Frankford Arsenal Platinum Rotary Tumbler

[TNsailorman]

After many, many years of using vibratory tumblers, I decided to try one of the steel pin tumblers. I,ve got one on the way from Midway and any suggestions or tips on its use will be appreciated. I'm an old dog trying out a new trick. james

[Nueces]

I use Dawn liquid dish soap and LemiShine powder, and not much of either, in cold tap water. More soap than you need makes the barrel a suds bomb on opening. Before you run it with brass, tumble just the pins for several hours, to remove manufacturing lube and to break off any tiny burrs on the pins. Rinse the pins well.

My technique for cartridge brass has two tumbling steps. Step one is the cleaning step, Dawn and LemiShine. Usually, an hour is enough for just fired cases. Then rinse and change the water to a solution with ArmorAll Wash'n'Wax and LemiShine for another hour. This continues the cleaning and leaves the brass with a micro coating of hard wax that inhibits tarnishing. This coating is not detectable during handling, but it's effective.

Dirtier brass and range pickups often need a longer first step. The first several times you tumble a lot of cases you often find the water has some tiny brass dust in it. I think this is just the cases being deburred and it ceases after several tumbling cycles.

Get yourself a digital timer which plugs into your outlet and has a jack to plug in the tumbler. Then, you can leave it alone. This advice is more for the Thumler and Rebel units, as I think your Frankford has an integral timer.

[onelight]

If you don’t have one of these get one I also find a mechanics telescoping magnet to be helpful.

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/37...ss-steel-media

[leeshall]

I use this one:

https://www.harborfreight.com/long-r...ase-93950.html


Works great.

[NyFirefighter357]

Everything Nueces said. Also get the media magnet. They now make 2 sizes, which one did you get? After I'n done tumbling, I put the screen on one end & pour off what water I can into a 2.5gal bucket without dumping the contents. I discard the water then shake the screened end into the bucket to get as many pins out as possible turning right side up a few times to settle out the pins in any brass. I then fill the container with clean water and a good sized strong magnet and set it back to tumble only a few minutes. You can use this time to remove your pins from the bucket with the magnet put them is sealable plastic container. I then once again pour off the water & discard. The magnet will get just about all the pins left behind, reach in & remove it. I then add 2-2"x6" strips of chamois car towel & I tumble the brass for several more minutes, this removes most of the water from the cases. After that you can spread the brass on a heavy towel and run the media separator magnet over them to catch the few left. After about an hour air drying, I put them under a ceiling fan they should be ready to store.

This chart is for the large F.A.R.T.

[TNsailorman]

Thanks for the suggestions. I did order a magnet pick up with the tumbler. I got the larger unit also. It comes with the screens, steel pins and a packet of cleaning powder. Really looking forward to trying it out. james

[onelight]

Thanks for the suggestions. I did order a magnet pick up with the tumbler. I got the larger unit also. It comes with the screens, steel pins and a packet of cleaning powder. Really looking forward to trying it out. james

They are a bit of work but the cases sure come out nice.
My system is pretty lax compared to NyFirefighter357 I load mine by the coffee can a 1lb 11.8 oz. size 1 can of brass add water an inch or two over the brass and add the cleaning solution.
I still use my Hornady and walnut hulls for small batch’s of cases .
But can also for example you can drop 20 , 45-70 cases in with a batch of 45 auto and 45 colt in the wet tumbler. The wet tumbler cleans well without pins to , they come out similar to dry tumbling.

[Drew P]

I ended up removing the pins from my process entirely, and tumble just cases. They don’t get primer pockets shiny but I don’t seem to mind. I didn’t like the idea of pins getting stuck and hiding in cases through loading, reducing internal volume and creating nasty shotshells. I was thinking about trying BBs instead but haven’t seen the need yet for inside case cleanliness. I suppose my expander balls might disagree, but I haven’t asked them. YMMV

[NyFirefighter357]

I ended up removing the pins from my process entirely, and tumble just cases. They don’t get primer pockets shiny but I don’t seem to mind. I didn’t like the idea of pins getting stuck and hiding in cases through loading, reducing internal volume and creating nasty shotshells. I was thinking about trying BBs instead but haven’t seen the need yet for inside case cleanliness. I suppose my expander balls might disagree, but I haven’t asked them. YMMV

BB's will work as well except cleaning the primer pockets.

I tumbler all sorts of things to clean them or remove tarnish like tools. For this I've used the pins, old roller & ball bearings & BB's, I also use a mixed shape jewelers media to clean jewelry in a low speed tumbler.

[TNsailorman]

I got the Frankfort Saturday and today I ran a batch of .45ACP through it and it cleaned pretty well. The first batch I ran for 1 hour 15 minutes and the inside of the cases were clean but not shiney. I ran another batch for 2 hours and 30 minutes and they came really nice. Shiney inside and out. It is a lot more work than vibratory tumbler but worth the effort. james

[retread]

I wet tumble everything now. I didn't like the dust form a dry vibrating tumbler. Can't be good for your lungs either. I am in the process of trying to sell my house and move out of Oregon (way to liberal for me anymore) and I haven't decided whether to keep my dry tumblers or not. I have a big Dillon and a smaller FA. Might sell the Dillon and find some one locally that needs the FA.

[6bg6ga]

Went to the ultrasonic cleaner myself. I clean the brass in there dry it and polish it in the Dillon tumbler in a fraction of the time spent in a tumbler alone.