Cleaning Brass Help

[Matthewk1114]

So Ive been collecting brass for a while.

Im dealing with 5 Gallon increments. Ideally i would like to use a 5 Gallon bucket to somehow clean and wash the casings. Does anyone have a little system that works for this for the cheap?

A bucket topper? Strong enough to stir up and mix the casings? Any ideas are welcome.

I have seen cement mixers used for this but that is far too large for me. ideally I'm trying to have a small compact system, limited space available at the moment.

 

[Magdump]

I feel your pain. One reason I usually only grab fresh fired stuff off the ground, I absolutely will not worry myself with muddy brass or casings full of dirt. I have a separate press I use for depriming my brass. It’s outside under the roof of my shop and I don’t care if it gets fouled. It’s easier to clean deprimed brass if you’re having to literally wash it.
Me and my pops cleaned nearly a truckload of .308 brass that was bad. Soaked it all in degreaser then dumped it back and forth into two 5 gallon buckets full of quarter inch holes while hitting it with the pressure washer. It actually worked pretty well. All in all it was worth the work at the time.

 

[Matthewk1114]

I feel your pain. One reason I usually only grab fresh fired stuff off the ground, I absolutely will not worry myself with muddy brass or casings full of dirt. I have a separate press I use for depriming my brass. It’s outside under the roof of my shop and I don’t care if it gets fouled. It’s easier to clean deprimed brass if you’re having to literally wash it.
Me and my pops cleaned nearly a truckload of .308 brass that was bad. Soaked it all in degreaser then dumped it back and forth into two 5 gallon buckets full of quarter inch holes while hitting it with the pressure washer. It actually worked pretty well. All in all it was worth the work at the time.

I think another “strainer” bucket with holes is going to be my best bet. Just running water until it’s clear.

 

[gunnut]

I drilled holes in a 5 gallon bucket lid to make it a strainer. I put the brass in with some Simple Green, let sit for a day or so with a regular lid on it so I could shake it up/roll it around to agitate the shells some in the cleaning solution. Then I would put the strainer top on and turn it over to drain.

 

[Mitch Dufour]

Is the brass separated by caliber? If not already, do so before you try any sort of cleaning. 9mm cases stuck in 45acp cases can be frustrating! Is this a "pre-clean" you are trying to accomplish before a finale clean?

 

[Matthewk1114]

Is the brass separated by caliber? If not already, do so before you try any sort of cleaning. 9mm cases stuck in 45acp cases can be frustrating! Is this a "pre-clean" you are trying to accomplish before a finale clean?

Its mainly, just to knock of all the mud, debris, etc.. then for further processing

 

[Mitch Dufour]

I have never "pre-cleaned". I just sort by caliber with a stacked tray system in a 5 gallon bucket. This process involves some jostling, shaking, and handling the empty cases that will often dislodge trash.

As for cleaning, I used to use dry media in a vibrating tumbler, then for a while used stainless pins in water. I now using stainless chips in water. Plenty of videos on line showing those 3 methods.