Cleaning brass today

[RVTECH]

But the spent primers are a great idea.

Yep, they are free and increase in amount!

Just don't use them on de primed brass!

 

[eb in oregon]

As this brass has been on the ground for some time (most) I'm decapping it before tumbling. Thus I ordered some SS pins and will give them a shot as they are supposed to clean the primer pocket also. I'll see how that works when they get here. The corrosion in some is nasty and they do need be cleaned before being clean enough to reload and I'm not running thousands of cases on the electric pocket brush machine. Does anyone have experience using SS pins on bottle neck cases? Is it a problem separating the pins and cases after tumbling?

 

[RVTECH]

as they are supposed to clean the primer pocket also.

Yes they do! Like new!

Does anyone have experience using SS pins on bottle neck cases? Is it a problem separating the pins and cases after tumbling?

Kind depends on how MUCH you will tumble at one time. Some use those rotating separator devices but I don't tumble that much at one time so I use a plastic colander (with 1/4# openings) in a plastic bed pan.

I dump the cases out of the tumbler cylinder into the colander, shake and rinse them in the sink while running water over them. All the pins drop into the bed pan. Then I rinse out the dirty water, and pour the water & pins into a fine screen sifter, drain, and the cases go in a towel lined SS pan and both get set on handrail outside on my deck to dry, or on a trivet on my wood stove in the winter.

The cases go in a towel lined SS pan to dry.

Again this works OK for small amounts.

 

[eb in oregon]

I use the wood stove when the sun isn't enough. Like this time a year. It doesn't get the brass hot enough to change a thing however it's a good idea to move them about until dry. It can leave spots. I've a #10 ten can of 9x19 brass on the stove right now.

I'm looking forward to trying the pins, reloading is labor intensive and any shortcuts are appreciated. In the past I've always decapped, brushed the pocket with an RCBS pocket brush on a motor, then tumbled to clean. That's way hard with about ten gallons of brass in five calibers and two pocket sizes.

 

[RVTECH]

I'm looking forward to trying the pins, reloading is labor intensive and any shortcuts are appreciated.

Hey, pins work GREAT - no arguments as I've been pin tumbling for years HOWEVER if you read the previous posts you might have seen where I responded to another about having started to tumble WITHOUT pins and the brass (and primer pockets) both coming out very well and ALMOST as clean as with pins. I'll say 75% as much.

Now to be fair this brass was clean reloads and NOT dirty, gritty range brass than had been laying around outside for a while which WILL justify using pins (or primers) but from now on I'm going pin free on my own range brass.

 

[eb in oregon]

"from now on I'm going pin free on my own range brass."

No need for extraordinary measures for brass fired and not laying on the ground for years. I've salvaged nasty brass for years. About 45 or so. It's not so much they are nasty, it's the quantity. A few hundred is one thing, a few thousand is entirely different.

 

[terdog]

As this brass has been on the ground for some time (most) I'm decapping it before tumbling. Thus I ordered some SS pins and will give them a shot as they are supposed to clean the primer pocket also. I'll see how that works when they get here. The corrosion in some is nasty and they do need be cleaned before being clean enough to reload and I'm not running thousands of cases on the electric pocket brush machine. Does anyone have experience using SS pins on bottle neck cases? Is it a problem separating the pins and cases after tumbling?

It has never been a problem for me. I use stainless steel pins on all my cartridges. 9 mm, 10 mm, 45 ACP, 556, 300 Blackout, 30 30 and 308. My process may be different than others but after I wash them I put them in a tumbler and then after I dry them I put them in a tumbler.

 

[eb in oregon]

Don't undervalue the self-centering functionality or the spring loaded "popping" of the primer. Does it cost more than the Lee, yes. Is it worth it? YMMV, but I think so. Self centering = alignment. Alignment = less broken pins.

Then we have the issue of off center flash holes (several to date), burrs around the flash hole, and dented cases. The dented ones I tap a tapered cone into it and then deprime. Some because of dirt or a burr on the rim or an off center flash hole need a nudge to center the pin. Works for me.

 

[Camelfilter]

I use egg shaped chips, rather than pins.

Southern shine media.

Looks like available via T&B bullets online directly. --When I bought them there was no online way to get them, it was via e-mail & check, IIRC.

Southern Shine Media

Stainless steel tumbling media for brass

tbbullets.com

These work very well, and separate nicely also. I use those hand crank media separator things, with water in it up to where the brass turns in the inner turnstile (doing such breaks any surface tension "cling" the chips may have attached to brass).

 

[nobleman99]

I do a 30 min clean with walnut media, just enough to break up the crud. Decap on the Lee APP and do a final wet tumble wash with SS pins after all my prep is done. This keeps my Dillon clean and functioning well.

 

[dangerranger60]

If I'm handling really dirty brass I run a short cycle with coarse sand and then rinse and repeat with SS chips. Every so often I get someone that wants polished cases so I will then run them through the vibratory polisher. DR