What's the best process for shiny brass??

[somiskid]

Hey guys just got my tumbler in and will be processing some brass this weekend. I have corn cob and walnut media. What is the best formula for super shiny brass? I was told to add some liquid car wax in the mix? What's your setup?

[Calguns77]

A wet tumbler.

[sonofeugene]

When I was in the army, we all used this.

http://intaglioprintmaker.com/sites/default/files/products/brasso150.jpg

[somiskid]

A wet tumbler.

Great answer. Did you read the post?

[pdq_wizzard]

Hey guys just got my tumbler in and will be processing some brass this weekend. I have corn cob and walnut media. What is the best formula for super shiny brass? I was told to add some liquid car wax in the mix? What's your setup?

I went to the wet method, but with what you have, clean with walnut and polish with corn.

I have used liquid car wax before and it works but will take a toll on your media. (makes it dirty)

[baih777]

Walnut media and 6 to 8 drops of Nufinish car polish. Add the drops when tumbling media only and let it mix for half an hour then add your brass.
Walmart is the cheapest for Nufinish or a 20% off coupon for Harbor Freight..
Put the brass in for at least an hour.

[NYT]

doesnt dillon recommend a dry tumbler over a wet?

[joefreas]

I recommend staying away from using Brasso. It works great to polish but it also hardens the outer layer of brass causing ot to crack down the road.

As said above walnut to clean and corncob to polish. A little dab of NuFinish helps and so does adding in a capful of mineral spirits.

The wet tumblers produce a beautiful finish but who has time for that. I'm busy shooting.

[Win231]

Corn cob media with a capful of Berry's Brass Bright. Cases are nicer than factory after 2 hrs.

[Calguns77]

Great answer. Did you read the post?

It's called a joke. If you care about aesthetics you bought the wrong tumbler.

[SixPointEight]

It's called a joke. If you care about aesthetics you bought the wrong tumbler.

Nailed it

[bigbossman]

I recommend staying away from using Brasso. It works great to polish but it also hardens the outer layer of brass causing ot to crack down the road.

I realize that this is accepted internet wisdom. While technically it is true that Brasso contains some ammonia, and that technically ammonia is "bad" for brass, I've found that practically speaking you will just not notice any issues.

Here's my (admittedly anecdotal) experience with tumbling brass in Brasso impregnated media - Rifle brass just does not last long enough to get brittle via contact with the ammonia in Brasso. and as far as pistol brass is concerned, I've been reloading out of the same bucket of .45acp brass since the mid-90's and seldom lose a case to cracking. Half of the brass in the bucket has been shot so many times the head-stamps are starting to disappear, and I can no longer reliably count the extractor marks on the rims.

Conclusion - use Brasso if you have it. It won't cause you any grief.

[rcslotcar]

You can clean up the brass with a citric bath. Then dry it before tumbling in the media for a high gloss finish.

[LynnJr]

Use walnut with four caps of Brasso and let it run for as long as it takes.
Dump the walnut media into a 5 gallon bucket and use corn cob without anything added for 2-3 hours.
The wax is used to prevent the brass from dulling over extended periods of time. My brass doesn't sit long enough to use it.

[mjmagee67]

Flitz has always given me shiny brass with a 50/50 corn/walnut mix. It's expensive but works. Now I use Dillon it works well enough....I've given up caring about shiny. I just want clean enough to inspect for cracks. There's nothing better than slightly grungy brass that shoots well.