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This is what I use also. Works great.A capful of this every other run:
I avoid brass polish in the form of Brasso as after just smelling the liquid it became obvious that it was loaded with ammonia.
Agreed: stay away from anything with ammonia.
Polishing media works by abrasive friction, and an additive should increase the friction. I use "Jewelers Rouge," in a form that comes as a paste in a small glass jar. I cut it with rubbing alchohol just so that it will distribute within the walnut shell medium. I add a dab once or twice a year.
Car waxes aren't going to do anything for the brass, though some contain solvents to aid in cleaning. Car polishes have some form of abrasive in them, often Jeweler's Rouge or Jeweler's White, but only in small amounts.
The cheapest, but also sort of messy, way to increase the abrasive action of tumbler media is to put in a handful of clean, white sand.
I've used Brasso at times to clear really dirty cases before dropping them in a tumbler. It does work great but I have no idea if it is reducing the case life somewhat so I tend not to use it on a regular basic especially when I can get the Nu Car polish in Wal-Mart very cheaply.I have used polishes with ammonia for many years with no ill effects.
Pretty sure ammonia can weaken brass over time. That's what all the reloading forums say.I have used polishes with ammonia for many years with no ill effects.
Pretty sure ammonia can weaken brass over time. That's what all the reloading forums say.
Sand? I think thats more than a little overboard on the abrasive factor. Yes its cheap but it will also ruin your chambers and dies.
Ever see how coarse a piece of metal is after sandblasting? Well, your brass will look very similar.
Even finely powdered(almost talc) pumice is too abrasive and leaves the brass dull and scratched
and leaves a residue, I've experimented with it and its not good for polishing brass.
Ammoniated polishes will leach the zinc from the copper zinc alloy that cartridge brass is made of and weaken it. They are made for items that do not have to withstand pressures.....like lamps and plaques, not cartridge casings.
1) Sand in the tumbler will not "sand blast" anything, because the velocity of the grains is too low.
2) I should have added that, the only two times I did this, I used compressed air to blow out the cases and then tumbled them again with the tub filled with torn up pieces of paper towel to get the sub-visible sand particles (or most of them) up.
3) As I say, only did this twice, with some military .30-06 once-fireds that were so old they were nearly black. After sand, they were clean. After the paper towels, they were shiny. After carefully miking such things as neck wall thickness, I loaded a few and shot them, and then examined the cases, which appeared to be good as "new".
4) I guess I should have been clearer: I'm not recommending sand for regular case cleaning use, but trying to illustrate that abrasives are what is needed to polish cases in a tumbler, now waxes.
The TurtleWax polish I use, is a polish with a micro fine abrasive in it as most polishes have, unlike just straight waxes.
It's true, Just ask a chemist.
Ammonia and brass are non compatible.
I have been using brass polish with ammonia for many years with no ill effects and I re-use my brass until it won't go through the sizing die (brass build up at the base).
*No ill effects that you visually see*
Rifle or pistol brass?
Rifle brass thins at the base and thickens at the neck after each firing. This is what causes case head separations. Indicated by a bright shiney ring above the web when resized.
Pistol brass bulges at the base and that buldge is a weak spot. Under magnification, you'd see striations in the brass. Adding ammonia to those striations increases the weakening because it penetrates into the cracks and further errodes(leaches) the zinc from the alloy.
You've defied the odds for a while but that doesn't change he laws of chemistry......brass and ammonia are chemically incompatible and always will be. I didn't make the rules, I just follow them.
I prefer not to deliberately induce further weakening of my brass(however slight) when its being fired ten inches from my face and or in a $8000 dollar gun.
A capful of this every other run: