Advice on cleaning brass.

[Herd Thinner]

I have a thumlers tumbler which I totally love. I on the other hand find media separation a pain. Should I break down and buy a separator. If so any idea what is a decent one. OR anyone out their construct a homemade version. I do not have kids so that version is out.

 

[mdmp5]

I have a thumlers tumbler which I totally love. I on the other hand find media separation a pain. Should I break down and buy a separator. If so any idea what is a decent one. OR anyone out their construct a homemade version. I do not have kids so that version is out.

I use the Dillon separator, but franklin arsenal makes a smaller one, which may be better.

 

[Herd Thinner]

I use the Dillon separator, but franklin arsenal makes a smaller one, which may be better.

I will check those out. Thanks.

 

[witchhunter]

I have an RCBS unit, but you can use a milk jug with holes punched in it or a colander over a five gallon bucket. I did for years. Not sure the RCBS unit is any better, still a pain to use.

 

[mdmp5]

It is actually frankford arsenal. Anyway, fill the bucket with water and roll the cage, and the media falls right out

 

[Rob01]

It is actually frankford arsenal. Anyway, fill the bucket with waterand roll the cage, and the media falls right out

Why fill with water? Media falls right into bucket and you just dump it back into the tumbler. No water needed anywhere.

 

[mdmp5]

Why fill with water? Media falls right into bucket and you just dump it back into the tumbler. No water needed anywhere.

Because the stainless media tends to stick to the cases, especially inside them due to the surface tension of water. Plus, without water, the media bounces all over the place, and you will lose a bunch each time you separate. By rolling them in water, they flow off the cases right into the bucket.

 

[mxjunky78]

I use one half of a metal minnow trap. Works great for both wet and dry separation.

 

[kansas]

I'm using the Frankford Arsenal and it works but I'm going to try the filling the bucket with water trick. Those little pins do fly all over the place. I separate mine in the laundry sink. Plenty of room and I like to rinse the brass off well after tumbling it so it works out great.
I found a magnet at Harbor Freight that is on a stick and has a release so after separating everything I can pick up the loose pins and put them back in the tumbler much easier.

 

[Asperly Aimless]

Because the stainless media tends to stick to the cases, especially inside them due to the surface tension of water. Plus, without water, the media bounces all over the place, and you will lose a bunch each time you separate. By rolling them in water, they flow off the cases right into the bucket.

Correct.

Get the Dillon separator, or similar. Fill the tub with water so that when you put the squirrel cage in the tub it sits about 2-3 inches deep in the water. Add brass, close, and tumble at a smooth and steady pace. Remove squirrel cage full of brass, shake over tub, and then dump brass on a blanket. Repeat as necessary. When done separating the media, dump the water from the tub (carefully!) and then pour the pins back into the drum.

Using the above method I have used the same 25 lbs of pins to clean a whole bunch of brass.

IME cold water keeps the brass from tarnishing as fast. To really keep the shine, after your brass dries overnight run it in a tumbler with corn cob media that has been treated with NU-Finish car polish (liquid). I have brass I cleaned months ago that still looks super shiny and new.

 

[hdbiker1]

I've considered trying the ss method of cleaning, but too many steps involved. Tumbling in dry media gets my brass clean enough to reload for me. Besides, once you fire the brass, it's dirty again. Just me I guess.

 

[Silverbullet2]

I use a small shoe box sized Rubbermaid container to pour the drum into. Brass, pins and dirty water, get flushed with clean water, and I just grab a handful of brass, pour the pins out, a quick rinse under the running water, and onto a towel. I do a batch of 100 308 sized cases at a time. My only wish is that I could run 200 308 sized cases at a time. I run the ss pins right before annealing. J

 

[George63]

the dillon separator is hard to beat

 

[Rob01]

Because the stainless media tends to stick to the cases, especially inside them due to the surface tension of water. Plus, without water, the media bounces all over the place, and you will lose a bunch each time you separate. By rolling them in water, they flow off the cases right into the bucket.

The original post didn't say anything about SS media so my bad. I just use the old corn media to clean mine.

 

[mdmp5]

The original post didn't say anything about SS media so my bad. I just use the old corn media to clean mine.

When he mentioned the thumlers, I assumed he was using ss media. I could be wrong but I haven't heard of anyone that uses a thumlers with corn or walnut. I'm sure it works well though.

 

[Herd Thinner]

I use the media for the thumbler. The pins are like a woman. Work well when you need it but are a pain.

 

[Killshot44]

I use the media for the thumbler. The pins are like a woman.

So you should use your hands....

Seriously though........I do a LOT of SS cleaning and found the faster way with the least amount of cleanup is:

Drain the dirty water into a sink keeping one hand and a magnet at the "mouth" of the tumbler to keep any cases or pins from getting past. Refill with fresh water and repeat 2-3 times or until the water fills clean, then pull the cases out by hand(I can get 4-5 at a time, big hands) and give them a shake below the waterline and the pins fall out. Give the cases a couple of shakes and toss them onto a towel and roll to dry.

I can empty and dry 150 .308 cases in 5 minutes this way. With a woman I take a litle longer....

 

[918v]

Because the stainless media tends to stick to the cases, especially inside them due to the surface tension of water. Plus, without water, the media bounces all over the place, and you will lose a bunch each time you separate. By rolling them in water, they flow off the cases right into the bucket.

No it doesn't. Not if you do it right. I've been stainless tumbling since it came out and have had zero issues. Prolly tumbled 20k cases by now.

 

[ashiha]

The only part about SS cleaning that I don't like is the drying.

 

[Asperly Aimless]

No it doesn't. Not if you do it right. I've been stainless tumbling since it came out and have had zero issues. Prolly tumbled 20k cases by now.

Yes it does. I've SS cleaned about 300,000 cases by now. I do production and time wasted costs me money in lost production.

Killshot posted a good way as well, which will work perfectly for the standard Thumler's brass load.

 

[BuzzBoss915]

When he mentioned the thumlers, I assumed he was using ss media. I could be wrong but I haven't heard of anyone that uses a thumlers with corn or walnut. I'm sure it works well though.

This is what happens certain places, certain people. As I read the original question, just like Robo, I thought he was talking about a very ordinary vibratory tumbler, one just like I own and have used for more than thirty years. There are MANY THOUSANDS of these Thumbler Tumblers in use and they all use corncob and/or crushed walnut. So, I find it amusing to read above where this man says; "I haven't heard of anyone that uses a thumlers with corn or walnut."

But, that's what is going on, on the Hide. There is another world out there, and believe it or no, most of them have never heard of ss wet tumbling. BB (no offense mijp5)

 

[Ultraman550]

My brass ends up baby shit tarnish brown. Any recommendations on how to change this. I use leminshine and dawn in a Thumbler with stainless steel media.

 

[bigedp51]

I've considered trying the ss method of cleaning, but too many steps involved. Tumbling in dry media gets my brass clean enough to reload for me. Besides, once you fire the brass, it's dirty again. Just me I guess.

Cleaning with stainless steel media has advantages with any firearm that throws perfectly good brass on the ground. Using SS media scrubs the surface of the brass and removes and embedded dirt and grit that can scratch your dies.

 

[bigedp51]

My brass ends up baby shit tarnish brown. Any recommendations on how to change this. I use leminshine and dawn in a Thumbler with stainless steel media.

Discolored or dirty brass is caused by not using enough soap which holds the dirt in suspension. If you have hard water you will need more soap, at the end of the tumble the water should still be soapy. Do not tumble brass and nickel plated cases at the same time as this will cause discoloration also.

 

[wchartz]

I ran into a problem that I need some help on. I tumble in a Thumbler with SS media and soapy water. I pour out the dirty water and then fill the drum with clean water and stir the media-cases with a wooden spoon. I do this three or four times until the rinse water comes out clean. I then pour the media and cases into a Dillon separator and roll until I no longer see any pins dropping out then I roll it about 30 seconds longer. The cases are then spread out to dry on a tray for several days. The last time I reloaded a batch of 45's in my Dillon 650 I found 8 ss pins in the spent primer catcher. This was out of 2,400 loaded cases. First of all I do not see how the pins stayed in the case especially after drying, multiple handling and being agitated in the auto case feeder. Secondly, how did the pins in the cases get vertical and line up with the flash hole to fall out. Last of all seeing as how it would be problematic that all pins could line up and fall out of the flash hole, how many are still in my reloaded ammo? I will look for .07 caliber holes in the target along with a 45 caliber hole.

 

[mtang45]

I ran into a problem that I need some help on. I tumble in a Thumbler with SS media and soapy water. I pour out the dirty water and then fill the drum with clean water and stir the media-cases with a wooden spoon. I do this three or four times until the rinse water comes out clean. I then pour the media and cases into a Dillon separator and roll until I no longer see any pins dropping out then I roll it about 30 seconds longer. The cases are then spread out to dry on a tray for several days. The last time I reloaded a batch of 45's in my Dillon 650 I found 8 ss pins in the spent primer catcher. This was out of 2,400 loaded cases. First of all I do not see how the pins stayed in the case especially after drying, multiple handling and being agitated in the auto case feeder. Secondly, how did the pins in the cases get vertical and line up with the flash hole to fall out. Last of all seeing as how it would be problematic that all pins could line up and fall out of the flash hole, how many are still in my reloaded ammo? I will look for .07 caliber holes in the target along with a 45 caliber hole.

I would punch out the spent primer before tumbling. That way you get the benefit of clean primer pockets too.

 

[918v]

Discolored or dirty brass is caused by not using enough soap which holds the dirt in suspension. If you have hard water you will need more soap, at the end of the tumble the water should still be soapy. Do not tumble brass and nickel plated cases at the same time as this will cause discoloration also.

Use a Lee .6cc dipper of Lemishine and 2 table spoons of Palmolive per load. Fill the drum with water all the way.

 

[wchartz]

I did punch out the primers before cleaning, I do use Lemishine and I use enough detergent that I have heavy suds in the water when I am finished. The dirt and other crud is in suspension and my brass is clean inside and out. What else could you do except examine the inside of each case. That would be time consuming when you are working with thousands of cases.

 

[mdmp5]

My brass ends up baby shit tarnish brown. Any recommendations on how to change this. I use leminshine and dawn in a Thumbler with stainless steel media.

Try running a short cycle with media and soap alone. Your media might be dirty

 

[George63]

I ran into a problem that I need some help on. I tumble in a Thumbler with SS media and soapy water. I pour out the dirty water and then fill the drum with clean water and stir the media-cases with a wooden spoon. I do this three or four times until the rinse water comes out clean. I then pour the media and cases into a Dillon separator and roll until I no longer see any pins dropping out then I roll it about 30 seconds longer. The cases are then spread out to dry on a tray for several days. The last time I reloaded a batch of 45's in my Dillon 650 I found 8 ss pins in the spent primer catcher. This was out of 2,400 loaded cases. First of all I do not see how the pins stayed in the case especially after drying, multiple handling and being agitated in the auto case feeder. Secondly, how did the pins in the cases get vertical and line up with the flash hole to fall out. Last of all seeing as how it would be problematic that all pins could line up and fall out of the flash hole, how many are still in my reloaded ammo? I will look for .07 caliber holes in the target along with a 45 caliber hole.

for cases that are deprimed before SS tumbling, it is common that 2 pins are wedged together in the flash hole- this may be it

 

[mtang45]

for cases that are deprimed before SS tumbling, it is common that 2 pins are wedged together in the flash hole- this may be it

Yep, I see that all the time. Two pins jammed side by side in the flash hole.

wchartz, I misread your post and thought you were tumbling with spent primer still in. What George indicated above is most likely the source of the pins and since they are dropping into the spent primer tray you are pushing them out of the flash hole just like a spent primer. So I doubt there are any pins still floating around inside the cases.

 

[ashiha]

I wish the pins were a little thicker in diameter in order to avoid that.

 

[BuzzBoss915]

Yeah, that's a solution....or smaller so that you can wedge three of them in a primer pocket. (that's a joke, okay?)

But, what with the peening of the case mouths and endless cycles, I really wonder if jewel like polishing on the inside is any advantage whatsoever? I know a lot of people are hooked on wet tumbling, but I have managed for a long time without needing it? BB

 

[wchartz]

The double pins in the flash holes is the most logical explanation for this problem. Thanks. By the way, I used to wet tumble before decapping but I found out that many primers stick in the pocket after wet tumbling and drying out. The spring loaded Dillon decap die did not punch out about 15% of the primers. This is very time consuming and frustrating on a progressive machine.

 

[Cobra 1]

Great information here guys. Newbie here just getting into wet tumbling with ss media and have one question: has there been any data to support the notion that this method somehow damages cases? I have a freind who is mentoring me on precision reloading and believes that this is not a good method, saying that long term, it could degrade or wear on cases. Anyone have any feedback?
I plan on doing it anyway on pistol cases.

 

[mtang45]

Great information here guys. Newbie here just getting into wet tumbling with ss media and have one question: has there been any data to support the notion that this method somehow damages cases? I have a freind who is mentoring me on precision reloading and believes that this is not a good method, saying that long term, it could degrade or wear on cases. Anyone have any feedback?
I plan on doing it anyway on pistol cases.

The stainless media folks claim that it will not harm the brass. I have used it for a couple of years and have had zero damage to my brass. There are those that claim it pings the case mouths and leaves little dimples. All I can say is there is none of that in my brass...so take that for what its worth.

 

[Cobra 1]

Thanks for your response. Do you have a suggestion on the best place to buy the media?

 

[mtang45]

Thanks for your response. Do you have a suggestion on the best place to buy the media?

I bought mine here..

Stainless Steel Reloading Supplies | Tumblers, Separators, Media, Brass & More!

 

[goodgorilla]

I would punch out the spent primer before tumbling. That way you get the benefit of clean primer pockets too.

Noob question here, do you resize+deprime before tumbling. Or do you just deprime, clean, then resize.

 

[Strykervet]

Noob question here, do you resize+deprime before tumbling. Or do you just deprime, clean, then resize.

Typically you wanna clean the spent brass first. If you tumble after depriming, you run the risk of getting media clogged in the primer pocket or flash hole, and so then you have to go dig all that out and inspect each one vs. cleaning first and then punching it all out at once. Now I use corn cob and walnut, so I don't know if SS gives you the same problem.

My brass seldom comes out really shiny either. But if that's a problem, you can clean it further by using vinegar water, then washing that off after and drying well. It gets really shiny then.

As for separating, I use a Lyman and turn it upside down and shake it. Then I dump 'em on a .25" or so wire screen stapled to a wood rectangle and shake that back and forth. Gets all the media out save for the tiny bits that sometimes get stuck in spent primers. Depriming takes care of that.

 

[mdmp5]

This is what happens certain places, certain people. As I read the original question, just like Robo, I thought he was talking about a very ordinary vibratory tumbler, one just like I own and have used for more than thirty years. There are MANY THOUSANDS of these Thumbler Tumblers in use and they all use corncob and/or crushed walnut. So, I find it amusing to read above where this man says; "I haven't heard of anyone that uses a thumlers with corn or walnut."

But, that's what is going on, on the Hide. There is another world out there, and believe it or no, most of them have never heard of ss wet tumbling. BB (no offense mijp5)

Well I did know that the thumlers tumbler was in existence for a long time and was not built to tumble brass. I would have thought of it more as a rock tumbler. However, I never would have heard of thumlers if it weren't for terry who posted the ss method back in 2009. I think it is safe to say that 99%+ people on this site who use thumlers, use it with ss media.

 

[BuzzBoss915]

Not to belabor the point, but I would take that bet.

Not only that, (I'm sorry) but you are mistaken. There are thousands of vibratory Thumblers designed and sold specifically for cleaning brass, and they are not at all suitable for polishing rocks. Several other companies make a clone that works exactly the same way.

I wouldn't hazard a guess, but aside from SH people, the ratio would tilt heavily in favor of the type using corn cob, or walnut shells.

I accept the fact that the people on this site have gone "all in" on ss wet media. I think it's safe to say that there are a number of us Neanderthals that continue to use last year's technology. Which, BTW is perfectly functional and serves the purpose.

To each his own, but for what I do, I don't need the insides of my cases polished. BB

 

[mdmp5]

I was talking about the model b rotatory tumbler, not vibratory. There is nothing wrong with vibratory tumbling. I did it for a while, and it is fine. I just like doing it the other way. I enjoy the results

 

[Sevo2300]

As others have mentioned, dirty brass is usually due to not rinsing the pins when they are put away. As far as finding any stray stuck pins, I use a rectangular rare earth magnet and run it over the cases when they are in a single layer on a large towel. The pins are just magnetic enough to stick to the magnet.

 

[mtang45]

Noob question here, do you resize+deprime before tumbling. Or do you just deprime, clean, then resize.

When I used a Thumblers vibratory tumbler with corncob media, I polished and then deprimed. Since I switched to a Thumblers rotary tumbler with stainless steel I first deprime with a Lee universal depriming and decapping die; no resizing is done until after a few hours in the tumbler.