Ahh! Then you have no lead concern. The US cleaning solution has picked up the lead compounds, and if that is a citric-acid-based cleaner like the Hornady US cleaner, it should have chelated the lead carbonates and other water-soluble lead compounds. Mind you, I still wouldn't go drinking that stuff as any lead oxide present may or may not be completely done being broken down by the acid at that point, but it is safer to flush than would otherwise be the case, and you aren't in any danger of inhaling it at that point.
Indoor lead testing around tumblers.
- Thread starter LE-28
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Well said.
MG,
The Lemishine for dishwashers MSDS says 50-100% citric acid, but then says less than 2.5% fragrance, so it can't be 100% if the fragrance is in there. So the exact formulation is proprietary. But pure citric acid is cheaper than Lemishine on Amazon if you buy enough, so I just go with that. Don't really need to pay extra to get the special fragrance on my brass.
The Lemishine for dishwashers MSDS says 50-100% citric acid, but then says less than 2.5% fragrance, so it can't be 100% if the fragrance is in there. So the exact formulation is proprietary. But pure citric acid is cheaper than Lemishine on Amazon if you buy enough, so I just go with that. Don't really need to pay extra to get the special fragrance on my brass.
But I like that Downy fresh sent as my cases eject 
So how much pier citric acid neutralize is the lead or whatever it’s called and let’s say standard large Frankford arsenal rotary tumbler tumbling 800 9mm cases . Meaning does a 40S&W full of citric acid do the job on 800 deprimed 9mm case . I’m trying to figure out what needs to be down to dump it down my sink drain with no harm to the environment or dishes that may go in after .
So how much pier citric acid neutralize is the lead or whatever it’s called and let’s say standard large Frankford arsenal rotary tumbler tumbling 800 9mm cases . Meaning does a 40S&W full of citric acid do the job on 800 deprimed 9mm case . I’m trying to figure out what needs to be down to dump it down my sink drain with no harm to the environment or dishes that may go in after .
My doc tested me for lead and mercury some 8 years ago or so - it was pretty much zero. At the time I shot a lot of straight lead bullets.
These days, I only shoot plated and jacketed bullets. Very few projectiles have exposed lead. (Everglades HP's are "semi-jacketed," for instance.)
I know spent primers contain lead. But how much? It must be micrograms per primer.
That said, I wonder if my tumbler has less lead around it than most?
These days, I only shoot plated and jacketed bullets. Very few projectiles have exposed lead. (Everglades HP's are "semi-jacketed," for instance.)
I know spent primers contain lead. But how much? It must be micrograms per primer.
That said, I wonder if my tumbler has less lead around it than most?
jetinteriorguy
New member
Not sure how this relates to the FART, but I use about 1/4 tsp of canning citric acid in my HF tumbler along with a small squirt of Dawn. I tumble for an hour and brass is nice and clean. I can go up to two hours without any ill effects but over three hours and some brass can come out pink indicating a loss of copper. So I’m thinking that’s a fairly strong amount of citric acid in a container this size. Just a rough extrapolation but in a drum the size of the FART I’d think double to triple that amount would be plenty strong. I don’t use any pins or other abrasive, just the citric/Dawn/water solution.
In my Ultrasonic I use a teaspoon for every two liters of water. Ultrasonics are non-contact so I can get away with a stiff solution of citric acid and water.
My ultrasonic is a 3 sounder and if I run my cases for 10 minutes I get some staining from the regular steel basket so I know I'm pretty well at max dose.
If I cut back to 6 minutes my cases are clean and I get no staining.
I can't answer your question on the rotary pin tumblers as to how much citric acid you can get away with using, but I do know that you have to use much less or you'll get a plating process going on in there and one of our members on THR said that his brass all came out gray from the Stainless plating onto the brass when he used to much citric acid with his pins.
He is a reputable source to.
As far as de-zincing your brass, I've never experienced that even with my strong solution. One thing I do know is if I pick up brass that laid outside in the rain, on the ground, that they are usually the ones that turn pick after being cleaned. I think the minerals in the ground water and the acid rain do a much better job pulling the zinc out of the brass then my ultrasonic does.
I shoot at an indoor range so my brass pick ups have never touched the ground.
I have maybe gotten two pink cases in the last 3 years so I don't think citric acid, even at a teaspoon full for every two liters of water can hurt the brass in an ultrasonic, but I wouldn't try that with any brass you care about in a rotary pin cleaner.
My ultrasonic is a 3 sounder and if I run my cases for 10 minutes I get some staining from the regular steel basket so I know I'm pretty well at max dose.
If I cut back to 6 minutes my cases are clean and I get no staining.
I can't answer your question on the rotary pin tumblers as to how much citric acid you can get away with using, but I do know that you have to use much less or you'll get a plating process going on in there and one of our members on THR said that his brass all came out gray from the Stainless plating onto the brass when he used to much citric acid with his pins.
He is a reputable source to.
As far as de-zincing your brass, I've never experienced that even with my strong solution. One thing I do know is if I pick up brass that laid outside in the rain, on the ground, that they are usually the ones that turn pick after being cleaned. I think the minerals in the ground water and the acid rain do a much better job pulling the zinc out of the brass then my ultrasonic does.
I shoot at an indoor range so my brass pick ups have never touched the ground.
I have maybe gotten two pink cases in the last 3 years so I don't think citric acid, even at a teaspoon full for every two liters of water can hurt the brass in an ultrasonic, but I wouldn't try that with any brass you care about in a rotary pin cleaner.
I've done a lot of work, and research, on the issues of lead and shooting/reloading both for myself, and professionally.
Eating lead is less harmful than it being on soft tissues with a solvent, which is less harmful than inhalation. That is the same form, just an increase in uptake. Remember, farmers fed lead to chickens to try and prove lead shot should not be outlawed for waterfowl. Granted, lead projectiles, alloyed.
I still dry tumble primed pistol and wet tumbled de-primed rifle. Yep, there is lead in the dust from dry, but I keep the dust down using corn cob with Lucas Oil polish and run a vacuum when transferring and when using the media separator. Yes, there is lead in the water after wet, but much less, and in a less absorbable form. I don't handle it, I dump it.
And yes, I get my lead level in my blood tested...it was in the "normal" range a few weeks ago (under 1µg/dL). 7 years ago, it was just at the top of the normal level (just at 5 µg/dL). 20 years ago, it was above the normal level (about 8 µg/dL). I don't shoot indoors at all, and I no longer use walnut to dry tumble.
I have known folks to have no other exposures except shooting reloading with >40µg/dL. Almost all shot indoors a LOT and/or dry tumbled with walnut a LOT. I was actually surprised that the guys who cast their own bullets, if they shot outside and did not use walnut, were all under 5 µg/dL. So far, I have not heard of anyone who wet tumbles and shoots outside to have anything other than normal lead levels.
Eating lead is less harmful than it being on soft tissues with a solvent, which is less harmful than inhalation. That is the same form, just an increase in uptake. Remember, farmers fed lead to chickens to try and prove lead shot should not be outlawed for waterfowl. Granted, lead projectiles, alloyed.
I still dry tumble primed pistol and wet tumbled de-primed rifle. Yep, there is lead in the dust from dry, but I keep the dust down using corn cob with Lucas Oil polish and run a vacuum when transferring and when using the media separator. Yes, there is lead in the water after wet, but much less, and in a less absorbable form. I don't handle it, I dump it.
And yes, I get my lead level in my blood tested...it was in the "normal" range a few weeks ago (under 1µg/dL). 7 years ago, it was just at the top of the normal level (just at 5 µg/dL). 20 years ago, it was above the normal level (about 8 µg/dL). I don't shoot indoors at all, and I no longer use walnut to dry tumble.
I have known folks to have no other exposures except shooting reloading with >40µg/dL. Almost all shot indoors a LOT and/or dry tumbled with walnut a LOT. I was actually surprised that the guys who cast their own bullets, if they shot outside and did not use walnut, were all under 5 µg/dL. So far, I have not heard of anyone who wet tumbles and shoots outside to have anything other than normal lead levels.