pink brass

[texasgunhand]

32457

I read on here about brass turning pink when the zinc starts separating. So i went on the hunt for the most weathered,black piece of range brass i could find. I found this one berween the 200 and 300 yard backstop on some rocks,it couldn't have been blacker if it was painted,but it looked ok not really dirty or dented. I ran it through the vib. tumbler with the range brass i picked up just to see how it would come out.

It was still black but looked ok till i soaked it in some ketchup to get it back to shiny to inspect. I was not going to reload it,just wanted to see how it would come out since it was so weathered. As you can see its pleanty pink.

I posted this for all the new reloaders like myself that have never seen it turn pink. Ive seen it with a reddish tint but never like this, i am thinking this is what you guys mean by pink brass and not to reload it. It has an even pinker spot on the other side.

The picture doesnt show just how bad it really is. Its pink not red.

[MegademiC]

Leave it out for a few days. If it turns black it's oxidation. I never heard of zinc separating from brass from shooting it.

After rereading, the pink oxide was under the black and you just exposed it by tumbling. It will polish right off, or you can tumble it longer.

You can have pink brass but it has more zinc in it than cartridge brass.

What you have is fine to reload.

[GI_Jared]

I've reloaded plenty of brass which looked like that after cleaning. No issues and it will come right off with a scotch pad if you want it shiny.

[texasgunhand]

Its not oxidized. Its not red. It doesnt come off.. From what i understand brass is copper and zinc,its the copper leaching out due to being wet. Ive been told it makes the brass not suitable for pressure.

I need to get a wet tumbler...

I said it was the zinc separating from the copper my bad,, its the copper separating from the zinc.

[Onyx Z]

It is typically caused by too much lemi-shine in a wet tumbler without agitation (not tumbling). Your is probably caused by sitting in the elements for so long. They shoot just fine, and I don't know the why behind it (physics) but the brass has actually leached out some of the zinc.

[texasgunhand]

After doing some looking, i think its split some people say its ok some dont.
Some guys over at brian enos.com are scared of it. I dont pick up range brass unless its nice. Its good to know you guys reload it. I just have never seen it that bad or that bright.
Strange what the weather will do to anything,nothing holds up to mother nature.

[Onyx Z]

After doing some looking, i think its split some people say its ok some dont.
Some guys over at brian enos.com are scared of it. I dont pick up range brass unless its nice. Its good to know you guys reload it. I just have never seen it that bad or that bright.
Strange what the weather will do to anything,nothing holds up to mother nature.

I have loaded and shot it a few times with no problems. But I size my brass to my chamber, so it doesn't expand much when fired.

[MegademiC]

How does zinc "Leach" out of brass and where did you guys hear this? Even if the zinc started to "leach" out, it would turn from yellow cartridge brass to more golden like admiral brass, not red.

Cu2O - which is the color shown above and below will oxidizes to CuO in normal/outside environments. Since the copper below is covered, it doesn't oxidize as much.

As evidence, I did the following (The last pic still shows some "black" which is pitting):
EDIT: to add sorry for the blurry pics - I was shaking.
Brass with black oxidation - after cleaning with tsp it was still black but the carbon was gone.
http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh63/vinnyraf870/b1_zpsm9o6d6fi.jpg (http://s253.photobucket.com/user/vinnyraf870/media/b1_zpsm9o6d6fi.jpg.html)

After soaking in ~10% HCl we got this:
http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh63/vinnyraf870/b3_zpsl72pypla.jpg (http://s253.photobucket.com/user/vinnyraf870/media/b3_zpsl72pypla.jpg.html)

Then I polished the case mouth half of the brass:
http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh63/vinnyraf870/b4_zpsklovd0rf.jpg (http://s253.photobucket.com/user/vinnyraf870/media/b4_zpsklovd0rf.jpg.html)

[bigedp51]

At the link below 3/4 of the way down the page you will find "Chemical Case Cleaning Solutions", I have and used the third cleaner down and the brass turned pink. Our local police uses our range to practice several times a year and do drills walking toward the 50 yard line. For weeks afterward I find .223/5.56 brass when walking down to check my targets, it needs washed in hot soapy water to get the mud and dirt out from inside the cases. If it has turned black it gets soaked in my home made case cleaner and may turn "PINK" but after this it is wet tumbled with stainless steel media.

Bottom line I knew the brass wasn't years old and at most was only weeks old and reloaded it. Normally I only pick up freshly fired untarnished brass with crimped primers. BUT I saw this tarnished ammunition being fired and knew its origins and age. If I walked out to the range today and saw a blackened tarnished cases it would stay on the ground. What you are seeing is a chemical reaction with the elements in the brass and exposure to air and water and over time it could weaken the brass. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link and your brass cartridge cases are the weakest link in your firearms and your holding them next to your face.


Homemade Firearm Cleaners & Lubricants
http://www.frfrogspad.com/homemade.htm

Below is the makeup of the brands of brass by manufacture, also remember that Lake City and commercial contract ammunition made for the military has higher brass and quality standards than regular .223 brass. Meaning that Lake City brass is the hardest followed by Lapua, the softest is Federal and Remington.

X-Ray Spectrometry of Cartridge Brass
http://www.accurateshooter.com/technical-articles/x-ray-spectrometry-of-cartridge-brass/

[StikkershokK]

If you google 'galvanic corrosion', it is the electrons traveling between two dissimilar metals. It is like a minuscule battery charge. The zinc is going to disappear, just like the zinc sacrificial anodes in water heaters, and under boat hulls. The zinc goes before the copper, or SS, etc. I am not going to guess at it being safe or not, just that material is being lost. Hopefully from the surface only, but I don't know.


Sent with Tapatalk

[MegademiC]

The only thing close I found was "selective Leaching" basically states that both are lost and the copper autoplates back on the substrate(which would prevent further corrosion, I would think. This would still be safe to shoot unless - like with any other brass - there is pitting.

To be honest I never heard of that before, but it looks like a surface condition. It always polishes off in my experience. Maybe that's what's happening (and would still explain turning black), and would also explain where people get "leaching" from... its not what I thought people thought was happening.

Edit:
It also sounds like it can only happen in a stagnant environment (like brass sitting in a puddle - doh!), as moving water would wash away the copper. Its making a lot more sense now.

So I think I just talked myself into the "corrosion" camp. It should polish off with enough time, but you cant tell how deep it goes, you probably don't want to shoot it. Thanks for the education, all.


If you google 'galvanic corrosion', it is the electrons traveling between two dissimilar metals. It is like a minuscule battery charge. The zinc is going to disappear, just like the zinc sacrificial anodes in water heaters, and under boat hulls. The zinc goes before the copper, or SS, etc. I am not going to guess at it being safe or not, just that material is being lost. Hopefully from the surface only, but I don't know.


Sent with Tapatalk

[bigedp51]

If you google 'galvanic corrosion', it is the electrons traveling between two dissimilar metals. It is like a minuscule battery charge. The zinc is going to disappear, just like the zinc sacrificial anodes in water heaters, and under boat hulls. The zinc goes before the copper, or SS, etc. I am not going to guess at it being safe or not, just that material is being lost. Hopefully from the surface only, but I don't know.
Sent with Tapatalk


StikkershokK, you must be almost as smart, good looking and modest as I am...............

For the rest of you reading this here is a simple way to test dirty black cases you pick up off the ground.

Reach up with your hands and touch your face, now ask yourself if you want to keep it that way and in one piece.
Now ask yourself if being a cheap bastard is worth rearranging your face, loosing an eye or have a bolt sticking out of your head.

I was lucky the day the police practiced at our range because I knew one of the policeman and he saw to it I walked away with three five gallon buckets of brass.
If you want free or cheap brass make friends with someone who has access to tons of it. ;)

http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o254/bigedp51/halfdone_zps8557fc4b.jpg

http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o254/bigedp51/bucketsofbrass_zps6927af18.jpg

[StikkershokK]

Ed, I am a trombone player with a ... Um ... "Boat Problem" (I like to build wooden ones). But in answer to your question ... Yes. Yes, I ammm. OH! PS, modern brass is just more than copper and tin or zinc. There are lots of formulations including things like LEAD, the lead makes it 'self-lubricating' during machining. So it's more complicated than just a Steve Shires custom rose-brass bell. Be careful.


Sent with Tapatalk

[Bimmer]

I'd cut a couple open before I even considered reloading brass in this condition, and when in doubt, scrap it.

See this thread:

http://m14forum.com/ammunition/108956-pictures-corrosion-inside-men94-cases.html

[texasgunhand]

I'd cut a couple open before I even considered reloading brass in this condition, and when in doubt, scrap it.

See this thread:

http://m14forum.com/ammunition/108956-pictures-corrosion-inside-men94-cases.html

This is what iam talking about,, the comment by big about not killing your face or tearing up a gun pretty much sums it up.

[markm]

Load and shoot it. I've shot these kind of pick ups in the past with no issue.

If I were loading a batch of precision stuff, I'd skip a piece like this, but for regular blaster stuff, it's just fine.