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View Full Version : Left case cleaner on ALL NIGHT



skeettx
04-04-2015, 12:30 PM
Well started the two vibrators at about 6:30 last night, forgot, went to the Pistol Club meeting this morning.
Remembered at the meeting, came home and YUP, they were still working and the brass looked very clean.

The only casualty was the quick nut on one vibrator and have now replaced that with the standard wing nut.

Appears, no harm, no fowl.

Cool

Mike

leadman
04-04-2015, 01:06 PM
You must use corn cob. I know from experience that walnut tends to make them very dull if left on too long.

runfiverun
04-04-2015, 01:06 PM
:lol:
I bet the brass was well polished.

Springfield
04-04-2015, 01:09 PM
I sometimes leave mine on for hours as I shoot BP, seems the longer it runs the shinier it gets.

Hooker53
04-04-2015, 01:22 PM
Mike. Mine has been running almost 24/7 since last Oct. ha. I do change out the brass everyday or when they are clean enough. For the last few hours a add some old liquid car wax/polish. Very shinny.

Roy
Hooker53

RKJ
04-04-2015, 02:05 PM
I leave mine on overnight most of the time.

rockshooter
04-05-2015, 12:38 AM
I just use a cheap timer on mine.
Loren

Bullwolf
04-05-2015, 01:08 AM
I use one of those inexpensive plug in light timers, that people like to use when on vacation to help make it look like someone is home.

http://image.homeclick.com/product-enlarged/moonrays-50006.jpg

http://www.amazon.com/Woods-50006-Indoor-24-Hour-Mechanical/dp/B006LYHED0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1428209340&sr=8-1&keywords=plug+in+light+timer

Plug the timer into the tumbler cord, set it and forget it.

I also make a point of not to set my vibratory tumbler directly down on the carpet.

If your loading room floor happens to be carpet, put a flat sheet of wood or something similar underneath it so the tumbler motor can get some airflow along the bottom. The extra airflow helps keep the motor from overheating. Not leaving the tumbler running all day and night, tends to make them run much cooler as well.

Both tricks will help keep a vibratory tumbler in service a bit longer.



- Bullwolf

NC_JEFF
04-05-2015, 07:44 AM
I've noticed that cleaning time gets longer as the media gets older anyway. I don't see where your could have hurt your brass at all with that much time in the vibratory cleaner. Mi is always in there for hours.

dragon813gt
04-05-2015, 08:48 AM
I've let mine run for a few days. It's out in the garage which is 50' from the house. If I walk out there and don't hear it running I know I didn't forget.

country gent
04-05-2015, 08:53 AM
Chances are good the only thing really hurt by the extended run time is your electric bill and that wont be much. The big BPCR cases normally run overnight in corn cops and Iosso case polish. Cases come out looking like new inside and out for me.

dubber123
04-05-2015, 09:15 AM
I left an inexpensive Midway brand vibratory cleaner running for a WEEK. It was in the basement, and I totally forgot it. Cases were exceptionally shiny, and that cleaner is still going strong. I thought that was a good testimonial. :)

W.R.Buchanan
04-05-2015, 01:01 PM
I run my tumbler for 24 hours usually and always have. It is a Thumler's Ultra Vibe 10 and I have a bigger one, an Ultra Vibe 45. I run a bigger tumbler in my shop polishing and deburring parts and sometimes run it for days.

I use Walnut hulls and Dillon Case Polish or Nu Finish.

A friend gave me this tumbler when I first went into business in1985 it has 30 years on it..

My biggest tumbler which is 30" in dia. is older than that and came out of a deburring shop where it ran continuously for years.. I replaced the motor about 10 years ago.

Good Quality Vibrating Tumblers can run continuously for years and not be harmed. It is a motor with a flyweight on it, and it does no harm whatsoever to run them for long periods.

Your brass will be spotless when done running for 24 hours, and your ammo will look better and you'll shoot better because of it.

Randy

lightman
04-05-2015, 02:13 PM
I run my Dillons in 12 hour shifts. Pretty much always have. Yours will be fine, but a timer is a good idea.

Bullwolf
04-05-2015, 09:07 PM
I run my tumbler for 24 hours usually and always have. It is a Thumler's Ultra Vibe 10 and I have a bigger one, an Ultra Vibe 45. I run a bigger tumbler in my shop polishing and deburring parts and sometimes run it for days.

I use Walnut hulls and Dillon Case Polish or Nu Finish.

A friend gave me this tumbler when I first went into business in1985 it has 30 years on it..

My biggest tumbler which is 30" in dia. is older than that and came out of a deburring shop where it ran continuously for years.. I replaced the motor about 10 years ago.

Good Quality Vibrating Tumblers can run continuously for years and not be harmed. It is a motor with a flyweight on it, and it does no harm whatsoever to run them for long periods.

Your brass will be spotless when done running for 24 hours, and your ammo will look better and you'll shoot better because of it.

Randy

I quoted what Randy wrote for my reply. Hope he doesn't mind too much as I do agree with him, and what I originally wrote could easily have been misinterpreted.

Notice the part I took the liberty of putting in bold. I believe a good quality vibrating tumbler will likely run continuously for years on end. I'm not so sure about some of the inexpensive bargain brand tumblers being sold today though.

I'd also like to mention that I'm a big fan of adding a cap full of automotive wax to the media with my vibratory tumblers. It helps brass stay untarnished longer, and I think it makes it cases somewhat easier to size as well.

I may have a smaller sample pool of experience using vibratory tumblers than many others here. I've used two Lyman tumblers since about the 80's. Both still are in use today, but I had to replace the first smaller Lyman tumbler motor once, and had to patch/repair the plastic base that the threaded shaft which holds the bolt is mounted to, on my original lyman tumbler.

To be fair my first Lyman tumbler saw a lot of rock polishing duty, and lived outside. It also used to get left on for days on end. My later model Lyman turbo 1200 tumbler with the extra bowls, I have been much kinder to, and it resides indoors.

I also worked for a small reloading company located inside an indoor range, that loaded pistol ammunition only. We had a row of the larger size Dillon tumblers that ran continuously all day during business hours, every day. They were used for processing ALL of the brass fired at the range. Even the brass that we scrapped was tumbled first. It's impressive just how many 55 gallon containers of brass an indoor range can move in a month.

In all the time I worked there, we only had one of the Dillon tumblers quit on us. I'm not sure just what broke on it however, as it was quickly replaced. I'm pretty sure that back then that Dillon still replaced tumblers if one broke. I believe they have some kind of different warranty now on electronic stuff like motors.

You would think that after this glowing testimony, I'd have bought a Dillon tumbler myself. Ironically since I started loading at home with a Lyman, I sort of got used to having the orange bowl around, and I stuck with it. It was cheaper too at the time than going blue.

The point I intended to make was that yes, a good quality tumbler will likely run just fine if left on continuously, but I believe that excess heat is what causes the most wear and tear on inexpensive tumblers, and electric motors.

I personally feel that if you keep the motor cooler by not leaving it on for days in a row, or setting it on carpet, that most tumblers will last even longer.

Since I have started using a timer with my tumbler, I've noticed a point of diminishing returns, at least with fresh media. Usually running my tumbler for 3-4 hours or even longer did not do anything special to my brass, compared to only running it for an hour.

I'm also not deburring sharp parts, or trying to graphite tumble shot, or tumble the sprue marks off of buckshot here either. Your mileage will likely vary, according to the condition of your brass, and media used. This of course is all just my opinion, based upon my limited experience cleaning cases.

I didn't mean that if y'all run a tumbler for 24 or 48 hours in a row it would blow up and die on you, or anything like that. I simply thought adding a timer was a neat idea for saving electricity, and wear and tear on the tumbler. Especially for those times when one forgets, and it gets left to run until noticed.

Thanks everyone, and carry on.


- Bullwolf

Doggonekid
04-06-2015, 12:11 AM
I forgot about my tumbler one time. I have a RCBS and I left it on for about 5 or 6 days. When I saw it was still on and running I turned it off and it never worked again. I sent it back to RCBS and they gladly changed out my motor for free. THANKS RCBS. I don't run it for more than 8 to 12 hrs at a time.

scottfire1957
04-06-2015, 12:50 AM
I leave mine on overnight most of the time.

Yep, frequently and on purpose.

Newtire
04-06-2015, 08:56 AM
I have left mine on overnight on purpose most of the time. Only time I ever had a problem was when the casting around the lower bearing cracked. After awhile, the hose clamp around the housing stopped working and I had to put in a motor from a yard sale tumbler.
That tumbler ran for over 16 years before that happened. It was a Midway.

Does anyone know where to buy a replacement motor for these things? Can't seem to find one on a Google search....??!

mdi
04-06-2015, 10:57 AM
Ya done ruint them cases! Ya cleaned all the gramnatic surface hardening/slicking up alloy off the brass. I did that once and had to dispose of the brass at a hazmat facility. So, I know how to get rid of them so send me a PM and I'll tell you where and how to send them to me...

obssd1958
04-06-2015, 11:28 AM
If your looking for a thread on repair or replacement of these tumbler motors, use the search box above (NOT the advanced search option) and put in midway+tumbler+motor
Lots of good info from those that have "been there, done that, got the t-shirt!"

Schrag4
04-06-2015, 12:51 PM
...I'd also like to mention that I'm a big fan of adding a cap full of automotive wax to the media with my vibratory tumblers. It helps brass stay untarnished longer, and I think it makes it cases somewhat easier to size as well....

For pistol I've been using One Shot case lube after tumbling. It sounds like this is meant to replace that step, correct? Pros/Cons of each method of lubing the cases?

woody1
04-06-2015, 01:15 PM
Good Quality Vibrating Tumblers can run continuously for years and not be harmed. It is a motor with a flyweight on it, and it does no harm whatsoever to run them for long periods.

Your brass will be spotless when done running for 24 hours, and your ammo will look better and you'll shoot better because of it.

Randy

That just can't be true! If you take all the grime, grunge & patina off the brass it loses all it's "experience." It has to learn to shoot all over again............. Doesn't it? Regards, Woody

John Allen
04-06-2015, 01:22 PM
I've let mine run for a few days. It's out in the garage which is 50' from the house. If I walk out there and don't hear it running I know I didn't forget.


I have done this one too many times.

country gent
04-06-2015, 01:35 PM
At work we had tumblers both rotary and vibratory that ran pretty much 24/7 for years with no problems these devurred and polished stampings and small parts before assembly. Running the smaller home sized over night shouldnt be an issue for them. My Dillon normally runs for 10-12 hours with a full load. The big thing for efficency is determining the full load combination of media and cases that gives the proper vibration or harmonics. To light a load or to heavy and the changes can really slow down operation.

Jevyod
04-06-2015, 01:49 PM
I almost always run mine overnight! With a bit of Nu Finish car wax, and a bit of mineral spirits. Makes my brass SHIIIINNNNYYYY!!!!

DaveyDug
04-06-2015, 02:40 PM
I leave mine on overnight most of the time.

That's how I prefer to tumble/polish. I turn it on before bed and shut it off in the morning when I get up. Beautiful, shiny brass every time.

Bullwolf
04-06-2015, 05:11 PM
For pistol I've been using One Shot case lube after tumbling. It sounds like this is meant to replace that step, correct? Pros/Cons of each method of lubing the cases?

I don't know that automotive wax in your tumbler is meant to replace case lube entirely.

If you use steel dies, I would still suggest lubing your cases.

With carbide dies though, you can certainly feel the difference while sizing between brand new Starline brass, tumbled once fired brass, vs brass tumbled in media with automotive wax.

I also add the automotive wax to my media because it prevents my freshly cleaned brass from tarnishing soon after tumbling.



- Bullwolf

Schrag4
04-06-2015, 05:46 PM
Thanks for the info. My dies are carbide, but perhaps it would still be worth adding automotive wax to the tumble AND applying case lube, to make sizing even easier, AND to prevent tarnishing. Assuming you use the media more than once, do you have to add the same amount of wax with each tumbling session? It seems like you'd need more the first session and less with each subsequent session.

Bullwolf
04-06-2015, 06:13 PM
Assuming you use the media more than once, do you have to add the same amount of wax with each tumbling session? It seems like you'd need more the first session and less with each subsequent session.

While I'm no expert, this is how I do it.

I take the lid off the tumbler and start it up. Then I add a cap full of automotive wax to the media.

I personally use Meguiar's Deep Crystal Carnuba wax, but Nu-finish will work just fine as well.

http://tokomeguiars.com/48-162-large/meguiar-s-deep-crystal-carnauba-wax-liquid.jpg

I let the tumbler run for a few minutes (with the lid off) to distribute the automotive wax into the media and let the carrier dry/evaporate, and wait for the media to cease clumping.

Then I add my brass to the now treated media. I add a new fresh cap full of automotive wax, when I add new brass to the media, and I follow the same above procedure.

I used the same process when I used to add Dillon's blue-colored Rapid Polish to my media, but I'm not as big a fan of the Rapid Polish 290. In general, using Nu-finish or any other automotive wax is also less expensive than purchasing Dillon's Rapid Polish.

http://www.dillonprecision.biz/2010/10/dillon-rapid-polish-290/

Dillon's Rapid Polish had a harsh ammonia-like smell to it, that was very similar to Brasso. That's what eventually turned me off from using it.

I feel like the Carnuba wax is better for my brass, and that also protects it a bit longer. I can't really fault the Rapid Polish 290 for it's ability to get really grungy brass clean however.


- Bullwolf

Shiloh
04-06-2015, 11:08 PM
I'll bet they were awful pretty in the morning.

Shiloh

TXGunNut
04-07-2015, 12:16 AM
I have an el-cheapo Midway vibratory tumbler that I bought when my Thumbler quit on me. I figured I'd buy what I could afford and replace it when it quit. That was over 12 years ago and that original bag of walnut media has many thousands of hours on it. I bought some of the RCBS powder when I needed $5 to get me to a rebate. Those little packets really do rejuvenate media! I throw a paper shop towel in there now and then to collect the dirt off the media.

DLCTEX
04-07-2015, 01:10 AM
My Midway tumbler has been run extensively and has been left to run for days on many occasions in the past 20+ years. I do use corncob media, NuFinish polish, and mineral spirits to make brass cleaning a happy experience.

sigep1764
04-14-2015, 08:23 PM
It's all your guys fault. I read this thread and my tumbler quit on me. Coincidece? I think not.. lyman turbo 1200, about 1.5 years old.

rintinglen
04-14-2015, 09:51 PM
It's all your guys fault. I read this thread and my tumbler quit on me. Coincidece? I think not.. lyman turbo 1200, about 1.5 years old.
Naming calls, my mom used to say. Call something's name it will show up. But when I tried it by saying "Scarlet Johansen," repeatedly, all I got was the evil eye from my wife.

But I have had no luck with Lyman Tumblers. Neither lasted more than 3 years, whereas my Midway is going strong after many, many thousands of cases and over 12 years..

Geezer in NH
04-14-2015, 10:02 PM
I have used 24 hour cycles no problem than unclean primer pockets.

Now use wet rotary and SS pins, tumble 3 to 5 hours and like new brass

sigep1764
04-14-2015, 11:13 PM
Well I thought it might be a fluke. Bought the same one. Gonna use the box from the new one to send the old one back to Lyman for repairs, prolly on my dime. At least I'll have two tumblers to share the load between them.

Handloader109
04-15-2015, 08:14 AM
I've forgotten my Dillon tumbler a couple times and I've noticed that it gets really hot (motor) that is. Can't put my hand on it. But it Keeps on ticking. Anyone else notice this? Don't really want to start a fire.......

alamogunr
04-20-2015, 01:08 PM
I've been using a Midway tumbler for nearly 20 years. Usually leave it on overnite. Picked up a tip several years ago that may have added to it's life. Someone recommended putting some vent holes in the sheet metal bottom cover. I used an electrical punch to put 3 holes about 1.5" diameter in that bottom plate. No way to know if it is effective but it didn't hurt.

country gent
04-20-2015, 01:25 PM
I made new feet for my large dillion to raise it up slightly hiogher from the floor about 1 1/2" more allowing for more air flow and it still running after 15 years of moderate to heavy use. Most of these polishers air flow is from underneath up and back out. Raising them a little higher gives more room for air to flow. Also blowing the dust from out of the motors once in awhile helps alot also, Die to the air circulation on these units also of dust is circulated into the motor and can build up. a few drops of oil in the bearimgs extends life also.

W.R.Buchanan
04-20-2015, 02:53 PM
Here's the deal on these machines. They are all a Motor with a Flyweight attached to the Shaft, and the Motor is mounted to a Base Plate that the Bowl is attached to. The Base Plate is attached to the machine base with several Coil Springs.

If your machine quits and the motor doesn't literally burn out, (Smoke) then chances are it simply ran the bushings for the motor shaft dry. All you do is put some oil on them and work the shaft until it frees up and you are good to go. Apply some more oil every so often while rotating the shaft.

Most motors of this type will run literally indefinitely with just a little oil on the shaft bearings every year or so.

One thing you can do to safe guard your machine is to put a low amp circuit breaker in line with a capacity just above starting current for the motor. That way if the motor seizes it will trip the breaker before the motor windings fry...

Hope some of this helps you run your machines for days rather than minutes. The machines really don't mind,,, in fact they kind of like it.

Randy

fredj338
04-20-2015, 03:05 PM
Only thing you have to watch out for is the motor catching fire on the cheaper models. I like to put mine on a timer.

Down South
04-20-2015, 07:50 PM
I let mine run over night often. On purpose too.