I'm not sure what this bit means.



quote{I don't have a good way yet to reclaim the clean brass from the plastic, I was thinking maybe a tumbler, kinda like a rock polisher.}

Unless it means that he has cut the brass connections off the wire & now wants to remove the plastic from them (the brass clips).
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I have a two liter (1/2gallon) tin full of those cut off brass connections & intend to put it in a roaring fire & burn the plastic into fumes (to feed the fire) & brass.
With minimal oxygen in there the brass shouldn't get oxidized that much.