Tarnished brass = bad brass?

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MightyMO1911

New member
So we have a bunch of old 30-06 brass. Emphasis. Old. It's been in a box in the basement for I don't know how many years. It's all commercial brass, no military. It was pretty ugly so I ran it in my tumbler literally 8 hours. It's clean and shiny now but the corrosion is now obvious. Does this weaken the brass at all or is it just discolored? A fingernail won't catch it like if it was cracked. See pic. I hope.
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M

MightyMO1911

New member
This picture is after. And it's shinier and better color than the picture makes it look. Thanks for the link. I'll give it a look.
 
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FrankenMauser

New member
In reloading parlance*,
Tarnish =/= corrosion

Tarnish is discoloration and is fine.
Corrosion is pitting (or worse), and justifies a more thorough inspection or disposal of the cases.


If you can't feel pitting, they should be fine.


I actually separate tarnished brass from bright yellow brass, in some cartridges, so that I have "summer brass" (bright) and "winter brass" (tarnished). The bright stuff is easier to find in grass, while the dark stuff is easier to find in the snow or in matted, dead grass.
And if I still can't find the "winter brass" ... it's no big loss.

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*Technically, tarnish is surface corrosion. But in the reloading world, everything we deal with has some form of minor surface corrosion.
 
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F. Guffey

New member
Mosin-Marauder, vinegar and nothing, simple household type, That sounds very familiar, he should have warned his followers they should place a time limit on the soak (in vinegar). I would suggest he instruct his fans to limit the time to 15 minutes and avoid using vinegar like a habit.

I use vinegar on the worst of cases 'once'. Vinegar will reduce tumbling by days. Then there are the 'I use', I use vinegar and nothing,

F. Guffey

Then there is spin, I make spinners, Useful when making short runs like 20 cases or when determining if the cases have disappeared through electrolysis. I have stuck a spinner into the neck of a case then apply pressure as a test. I have had necks come apart with little to no pressure.
 
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Mosin-Marauder

New member
Vinegar has a lot of uses, I use it to clean coins and stuff I find metal detecting, never had to use it on brass though
Make sure you rinse everything with water though, or it will corrode the metal. And as said above don't do it too much on one thing. I messed up a penny I found one time for leaving it in far too long. :p
 
J

Jimro

New member
I don't mind my cases not being shiny.

Doesn't affect accuracy in the slightest, so I don't worry about it.

Jimro
 
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mikld

New member
I totally agree with FrankenMauser's post. Corrosion is different than tarnish. Tarnish will appear as discoloration of the brass with no pitting (smooth). Corrosion will appear as discolored metal (brass may be green) eaten away by oxidation.

I reloaded a long time before I got a tumbler (I just wiped each case with a solvent dampened rag, no ruined dies, could spot all defects) and if I wanted "BBQ" brass I would stick the cases on a mandrel (spinner) chucked in a drill and polish with extra fine steel wool and mebbe some auto polish. I used a hardwood dowel that I tapered as a "spinner" to hold the case (just push the case over the end of the wooden mandrel and turn on the drill!). IMO the only brass that need to be shiny polished is my Garand reloads. My M1 flings empties farther than a drunk Okie throws an empty beer can, and bright shiny cases are easier to find in the dirt, rocks, and trash at my "range"...

(No offense intended to any Okies out there 'cause my Pa was an Okie and I married one :rolleyes:)
 
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condor bravo

New member
As long as the rounds don't look like that they originally came from Sword, Juno, Omaha, Utah or Gold beaches they are probably OK. But you say they are all commercial.
 
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T. O'Heir

New member
"...only brass that need to be shiny polished is my Garand reloads..." Nope. Cleaned only.
The wee spot of green on that case is corrosion. It might, heavy on the might, be a tick weak there. Not likely an issue though. It'll come off with a bit of 0000 steel wool anyway.
 
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TimSr

New member
Tarnish is oxidation, which is mostly a film on the brass, that can be removed without removing some of the brass.

Corrosion is damage to the brass. Think rust.

Oxidation can turn into corrosion, but on most metals it does not penetrate the surface. Corrosion on brass usually requires acids or other corrosives (such as Pyrodex :D).


Vinegar is acetic acid. It etches oxidation off faster than it etches brass off, but it WILL etch brass off with prolonged exposure.

If they are smooth, further polishing may make them more shiny and pretty, but will do nothing for you. Load'em and shoot 'em! If you won't then send them to me, and I will. :D
 
G

Gunplummer

New member
You can do what you want, but take a good look at the op's pictures. Some of that "Corrosion" is actually impurities in the brass. I have seen it in the best of brass (Norma, allegedly virgin brass) and set it aside when it is that bad. I have found what looks like porosity and cracks in new brass. It is a good idea to quickly check your brass after tumbling and set aside the worst looking stuff for a real good inspection later. As cheap as new bulk brass is, I just don't understand the fascination with semi-scrap brass. You should be able to fire and reload the heck out of new brass.
 
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Pathfinder45

New member
Discolored brass, i.e., tarnished, but not really corroded is actually more desireable. Reload it and call it camo-ammo! everything camoflaged is the trend these days. Why not your ammo too?;)
 
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