What do you tumble your brass with?

[gunfreak]

I also have been running the Frankford Arsenal for several years now with stainless pins and just dawn dish soap. After about 1&1/2 hours best clean brass ever.

 

[TCGC123]

I am also using the frankin arsenal tumbler with steel pins. Dawn and lemon shine have worked great for me.

I deprime before tumbling. I find the primer pockets get super clean if you removed the primers before tumbling. If you leave the primers in when tumbling, The water in the tumbler will be super dirty with all of the used primer powder. Try it both ways and you will see a major difference.


The biggest advantage is no led dust. I process my brass in the garage and wet tumbling prevents led dust in the garage and home.

 

[Lesliet]

If I didn't already have pin media, I'd likely get and use the chips, as I hear they are less likely to stick in a primer hole. Just means I have to LOOK in each primer hole before priming, if I don't want a mangled primer, and a risk of kaboom. Never had one blow up, but it's heresy to waste primers.

3) Don't tumble brass that fits inside other cases or they won't get clean, you'll waste time pulling them apart, and the pins will get stuck inside.

Definitely +1 to that! I wonder how many of us learned that the hard way? It's a booger getting the brass apart if there are pins in between the inner and outer case, sometimes.

 

[thorborg]

No offense taken.

Discussion is good, plus it might help @machinst68 when they get theirs.

I wonder why mine comes out so black after a while. I wonder if the dawn is somehow causing the black rubber inside the tumbler to discolor and "stain" the brass, pins, etc. Maybe Dawn is too harsh?

Maybe i should try some wash & wax of some kind the next time i process brass.

May not be your issue but my tumble juice came out black also, but then I decided to deprime first, (not size) and resolved much of the issue. A lot of burnt powder is stuffed in those cups.

 

[Member 5605]

If I didn't already have pin media, I'd likely get and use the chips, as I hear they are less likely to stick in a primer hole.

Wanna borrow some for a run. You'll change your mind. The chips get everywhere.

 

[Member 5605]

May not be your issue but my tumble juice came out black also, but then I decided to deprime first, (not size) and resolved much of the issue. A lot of burnt powder is stuffed in those cups.

Too much acid will cause blackened cases.

 

[gunfreak]

If I didn't already have pin media, I'd likely get and use the chips, as I hear they are less likely to stick in a primer hole. Just means I have to LOOK in each primer hole before priming, if I don't want a mangled primer, and a risk of kaboom. Never had one blow up, but it's heresy to waste primers.


Definitely +1 to that! I wonder how many of us learned that the hard way? It's a booger getting the brass apart if there are pins in between the inner and outer case, sometimes.

I bought the chips and mixed them with the pins. Together they clean great but the chips rust, are easier to lose and harder to remove from the inside of cases than the pins. So there is some give and take.

 

[Ironbar]

I bought the chips and mixed them with the pins. Together they clean great but the chips rust, are easier to lose and harder to remove from the inside of cases than the pins. So there is some give and take.

Then your chips clearly are not stainless steel!

 

[blueswarrior]

The pins can be a pain. It takes awhile to separate them and they seem to migrate everywhere. If you haven't already tried it, run a load with a 45 case full of lemishine or citric acid powder and two squirts of whatever soap you use (I use Dawn) but no pins. I was surprised how clean the brass was without using the pins.
Yes, if I deprime first the pins will make the primer pockets look like new, but even without the pins they're pretty clean.

 

[thorborg]

Too much acid will cause blackened cases.

Mine wasn't a black brass issue, just overly filthy fluid which took just a little longer to be rinsed off.

 

[umrek]

Depends.... my equipment and processes have evolved over the years.

For high volume brass (3-5gal buckets) I use an unmodified cement mixer with a plastic drum. Just dawn, lemishine and water.



For low volume brass, a made a small wet/dry tumbler. Rarely use the dry bowl, but wet is the same dawn, lemishine and water.



I haven't got the hang of removing lube with a wet process without excessive rinsing so I still rely on a dry vibratory tumbler. Haven't changed the walnut media in years. Once in a while I'll put in a little polish.



I sort all my brass before any tumbling...I learned that one the hard way.

I try to wet tumble all brass before depriming/resizing. Usually 15-30mins tops. Cleans out any mud/dirt or foreign objects, helps keep my press and dies cleaner and I can start culling out problem pieces easier.

After resizing, Pistol brass goes into another wet tumble for 30mins. Rifle brass goes into the dry vibratory tumbler for 15-30mins to remove the lube and then I chamfer, debur and swage. After that they go into a wet tumble for 30mins.

I don't use any media in the wet tumbles. I tried stainless steel pins but didn't like having to separate them and brass comes out amazingly clean without them. Not perfect but good enough for my OCD.

I've tried purpose built brass cleaners but dawn dish soap and lemishine do an incredible job. Make sure there are suds during the entire tumble so that the filt is trapped and removed.

I don't force dry my brass. I Just spread them out on a towel and let them air dry for several days inside. If its summer and the sun is out, they'll dry in a hurry.

Since my last step before reloading the brass is a no media wet tumble, my casefeeder doesn't rain down media anymore. That's a big plus for me.

Processing my brass this way has help eliminate 99% of the problems I once had on my progressive press.


Everyone will find a process that works for them, otherwise they'll keep changing it until they do!

 

[partsed]

I do pretty much this. Except.... i use a small squeeze of dawn dish detergent instead of any "wash & wax" stuff that a lot of folk use.

I am slightly OCD and size and remove the primers prior to cleaning, so the primer pocket is nice an clean also. Then when running through the tumbler it cleans the sizing solvent off the brass too. I do that for all calibers. The shells come out like brand new.

Don't forget, after 3-4 cycles of brass cleaning you may need to wash the tumbler and pins with warm water and dish detergent to get the "grim" (built up crud) off the tumbler walls and pins. You'll know when to do this when you start noticing your brass isn't coming out "as clean as it used to".

I second removing the primers before tumbling-not that it makes the water any less dirty but at least the primer pockets are clean too!!!

 

[RVTECH]

I don't care how SHINY my brass is,

Shiny brass makes for a shiny outlook on life!

Bright, clean and reflective!

 

[BigDog67]

Uh HUH. Cheery people are sick and twisted!

 

[Ironbar]

Uh HUH. Cheery people are sick and twisted!

Well, the dems are back in control, Antifa and far right wing nut jobs are running wild, Sleepy Joe and his eternally PMS-ing veep will likely run things into the ground. So sometimes you just have to crack a beer, sit back, and laugh at all the silliness. Therefore..........

 

[Camohunter]

I ran a small load of 9mm brass in my set system with a pinch of citric acid and Dawn dishwashing liquid and they came out really clean after one hour.
Tried a second batch and replaced the Dawn with AmourAll wash and wax and they were not as clean. I will check them in a few weeks and determine if one tarnishes worse than the other.

 

[rscanady]

I do pretty much this. Except.... i use a small squeeze of dawn dish detergent instead of any "wash & wax" stuff that a lot of folk use.

I am slightly OCD and size and remove the primers prior to cleaning, so the primer pocket is nice an clean also. Then when running through the tumbler it cleans the sizing solvent off the brass too. I do that for all calibers. The shells come out like brand new.

Don't forget, after 3-4 cycles of brass cleaning you may need to wash the tumbler and pins with warm water and dish detergent to get the "grim" (built up crud) off the tumbler walls and pins. You'll know when to do this when you start noticing your brass isn't coming out "as clean as it used to".

same here! Love the way brass turns out with this process, i use Harbor Freight Rock tumblers (have extra drivebelts handy) that work well as a cheap alternative.

Ryan

 

[po18guy]

Crushed walnut shell treated with liquid jeweler's rouge. Thumler's may still sell it. Non-ammonia* Flitz liquid mixed with the walnut shell also does a spectacular job.
25 pounds of walnut shell (they have coarse and fine) from Harbor Freight for $24.99. They shipped me 50 lbs for $6.99 - cannot beat that deal. Flitz is everywhere.

*Ammonia causes embrittlement of brass and case cracking. Brasso contains ammonia, so not for use on casings or brass receivers.

 

[partsed]

You've opened a can of worms. That genie will never go back into the bottle.

I thought you just said he opened a can not a bottle???

 

[Member 5605]

I thought you just said he opened a can not a bottle???

Politician doublespeak