🦆 Wet Tumbling experiment--we learn from our mistakes don't we??

Being anal-retentive I've always deprime before wet tumbling. Something about everything being nice and shiny.
this time I'm swamped with brass (I clean brass for a number of fellow cowboy shooters) I decided to skip the depriming part . . .
everything was great--brass was nice and shiny, clean in and out . . .

but after the usual amount of time in the Texas Sun I deprimed a few and found the primer pocket was still wet! Oh, no Mr. Bill! not good at all

so a trip through the press to deprime and back in the Sun--all is right with the world

now I'm guessing drying for a longer time or using an oven or such might solve this problem but I'm happy to return to my previous method.

I can deprime about 15-20 pieces of brass a minute so the amount of time is not significant in the long run.

Even a failed experiment teaches us something

Curious
How long did you have your brass in the Texas sun?


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Yes, If you don't heat them up real good They will stay wet For a long time. When they dry there will be more Crud Than before

Thanks for that tidbit, Walter. Been debating on if/how to approach wet tumbling my brass.

I rinse well & remove the pins in a Media Separator (, give them a bath in water -w- car wash/wax, another trip through the Media Separator, dry with a towel (to remove the chance of getting spots) then throw them in a food dehydrator for a couple hours.
We don't have the Texas sun in the great NW :)

I spread mine out on the floor on a couple T-shirts or a towel turn a oscillating fan on them and walk away...always thoroughly dry the next morning.

I debated leaving primers in a time or two figured was going to run through sizer later and could do it then. Now I know why I'm glad I decided to go ahead and deprime. I use a roll in a towel hammock then box fan blowing on them, usually overnight.

I second loudy13

In order to dry them inside, in addition to a little heat, you definitely need airflow.
A small fan does nicely.

an old food dehydrator does a great job of trying and it doesn't take very long either. works for me anyway, james

Well after suffering a squib last fall after starting to wet wash my brass upon investigation I found 2 other shells that had wet powder when I took them apart. And these had been sitting in an upstairs room for about ten days from the time they were removed from the tumbler to the time I loaded them.

Now here is my procedure. I use a plastic jar that is peanuts come packaged in. It will hold about 250 9mm. I add 1 teaspoon dish soap, 1 teaspoon Lemishine and then fill with hot water until brass is covered, no pins. I tumble and shake the by hand while reading the forums or surfing the gun auctions. Usually only about 1/2 hour. I then rinse in hot water until it pours out clear. Dump in a towel and roll them around a few minutes. I then spread them out on a metal tray that fits a whole shelf in the toaster over, set at 200* for 30 minutes. After the over timer goes off I leave them in until they cool enough to pick up. They then go into my tumbler with cobb for about an hour. Not very sophisticated or high tech but it works very well. I just did up 10lbs of 9mm brass today.

I have also found moisture in the fired primer or primer pocket if I don't deprime them. The moisture that remains behind can also cause the primer to corrode. When you punch them out, sometimes the outer shell will remain stuck in the primer pocket.
In the summer months I leave my brass out in the sun laying on a cookie sheet. In the winter I leave that same cookie sheet in the oven for 30-45 minutes set on the lowest setting.

My old sponsor once told me; "there are two ways to learn, how to do something and how not to do something"...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by oteroman

Curious
How long did you have your brass in the Texas sun?


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this time it was for 2 hours, full sun, good breeze

at least this issue is settled, at least for me.

Overnight method has been used but figured Sun method is preferred so should try that.

correct about crud after depriming and then letting them dry. They were the first I reloaded this a.m. 'Get rid of them' so to speak.

Now off to the next Great Adventure whatever that turns out to be

Deprime first, then clean & dry in the sun. Tried a fan on rainy days but even with auto wash & wax, got water spots. Then a member posted he used the stationary rack that fits in the clothes dryer. Brilliant idea! Ten minutes on low heat & they're dry, spotless and warmed up for lubing.
Still prefer the sun method instead of buying kilowatts but if it's raining i have a backup plan. Life is good.

FWIW and an old memory; This talk of pristine, virgin looking brass reminded me of a time I was hanging out at the Police Range in San Pedro, CA, around '69. I was just watching a couple shooters with their 1911s shooting a lot. I got closer and saw their 50' targets showed one hole, about 2" in diameter. I got a bit closer and noticed their ammo was in GI ammo cans and was brown! One feller noticed I was interested (I was sitting a safe distance in some bleachers behind them) and started talking to me. They explained they were reloaders. This was the first time I met anyone that "remanufactured" their own ammo. I figgered at that time the performance of their ammo was more important than how the brass looked (2" groups @ 50" off hand is pretty good for 3 or 4 magazines full) and tumbling wasn't a necessity then. Not a comment on today's reloaders, just remembered a time when function came before appearance...:bigsmyl2:

After tumbling I give the brass a cursory wipe with a towel ad then throw the whole shebang in the oven set at 240 deg. for about an hour.

I left out explaining part of my process:

once they come out of the wet tumbler and the pins are separated I place them on a bath towel (not a good one, I learned that 'rule' in a hurry), fold the towel in thirds, long way and see-saw it back and forth while the brass goes from one end to the other. About 10 times if I'm counting.

then dump them onto another green (wanted dark color to help absorb sun's rays) towel which is on a chicken wire rack (let's air get underneath). Sit in sun for 2-3 hours and everything is warm to the touch and dry.

Rainy days the drying racks comes inside and sits under a ceiling fan overnight.

no water spots either way