I was reading on another forum recently that before tumblers, the cleaner of choice was koolaid. As reported, it's a mild acid and does a nice job of cleaning, and sugared or not makes no difference. There is sometimes a discoloration that is unremoved, but it doesn't affect accuracy. BE Mike, I can appreciate pride in work and workmanship. I would say that given a choice between form and function, I would choose the latter every time. It seems, however, that given a choice of one or the other, you are choosing both, and I can't exactly fault that either.
This is a slight threadjack from the OP, but I thought it might be of benefit to our members here who reload.
Blessings,
Bill
I never heard of Kool-Aid, but way back when I first started reloading, I got a recipe from an NRA article. IIRC, It said to use vinegar, salt and warm water. Put it in a jar, put a tight lid on and shake it. The brass was then rinsed in fresh water and then placed on cookie sheets in a warm oven or out in the sun to dry. It worked, but tumblers are so much nicer.