Thanks for the video. Way too much work. I just put my brass in a tumbler w/ ceramic media and Buffalo Arms solution and water as soon as I get home. Works great and easy. I've been doing it that way for 15 years.

Just subscribed. Halfway through and this video is already one of the single most important pieces of information I’ve run across- immediately after learning within the last 24 hours somewhere else that black powder fouling is alkaline not acidic. I grew up with black powder and always ascribed to the sulfuric acid myth. My brass is gonna fare much better after this…

When you’re dealing with acid base chemistry a few factors are important. 1. Strength of the acid or base (highly ionized ones eg hydrochloric acid, sulphuric acid, potassium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide are strong acids and bases and stuff like acetic acid, citric acid, ammonia). Then there is the relative concentration of that component - how much there is relative to the entire solution. Temperature rise can increase the rate at which an acid-base reaction can occur. Time - the longer you expose your metal to the solution the longer it has to do its work. Now - the exposed surface is what is affected. The solution doesn’t flow into the metal atoms. It reacts with the surface. AND - the combustion products of black powder are potassium carbonate and potassium sulfide. These are both soluble in water. This is why we use water. So - clean with whatever you want. Just don’t leave it in there a long time or with high concentrations particularly of strong acids and bases. Use lots of water. Don’t worry about neutral pH. Just clean up quickly with plenty of water and warmer water in the bore is better because the salts in there are soluble in water and more soluble the warmer it is. Whew.

Well I'll tell you as long as I'm learning something that I want to learn it never gets boring and I've saved this so that I can go back to it because as I age it seems my memories getting worse that's also why I write things down. Thanks a lot for the tutorial, have a great day and stay safe and keep your powder dry!

If you happen to have a die set for 45/70 I have found that the 45/70 sizing/decapping die can be used as a virtual universal decapper for all brass calibers that I have tried so far. .Just use a shell holder consistent with the brass you are de-priming. DJ

Thanks, your test was a real eye-opener. I find it ironic that the Windex/vinegar solution performed the best as Elmer Keith recommended a vinegar solution to clean his black powder fired brass. He was shooting original Sharps and this was about a hundred years ago. I wonder how they knew this back then. You also mentioned Mike Venturino who used the water and Windex/vinegar as a gun cleaning solution after firing black powder. After almost 35 years experimenting with black powder and trying every concoction conceivable, it looks like its back to Windex for me for a lot of my needs.

Great video. Thanks.

Dish soap and a bit of cheap vinegar should do good,but I wonder if the stainless tumbling work hardens the brass?

Our water is so hard that if it drys on a surface there is a white film

Jon, I wish you had shown some of the cleaned brass just to show results. I need to do more to clean my brass.

Good video, thanks

Good to see you up and running . Great information. I know I just threw my brass in my wet tumbler. It was a mix of black and smokeless. Basically they all ended up just okay. Not near as bright as normal. Another quick question. I was looking at some of your other videos. I see you have a tool for seating the bullet on the lands. Is it something you made or bought? Lastly I see you and most of the guys at longshot are shooting off sticks. Another KZfaqr, I am sure you know who I am talking about, made a video on how he made one. I was just wondering if you knew what type of wood yours was made of? I think he did mahogany. I can't seem to find any. Thanks and keep up the great videos. I have more of a "hunting" style 74. Would love to get one of the long range one.

1) if dirty sand -> clean them in bucket with few drops of dish wash fluid, dry them on sun 2) lee universal decap die -> deap them all 3) home made tumbler with 2kg of 2x3 drops (steel media for tumbling), 2.5kg of brass (38/357), not hot water 2kg (2L), one table spoon of lemi shinte, one table sppon of dish washer fluid, tumble 1hour, change water, tumble another 1hour, 4) clean water flush 5) dump 2x3 pins by lyman rotating device (f... I forgot name) !!! separator for media ;) somethin like that 6) dry on sun or use electric air dryier for fruits Reload and go ! Have a nice day!

I always appreciate any information I can get on BP shooting and I'm new to BPCR. Does tumbling the cartridges also clean the inside of the cartridge?

I would have guessed the initial water batch would be alkaline as potassium/wood ash are alkaline. And of course, vinegar is acidic.

Thanks for another video which I consider tutorials for me. Why do you check the ph level of the cleaning after cleaning the brass instead of before dumping the dirty brass? I would think the information would be more useful before cleaning the brass in case ph levels needed to be adjusted. What did I miss? Again thank you for your videos.

I have been told that primer residue contains a toxic lead compound that can Penatrate skin. I don't know if it is voodoo or not, but I wear rubber gloves when I decap and clean brass. I'm also crazy about dropping spent primers directly into an old laundry detergent bottle that I can screw the top on and take it to the toxic chemical collection center.

Birchwood Casey brass cartridge cleaner. Dip, rinse and then tumble. Brass looks like new.

what is the name, and where did you buy your depriming tool? and do they make them for pistols as well?