thoughts On brass cleaning equipment?

[mgread]

I been doing well with selling lead on eBay. So it time to buy the next thing in line for making my own ammo. I need help find the right and best for price brass cleaning tool. Tumblr or vibrator? And what media would be the best. I have watch 100's of video on line and I'm still not 100% of the way I'm going to go. Any help?

[edler7]

Having used both, I prefer the rotary tumbler/SS pin method. Initial set up cost is higher, but I think it does a superior job to the vibrating tumbler/cob-walnut method. Primer pockets are always clean, and brass is clean inside and out. I never saw that with the vibe method.

My 2 vibe tumblers now sit and gather dust.

[mgread]

Having used both, I prefer the rotary tumbler/SS pin method. Initial set up cost is higher, but I think it does a superior job to the vibrating tumbler/cob-walnut method. Primer pockets are always clean, and brass is clean inside and out. I never saw that with the vibe method.

My 2 vibe tumblers now sit and gather dust.

What kind of rotary tumbler do you have or did you made one

[salpal48]

I am a Rotary man Myself. Gave up Vibrators for the same Reason. To Loud, Cheap products, waist of media. gave up Pins also. Just a good wash and Dry then Media. with excessive pin use causes damage by Peening ( small Dents ) in brass surface. I use the same Brass Over and Over until NG. Buy a lortone . 6 or 12 lb capacity.Much better than the Model B. You can get 12 Lb material in the Drum . with a Total weight of 17 lb.s

[aap2]

I use a Lortone 12 for wet tumbling with SS pins plus a little Dawn and a bit of Lemishine to condition the water. It's very quiet in operation and the brass comes out looking like new. Additionally, any lead residue from inside the dirty case goes down the drain with the dirty water when the cases are rinsed. Sometimes I will use my vibratory tumbler with dry media to put a high polish on cases that have been wet tumbled, but not often. Whatever method you pick will work and the cost of the equipment is reasonable when you consider the cost of new brass. It's also interesting to note as mentioned above that you can use a rotary tumbler with just water and detergent without the pins; I forgot to add the pins on a few batches and the brass still came out very nice.

[GRUMPA]

I use the SS pin method for all my cleaning. Used to use the media vibe method, which at the time was all there was. I got so tired of replacing the media, the dust, the polish, having things shipped in, it got to the point it was a major expense.

Then the rotary tumblers and SS pins came in, buy it once, don't lose the pins, everything in the water now isn't floating around in the air, and the pins do a much better job all the way around. All I need to buy is Lemi-Shine and Dawn dish soap, and those I can get at the market.

I went with a home made unit that a person by the name of biggdawg makes, they aren't cheap, but they work very well and last a long time.

Just click on the link in my signature, it'll take you to the VS section of the site. From there just click any of the threads, and just look at the pictures I have of what I do, they look virtually factory fresh when I get done with them..

[John Boy]

* Lotrone QT12 (two 6 lb drums)
* Kramer K-Polish 3mm triangles
* Strat-O-Sheen burnishing solution
* Scrubbing Bubbles
New Cleaning Solution - Sparkling Brass in 15 Minutes! ... http://sassnet.com/forums/index.php?...895&hl=bubbles

[Vann]

I also use stainless pins in a STM Rebel 17. I bought it from the link at the top of this page. I used corn cob in a vibratory polisher for years, it'll make it shine but it won't clean the primer pockets or the inside of the case very well. Then I spent a couple hundred bucks on a sonic cleaner, it was a big step up from the corn cob media in the polisher but it doesn't polish the brass at all. It just cleans it, if the primer pockets have a lot of buildup it can take a while to get them really clean. The plus side to the sonic cleaner is that it will make a clean gun really clean. It's unbelievable how mush crud you can get out of a pistol slide or shotgun bolt with a sonic cleaner.

Finally I tried the stainless pins, if your brass is really dirty no other method of cleaning will clean like stainless pins. I run my brass in the tumbler for a while then pull them out, give it a quick rinse and throw them in a polisher full of corn cob just to dry them out. I believe that they are actually shiner than new brass when I'm finished.

If you just want clean brass you can try the citrus acid method, it works pretty good as far as cleaning and removing build up. I use it often when I'm in a hurry, but I prefer the stainless pins if I want to clean it and polish it at the same time.

[pertnear]

I have 3 - a Wet Tumbler w/SS pins, vibrator & Ultrasonic. If I had to have only 1 it would be the SS-pin tumbler. I bought the Frankford Arsenal tumbler kit from Midway & I think it is a very good value. I see them on sale frequently for $160. The Ultra sonic cleans brass but does not polish, if that is important to you. I hate the wet mess but love the results of the tumbler. Sometimes I'll use the vibrator on a small batches to degrease after sizing or to put that final brilliant shine after wet tumbling, if that is needed. Not surprising, with the popularity of the SS tumbling, prices on vibratory units is dropping. I saw one on sale recently for $39.95. I'd say in the long run, you are going to want a wet-tumbler & a vibrator.

FWIW

[douglasskid]

Wet Wet Wet, very good results. Can not go wrong.

[Springfield]

I have found vibratory tumbling works fine for me. I have a rotary wet cleaner that I use for brass that I find that has tarnished horribly but other than that, I find a few hours in the tumbler works great. I don't remove my primers before cleaning as I have found I can reload my 45 colt and 44-40 at least 10 times without it becoming a problem, so that doesn't interest me much. And separating brass from dry media is sooo much easier than getting all those pins out of the cases, and then I still have to dry the brass. So, as far as time and expense, I find a tumbler is best for me.

[dragon813gt]

Vibratory tumbler w/ walnut shell media. If I have to clean a large batch I use the cement mixer. I don't need my brass looking brand new. I don't care about the primer pockets being squeaky clean. A few hours in the tumbler and they're ready to load. Don't have to worry about drying the brass or separating the pins.

[country gent]

I still use a dillon vibratory with corn cobs and iosso brass polish, have also steared adding 1/2 cap of nufinish occasionally. rejuvinate at start of cleaning with 2 ounces of alchlol lightly poured around running bowl let run for 5-6 mins then add brass. DOes a great job for me. One thing to do is makes sure what you want to do as this equipment tends to run forever ( my dillon is 20 years old ) mine has been thru ispc bowling pin competition, NRA High power rifle stint and now BPCR sillouette. Its still running great only maintence I ve done is occasionally empty and put a drop of oil on motor bearings.

[edler7]

What kind of rotary tumbler do you have or did you made one

Mine is a Highland Park rock tumbler bought at a yard sale years ago. It had a large and small tumbler with it. The large will easily hold 100 30-06 cases and 5 pounds of pins. The small will probably hold 1/3 that amount.

Loking them up on the web, they were the go to tumblers in their day, and many lapidary tumblers copy their design.

[retread]

I have two vibratory tumblers (one Dillon and a FA) plus a rotary tumbler for SS pins, dawn and lemishine. Rotary drive is homemade with an RCBS sidewinder drum I bought used. I only run the wet tumbler for 90 minutes and they come out like new. You will definitely peen cases is you run then too long. I have not seen any detrimental effect running them for the 90 minute cycle. No dust! If I have a large amount that are really dirty (range pickups and the like) I run them in the Dillon first then a quick run through the wet system.

[salpal48]

I had a Double Drum 15Lb each Highland Park. . This was and is The Cadillac of Tumblers. sold it Because too Big. Now I run several 12 lb Lortone' filled to Capacity Is total 17lb's . These machines are not Cheap but almost Indestructible. . These were made to Run for Days On end.Also use a Star-Diamond. Even though Vibrators will do a decent Job. Come back in 25 years Or so. and see where they are. . I.m still Running my first lortone Purchased 1974

Mine is a Highland Park rock tumbler bought at a yard sale years ago. It had a large and small tumbler with it. The large will easily hold 100 30-06 cases and 5 pounds of pins. The small will probably hold 1/3 that amount.

Loking them up on the web, they were the go to tumblers in their day, and many lapidary tumblers copy their design.

[dragonrider]

I have a vibratory Thumblers Ultra-Vibe 18, and a rotary Lortone R40. Both are good machines and do a great job of cleaning brass. The rotary does do a significantly better job, I use corncob in both with Dillon rapid shine. I checked Lortone on line and found that they are not cheap but judging by the model I have they appear to be high quality, I got lucky at a yard sale.

[Pee Wee]

Here is a consideration that may influence your decision. I have used all methods described above. I settled on a rebel 17 SS pin tumbler. The reason is I like the results of the wet SS pin washing. The reason I like the rebel is I can rinse the brass out still in the drum in my utility sink dump in seprater then dry. I use to have a homemade pin tumbler it took up much more room, was way noisier (wife hated it because of the noise) and had to have a tool to get the rubber cap of with, struggle to hold it up to get the cap off, get the hose out in the drive way to rinse out the PVC pipe then pore in a separator full of water to rinse the rest of the soap out. The rebel has cut down the steps and is much less time consuming and more convenient to use and you can hardly hear it running.(wife really likes that.)
I chose the rebel 17 because of the roller bearing on the drive unit versus bushing on the thumblrer unit. I have tumbled 100s of thousands of brass and not one problem.

[mdi]

Depends on how much you want to invest, how much is involved, and what you expect. If you want virgin looking brass, use wet tumbling w/SS pins. But a good rotary can be $$$ and you mess with mixing a solution, tumbling in a sealed container, rinsing and drying. Most good rotary tumblers are a "buy once" situation as they'll last nearly forever. If you want shiny brass a rotary is good with corn cob media. But a good rotary can be $$$, and many have a "formula" for additives to the media. If you just want clean, somewhat shiny brass a vibrator (wobbler) with cob or crushed walnut shells is good. Most can be low cost and most will last many, many years. But some can be noisy and can take a good while to get good results. Dry media is easy to find and most is cheap. I saw SS pins for sale for $40+ per lb., and 25 lbs of corn cob blast media for $35.00.

There's a lot more pros and cons to both type and if I had an unlimited budget I'd prolly go with the Thumblers' best kit. But I'm on a fixed income and have a wobbler (lyman 1200) and a rotary (HF double drum with home made 5 lb drum). I tried wet tumbling, but for me and my needs it was a bit too involved. So, if I want shiny brass (for my 30-06 and 45 ACP, to find the ejected cases in the dirt), I'll dry tumble in my rotary with cob w/auto polish and if I'm just cleaning brass I'll dump them in my wobbler with my Mystery Media and run it for an hour unattended...

[rodsvet]

mdi, you did mean $40 for 5 lbs. of pins, right? Don't want to scare the guy off, lol. Rod