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Any reason not to wash brass?

PaulD

PaulD

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I've been saving brass mostly to give it back to qmmo.

I have a young child and I'm concerned about lead and would like to keep it out of my house as much as possible. Towards that end, is it ok to wash the brass? I want to keep the lead down but I don't want to contaminate the brass in some way that causes a problem with reloading it.

Thanks.
 
PaulD said:
I've been saving brass mostly to give it back to qmmo.

I have a young child and I'm concerned about lead and would like to keep it out of my house as much as possible. Towards that end, is it ok to wash the brass? I want to keep the lead down but I don't want to contaminate the brass in some way that causes a problem with reloading it.

Thanks.
Click to expand...

Put it in a plastic glad bag, seal it, and put it somewhere where your son can't get it. If
you are really paranoid seal the glad bag with duct tape. I will guarantee you won't have
any lead seapage. Oh yeah, use the heavier duty freezer bags.
 
The Boston Patriot said:
Put it in a plastic glad bag, seal it, and put it somewhere where your son can't get it. If
you are really paranoid seal the glad bag with duct tape. I will guarantee you won't have
any lead seapage. Oh yeah, use the heavier duty freezer bags.
Click to expand...

That's a good idea. Thanks.

I'm also keeping it in a covered bucket but that's mostly because it makes a good container. It's not well sealed.
 
PaulD said:
I've been saving brass mostly to give it back to qmmo.

I have a young child and I'm concerned about lead and would like to keep it out of my house as much as possible. Towards that end, is it ok to wash the brass? I want to keep the lead down but I don't want to contaminate the brass in some way that causes a problem with reloading it.

Thanks.
Click to expand...

why wash the brass in the first place?
 
I, and several of my shooting friends that reload, have children. If you take appropriate precautions you have nothing to worry about. All of our kids have had lead test in the course of regular checkups and we've seen nothing but normal test.
 
Lead that may have been part of a lead bullet will not be a health issue. What you would worry about (if anything) is residue of the priming compound, which is lead styphnate. Lead styphnate is essentially insoluable in water, so washing isn't going to do much.

I second the sealed bags or sealed plastic containers approach.
 
Supermoto said:
why wash the brass in the first place?
Click to expand...

Was my original post not clear enough?

In any event, subsequent replies answer the question but I should also mention that the brass is often picked up from the floor of an indoor range. So, it is likely to pick up a fair bit of dust. I know my hands are dirty as a result.
 
RKG said:
Lead that may have been part of a lead bullet will not be a health issue. What you would worry about (if anything) is residue of the priming compound, which is lead styphnate. Lead styphnate is essentially insoluable in water, so washing isn't going to do much.

I second the sealed bags or sealed plastic containers approach.
Click to expand...

Thanks, that's helpful. I knew there was lead involved in the priming compound but I didn't know the specifics. Also, as I mentioned above, I'm concerned with dust on the floor of the indoor range.

I'll throw some ziploc bags in my range bag.
 
I have fired over a million rounds in the last sixty years. A lot in indoor competition when no club had forced ventilation, not even in the military. My wife thought that I should be brain dead and had me take a blood test. I was a 2 on a scale of 1-10. The lead from primers is the greatest concern and will be found in the first 12 feet or so of a firing line. Lead bullet splatter is of no concern. My kid's grew up in a reloading environment along with casting tons of lead and they are all above average in intelligence,but do what you makes you feel comfortable.
 
Supermoto said:
If you want to keep lead out of your house, why would you bring it in to wash it... it's like trying to get dog shit off your shoes by walking around the house
Click to expand...

Where did I say I would bring it in the house to wash it?

I have a garage with a sink. I would like to store it in the garage and would make an effort to wash it before it even entered the garage. That may not always be feasible so it would at least get washed in the garage. However, my daughter goes through there and I'd like to minimize the risk. Dust does have a way of migrating.

Is that clear enough?
 
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BIG GUN said:
I have fired over a million rounds in the last sixty years. A lot in indoor competition when no club had forced ventilation, not even in the military. My wife thought that I should be brain dead and had me take a blood test. I was a 2 on a scale of 1-10. The lead from primers is the greatest concern and will be found in the first 12 feet or so of a firing line. Lead bullet splatter is of no concern. My kid's grew up in a reloading environment along with casting tons of lead and they are all above average in intelligence,but do what you makes you feel comfortable.
Click to expand...

Thanks. That's a good empirical data point.
 
If you want, I can take the .223/5.56 and care for it.[wink] Qmmo doesn't need ALL of the brass....OK he does.

I got to talk to him at the shoot on Sat. and he is another quality NES member. I will also donate what I can for his reloading.
 
PaulD said:
Where did I say I would bring it in the house to wash it?

I have a garage with a sink. I would like to store it in the garage and would make an effort to wash it before it even entered the garage. That may not always be feasible so it would at least get washed in the garage. However, my daughter goes through there and I'd like to minimize the risk. Dust does have a way of migrating.

Is that clear enough?
Click to expand...

washing the brass will not rid it of lead, all you are doing is increasing your exposure to it.
 
Supermoto said:
why wash the brass in the first place?
Click to expand...

i do every once in a great while...when i shoot at a range with a lot of sand. you go brass scrounging, and you're BOUND to get cases that are packed FULL. instead of indivually banging out each case, i use a 5 gallon bucket bout 1/2 filled with water as hot as i can get it, and a bit of dawn dish detergent. REALLY breaks up the crap inside really well. stir it around with a stick for a few minutes, then drain / rinse (i have another 5 gal. bucket i've punched full of holes for this purpose), and rinse/repeat as necessary.
 
Supermoto said:
washing the brass will not rid it of lead, all you are doing is increasing your exposure to it.
Click to expand...

That statement doesn't make a whole lot of sense logically. If washing the brass doesn't get rid of the lead, any lead on the brass must still be there. So, how would my exposure be increased? Do you or anyone else have any links about the characteristics of lead in the environment?

You seem to be working off the assumption that I'm an idiot. However, there are others on this board that think lead exposure at an indoor range is a possible health risk: http://www.northeastshooters.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=49450&highlight=lead+indoor+range

It naturally follows that brass taken home from an indoor range may have lead dust/residue and I'd like to limit my kid's exposure to that to as little as possible.
 
Last edited:
Washing the brass would certainly reduce the amount of transferable lead and various dust/powder residues, but I would reaffirm others comments that bagging it is your best bet. Your additional handling of it in the garage, the dry time out in the open and probably more important the waste laden water going down the drain just does not make it worth the cost of a few zip bags or a few coffee cans. Home Depot has nice plastic paint cans with airtight lids for about 2.00

If you decide to try washing the brass anyway please don’t use anything with ammonia in the ingredients.
 
Been reloading for more than 35 years and I've never owned a tumbler. I always wash my brass because it does a better job of getting sand and primer residue out of the cases. Like someone already outlined above: I shake the crap out of the cases in a plastic bucket with hot water and some dishwashing soap. Couple minutes is all it takes. Then pour off the soapy water and repeat with clean hot or warm water untill soap bubbles go away. Usually this is 4-5 rinses. I use hot water because it helps the cases evaporate the remaining water droplets and they dry faster. Then I spread the cases on a dedicated cookie sheet (don't eat off this) and place them either in the sun or on the radiator. You can even stick them in the oven when your wife is not home. Bake at no more than 200 F. Turn them over after twenty minute and season to taste.

Only draw back to washing is that the cases develop a brown pitina. This does not hurt a thing but it is not the shiny finish a tumbling will give them. On the other hand, you'll never have media jammed in the primer pocket or hiding in a bottleneck case where you can't see it. For this reason alone, I'll never use a tumbler.

John
 
PaulD said:
That statement doesn't make a whole lot of sense logically. If washing the brass doesn't get rid of the lead, any lead on the brass must still be there. So, how would my exposure be increased?
Click to expand...

how are you going to get the brass into the sink? You are going to have to touch the brass, causing exposure to the dust. Water is not going to clean the lead out, when the brass dries, you will have more dust.

PaulD said:
You seem to be working off the assumption that I'm an idiot. .
Click to expand...

Yes
 
Supermoto said:
how are you going to get the brass into the sink? You are going to have to touch the brass, causing exposure to the dust. Water is not going to clean the lead out, when the brass dries, you will have more dust.
Click to expand...

Really? I can't either use gloves or some sort of container to hold the brass, water and dish detergent? [rolleyes]



Supermoto said:
Yes
Click to expand...

You're the one who couldn't parse the original post properly and is making a lot of assumptions.
 
PaulD said:
Really? I can't either use gloves or some sort of container to hold the brass, water and dish detergent? [rolleyes]





You're the one who couldn't parse the original post properly and is making a lot of assumptions.
Click to expand...






not worth the hassle. 5 gallon buckets WITH sealable lids @ Home Depot are UNDER $4. just buy a few and store everything you'd like with MUCH less mess.
 
Paul D: Don't let the bastards get you down. Carry your brass to your garage. Wash the shit out of it. Dry it. Bag it. Now go play with the kids. Washing will remove a huge percentage of lead. What remains will be unimportant. Besides, kids need a certain daily allowance of heavy metal anyway. Makes 'em tough!

John
 
PaulD said:
Really? I can't either use gloves or some sort of container to hold the brass, water and dish detergent? [rolleyes]





You're the one who couldn't parse the original post properly and is making a lot of assumptions.
Click to expand...

Well, I guess you're all set then..... now does anyone know if I can wash my glock in the dishwaher?
 
SA John said:
Paul D: Don't let the bastards get you down. Carry your brass to your garage. Wash the shit out of it. Dry it. Bag it. Now go play with the kids. Washing will remove a huge percentage of lead. What remains will be unimportant. Besides, kids need a certain daily allowance of heavy metal anyway. Makes 'em tough!

John
Click to expand...

lol, thanks John.
 
Paul D: One last point about tumblers. When you vibrate dry, crap-covered cases in a dry media tumbler, you shake loose the tiny particles of lead (mostly from primer as noted earlier) and send much of this stuff into the air for all to breathe. Then there is the media that is contaminated and must be dealt with. When you use the washing method there is NO dust and the largest part of the lead issue is trapped in the water and poured down the drain to poison your neighbor's well. If you don't like your neighbor this works out fine. After the cases have dried they will have a much lower lead content than any tumbled case could possibly contain. Beware of some of the posters on this issue. I read them all and I don't think some of think very well. Or they're just plain old-fashioned stupid.

John
 
SA John said:
Paul D: One last point about tumblers. When you vibrate dry, crap-covered cases in a dry media tumbler, you shake loose the tiny particles of lead (mostly from primer as noted earlier) and send much of this stuff into the air for all to breathe. Then there is the media that is contaminated and must be dealt with. When you use the washing method there is NO dust and the largest part of the lead issue is trapped in the water and poured down the drain to poison your neighbor's well. If you don't like your neighbor this works out fine. After the cases have dried they will have a much lower lead content than any tumbled case could possibly contain. Beware of some of the posters on this issue. I read them all and I don't think some of think very well. Or they're just plain old-fashioned stupid.

John
Click to expand...

Thanks John.

It seemed intuitive to me that the water (I had planned on putting a little Dawn in) would keep the lead down. I'm on sewer though I'll avoid dumping leaded water if I can figure out a way.

A tumbler seemed a bad idea for exactly the reason you state. Plus, I'm not actually going to reload myself so I have no real need for one anyway.

Or, I may follow the ziploc bag advice. That way I can put them in there once at the range and be done.

Once again, I appreciate the advice.
 

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