Tumbling old brass

[Keyfer 55]

Found some 45/70 brass at an estate sale. Very corroded, has anyone mixed a little sand in with there media???

 

[Rod47]

Depending on age, it could have had a mercuric primer. If so, its not worth the effort.

 

[Ironicaintit]

I’ve never mixed sand in with media, but I have attempted to salvage brass with a relatively weak vinegar/water solution and a brass brush. It works “okay”. Sadly, usually the corrosion comes off, only to discover how far gone the brass was.

and then I turn it into a key fob, so it’s not a total loss

edited for derpy punctuation

 

[243winxb]

Citric acid to clean brass- https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/cleaning-brass-using-citric-acid.708100/page-2

I bought some here- https://www.dudadiesel.com/search.php?query=citric&affiliate_pro_tracking_id=17:36:

 

[whughett]

Lyman markets a liquid case cleaner. I’ve used it for cases with a heavy verdigris from black powder. Works to a degree and is reusable indefinitely. Doesn’t replace wet or dry tumbling.

 

[Keyfer 55]

These cases may have fired black powder.

 

[lightman]

I've tumbled brass in sand. It will get that corrosion off but you need to make sure it did not weaken the brass. I also have tumbled pulled military bullets to get the sealant off. The sand leaves the brass with a sand blasted look. Who would have thought that? I used straight sand though, not mixed with other media.

 

[AJC1]

I just use my regular wet tumbler and go. If there is deep pits they dont get used.

 

[hdwhit]

...Found some 45/70 brass at an estate sale. Very corroded, has anyone mixed a little sand in with there media???

I would say don't mix sand with the media. It corrupts the media for any other use.

You CAN use sand as a tumbling media. I have used alluvial sands from the headwaters of my reservoir, but I recommend a sand with more uniform grains, something like "sandbox" or "playground" sand that is sold at home improvement stores.

Please note that sand will clean - but will not polish - brass. If you want shiny brass, you will need to further polish using corn cob media, walnut media or wet-tumbling with metal pins.

When you're done, be very critical of your assessment of the structural integrity of the cases and discard anything that looks the least bit abnormal. After all, there's no point destroying a gun just to save a few cents on a new case.