Wet stainless pin tumbling

[Bayou52]

Pretty good ideas. Thanks for sharing.

[VHoward]

I have found that you can cut your cleaning time almost in half if you stop at 1&½ hours rinse and re make your solution with fresh dawn and lemishine. Stop again at 2 &½ hours and you're done. If you get the initial tarnish and dirt out, they clean up even faster.

Bill

I only tumble mine for 2 hours to begin with and they come out shiney like new.

[skeet1]

Hi, Ken -

What's your preferred method of drying your brasses after tumbling?

I'm always interested in learning different techniques used by folks....

Thanks -

Bayou52

I am still experimenting but so far I like laying the cases on a cookie sheet in the hot sun. I don't know what I'm going to do in the winter time, maybe put the cookie sheet in the oven at very low temp.

Ken

[Bayou52]

FYI -

The drying technique I've used for some time now uses the rotary media separator. After separating the pins from the cases, the water is removed from the separator. The cases are still in the basket. Next, simply throw a dry towel in the basket with the wet casings and rotate the basket vigorously. The dry towel will capture 90+ % of all of the water that remained in the casings.

Next, simply put the barely damp casings in a plastic tray and let them set in open air to finish drying out. It'll only take an hour or so. No need for heaters, dryers, ovens, heat lamps, etc., etc.

In my experience, at least, this technique works great.

Bayou52

[VHoward]

Food dehydrator for 10 to 15 minutes.

[Bayou52]

Hi, All -

This thread started by a poster who said he was using automobile wash & wax instead of dishwashing liquid for wet tumbling. Sounds like an interesting technique, but I've never tried it.

If anyone uses wash & wax for wet tumbling instead of dishwashing liquid, a couple of inquiries from your experiences -

1. How much wash & wax do you use per batch,

2. Do you still add Lemi-Shine,

3. What's the benefit of using wash & wax instead of using dishwashing liquid,

4. Does wash & wax impede/slow the return of tarnish?

I'd like to hear from you and learn a bit more about this.

Thanks!

Bayou52

[tjones]

Finally found some stainless media. http://www.kingsleynorth.com/skshop/...6590&catID=789

Dumb me Ive been looking in the wrong place for years. A little Dawn or Joy and a little water make brass brand new looking brand new.

[Hawkeye45]

I have a couple of questions related to this thread (1) how much pure citric acid you'll you use instead of Lemi-shine? (2) has any one used the SS balls like come with the moly coat process?

Mr. Ed

[Bonz]

I wet tumble 12 pounds of brass at a time in my 40lb commercial tumbler. When finished, lots of rinsing and then put all the brass in a bath towel and shaken. Then I spread them out on another towel that is on a table directly under the ceiling fan in my office. The ceiling fan finishes the drying job.

[Bayou52]

Very nice....

A small bit of my recent handywork:

Share the BLING!

[Gillie Dog]

I have a couple of questions related to this thread (1) how much pure citric acid you'll you use instead of Lemi-shine? (2) has any one used the SS balls like come with the moly coat process?

Mr. Ed

#1) Lemi-Shine is so close to pure cirtic that you use the same amount. My source of citric is anhydrous food grade and when tested against Lemi-Shine I could tell no difference. A couple of tests done on Lemi-Shine came up with 95% or better citric.

#2) Not me.

GD

[kbstenberg]

Skeet I use the cookie sheet / oven now. It works. I set the oven on the lowest setting (185 ) 20 minutes heat time. Shut oven off let brass stay in oven till cool.
I only let my brass in the tumbler and pins for 1.5 hrs. and I clean my brass everyother time i use it.

[detox]

I have a couple of questions related to this thread (1) how much pure citric acid you'll you use instead of Lemi-shine? (2) has any one used the SS balls like come with the moly coat process?

Mr. Ed

The thin pins get into and clean primer pocket best.

[Love Life]

From what you see in the tubs (grungy and dirty brass) to squeaky clean in 2 hours. Hose water, 3 heaping spoons of pure citric acid, and a 3-4 second squirt of dawn. No changing water in between, no praying or ceremonial dances. Just nice and clean brass everytime.

[montana_charlie]

From what you see in the tubs (grungy and dirty brass) to squeaky clean in 2 hours. Hose water, 3 heaping spoons of pure citric acid, and a 3-4 second squirt of dawn.

Ulp! ... how big is your tumbler?

CM

[Love Life]

To clarify. I do not get all 5 tubs (1,000 lbs) of brass clean in two hours!

I run 22 lbs of brass at a time, 23 lbs of pins, water up to the neck of the drum, 3 heaping spoons of citric acid, and dawn. Tumble for 2 hours and done.

My tumbler is the biggest one offered by Bigg Dawg Tumblers. I think it is 8 inch pipe, but would have to verify. That tumbler has run 4 hours a night almost every week night and 12 hours a day every saturday since early April. My only regret is that I did not buy the double drum system from the get go, but that little beast has cleaned well over a ton (literally) of brass. All I've ever had to change was one of the rods after dropping the full drum on it and bending it...

[Bayou52]

Impressive..........

[Love Life]

Something else to chew on. The easiest way to separate brass from pins:

Buy the Dillon media separator or any media separator with a squirrel cage and a tub. Fill tub with water, put open squirrel cage in tub, dump brass into squirrel cage, close squirrel cage, rotate squirrel cage in water (in tub) until pins stop falling out, remove sqirrel cage from water and tub, shake over water and tub, dump shiny brass on blanket.

All you have to do now is dump the water from your media tub, and put your pins back in the SS tumbler and keep cleaning. I may wash my pins out with hot water and soap every 1,000 lbs of brass or so.

[detox]

I use the RCBS Sidewinder tumbler filled with 5lbs of stainless pin media. I clean small batches of 50-100 cases after shooting at the range. Fill with hot water and lemi-shine then let tumble 3 hours. I towel dry then use my vibratory and corncob media.

I seperate stainless pins by pouring brass and pins thru large wire colander and over large bowl of water. I stir my brass with hands to remove pins while colander is setting in large bowl of water.

[Bayou52]

The easiest way to separate brass from pins:

Buy the Dillon media separator or any media separator with a squirrel cage and a tub.

+1 on this type of rotary media separator. It is highly effective and easy to use in my experience. The one I have came in a kit from STM along with the Thumler's Tumbler and SS pins.

Bayou52