How to Polish Gun Brass
- 1). Wash the used brass cartridges in a very hot soapy solution. Agitate the containers for a few minutes to ensure the solution has an opportunity to clean residues that can affect the next step in the cleaning process. Rinse the cartridges in clean, hot water and drain.
- 2). Add more clean, hot water to the same container with the brass cartridges. According to the amount of water you are using, add ½ teaspoon of Phosphoric Acid per gallon of water to the container. The addition of the phosphoric acid will generate a chemical reaction which will eliminate any remaining residual buildup of discharge contaminants that may be left after the initial soapy solution. This solution will clean the cartridge inside and out including primer pockets.
- 3). Pour baking soda into the phosphoric acid solution to stop the cleaning activity. Drain the cartridges from the solution and rinse with more hot water. The cleaning process is complete.
- 4). Examine each cartridge after cleaning. The phosphoric acid solution will have cleaned any residual powders and material left over from the previous shot. The solution will also highlight any corrosion that may be present in the cartridges. The corrosion will show up as a highlighted copper look to the brass. If after wiping the cartridge down the corrosion is still noticeable, you should scrap the cartridge as unusable in the future.