Dishwasher Magic Outshines Lemi Shine

[@vincentinsinga6107]

This is no joke very clean shiny brass ! ! !

[@mverick160]

Usually, Dishwashing detergent has phosphates in it. We used to use it to clean stainless to a great shine. It also cleans clothes great. But they banned it because of runoff. That's why laundry detergent didn't work well for a while and Amway detergent did. Amway was allowed to still use phosphates because of being a private brand. Dishwashers have issues with foaming. So they're still allowed to use phosphates.

[@helpmenowmark]

I was complete unaware of that ... Thank you

[@4063313]

Hi Mark. I did a batch of 9mm yesterday and the results are in, Dishwasher Magic is my new go to. Thanks for the tip.

[@helpmenowmark]

Thank you for the feedback. I really did downplay the results. Amazing stuff!

[@4063313]

I’ve been using Lemishine and liked the results but after watching your experiment thought I would try the Dishwasher Magic. Just picked up a 12 oz. bottle from Home Depot today for $3.85. Not a fan of Walmart. I’ll run a batch tomorrow in my Frankford arsenal and report back. Thanks for the video.

[@helpmenowmark]

I understated the results.... it will knock ur socks off. 1/2 tsp per 5 lbs brass is all you have to do different.

[@gocrazy1995PYRONATION]

@@helpmenowmark I think I could use a little more next time

[@helpmenowmark]

@@gocrazy1995PYRONATION That won't hurt a bit. You should limit the time to 'say' an hour. Citric acid is chemically acting on the surface of the brass so you have to limit the time of exposure. If left too long the brass will go from a brilliant shine to a drab olive and possibly even ruin your brass (if left for days).

[@ryand5041]

My favorite persons in the community ❤ love you guys. Thank you for all you do!

[@4063313]

As promised I ran a batch of brass this morning using your formula. Just like you said the outside of the cases were clean as with the Lemishine but with a slightly different tint. I chose to run about 500 pieces of .223. With the necked brass the results are not that obvious but it definitely is at least as good as Lemishine. My next batch will be with straight wall so I can “look between the ears” as you said. I’m still new to wet tumbling and continue to be amazed by the improvement over vibratory. My old thinking was clean enough to load and now if the brass doesn’t look new I’m disappointed.

[@helpmenowmark]

FYI... a 9mm casing is just about 1/8 tsp. 1/2 tsp does it. I never can keep up those things (1/8 tsp) but an empty 9mm is always available. I also run a 1/3 cap full of the Armour All Wash and Wax product during last rinse. This amount is for a whole batch of brass going into the big Frankfort Arsenal Tumbler (7 liter one) Keep me posted.

[@kevintanner5307]

That's awesome thank you for the video it's important to make sure your brass is very clean I would think everybody else is just as picky too I would not have one problem by an ammunition off of somebody that inspects finished product the way you do yours good job

[@helpmenowmark]

Thank you. Fyi: it's just a tip for your benefit. I used to sell reloading brass but had to close up shop (I'm primary caregiver for my Dad now.) Now don't leave either Dishwasher Magic or Lemi-shine on your brass for more than an hour. They contain citric acid which will attack the zinc in your brass. Your brass will turn pink and then red and permanently ruin your brass. Rinse thoroughly, and I rinse with Armour All's "Wash and Wax" on the last rinse. 1/3 Cap per gallon of water. Helps keep the brass from tarnishing.

[@sparlin88]

I bought some and it's liquid , Not Powder . Can't find the powder one on Amazon ? Where did you get your powder Glisten ? And is there a difference between Dishwasher Cleaner and Machine Cleaner . Mine on Label Says Dishwasher Cleaner . not Magic . Any help to find the right one would be appreciated . Thanks

[@helpmenowmark]

You are just fine. That's the stuff. Machine Cleaner is the rebranded name. Just use 1/2 teaspoon instead of 1/8 tsp of lemishine.

[@helpmenowmark]

Wash for 45 mins ...an hour tops... rinse well

[@DimaProk]

Same here, just ordered a 3 pack from Amazon and was surprised it was liquid :( I would prefer powder.

[@helpmenowmark]

@Dima Prok Roger, but it's original purpose is to place it upside down in a dishwasher, the wax seal melts and the liquid drains into your dishwasher to clean it.

[@sparlin88]

@@helpmenowmark I tried it , The liquid and it works fantastic . Looks like GOLD ! LOL Thanks for turning us all onto it .

[@morgan79347]

I did about 250 in a quart jar wit some lemon juice and OxiClean my tumbler was my two hands. I couldn't believe how nice they looked. Can't wait to get my washer going.

[@johncarr123]

I just tried your formula with Dishwasher Magic. Works great! Thank you.

[@helpmenowmark]

Ah... a convert! I've been pushing it to all reloaders but the Lemishine crowd is a stubborn bunch (me included). I've also noticed too much exposure of Citric Acid to brass will turn it dull and lifeless (and it's a one way trip). DW Magic seems to be more forgiving here as well.. I run into some brass with black spots (looks almost like tar or tree sap). Try pure Citric acid on this stubborn brass (45 mins max). Chemist friend says the black is most likely sulfur (from pollutants in 'say' water/soil). Marshall is spooky smart

[@johncarr123]

@@helpmenowmark I over did it with Lemishine and the brass turned a dark bronze color live and learn. Thanks again.

[@helpmenowmark]

@@johncarr123 Rats. Yes.... it's ugly but I believe it's just damaged on the surface (it will be ugly to reload and shoot). I have some decades old (1950 brass) that is an ugly brown and it's won't "come back to life" but I believe it's still safe to shoot as well. I''ve seen pinkish brass that is a surface imperfection that came out with subsequent washings (plain ol' water). Red brass means the brass has been compromised and is too brittle to reload. Scrap brass. Brass that has turned olive/ugly brown occurred (to me) when ... I doubled up on a batch with using BOTH Lemishine a DWMagic (results had WAY too much Citric Acid and I think I washed it 2 - 3 hours on top of that (because I got distracted). Ugly! I also had brown brass produced with Ascorbic Acid (sort of a Vitamin C.. but not). Vinegar was bad as well. Like you say... live and learn. Stick to recipe 45 mins to an hour tops. Awesome results. Did I mention on last rinse cycle I've been known to add a few drops of Turtle Wax - Wash N Shine? Supposedly it helps retain the brass color but doesn't adversely affect the powder. Again... just a few drops per half gallon of rinse water. I have no data to claim it helps/hurts. Friend told me about it.

[@mchughcb]

Have you tried a couple of cap fulls of white vinegar instead of lemishine? it is easier to source for me and the results look pretty good.

[@helpmenowmark]

Yes i have. You name it - ive tried it. Lemishine is now called "machine cleaner" at walmart. Its only $6... so if i steer you wrong you're only a few bucks and u can toss the remainer in ur dishwasher . Notes: Ive tried ascorbic acid with disasterous results and lysol toilet bowl cleaner (hydrochloric acid). These acids will Aggressively attack the zinc in the brass and in short order your brass will turn pink and become more and more brittle as it's washed. Vinegar doesnt get the job done and i found it to take away a luster of the brass. Even lemishine and dishwasher magic contain citric acid and if you over expose your brass to it... say over an hour your brass will start to loose its luster. And don't overdue the suggested amounts. The recipes call for portions of tsp... not tbl.

[@mchughcb]

@@helpmenowmark Thanks. I'm based in Australia so I'll see what I can get as an equivalent.

[@mchughcb]

@@helpmenowmark Thanks for getting back to me. I'll see if I can order some from the states.

[@helpmenowmark]

@@mchughcb if the above are suggested try citric acid from a healthfood store.

[@mchughcb]

@@helpmenowmark I've some ordered now on Ebay for US$45 coming. I'm looking forward to seeing how well it cleans.

[@gocrazy1995PYRONATION]

Just tried dishwasher magic with a few things and I feel I got the best results so far compared to citric acid and Dawn

[@helpmenowmark]

Thanks for reply. Yes - Good stuff huh!? I tried to "Google" it but there is 25% citric acid in DW Magic but the other ingredients remain a mystery. I don't know what's in the other 75% - but I love it.

[@gocrazy1995PYRONATION]

@@helpmenowmark I did DW magic, Dawn, 9mm case full of Lemishine, cap full of car wash with wax, and a pinch of fry dish washer machine soap. They seem to be pretty clean inside. For what it’s worth they’re ready to load.

[@helpmenowmark]

@@gocrazy1995PYRONATION I do 4 x a 9mm case (is equal to 1/2 tsp DW magic). Wash with a small small squirt of Dawn. 45min to an hour depending on the condition of the dirty brass going in. Rinse. Last rinsing with fresh water - I also include about a 1/3 cap of the armour-all www.lowes.com/pd/Armor-All-Ultra-Shine-Wash-and-Wax-64-oz/1003053350 It's supposed to reduce spots and keep the brass from tarnishing (i don't have any data to support this). Anyway.... it outshines Lemishine.

[@wemcal]

Great video and super great information.. I use lemi or magic.. great video

[@helpmenowmark]

Thank you for kind words. Dishwasher Magic: It's now sold as Machine Cleaner.

[@jimstolte]

Mark, I just saw this video about a week ago. I wanted to pass on something I have done and still do. I have a Harbor Freight Tumbler that I use. I do NOT use any steel media (or any media of any kind) when I clean brass. My recipe is just a dab of Dawn, and a 1/8-1/4 cup of CLR. (I use the CLR on my Kegerator hoses all the time.) I use hot water from the tap and fill the drum(s) about 1/2-3/4 full with 9mm brass. Put in enough water to just cover the brass. No Media. Thats it. Tumble for approximately 1 to 1-1/2 hours. Brass comes out bright yellow. I also de-cap the cartridges prior to cleaning. Try it out and see for yourself. I have been doing this for a while and had no adverse re-actions to the brass so far. Some of it has been through a couple of cleanings like this. No discoloration at all.

[@helpmenowmark]

I never even thought of using CLR. I think I even have some in the reloading room - Now ...if only I can find it!

[@helpmenowmark]

Thank you for passing this on to me.

[@DimaProk]

CLR is great for removing carbon but if you're processing thousands that's going to get expensive real quick!

[@aussieman3582]

I just use half a lemon or orange off my tree for citric acid and dish washing detergent in my ultrasonic.

[@dirmilj]

Are you sure you didn't confuse the citric acid with the "Dishwasher Magic" - in the video you're putting in a powder (as it appears, the citric acid) in the tumbler, whereas Dishwasher Magic is a liquid sealed with a wax plug?

[@helpmenowmark]

You are right - good eye! I grabbed the wrong clip. But I can assure you that DishWasher Magic is what you want. DishWasher Magic is indeed a liquid and you have to dig through/break the wax seal to get to it (the liquid). I filmed and edited hours and hours of film and washed an entire 5 gallon bucket of 38 special brass. Lots of washing, experimenting, filming, editing, tweaking. Wash longer/shorter durations, wash more/less detergent (you get the idea). It was starting to get painful and I was really focusing on pure Citric Acid there for a while. The long winded answer is: If you wet-wash any brass too long in any of these detergents/acids/cleansers you can overexpose the brass and it will wash the shine right off the brass. It will become dull and lifeless. Experiment - Add a tablespoon of Citric Acid and wash for 4 hours. The brass will be clean - but lifeless an olive/brown color - it may even start to turn pinkish. Wash for 8 hours (or more) and WILL turn pinkish. That's the zinc leaching out from the surface leaving the copper in the brass behind. Wash it some more and it will become an ugly "burnt red". By this time the casings are unusable and you should discard them. Back to Dish Washer Magic. It's more forgiving - you can add too much and wash for a while longer and you'll still have great results. There's something in the other part of DWMagic that's doing the trick. I googled it - they aren't saying. Winning combo. 1/2 Tsp Dishwasher Magic with Frankfort Arsenals Brass Tumbler, pellet pins. Only enough water to just cover the brass (no more). I still say a cement mixer (plastic drum) works THEE best because of the high agitation/washing action. And a strong ass magnet (cover magnet with a sock/plastic bag) to recycle those pins. Finally. You need pellet pins (.047 dia is highly recommended) to get the inside and primer cup areas clean. I also tried it without them = lousy. Sorry for talking too much - "Eagle Eye". Where I found my pins. They are a bit expensive but these are the right diameter. Purchasing the wrong diameter results in wedged pins in the flash holes. kzbin.info/www/bejne/onrTf5agastsqZY

[@dirmilj]

@@helpmenowmark Great to hear because I just ordered a big batch from the UK, only place in Europe where I've found it! :D Will compare it to the few available brands on the market here and decide who's the winner... Thanks for doing all the homework and sharing the info, much appreciated!

[@helpmenowmark]

@@dirmilj I thought you UK folks had gun control "issues". Don't get me wrong - I'm all for you guys. Feel sorry for you but we are being squeezed here as well. Dish Washer Magic has been rebranded by WalMart here in the states. Similar labeled bottle can be found. The original purpose of the product is to get rid of that "sour" smell from your dish washer and to clean up those "cloudy glasses".

[@dirmilj]

​@Mark Wilson I'm actually from Sweden - a short history of our gun control laws is that troughout most of the 1900's, social democrats al'a Bernie Sanders governed the country, and still do but to a lesser extent. However, back then, they were anti-gun only as would be expected from a heavily inteventionist state apparatus, but I don't think it would be fair to say they hated guns and gun owners. Now there are quite a few 'new-left' idelogues added to the mix who have nothing but contempt for any cultural resistance to their complete idelogical transformation of the body politic, and in their vision of the future, hunters and gunowners are not included (sure you can relate to this crowd) so at times they can come at you pretty hard, but mostly they are kept at bay by civil society actors such as formal hunters' organizations and a big community of hunters/voters (something like 5% of the adult population) as well as their benefactors (many people in the north rely on moose meat, like in Alaska). Our laws are not bad by european standards and somewhat better than the UK's, but still a far cry from any given state in the US. Ok, I like the fact that it is more forgiving than citric acid, but still at least as effective, so if I can't find a similar product on the market here, what brand should I look for in the future?

[@helpmenowmark]

@@dirmilj test

[@helpmenowmark]

Crap. My replies are getting zapped. So if this is a repeat. I'm sorry. The key is Citric Acid. Lemi-Shine is great, but I bought my citric acid on ebay/amazon for $5 US. Another source is to check out your health food store. Some people use citric acid as a salt-substitute. I tried it - Yuck. If you do use pure citric acid I'd still use 1/8 tsp but add more water (1" - 1.5" water completely covering the brass). And I'd also inspect the washed brass at the 30 minute mark. If you decide to wash some more I'd discard that nasty water and a fresh application of everything. Another tip: If you quit getting good results - inspect/wash the pellet pins. A ton of dirt/gook can hide inside the pile. Desperate? Peel an orange/grapefruit really thin and put the colored shavings into a nylon sock or maybe use a food processor or brew a tea with the peelings and use the tea water in your next batch. No - I haven't tried it yet but I'm curious.

[@dirmilj]

Strange about your comments disappearing... Anyhow, I was planning to use pure citric acid until I saw your video - have researched this topic for a couple of years now, and soon found out citric acid was really all that Lemi-shine contained, so why bother with the brand name and all the hustle of bringing it to Sweden. Citric acid is very cheap here too. Still I thought that pure citric acid could probably be improved upon by adding more active cleaning ingredients that would deal even better with all the grime, still not affecting the acid negatively and still be cheap to buy. Also "strong" acid baths will weaken your brass after multiple washes (maybe not enough to make a difference if you don't overdo it, but better safe than sorry). Seems that dishwasher magic checks all those boxes... Thanks again for the information, this is part of what makes reloading such a rewarding hobby, the constant improvement and experimentation. =)

[@mattdavis822]

Looks good I'm gonna try it

[@helpmenowmark]

I'd be interested in your results. I think the results were more like night and day. Ain't but $5 to try. May be known at Walmart as "Machine Cleaner" but the bottle looks the same and can be found in the same aisles near the mops, brooms, and such.

[@helpmenowmark]

The key is Citric Acid. Lemi-Shine is great, but I bought my citric acid on ebay/amazon for $5 US. Another source is to check out your health food store. Some people use citric acid as a salt-substitute. I tried it - Yuck. If you do use pure citric acid I'd still use 1/8 tsp but add more water (1" - 1.5" water completely covering the brass). And I'd also inspect the washed brass at the 30 minute mark. If you decide to wash some more I'd discard that nasty water and employ a fresh application of everything. Another tip: If you quit getting good results - inspect/wash the pellet pins. A ton of dirt/gook can hide inside the pile. Desperate? Peel an orange/grapefruit really thin and put the colored shavings into a nylon sock or maybe use a food processor or brew a tea with the peelings and use the tea water in your next batch. Now I've made myself curious.

[@2pugman]

I used a table spoonful of laundry liquid detergent and no pins for a brilliant shine.

[@helpmenowmark]

I tried leaving out the pins... It didn't get inside the ears clean (when I had dirty brass).

[@2pugman]

@@helpmenowmark I couldn't go thru the hassle of those pins.

[@tonybrandt6605]

Tack

[@mr_fnh]

I’ll be trying this!🇺🇸🗽

[@helpmenowmark]

I'd be very interested in hearing your results. Measure the dishmagic and don't overwash/over expose any of these detergents to the brass by washing it too long ('say' overnight). I've found 45 mins to an hour is satisfactory depending on the condition of the original brass (how dirty). During trials - I tried doubling/quadrupling and purposely overwashing the brass. It's possible to "wash the shine/luster' right off the surface of the brass. This is caused by the citric acid leaching the zinc out of the brass. At first - the brass becomes irreversibly dull to brown to pink to red (by exposing more and more of the copper).

[@mr_fnh]

Mark Wilson Thanks man! You know more than most folks will ever begin to know about this subject. I’ll definitely take your advise & keep a close eye on your recipe! I’m lucky to have the Frankford arsenal Platinum case washer & Lyman case dryer. I should be able to get very repeatable results with your method. I’ve got buckets of brass to start washing ASAP. I saved brass for several years before buying any equipment. This is going to be a huge benefit in getting started. I appreciate all the help!

[@helpmenowmark]

@@mr_fnh Previously owned a reloading brass business so I've washed literally tons of the stuff. We compared everything from vinegar (don't) to using hot water to ascorbic acid (don't dont). I'm waiting for my rock tumbler to die before I invest in the FrankFort. It will save some handling of the brass and is actually less expensive than the rock tumbler. T Y for kind comments.

[@mr_fnh]

Mark Wilson My pleasure sir! You’ve not only entertained me, you’ve educated me. LONG LIVE THE SECOND!!! 🇺🇸🗽

[@clevedent2675]

Does not make them shoot any better

[@helpmenowmark]

No. Just pretty to look at. I hate dirty brass. Polished brass is fun to handle.

[@keithwilkins8683]

Hi hi I'm u8j no khg

[@helpmenowmark]

Hi. Any questions about Dishwasher Magic. Great product.