Thanks, this is helpful. How would one clean brass without a tumbler? I have loads of brass (both rifle and handgun) which I have collected and would like to start prepping them for when I do start reloading. 

You could put some hot water in a bucket, one teaspoon of sunlight liquid or 1 in 10 mix of clean green, and about 100 pieces. Shake it up for a while, then rinse and lay them mouth down on a cloth in the sun. When the outside is dry, turn them base down, and let the inside dry out.

That should get the loose stuff off and out the cases.

You'll find that it's a royal P.I.T.A , so it's worth investing in a tumbler. They come up often in the classifieds for around R1,000.  Sometimes you'll get the media with it as well.

Get one, you really will need it. And you'll need a media separator.

Thanks, will do so. Will keep an eye out in the classifieds for a tumbler. In the meantime, this will keep me busy for some time.

Thanks, will do so. Will keep an eye out in the classifieds for a tumbler. In the meantime, this will keep me busy for some time.

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I actually on the contrary find the above way easier than tumbling, just wash and rinse VERY well, I only tumble every 2nd time.
Just bought a wet tumbler, ----------------------------it is actually the final answer.
Buy a hair dryer, cheap one. Take a shoe box and make a hole that dryer fits into, then punch a few everywhere holes, not too many. Wash,tumble whatever put cases into box and use hairdryer - 15 mins later you have cases ready to load.

A tumbler - from seeing the results - has the one big benefit that it cleans reliably and thoroughly.