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citric acid brass cleaner
nemesisenforcer
Member Posts: 10,513 ✭✭✭
anybody use citric acid and water to clean brass? Heard about it and was wondering if members had any home remedy recipes?
I was thinking lemon/lime juice or possibly vinegar?
I was thinking lemon/lime juice or possibly vinegar?
Comments
Some people are just soaking their brass in that combination without tumbling. It doesn't take much, a dash of Dawn and half a teaspoon of Lemishine to a gallon.
Actual citrus juices are too dilute and too expensive and vinegar is acetic acid, not citric. Vinegar has been used, though, with salt in the mix.
I bought 5 pounds of citric acid powder from fleabay. Lifetime supply, under twenty bucks. Plus I can use it in winemaking for limited things, if the acidity of the wine needs tinkering with.
In my wet tumbler, I usually put in the brass, pins, fill about half full with hot water, squirt of dish soap, and about a teaspoon of citric acid powder. Make sure to rinse the brass in clean water after, as the citric acid will cause tarnish if left to dry on the cases.
Vinegar does work, but bleaches the cases out to an orangeish color.
I ran them through the sizing die, and they looked like new brass, except for about 1/8" above the rim where the dies don't touch.