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Post by springfieldxdm on Jul 2, 2014 18:56:22 GMT -5
I jumped on the wet tumbling with stainless steel pins band wagon in the very beginning and still have all the equipment. Due to my time constraints and the excessive extra labor in my opinion I have dug out my old vibratory tumblers. Am I the only one who has fallen off the wagon or are there others? With my vibratory tumbler I add 2 caps full of mineral spirits and a cap of nu-finish car polish to crushed walnut and the brass is just as clean on the outsides. The pockets of course are better than they were, and inside only has a slight residue from the powder. This is much quicker and easier in my mind without chasing pins, digging them out of flash holes and drying cases. How do you guys clean your brass and do you add anything in for better cleaning, ease of handling etc? Most of you guys have been reloading longer than I have been alive and just wanted to see what experience says. I was a lurker for several years on the hub and of course had to join to see what wisdom says on the new site. Thanks to all who took the time to make this new fourm.
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gws
Member
Posts: 969
Location: NW New Mexico
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Post by gws on Jul 2, 2014 19:38:53 GMT -5
Shucks! I never used a tumbler for 40 years....just couldn't be persuaded to spend the money........probably had something to do with raising 2 boys and 3 girls. My reloads weren't ever pretty, but they were clean and they shot well. Things change. The years do a lot of things to a man. We have to become more efficient, and wisdom learned with experience encourage using more technology and less muscle. I rubbed my last case clean about 8 years ago.  So I use a Lyman (the big one) and industrial blasting media (corncob) to clean all my rifle brass. I add a capful of Dillon polish (what was on the shelf at the fun store), a used dryer sheet cut up into 1" squares to hold the dust down and let her tumble while I spend the day at work. I use the 20-40 grit so I never have clogged flash holes. As for primer pockets, they get squeaky clean with a pass through a pocket uniformer mounted to an RCBS Trim Mate. Pre swage and ream if need be if you got the grungy military LC brass as pictured below:  NOW! As to pistol brass that same process also works......but it don't make your face light up like a Thumlers and stainless steel media. I NEVER worried much about clean handgun case pockets, except for a brush in the Trim Mate, and I NEVER used a universal deprimer. Again things change. I bought a Lee Universal primer and........ a Thumlers....stainless steel media, Lemishine, and Liguid Dawn Detergent....and I don't plan on quitting soon. That kind of Bling just makes me smile.....only my wife and my grand babies can do that nearly as well!.  What about the time and the mess? Never noticed.....tumbles while I'm at work on a timer. (4 hours max) When I get home I strain it into a bucket using the RCBS brass separater, pour off the dirty water, rinse both media and brass once in clean water. Then pour the brass on a big towel....towel it for a minute.....lay it one deep on cookie sheets and put them in the oven at 150 degrees for 45 minutes. That's it. Done. Do remember to have sun glasses handy when you rinse them....bling hurts.  |
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Post by springfieldxdm on Jul 2, 2014 21:07:24 GMT -5
My process for wet tumbling was similar, only I used an old food dehydrator to dry the case as my wife wouldn't let me near her oven. Your wife must be much more understanding of your addictions than mine. With pistol loads since they are all loaded on a hornady progressive with carbide dies they are tumbled in the walnut mixture as soon as I get back from the range then run through the press. I usually load nickel plated brass since all the other guys shoot yellow brass and then bitch and moan about each other picking up his or her brass. This way I stay out of the fight since mine is always the crusty nickel stuff. With rifle brass I used to use lee universal deprimer then wet tumble with pins and lemon shine. After rinsing and chasing pins about my bench and sink, I then tossed the cases in the dehydrator for drying. Then back to the press for sizing, a trip through the Dillon swager for primer crimp removal and over to the new Frankfort arsenal case trimmer and deburring tool (think rcbs trim mate, it even has a primer pocket uniformer on it). The swager really jacks up a pin that is left in the primer pocket at thus point  . Then I tumbled in dry media for case lube removal and brass flake removal from trimming. After all that it was back to the press for primer, powder, and bullets. I have 2 small boys and an office to run, so this process was taking way to much time for my plinking ammo. I felt as though I lived in the basement corner. I simplified this to tumbling as soon as I get home in walnut with mineral spirits, lubing the cases with Imperial case lube and then doing all the case prep. Next a real quick jaunt in the tumbler to rid excess lube and load. It save me a trip through the press and my ammo looks just as pretty on the outside (for rifle I only load brass -no nickel). The added bling was not worth the extra time for me. Now when I make 300 blackout brass for my buddies I wet tumble at the end and they go nuts!!!  With the mineral spirits in the media I have found the added moisture keeps the dust down to an absolute minimum (I even moved the tumbler back indoors). With the minimum dust I stopped using the dryer sheets, and have a much happier wife as I'm not always stealing them from the laundry room and taking the last one. For my everyday reloading I have shelved the wet tumbling at least for now. Thanks GWS for the reply anybody else care to share their secrets? Those that do wet tumble did you ever notice the brass seemed much harder to size? Maybe since it was so clean it provided more friction on the walls of the die/case (just my theory). It could have been my imagination, and yes I did use the same amount of lube. |
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gws
Member
Posts: 969
Location: NW New Mexico
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Post by gws on Jul 2, 2014 22:05:43 GMT -5
Yes it is harder to size!....at least it is so with the LC 762 stuff....dang near unsizable, in fact. (Maybe it was MG brass) The answer for me was to give up using Imperial and going back the the RCBS Lube pad.....I was amazed!! Here I thought Imperial was the slickest stuff on the planet. It'll stick your blinged LC brass sure as hell....almost had my first stuck cases, but least I was smart enough not to insist on trying to push it through.
I've heard that the white dust from corncob helps lube it. Some have run their blinged brass in a vibrator for a few minutes to get the coating, to help with the sizing problem..........they claim it works, but I have not personally tested that....have my doubts.
Not too bad with short pistol brass though....lubing it even with carbide dies I think might be a good idea.
BTW, I much prefer the white dust and smoother bling of corncob to walnut....walnut's too rough for me. I have some, but I have it reserved for really grungy range pickup. I don't have and don't usually pick up such.....so I haven't used it for years.
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7mmmountaineer
Member
Time to face it I am a workaholic............
Posts: 521 
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Post by 7mmmountaineer on Jul 3, 2014 6:22:51 GMT -5
I haven't tried the wet and stainless method yet but I now soak all my brass prior to cleaning in a mixture of equal part white vinegar, lemon juice and water. The soak time varies from just a few minutes to several hours then I just air dry them. As for my actual polishing I use corn cob and RCBS dry additive. I start my tumbler and go to work or I bring it to work and run it. I still have to clean primer pockets but for the shooting I do it works out fine.
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bob
Member
I'm too old to be nice but never too old to learn!
Posts: 1,457
Location: Northern California
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Post by bob on Jul 5, 2014 23:53:47 GMT -5
I have not used the wet method either. I use Lyman or RCBS corn cob with a used dryer sheet(after it was mentioned in the before life)in a Lyman turbo 1200 and my brass comes out as clean as new or even a bit shinier,anyway how clean is clean?
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dskipper
Member
Posts: 29
Location: northwest florida
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Post by dskipper on Jul 8, 2014 18:21:43 GMT -5
never wanted a wet tumbler. i know they clean the inside of the cases better.....i really don't need that. i soak all newly acquired bass in a 5 gallon bucket of water with lemonshine and dawn. i air dry for a few days and process the brass for reloading. i do use a thumbler's drum tumbler that i have had for over 30 trouble free years. corncob with car polish. set in my ways i guess.
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Post by ed alger on Jul 11, 2014 18:55:33 GMT -5
Skipper, what brand of car polish?? I tried Nu-Finish polish before I realize it was a petroleum base and it caused the rubber lid to ripple.
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. Then I tumbled in dry media for case lube removal and brass flake removal from trimming. After all that it was back to the press for primer, powder, and bullets. I have 2 small boys and an office to run, so this process was taking way to much time for my plinking ammo. I felt as though I lived in the basement corner.
My daughter came from Missouri, my son and grand son, my wife and I had a nice dinner of grilled "porter house" pork chops, corn on the cobb, my son, G'son and I share 10/5. G'son is 4 minutes early though @ 10/4.
Pooh I hope you find to right house . 
