reload brass looks good , then I put loaded rounds into an MTM ammo box with a small pack of desiccant, and wrap the sides with 3-m packing tape. ( I use latex gloves during the loading & storage process)
I go to the range in a few weeks to a month
And the brass is dull tarnished and looks like it’s twenty years old
Q: what is new finish? & does it affect the primers or powder in any way as to cause problems?

 

[nettlle]

Nu Finish is a car polish. If you are that strong about about reloaded ammo looking brand new after a few months you very well may want to consider a vacuum sealer.

Amazon.com

 

[AK Hunter]

I use desiccant packs in the ammo boxes & brass storage containers that I store my reloads or brass in to remove moisture. Most of the time it works as long as I get the brass good and dry after wet tumbling it.

 

[LiveLife]

Q: what is new finish? & does it affect the primers or powder in any way as to cause problems?

Nu Finish is a car polish.

NuFinish differs from other Carnauba wax based polish in that it contains no wax but synthetic polymer.

So unlike wax that can peel/remove from surface, NuFinish sort of molecularly "bonds" to whatever surface and seals out water, etc. As their TV commercial indicated in the 80s, water will bead even after going through several car washes and after a year of heavy rain (We get 80-100 inches), water still beads on car finish.

NuFinish comes in paste and liquid polish and we use the liquid polish to treat walnut media for polishing brass.

 

[nettlle]

The thing about desiccant's is that mother nature has an endless supply of moisture.

 

[bullseye308]

I seem to remember someone not that long ago had problems with rounds stored in MTM boxes, but yours should be fine for a year or less I’d expect. I have some 30-30 I loaded in 90 that has lost its shine and is slightly tarnished, and I’m sure I wiped it off with a rag with kerosene on it then a rag with a hint of sewing machine oil on it(I have learned a lot since then) that I wouldn’t be scared to shoot.
Vibratory tumbling with lizard litter and NU-Finish will do what you want. Even after wet tumbling to get them sparkly new, tumble in walnut and NU-Finish to keep them looking new for years.

 

[Bazoo]

I don't live next to the coast. I tumble in cob media with Cabela's polish (Berry's), and my brass stays shiny for years without any special treatment. Some of it is in MTM boxes, some in coffee cans, some in ziploc bags.

 

[Bill681911]

NuFinish differs from other Carnauba wax based polish in that it contains no wax but synthetic polymer.

So unlike wax that can peel/remove from surface, NuFinish sort of molecularly "bonds" to whatever surface and seals out water, etc. As their TV commercial indicated in the 80s, water will bead even after going through several car washes and after a year of heavy rain (We get 80-100 inches), water still beads on car finish.

NuFinish comes in paste and liquid polish and we use the liquid polish to treat walnut media for polishing brass.

So you treat the media with new finish?
How much do you use for results?

 

[CQB45ACP]

NuFinish differs from other Carnauba wax based polish in that it contains no wax but synthetic polymer.

So unlike wax that can peel/remove from surface, NuFinish sort of molecularly "bonds" to whatever surface and seals out water, etc. As their TV commercial indicated in the 80s, water will bead even after going through several car washes and after a year of heavy rain (We get 80-100 inches), water still beads on car finish.

NuFinish comes in paste and liquid polish and we use the liquid polish to treat walnut media for polishing brass.

And if you order now, you get a second bottle absolutely free just pay shipping & handling.

 

[CQB45ACP]

I'm sorry, not picking on you, but your title made me laugh - reloads, by their very nature, cannot be new. No, not trying to be the grammar Nazi or any stupidity like that - I just found that funny.
I just store them in plastic baggies and seal them up. I don't have any nearly as old as hdwhit, but the oldest ones I have, about ten years old, still look decent. I agree, if the look isn't what you want, you can retumble them.

"Like" new is how his title reads. Not trying to be the reading Nazi or anything

 

[LiveLife]

So you treat the media with new finish?
How much do you use for results?

I use Harbor Freight fine grit (24 grit) walnut media and fill Berry's/Cabelas 400 tumbler to about 1" below rim - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...-thing-fa-brass-tumbler.926192/#post-12790152

I add one cap full of liquid NuFinish to new walnut media with tumbler running and use a stick to stir/break up clumps until all the clumps are gone before adding brass. I prefer to run the treated media on the "dry" side adding additional cap full of polish every several batches as using too much polish will gum up the media and leave gray haze on brass instead of cleaning/polishing.

Most clean range brass with surface carbon fouling/soot will clean in about 20-30 minutes (I add about 600-800 9mm cases until tumbling action just starts to slow down for fast cleaning/polishing). If I want some polish on brass, I will run the tumbler for 1+ hour. If I want mirror finish, I will run tumbler with corn cob media (Some will mix 50/50 with walnut/corn cob for cleaning/polishing)

And if you order now, you get a second bottle absolutely free just pay shipping & handling.

Great deal. Do you have a link?

 

[AJC1]

I use Harbor Freight fine grit (24 grit) walnut media and fill Berry's/Cabelas 400 tumbler to about 1" below rim - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...-thing-fa-brass-tumbler.926192/#post-12790152

I add one cap full of liquid NuFinish to new walnut media with tumbler running and use a stick to stir/break up clumps until all the clumps are gone before adding brass. I prefer to run the treated media on the "dry" side adding additional cap full of polish every several batches as using too much polish will gum up the media and leave gray haze on brass instead of cleaning/polishing.

Most clean range brass with surface carbon fouling/soot will clean in about 20-30 minutes (I add about 600-800 9mm cases until tumbling action just starts to slow down for fast cleaning/polishing). If I want some polish on brass, I will run the tumbler for 1+ hour. If I want mirror finish, I will run tumbler with corn cob media (Some will mix 50/50 with walnut/corn cob for cleaning/polishing)


Great deal. Do you have a link?

This is found at whalmart last time I saw it.... don't remember price.

 

[GeoDudeFlorida]

This is found at whalmart last time I saw it.... don't remember price.

Our whalemart only carries tortuswacks


Wax vs. Polymer is a debate that goes back to the 1930’s. NuFinish is that old - not quite Red Dot’s vintage but in the same decade. I’ve known car guys to get into fist fights over which gives the best shine while protecting the paint and clear coat best.

I use jeweler’s rouge (buffing compound) in my tumbling media for the grit and wax coating. I learned that trick when I was working for SeaRay boats. SeaRay used rouge on the brass fittings on their boats to make them sparkle. Turtlewax (1940’s) has a silica grit to remove scratches and NuFinish has a zinc base for the same purpose. Anything that protects clear coating will also protect brass as long as it’s not acidic or ammonia based.

 

[jmorris]

I have been having a problem in the last few years. Living closer to the coast I find that my reloads seem to age ( tarnish ) quicker than usual....
Q: has anyone found a way to keep their reloads bright & shiny looking like factory ammo??

I don’t stock years worth of loaded ammo, I can tumble empty brass anytime to make it look new.

Nickel plated brass doesn’t last as long as not plated but it stays looking great for longer.