Drying brass after tumbling

[abunaitoo]

I'm thinking my drier idea, would be the same as putting them over the A/C fan.
Not hot enough to dry to fast, and cause water spots, but hot enough to dry the fast.
I used to vibrate after, but it took more time.
I always seem to put off reloading for the weekend, until I run out of time.
Then it's rush, rush, rush, to get er' done.

[Land Owner]

I have a 5 ton ac unit out back of the house. If for some reason I have to wash dirty brass when done I stick them in an old aluminum salad colander and put it on the top where the fan blows out the hot air. Here in Louisiana that would take about 20-30 minutes tops to dry any brass that has been washed. Frank

I like your thinking Frank. REUSE is what reloaders do best and reusing the heat taken out of the house to dry brass is an EXCELLENT idea.

True story - DO NOT USE OPEN FLAME (at least not for too long). I used the top of a commercial fire pit to dry 500-750 cases of 223 brass on top of a grill (see pic below). The grill heated some of the cases up to red hot and they all dried PDQ (I suppose I was in a hurry and I truly did not know better at the time).

I went into production of a few single fired rounds (50). Problems then surfaced as soft brass and even softer primer pockets. The primers blew out even though they seemed to be firmly installed. I tossed ALL of the lot of them.

I suppose someone has to be "That Guy" and the Fickle Finger of Fate pointed in my direction on that day. What a waste...don't be like Land Owner...a good example of a bad experience. Lessen Learned - the hard way.

[tankgunner59]

I don't use any dryers or ovens at all. After wet tumbling my brass I put it on a large towel on my reloading table, wipe off the excess water and let it air dry. Then I tumble using walnut media, Nu Finish and mineral spirits for about 3 hours.

[samari46]

One time I bought a couple buckets of indoor shooting range 45acp brass. All mostly once fired with all the dirt off the floor included. No way was I going to load up my tumbler with all that dirt. Deprimed and cleaned the primer pockets and washed them in water and some Dawn dish washing detergent. Then out back and into the colander. Just kept dumping out the dry ones and filled with wet. Took awhile but at the end had two buckets of clean & dry brass. Used to mine the pistol berm at our range. Dump some in a cement mixing tub and blasted with the pressure washer to get the mud and dirt off. Dumped on a cut open contractor sized black plastic bag and let mother nature do the rest. Very little dirt came out when fluxed. Frank

[nicholst55]

When I was living in Yuma, AZ, I just laid the wet brass out on a towel or old bedsheet on the back porch. It didn't take long to dry during the 9 months of summer.

[Land Owner]

nicholst55 you had 37% average or less humidity. In the SE, we suffer from 97%+ humidity and it takes a lot longer...usually just after the next monsoon hits, and the dry cycle starts over.

[redhawk0]

I suppose someone has to be "That Guy" and the Fickle Finger of Fate pointed in my direction on that day.

Hahahaha....I love this quote...it makes me want to Laugh - In your direction.

redhawk

[Land Owner]

I wonder where the generational "cut off line" is in understanding that?

[Kevin Rohrer]

My brass goes in the oven for a 1/2-hour at 250F. After turning off the heat, I allow the brass to continue drying w/ the door cracked.

[ioon44]

I use a 2 ft x 2 ft 1/4 " screen in a wooden frame and put it out in full sunshine for a few hours, in the winter I place the screen behind my wood stove over night.