Cleaning cases?
- Thread starter kenbro
- Start date
Foxyboy43
Well-Known Member
That is precisely the worry; that and their rolling purchase of companies and property pretty much worldwide….
It is what makes the primer go bang. A surprising amount of residue is left, as not all of it burns.
Interesting, have you got a source for that? I was under the impression that, as primary explosive, when some of it goes bang, all of it goes bang
Even if it all goes bang, it will still leave toxic residues in the form of the combustion products - mainly lead oxide.Interesting, have you got a source for that? I was under the impression that, as primary explosive, when some of it goes bang, all of it goes bang
Lead metal is not especially dangerous, lead compounds are properly toxic and harmful, although lead oxide is not that bad until expsoed to acidic conditions....like in your stomach..
kenbro
Well-Known Member
So don’t drink the residual liquid after cleaning cases in it!
Ken.
Ps. Probably doesn’t taste pleasant anyway.
There's cleaning and there's cleaning. It's always a good idea to clean your brass, so there's no dust, soot or other debris that could clog things up. And then there's the next level that makes your brass sparkle like it's been rubbed as much as Aladdin's lamp. (No euphemism intended.) The first is necessary, the second you might find desirable.
You cruisin’ for a bruisin’…?That’s because he’s got a big neck - made of brass too!
Foxyboy43
Well-Known Member
Interesting, have you got a source for that? I was under the impression that, as primary explosive, when some of it goes bang, all of it goes bang
There are many papers on this, from studies such as Adult lead exposure from ammunition reloading and indoor residential shooting, May 2020, American Journal of Industrial Medicine 63(16), to forensics that can identify where the primer came from from the amount of lead isotope left in the primer, e.g. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1556-4029.15204
More distrubing are the personal stories, including one I came across of a man who as a child was allowed to play in the area his father did his reloading, and apparently ate things that had primer material on. Both the father and the son, paid the price - lead poisoning for decades is not pretty. Poison a child with lead, and the child will pay the price every day of his life, stunting his intellect, and worse.The lessons are, do not do reloading in the kitchen, or in any area where any child can enter, and don't bring food into your reloading area folks. Wash your hands after reloading, and avoid touching spent primers. The dirty liquid from washing cases should be treated as hazardous waste, not something to dump over your tomatoes.
I use the Lee system, and you can use wire wool after the case has been trimmed and chamfered.
Foxyboy43
Well-Known Member
Hmm.
Whenever my Lee Zip Trimmer finally broke I removed the entire spindle and now use it as required in a handheld battery drill - one hand turn opens the jaws and a counter-turn accepts and holds the case regardless of calibre. A quick burst of the drill to trim then chamfer and after that simply hold a piece of wire wool against the case, another quick burst and that cleans the case too….
Simples.
Whenever my Lee Zip Trimmer finally broke I removed the entire spindle and now use it as required in a handheld battery drill - one hand turn opens the jaws and a counter-turn accepts and holds the case regardless of calibre. A quick burst of the drill to trim then chamfer and after that simply hold a piece of wire wool against the case, another quick burst and that cleans the case too….
Simples.
For many years I used a baby wipe to clean the resizing lube off the outside of my cases and that was it. Accuracy was very acceptable with this method. A scrape of the primer pocket with a suitable flat blade screw driver ensured primer seating was a simple affair. Now days stainless steel swirly thing and a dry in the air fryer gets the brass sparkly with less effort. Although the issue I find is I still need to remove the resizing lube.
Foxyboy43
Well-Known Member
I got a lock stud through the post yesterday. Do Lee shell holders have a threaded inside to fit in to the stud?I use the Lee system, and you can use wire wool after the case has been trimmed and chamfered.
No, it comes with the cartridge specific case length gauge (which itself screws into the cutter).
Ha. Try putting a spent primer under a flame and see what happens. Do wear eye protection
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