 |
I like to reload
with bright shiny brass cases. I own a media
tumbler and sifter that I normally use to clean
and polish my cases prior to reloading. It is
loud and takes a long time to work and I hate
dealing with the walnut or corn cob media. I
prefer the corn cob media because unlike the
walnut media I don't have to spend an hour
punching out little pieces of media out of the
primer hole of every single cotton picking case.
I was
reading American Rifleman several |
 |
months back and saw
a short little article about a product that
chemically cleaned cases. Intrigued, I contacted
the company and asked them to send me a sample
for an article. I needed to reload some 8mm
Mauser ammo for a very nice Turkish Mauser I had
picked up and had not shot just yet. I selected
some once shot commercial brass that a
kind gentleman at the range had given to me
after he had shot them. They were dirty, but not
to the extreme. |
 |
The instructions
that come with the IOSSO cleaning kit, state that the brass should be deprimed prior to
cleaning and since this goes without saying I
went ahead and deprimed and resized my brass
like I normally would.
The kit is pretty straight forward, complete,
and simple. You get a very nice little plastic
bucket with a lid, mesh bag with a drawstring,
and a container of the cleaner. |
|
Product and Supplier Information |
| Manufacturer
Product Description: Restores brass
casings to a bright finish in seconds.
This liquid cleaner effectively removes
powder fouling residue, oxidation,
tarnish, discoloration, dirt, and grime.
It cleans the inside of the casings and
the primer pocket where tumbling media
is not effective. Just immerse the
casings in the solution for from 20
seconds up to five minutes, rinse, and
dry. The Case Cleaner solution is
reusable and economical. A quart of
Iosso Case Cleaner cleans approximately
two thousand cases depending upon the
degree of tarnish and residue.
Environmentally friendly.
Iosso Products
1485 Lively Blvd.
Elk Grove, IL 60007
Phone: 847-437-8400
Fax: 847-437-8478
Toll-Free: 1-888-747-4332
http://www.iosso.com/metal.htm
|
|
 |
I took the twenty
cases and placed them in the mesh bag. It
appears that you could easily fit 60 to 100
cases at a time in the bag. The instructions
state that you should sort out your brass and
make groups to be cleaned by the amount of dirt
found on each case. The reason for this is
time. Actually the length of time required
to clean the cases. Less dirty cases take less
time and the more dirty the case, the more time
required to clean. |
 |
Since the
instructions also state that the solution should
not be stored in a metal container I would
assume you probably also do not want to leave
cases in the solution for more than the time
necessary to effectively clean them.
I placed the mesh bag into the plastic
bucket. |
 |
Note: The
blurry square in figure 6 is actually a
Christmas present that I inadvertently included
in the photo. Not that my wife reads my
articles, but I guess there is always the
possibility and I did not want to ruin the
surprise or take the photo over. |
 |
I poured enough
of the case cleaner fluid to cover the mesh bag
of cases. The information provided with the kit
state: The cleaning solution
is mild and will not harm the brass, sinks, or
sewer system. It doesn't damage or irritate
skin.
I found this statement to be true and also
noted that there was not any annoying or strong
odors present. |
 |
The instructions
also state: The gun owner just pours the
solution into the bucket, fills the bag with
casings and immerses the bag in the solution.
Agitation helps to loosen the powder. After one
to five minutes, or when the casings turn
bright, the user removes the bag and rinses its
contents with hot water. Once dry the cases are
ready for reloading.
I placed the lid on the bucket for a moment
and shook the contents for my agitation. |
 |
This is how I
achieved the frothy head as shown in figure 8.
As instructed I washed the cases off in the sink
after I had left them in the solution for about
four minutes. I ended up taking each case and
wiping off, under the running water, any loose
residue that had not come completely off in the
solution. The cases did come out very
clean and bright. |
 |
The end product was
not quite as bright
as a tumbler, but very acceptable for my
needs and the cases were clean. The case cleaner kit
is less than $18 and the replacement cleaning solution is available for
under $9 for a quart or under $28 for a gallon.
This is a very cost effective way of cleaning
cases. Once you own the kit, per quart of
cleaner you can clean 1500
cases for around $.006 per case. This process does take considerably less time,
produces almost no noise, and is not
laborious to clean cases. |
