View Full Version : Brasso - clean brass with it, or not ?
BigSlick
03-09-2010, 04:00 PM
One of my buds just e-mailed me, he picked up a box of mixed brass at the show over the weekend and some of it had a few green spots on it.
So, he drags it down to the hardware store and gets a can of brasso.
Wiped every single one of them down with it.
He applied the brasso to a paper towel and used some elbow grease to get the corrosion off.
Did he weaken the brass, or is just a wipe down OK ?
Most of the brass is BMG, 7mm mag, .270 etc decent headstamps. Other than the few tarnish spots, no dings or other defects.
He got the whole box, about 12x14x10 for $20 :yikes:
fredj338
03-09-2010, 06:04 PM
I used to tumble brass in walnut w/ a cap of Brasso, until told the ammonia would damage the brass. So, I don't do it anymore but a one time application probably doesn't hurt anything IMO. Next tiem, a better choice is probably Fitz polish.
Frostback
03-09-2010, 06:51 PM
The ammonia will evaporate out of a tumbler long before it will damage brass.
Frosty
jawjaboy
03-09-2010, 06:58 PM
IMO... and mine only mind you. Brasso is for sailors on older ships. Door knobs, strike plates, fittings.......etc. YMMV.
That is all, carry on men. :patriot:
Bultx1215
03-09-2010, 10:49 PM
The old brass on those ships seemed to hold up well, didn't it?
I've heard it both ways...with and without. The with Brasso guy is an anal retentive about his reloading too and he doesn't have any weakness issues. I might try it one day myself....or not.:beer:
Well, I was toying with some pure ammonia copper fouling remover... put some on a rag and wipe a piece of brass, sure you get a little light blue tint on the rag but no noticeable difference on the brass. Now, if you pour a little of the ammonia in a cup and let a piece of brass sit submerged in it for a little while, of course that could cause a problem.
If it were me, I'd load'em up and shoot'em. As long as they weren't sitting in the polish for any time I say you got nothing to worry about.
Charly
03-10-2010, 04:22 AM
out of precaution I stay away from products containing amonia to use during cleaning process of my brass.
grendelbane
03-10-2010, 07:23 PM
Supposedly, British forces in India stored some of their new brass cartridges in stables, and the ammonia from horse urine weakened it. Just a rumor I heard, not sure if it is so.
The best chemical I have found to clean brass is citric acid mixed with hot water and Dawn's dishwashing detergent. It gets brass really clean. So far, it hasn't damaged any of mine.
Even sugar free Kool-Ade has enough citric acid in it to make a good brass cleaner.
Fritzer
03-13-2010, 11:10 AM
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Even sugar free Kool-Ade has enough citric acid in it to make a good brass cleaner.
BLUE ???? :rm_frog:
Bobshouse
03-19-2010, 10:19 PM
Use Mother's Mag Polish...
brasso removes zink in brass leaving only copper which is weaker
i'd not do that
Silverback
03-21-2010, 05:31 PM
use nu finish
Yeah - I'm in the NuFinish crowd too. I heard the ammonia thing that goes along with the Brasso thing, and I just try and avoid both. I save as much as the cup-and-turn testing for Koski as I can... :wavetowel2:
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