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Thread: SS Pin tumbling question -- blue stains?

  1. #21
    Boolit Master
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    About 1-2 hr in this La. heat will dry out anything.

  2. #22
    Boolit Grand Master Tripplebeards's Avatar
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    I had issues when I first started pin tumbling. I didn't get the right mix ratio and my brass was turning a dull army green after letting it tumbe for a a day or two. Or it would turn pink with too much Lemishine. I use a harbor freight double rock tumbler. I was told to use a tablespoon of dishwashing liquid and a teaspoon of Lemishine. Tumble for four hours, rinse, roll in a towel to eleminate water spotting, and dry. My brass looks like I polished it with mothers inside and out. I was told to wash my pins afterwards once in a while after tumbling.

  3. #23
    Banned
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    I use a DIY 2 gal wet tumbler
    1 teaspoon lemi shine or citric acid
    3 squirts dawn
    fill almost full with hot water
    tumble for 2 hrs
    rinse thoroughly
    dunk in a bucket of car wash/wax & water for a few seconds
    drain, rinse lightly,
    drain, dump on a towel and wipe off the outside
    place in dehydrator for 2 hrs.







  4. #24
    Boolit Grand Master In Remembrance
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    I find I really prefer wet tumblings' results over the old vibratory I have now, no abrasives in my brass (which is good as that won't chew expensive guns up) and far cleaner looking. I DIY mine, pretty much same as Grmps' formula but not bought car wax/wash yet. WA state so drying is NOT easy in this lack of heat and high humidity usually - So I use a dehydrator. Works well!

  5. #25
    Boolit Grand Master

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    My Wife made me a pillow case type bag from an old bath towel. I dump the wet cases into it and give them a shake rattle and roll. Then they go onto a baking tray (mine) and either into the oven or outside in the sun. The oven was quicker than the dehydrator that I had and the sun is free.

  6. #26
    Boolit Grand Master In Remembrance
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    The last part to dry on my cases seems to be the flash hole, if I don't tap or blow the water out of that. Same dehydrator here, it works well enough

  7. #27
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    Nueces -- I'm married to a (now retired) RN who seems to be OCD ONLY when it comes to kitchen ware/appliances being used for ONLY for FOOD! Although never specified, I gather this rule was not necessarily practiced in hospital setting, exacerbating her concerns re this. My best choice for attempting your method would be for me to purchase a second stove with oven, installing same in garage . I have read of folks using toaster-ovens, which may in fact work. I am concerned, though, re one of brass's mysteries to me, where a high temperature for a short time, *OR* a relatively low temperature for a long time, equally anneal it. I drilled a small hole in my dryer's top tray's side, where I have (held with Velcro) a Taylor baking thermometer, and 285*F seems to be the modal temperature of the 500-watt heating element's drying stream directed down on the brass. Perhaps (probably) I'm demonstrating, again, too much caution... but, I do have a warm and fuzzy feeling from using the Frankfort dryer. Happy you can and do use your oven... whatever works, eh?
    geo

  8. #28
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    Mr_Sheesh -- I have long toyed with the idea of using a "needle" air gun -- the air blower with a ~3/16" tip, maybe three inches long, to blow water out, INCLUDING the flash hole. Interestingly, while it does add a few seconds to the process of getting tumbled cases from the colander they're transferred to, to the dryer, a "smart" tap of each case -- neck down -- on a scrap piece of stainless steel stock I have had as "scrap" works nicely for me. It seems I can only do this to about a dozen bottleneck cases before I need swipe a towel across it to remove the expelled water! It is amazing to me as to how much water is tapped out of each case, and in addition to aiding general drying, it has been a part of my "quality control" to see each flash hole is both void of water -- as well as the rare cases which will have a couple/three pin wedged in. Amazon lists a nozzle for a short $11 which I may just obtain -- I do have a compressor in garage less than ten feet where I process my brass...
    geo
    Attachment 223108

  9. #29
    Boolit Grand Master In Remembrance
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    georgerkahn - I tap them on a piece of plastic that has a small drain container on it, sadly NO central Air Supply here, apartment living sucks for reloaders! Glad you have a good way that works If I am feeling lazy I just toss them in the dehydrator, brass carries heat well enough that the flash holes get dried soon enough, but I check the lowest trays' brass (if the sides of the case are almost too hot to touch, the flash holes are dry! ) Only thing better would be if I had a depriming, tumbling, and dehydrating minion - Sadly, I haven't found an affordable one :P

  10. #30
    Boolit Master
    Mal Paso's Avatar
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    Don't know about brass but Dawn will corrode stainless steel.
    Mal

    Mal Paso means Bad Pass, just so you know.

  11. #31
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    JimB.. -- you have indeed raised another question! To wit, Thumler's Tumblers specifies, in their directions, a maximum weight of fifteen pounds.They even publish their reckoning of number of cases per pound, and total number of each caliber as maximum for one tumbling load. They suggest four pounds of brass per load as maximum, which is, to list a few of their calibers published:
    580 max .380ACP; 1,040 max .25ACP; 672 max .32AUTO: 384 max 10mm Auto; 480 max .38 S&W; 400 max U S .30 M1 Carbine; 140 max .30-'06; and 208 max .30WCF.
    They suggest 3 quarts of water, which is roughly six pounds; and the stainless pin weight is five more pounds.
    In my present cleaning paradigm -- .30-'06 Springfield brass, I -- based on their suggested loading -- do 120 cases (or less) to roughly 2 and a wee extra to get water a short inch above brass in tumbler, and the allmost full complement of pins. My pins have magical properties, where I seem to find one here; one there; and one or two everywhere -- generally managing to pick up a dozen or so with a magnet tool. But, I'll venture it is still a total close enough to five pounds.
    Hence, my five pounds of pins + four to five pounds of water + 120 .30-'06 cases (another ~4 pounds) comes to a bit more than thirteen pounds. The Limi-Shine, Dawn, and Wash&Wax do not add too much. And, I am comfortable running this 13 pound load in my 15-total-pound rated tumbler.
    Do you use a similar Thumler's unit as mine, or a bigger one? Twenty pounds of brass is quite the impressive load. A friend (now deceased) used to tumble similar quantities as you do in a small drum cement mixer from Sears... Just curious... George

  12. #32
    Boolit Grand Master In Remembrance
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    After a bit of garden work (7AM) I got the Tumbler out, and noted 16 of the 101 cases had really gross staining on them: a bluish color, some for roughly 3/8" from base; others in a case side; and a couple where the tip was stained. Perhaps another 20 to 25 just didn't look sparkly clean.
    When you pour the solution out of your tumbler - it's BLACK isn't it? That solution left in the tumbler will settle the impurities onto the cases and stain them
    If you really want to see darkened stained case - leave black powder cases in the tumbler and the potassium sulfide will turn the cases almost a dark brown
    Regards
    John

  13. #33
    Boolit Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by georgerkahn View Post
    JimB.. -- you have indeed raised another question! To wit, Thumler's Tumblers specifies, in their directions, a maximum weight of fifteen pounds.They even publish their reckoning of number of cases per pound, and total number of each caliber as maximum for one tumbling load. They suggest four pounds of brass per load as maximum, which is, to list a few of their calibers published:
    580 max .380ACP; 1,040 max .25ACP; 672 max .32AUTO: 384 max 10mm Auto; 480 max .38 S&W; 400 max U S .30 M1 Carbine; 140 max .30-'06; and 208 max .30WCF.
    They suggest 3 quarts of water, which is roughly six pounds; and the stainless pin weight is five more pounds.
    In my present cleaning paradigm -- .30-'06 Springfield brass, I -- based on their suggested loading -- do 120 cases (or less) to roughly 2 and a wee extra to get water a short inch above brass in tumbler, and the allmost full complement of pins. My pins have magical properties, where I seem to find one here; one there; and one or two everywhere -- generally managing to pick up a dozen or so with a magnet tool. But, I'll venture it is still a total close enough to five pounds.
    Hence, my five pounds of pins + four to five pounds of water + 120 .30-'06 cases (another ~4 pounds) comes to a bit more than thirteen pounds. The Limi-Shine, Dawn, and Wash&Wax do not add too much. And, I am comfortable running this 13 pound load in my 15-total-pound rated tumbler.
    Do you use a similar Thumler's unit as mine, or a bigger one? Twenty pounds of brass is quite the impressive load. A friend (now deceased) used to tumble similar quantities as you do in a small drum cement mixer from Sears... Just curious... George
    I run a 45lb tumbler from STM, they are a forum sponsor. Figure 25-30lbs of brass, 10lbs of pins and about 1.5gal of water putting me a little over capacity, but the thing is built like a tank so I’m not worried. Honestly I don’t really weigh the brass, just dump in a full MFRB of whatever caliber I’m cleaning. I tend to clean in batches, last time was about 75 gallons cleaned over a couple months and that’ll hold me for a while.

  14. #34
    Boolit Grand Master

    mold maker's Avatar
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    Up to a lb overweight in an STM with ball bearings has been the norm for me, especially with rifle brass
    I usually process in large batches. Often the Thumblers needs a push start to get it going with the same load.
    The amount of citric acid is often the culprit in unsuccessful cleaning. It's a case of more ISN'T better.
    Also using HOT water makes a marked improvement in time ad cleaning. Be sure to rinse thoroughly both the brass and pins.
    Information not shared. is wasted.

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