Thumler's Tumbler Model B break in

[Dragoon 45]

My old tumbler is just about worn out, so I ordered a new Thumler's Tumbler Model B high speed and the ceramic media with additive from Buffalo Arms Friday. I am hoping to get it by the end of the week.

The salesman I talked to, said it might be a good idea to run the tumbler with the media in it, wet, for a couple of hours before I add any brass to it, something about some sharp edges on the media that needed to be worn down a little before use. This seems reasonable to me.

Are there any other hints I need to be aware of prior to using this tumbler? I based my decision to order it in part on the good reports I had read here, so I figure this would be the place to ask for helpful hints. Thank You in advance.

[powderburnerr]

they said to me to run it for 24 hrs but I just put brass in it and away I went ,didnt see that it hurt anything , and I didnt see any reason to waste a load of soap. didnt notice any bad things happen either ,

[Kenny Wasserburger]

I actually put about 6-8 1/2 bolts in mine that were a bit cruddy and just plain old Water and ran it that way about 6 hrs then went to using the thing.

KW

My stuff was Dave Mauers.

[Tom-ADC]

I've had one for more years then I can remember 30+ I just replacd the rotating rods and drive belt, it just keeps going and going, I don't do aything specail except fill it and let it run.

[montana_charlie]

It's the manufacturers of the media that recommend the break-in period.
Since they are thinking 'jewelry', and the media is meant for 'polishing' (not abrading), they probably feel it is better to knock off the high points before adding those gold and silver trinkets.

CM

[Dragoon 45]

Thanks everyone for the replies.

What is normal for the amount of time needed to clean BP Cases, .45 Colt, .40-65, and/or .45-70?

[cajun shooter]

I ran a new load of ceramic without a break in and when I opened the tumbler I was in shock. I bought my first model B in about 74 while working in a gun store that stocked them and at first thought it was the drum. All the brass was a dull grey and felt like it was covered in a oil coating. I refilled it and added Dawn W/ Oxy and it came out bad again. I then ran the ceramic by itself with mineral spirits added and the spirits was black. I suspect all of this was from the BP residue and something on the ceramic. I now wash any new ceramic before using. I also think that running with something as KW pointed out would be good. I used it with out reading the instructions as I thought how hard can this be?It said to break in before use right on package. The model B needs no break in.

[Bent Ramrod]

I run a "load" for four hours. This amount of time seems necessary in order to make sure of the primer pockets and all of the insides of the cases. I never "broke in" my ceramic media; just put it in and used it.

[Hip's Ax]

I bought the same exact items as you are and I did not break in my media. Kind of wish I did but it did not matter, the first batch of brass looked kind of scratched but no worries, loads and shoots fine and every other batch to come out of the tumbler is bright and shiney now, you almost need sun glasses to look at them. I only use half a cap of soap and enough water to cover the media. I found out too much soap makes rinsing later a pain.

I run my tumbler for 2 hours.

[Jon K]

I use the BACO or Dave Mauer liquid +1-2 drops Dawn dish soap and run for 1 hour.

Jon

[Dragoon 45]

My new tumbler was delivered last Friday afternoon. I did the suggested break in of the media for two hours. Then ran 120 .45 Colt cases in the first batch in the tumbler. I ran this first batch for 3 hours.

I found that the inside of the cases came out almost spotless, with the outside of the cases looking like they had never been fired. I did have a few cases with a piece of the media stuck in the primer pocket, but far fewer then if I had used walnut media in a vibatory tumbler. I suspect this will change as the media wears a little. Primer pockets were mucher cleaner but still showed some carbon

All in all, I am impressed with the results so far. It cleans the cases far better than a vibratory tumbler.

My only complaint is that it is harder to separate the wet media from the cases. Most of the cases I had to manually turn upside down to empty the media from the inside. I used the largest kitchen strainer I could find to drain the water and soap mixture off the media and cases. What do other users do to separate the media from the cases? I have a plastic collander type pan that Frankfort Arsenal made which fits a 3-5 gal bucket, but it does not work that well.

[John Boy]

What do other users do to separate the media from the cases?

Nitrile glove hand: Reach in and find a few > Turn em to the North and shake > Turn em to the South and shake > Drop in the bucket of clear warm water ... Repeat until drum is empty! Go to next drum and do it again. Ya gotta really like this sport to stand there and do 50 - 100

[cajun shooter]

I have a much easier way to do it. I bought a set of picks with orange handles from Harbor Frieght. The straight one or the one with the slight turn work the best. Insert into the case and pluck out the ceramic. A large metal collender from Walley World is what I dump the cases from the tumbler into. This way you may give them a good rinsing before cleaning out the ceramic. My wife watched me one night and said that she wanted to do it. So when she wants to I allow her to help. You can use a dental pick but the ones with handles are better. I also found a set with rubber handles which are the best of all.

[Gussy]

To separate, I put the whole mess in a rotary separator (dillon I think is the brand), crank it and almost never find any media in the cases.

[9.3X62AL]

You BPC shooters really have work to do after shooting. Makes case trimming seem convenient by comparison.

The Thumler Tumbler is among the BEST reloading tools I have ever owned. Mine has been here since 1985, and just started its third set of drive/idler axles. It's likely on its tenth drive belt, I've lost count of those. I did have to replace its plug-in terminal last month, and it still runs like a Swiss watch. Since purchase, it has run on average 3X-4X a month, usually for 7-8 hour periods. Drive belts last for about 2 years or so, and that's the only "consumable" part on the system.

[RMulhern]

Damnation! Now I know why I can't hit chit; didn't break in my tumbler!!