SS media and tumbling questions! Help me out.

[cundiff5535]

Hey fellas, This is my first post here... I stumbled onto a thread about SS media and tumbling. I need some help....

I get ALOT of brass... I have contracts set up with local Police stations and sell a lot at local shows as a side gig. I have been using crushed walnut and Dillons large tumblers for a while but, at times with so much brass my media wears very fast and cases do not always get super shiny

Here are my questions that I am hoping you can help with

1. Cleaning, a lot of the cases I pick up are really messed up. DIRTY. What do you suggest as far as getting brass cleaned out? I have no clue where to start so typically I use my outside hose... Takes for ever and often times I do not get it all where I need to.

2. Drying box, I saw pics posted in the thread of a drying box... what are your thoughts on buying one etc.

3. Tumbler, I will obviously need a new tumbler for brass as it says the vibrating ones will not work. I would prefer something that tumbles 2000+ (closer to 5000 at a time but, I am sure that will not happen). Thoughts, can they be made? If I have to get one, I would like the biggest/best

4. Separating the media, do I just use a standard separator? Does the metal media ever go bad? Do you need to clean the media? Info here?


Thanks so much for the information fellas!

Bobby C

[Baja_Traveler]

1. - Don't do anything to it. Just put it in the SS media as bad as it is, and it will come out looking like new.

2. - For your production, I would build a simple dry box. You could even make a box that has hundreds of short tubes that you slide cleaned cases over, and run air through the box and tubes for speedy drying with no heat.

3. - At that volume, You'll need to build your own tumbler drum. Make one out of a 30 gallon plastic drum with the screw on lid, or find a cutoff piece of 12" PVC pipe to make one out of . Make the tumbler base using neoprene castors and a washing machine motor to drive it - you'll have alot of weight to turn between the brass, water and media.

4. - Again, at that volume you would overload a standard media seperator. Make a larger version out of 1/4" mesh screen. Or you could get a second drum with cut-out and screened windows to transfer the load into. It's going to take alot of stainless pins to do 5000 at a time, and it will be a bit of cost to get up and running, but from then on you are making money, the pins don't wear out and last forever.

[OuchHot!]

At some point in processing, it seems that people switch over to small cement mixers as "tumblers". From what I have seen it is a bit hard on the brass but amenable to washing out by flowing water and drying by blowing air. You quickly get to a point where the typical tumbler is just too small.

[ncbearman]

There are lots of guys on this forum that will be glad to help. Also use the search tool within the right forum. Sometimes it works pretty good. Here is a start.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...07444-Homemade

[Sonnypie]

This is what SS media can do:



Volume is relevant to equipment size.
But for my break in run, I had some of the nastiest, muddiest, corroded cases I could find. After 4 hours the stuff was gone, and it looked like this: 1, 2, 3, the crud and corosion was pulverized into dirty water and rinsed away leaving shining STM and clean brass.

You just need to decide how industrial you are willing to go.
Normal is a 15# tumbler. Mine will do 70 of my old time military brass 30-06 cases (a 2# brass load). Or a pile of .45 ACP like you see.
Then the tumblers go up from there, along with the price of every thing.
This 40# unit sez 2100 pistol brass. http://www.stainlesstumblingmedia.co...umbler-18.html
To handle more volume, get more units. With individual units you could run pistol brass and rifle brass at the same time.
It would keep you hopping.

Personally, I wouldn't mess with a cement mixer. But it might clean the dirt and mud out. Change the paddles for some sort of lower profile rubberized bars or brushes to agitate the materials.

But brighter brass will bring buyers that dirty brass might turn away.

[shotman4]

the SS works and for what you are doing Get a small electric cement mixer . Harbor freight , lowes . home depot , etc. the SS will last life time. but remember it will rust if you leave it wet .
the stuff is not cheap but you may cut a deal for about 25 to 35 lbs .

[cundiff5535]

This is all good stuff here guys. I guess I am a little confused on the water part of this... Isthere a formula for media to water. Hoew does that part work? How do you drain the water from the cases and media?

[GRUMPA]

This is all good stuff here guys. I guess I am a little confused on the water part of this... Isthere a formula for media to water. Hoew does that part work? How do you drain the water from the cases and media?

I bought my tumbler from a member here that makes them and I got the medium sized unit. I've had mine for about a week now and I'm tumbling 10Lbs at a time with it. I was using the Thumlers Tumbler and while it does a real good job I needed volume. The home made unit is just a bit different and that is it has actual blades in the drum itself and creates more agitation which requires less time to clean. What used to take me 1 1/2hrs to do with my old one I can do in 1hr with the new ones and they actually seem cleaner. But I convert brass and run 2 cleaning cycles so don't think you just dump in 10Lbs of brass and think it's all going to look as good as new after 1hr.

All I do with mine is fill with 10Lbs of brass (pins are already in there) fill with hot water and add Lemi-Shine and Dawn liquid dish soap and let run for an hour. To separate I use a colander that sits in a large bowl and pour the brass/media into it and while the faucet is running I shake the media thru the colander while under the water that's in the bowl so the pins wont fly all over the place. When I'm confident I've removed all the pins I bring it out of the water and with the faucet still running I shake and rinse and dry off with a towel. Then I take what's left in the tumbler and do it all over again.

The person I bought mine from does make a larger unit but it uses the bigger motor and I live on solar power so I have to be conservative with the amount of power that I use.

[Kiwishooter]

I bought my tumbler from a member here that makes them and I got the medium sized unit. I've had mine for about a week now and I'm tumbling 10Lbs at a time with it. I was using the Thumlers Tumbler and while it does a real good job I needed volume. The home made unit is just a bit different and that is it has actual blades in the drum itself and creates more agitation which requires less time to clean. What used to take me 1 1/2hrs to do with my old one I can do in 1hr with the new ones and they actually seem cleaner. But I convert brass and run 2 cleaning cycles so don't think you just dump in 10Lbs of brass and think it's all going to look as good as new after 1hr.

All I do with mine is fill with 10Lbs of brass (pins are already in there) fill with hot water and add Lemi-Shine and Dawn liquid dish soap and let run for an hour. To separate I use a colander that sits in a large bowl and pour the brass/media into it and while the faucet is running I shake the media thru the colander while under the water that's in the bowl so the pins wont fly all over the place. When I'm confident I've removed all the pins I bring it out of the water and with the faucet still running I shake and rinse and dry off with a towel. Then I take what's left in the tumbler and do it all over again.

The person I bought mine from does make a larger unit but it uses the bigger motor and I live on solar power so I have to be conservative with the amount of power that I use.

Grumpa have you got a pic of the tumbler?

[GRUMPA]

I don't have a picture of it but I can give you the link for them.

http://www.biggdawgtumblers.com/

[Sonnypie]

This is all good stuff here guys. I guess I am a little confused on the water part of this... Isthere a formula for media to water. Hoew does that part work? How do you drain the water from the cases and media?

Warning: No profession Actors Were Used in the Production of this Film. (Apparently...) http://youtu.be/i-6SOiWE8Hc
5 minutes in, 7 minutes in, and on, answers your questions.
The bigger you go the heavier things get.

I use a Cabela's separator for mine, and I do my rinsing in front of my shop. The rinse goes down the driveway.
I just use the garden hose. Also I have some expansion joints and have found some occasional strays in them. A magnet brings the wayward back into the fold.

You can make your set up as large and elaborate as you think your back can handle.

[Moonman]

bigdogtumblers Big Dog is a member here and makes some larger and interesting looking tumblers

of ALL sizes, Click on the link from Grumpa and give him a look.

Big Dog's tumblers are constructed from PVC Pipe/Tubing of all sizes.

STM, an Sponsor here at the top of the page makes a 40 lb unit I know.

The 40 pound STM unit is $800 which includes Machine, 15 pounds S.S, and Media, Lemi-Shine.

This unit supposedly will do aprox. 2100 rounds of Pistol Brass.

Hope this helps.

S.S. Tumbling is GREAT!

[Moonman]

cundiff5535,

If you go the S.S. route,

RUN THE S.S PINS ALONE WITHOUT ANY BRASS THE FIRST TIME,

THIS WILL DE-BURR THE PINS.

The media should last a long, long, long time.

The media is also MAGNETIC to aid with the pickup of any spilled pins,

BUT IT DOES NOT RUST.

I leave mine inside the drum when finished.

An ALCOHOL BATH, consisting of 90% plus alcohol, NOT 70% drug store variety,

would aid with DRYING IMMEDIATELY. ALCOHOL DISPLACES THE WATER.

Beware the ALCOHOL BATH IS EXTREMELY FLAMMABLE.

Good luck with your choices.