first time reloading: how clean does the brass need to be?

[zvardan]

The inside isn't a huge concern, you're only cleaning the brass so you don't muck up your dies.

And don't use vinegar, it reacts with the zinc and copper, weakening your cases.

If you must use a cleaning solution, pick up some lemishine and use that instead with your ultrasonic.

You can also try tsp if you want a detergent rinse that won't react:

[alexisjohnson]

You don't need them too clean since you're only really cleaning them so they don't degrade your resizing die mostly.

What i like to do for pistol rounds is ultrasonic them and let them dry but for rifle rounds i'll go through the whole dry tumbler process.

Even rinsing them with a light solution should do the job sufficiently. It primarily comes down to how shiny you want your brass to be...its mostly a cosmetic thing

[BEE]

As clean as your little heart desires.

[JackEllis]

I throw mine in a plastic jug with water and some kind of detergent (currently Simple Green, probably switching to dish soap). Two washes - one to get out dirt and crud before resizing, one after sizing to get rid of case lube. I dry in the oven at 210, which is warm enough to drive off the moisture but not hot enough to anneal and weaken the case heads. Letting 'em dry in the sun would work up here in the summer, and probably not as well on those winter days when temps barely get above freezing.

[kcheung2]

There's only 3 reasons to clean brass:
1) clean brass is easier to inspect for flaw/damage
2) clean brass doesn't get dirt or abrasives onto your dies
3) vanity

And for the first 2 reasons, it doesn't need to be that clean to accomplish the goal. Last option is personal preference, the only right answer is how clean do you want your brass.

Functionally the inside of the brass does not need to be particularly clean. Wet tumbling gets the brass looking like new, but it's both a chemical & physical cleaning so the solution has to be mixed right and it must be dried, you can't leave it in the solution too long or it discolors. Dry tumbling gets the outside pretty clean but the insides are still a bit sooty. Since it's only a physical cleaning, brass can be left in the crushed walnut for months without a reaction. Either method works fine.

[simba]

Decap, soap and water for 15 minutes and sun dry.

[diveRN]

first time reloading: how clean does the brass need to be?

Need? Or want? I assume you're talking about pistol brass They can be as clean as you want them, but they don't NEED to be clean. I tumble mine for an hour, run them through the separator, and load them up.

Though I'm a lot more meticulous with rifle brass, precision rounds, or anything I'm loading near max, but range fodder - meh. I get these only clean enough to prevent me from fighting them in the press.

[SixPointEight]

How clean does it NEED to be? Wipe it once with a cloth to remove excess grime.

How clean do I want it? Cleaner than brand new. That's why I wet tumble

[silvertriple]

How do you dry the brass and how long does it take?

I use the sonic cleaner too. 5 minutes in a bin with a hair dryer on top and all is dry in about 5 minutes.

If I want them shiny then I'll throw them in a tumbler. Depends how I feel that day and how much time I have.

[DaveInOroValley]

Dad used to do the Thumler's Tumbler with walnut shells. Outside always was very clean and serviceable, insides usually stayed dull.

[AGGRO]

I want a factory look so I dry tumble after washing dirty cases with a vinegar/salt/soap solution. The solution only needs a few minutes then rinse, towel dry and tumble. Not really much work at all.

[packnrat]

How do you dry the brass and how long does it take?

in the summer, a wire rack outside.
in the winter, a fruit dryer. added benifet is a bit more heat for the house.