How to color brass for ID?

[OS OK]

You guys are making this awfully complicated for an old country boy…
Why not leave them by a tree and let the Dog mark them for you?

"Simple minds, simple solutions I always say…pearls of wisdom, no doubt! charlie

[blackthorn]

Dog pee = ammonia = REALLY bad for your brass!!!

[marlinman93]

I don't spend any time marking my reformed brass. I do use my dremel to remove the original marking, as a hint to me that's reformed. When I load them the box is marked, and when I finish shooting, they go back in the box. When I get home I clean them separately, and leave the box by the tumbler. Once cleaned they go back in the box until I reload them again.
With all the caliber, load data, etc. on the box, they are always ready to identify for shooting, or reloading. So I saw no reason to mark each case, and it's still working after decades.

[Don Fischer]

I have used finger nail polish. Not only marks the case but seal's the primer, if you think it need's it. But for quite a few years now I just write on the side of the case what it is with a sharpie. Get the fire case's home and in the tumbler and the case is clean and sharpie marking gone. I'd tell you how long in the tumbler but I don't recall ever timing it. I turn it off and check a couple case's and if they are clean, I'm good to go.

[atr]

fingernail polish
sometimes sharpie

[MarkP]

I do the same; We bought several Sharpies on sale when my wife was a teacher. I will also write on the side of the cartridge with a sharpie this will come off after 1-1/2 to 2 hrs in a vibro tumbler with corncob media.

I knew a guy that had a 6-223 and a 223; he mixed up some chemicals to give him a green colored head to distinguish the 6-223's from the 223's. He or his son had accidentally shot some 223's in his 6-223 when they were shooting prairie dogs.


[QUOTE=wcp4570;3322571]

Multiple sharpee marks in different colors works for me. Mark each batch of reloads and note the colors in my note book for reference.[/QUOTE

I do the same when working up a load, mark the primers with different color sharpies and record the loads. Shot over a Chronograph and record results and targets are marked as to which load was used. Once I settle on a load the colors are no longer need. A plus for coloring primers is the brass is not permanently marked.
Attachment 145259
I always use Red primer marks for my top load for a given group of loads.
wcp

[crashguy]

It was said ..Birchwood Casey Brass black.... I clean and use ultra fine grit sandpaper on the lower inch of the case then dip in into the solution ... it takes much better on the roughed up portion....let it dry ... I do two dips... turns it black and allows it to stand up to ( moderate) tumbling in walnut media...

[Bad Water Bill]

Years ago I purchased a Savage 223 bbl and handed it to a loooong time friend and gunsmith to convert to a 222 using my surplus .223 brass.

The late Harry Mc Gowen had it back to me in about 3 days and said his own 222 had OVER 10K down the tube and was still going great.

I went to "Rio Grand Lapidary Supply" and purchased a set of stamps to blot out the 223 and then mark them 222.

I lost count a while back on how many 223 cartridges I have converted to something else and stamped the new size on them.

Stamp them then use a felt marker on the new size for my OLD eyes to see.

[John Boy]

Any of you fellas found a good way to mark/color your brass so you can ID it?

Read this thread ... http://sassnet.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=245283

[blixen]

+1. On nail polish. To differentiate loads I put a dot on the primer or point of the bullet--then I don't have to worry about removing it. But I guess colored sharpies would work as well.

[Geezer in NH]

Mark the primers with a pen. Keep track of the cases, I use the 50 round plastic $2.00 ones. Keep them in the 50 lot then keep track, sounds hard but keep a log of them. Wow hard but there it is.

For lots of 1000 or more like I do for semis, who cares they disappear in 3 firings anyway unless you are anal collecting them.

Brass is available cheap for that use. Bench rest no but most use fine. Decide what the use is for.

Want the best buy factory as it will take a lot of work to beat the premium ammo IMHO