38 Special: The Wet Fart Chronicles

[lightman]

What do you do to keep the Brass from Tarnishing after wet tumbling and drying? If I do not put in a vibratory tumbler for 1/2 hour after Pin Cleaning and Drying; I get dull tarnished brass in 3 to 5 days.

Like the others have said, substitute Wash and Wax for the Dawn. Everybody has a favorite but I've not noticed a difference between brands. The Walmart store brand seems to work as well as any!

[AnthonyB]

I'm a belt and suspenders guy and use Dawn with the wash & wax....
Tony

[brassrat]

Maybe try some tips here, someday. Every wet tumble attempt has left me with extremely tarnished brass in multiple colors. I like my Lyman tumbler with good media.

[SquibCity]

i recently got the big fart machine. Ive Had Great Luck with only citric acid and a little dawn. havent used pins yet, not too worried about primer pockets being all the way clean for handgun loads. Overall way better than vibratory cleaners.

[jdgabbard]

The results look nice. I'm always surprised at how well the stainless pins polish up brass. I probably should invest in a wet tumbler, but I'm still using my vibratory with walnut media.

That said, I'm jaded where it concerns Frankford Arsenal. I bought one of their Primer Pocket Swagers last year. I used it three times before the darn thing broke the spring at the back. I promptly contacted Frankford Arsenal on their website, they still have not responded. I tried contacting them again, still nothing. Their Custom Service sucks...

That said, lots of other options out there. I'll be replacing the Frankford Arsenal Swage with the RCBS Bench Swager. When I do decide to get a wet tumbler I'll find a different brand to go with. I've given Frankford Arsenal the last dime I'll ever give them.

Just my .02

[Recycled bullet]

I wonder if their quality control has been slipping? I had a Frankfurt Arsenal hand priming tool. It was great. I could really do a lot of case priming really fast . I primed at least 20,000 9 mm and 38 specials, then it broke and I called and I emailed nobody there really cared. The handle frame literally cracked the metal broke I couldn't even silver solder it back together because it was made of zamak castings. It was like trying to Silver solder crayons. That dog don't hunt. Fast forward several years.. Finally getting tired of ram priming in a Lee hand press -I need a faster solution!

I am hesitant to purchase another product only to purchase the same pattern failure. Do you guys have any suggestions of a tool I can buy to rapidly prime lots of 38 Special brass?

I'm going to bell the case mouths m-style using the Lee hand press and noe adapters or with the rcbs stepped expander, that seems fast enough to do with two buckets while watching a movie.

Priming 38 Special brass is getting real tedious after about 300 cases with the Lee hand press.

Good news is that I have learned not to Prime my thumb

[Budzilla 19]

Recycled bullet, this is just Turtle Wax Wash and wax stuff. White bottle, green label. Just my findings, but if you add Dawn dish soap, plus the wash and wax, the Dawn negates the effect of the wax in the solution. I guess it has a surfactant in it? I don’t know. But I know it works a heck of a lot better without the dawn, just the wash and wax stuff! I do add some Lemishine also.
Priming tools? RCBS hand primer is easy to use, also CH ram prime that goes in your press. I use my Dillon SDB to load all pistol rounds, so I don’t really hand prime very much pistol unless just a few for testing loads. I use the Dillon case separator but fill the tub with water! It gets those pins out right now! Also, I add some wash and wax to the rinse water. They dry with no water marks and stay shiny much longer.

[alfadan]

I've been tumbling with dish soap and citric acid without pins and the results have been quite satisfactory.

[jdgabbard]

I wonder if their quality control has been slipping? I had a Frankfurt Arsenal hand priming tool. It was great. I could really do a lot of case priming really fast . I primed at least 20,000 9 mm and 38 specials, then it broke and I called and I emailed nobody there really cared. The handle frame literally cracked the metal broke I couldn't even silver solder it back together because it was made of zamak castings. It was like trying to Silver solder crayons. That dog don't hunt. Fast forward several years.. Finally getting tired of ram priming in a Lee hand press -I need a faster solution!

I am hesitant to purchase another product only to purchase the same pattern failure. Do you guys have any suggestions of a tool I can buy to rapidly prime lots of 38 Special brass?

I'm going to bell the case mouths m-style using the Lee hand press and noe adapters or with the rcbs stepped expander, that seems fast enough to do with two buckets while watching a movie.

Priming 38 Special brass is getting real tedious after about 300 cases with the Lee hand press.

Good news is that I have learned not to Prime my thumb

I don't think it's their QC really... From what I have read, this is a piece that is common to failure: a little spring at the back that has 90 bends where it connects. Apparently it breaks at the bend. The problem I have with them is there is reportedly a lifetime guarantee. But you can't get a response from anyone at the company to sort out the issue. So I've got a basically useless primer pocket swager...

[Apple Man]

No big deal at all. I use the same hardware cloth basket in the same oven for powder coating bullets. I set it at 200°F last night, time to check and see if they are fully dry. The drying works faster and better with primers out.

I believe my wife would have a different take on using her oven to dry brass.

[rintinglen]

I believe my wife would have a different take on using her oven to dry brass.

Mine too. She said I had better plan on eating anything I put in her oven.

[jdgabbard]

^^^ And these two comments are just another reason I'm single.

[Patrick L]

I second that is quite shiny! I may look into this in the future. I recently switched to an ultrasonic cleaner, but this looks good too.

My main reason for switching to a "wet" system is elimination of tumbling dust. I recently saw a jump in my blood lead levels (after 40 years of normal levels) so I am re evaluating everything to try to minimize my exposure. I never realized how much dry tumbling can expose you to lead dust.

I'm also impressed by anyone firing 250 rounds of .357 in one session. I generally fire MAYBE 10 Magnums after a session of .38 wadcutters. Mas Macho!!

[Four-Sixty]

I find a "salad spinner" handy for separating pins from wet brass. I've been using one from IKEA for years now.

I then tumble the brass in an old t shirt. I hold the shirt at four corner like it's a hammock and roll the brass back and forth. I get the outsides of the cases dry, and no spots.

[Big Boomer]

Much of the problem with having grungy looking/discolored brass after wet-pin cleaning has to do with the ph level in the rinse water. I now check the ph level of the water (5-6) after I put the brass & pins in the home made unit I use & then check the ph level of the rinse water. Adding a bit of citric acid to bring the ph level to the right point eliminates those undesirable colors. Before my son taught me about the proper ph level I had some of the oddest looking purple .30-06 brass I ever saw.
Big Boomer

[Boogan1]

Another advantage of using the wash and wax is the very thin film of wax that is left on the cases makes them run very smoothly through the press. I can tell the difference on the press handle between cases washed with dawn and wash and wax.

[JimB..]

I wonder if their quality control has been slipping? I had a Frankfurt Arsenal hand priming tool. It was great. I could really do a lot of case priming really fast . I primed at least 20,000 9 mm and 38 specials, then it broke and I called and I emailed nobody there really cared. The handle frame literally cracked the metal broke I couldn't even silver solder it back together because it was made of zamak castings. It was like trying to Silver solder crayons. That dog don't hunt. Fast forward several years.. Finally getting tired of ram priming in a Lee hand press -I need a faster solution!

I am hesitant to purchase another product only to purchase the same pattern failure. Do you guys have any suggestions of a tool I can buy to rapidly prime lots of 38 Special brass?

I'm going to bell the case mouths m-style using the Lee hand press and noe adapters or with the rcbs stepped expander, that seems fast enough to do with two buckets while watching a movie.

Priming 38 Special brass is getting real tedious after about 300 cases with the Lee hand press.

Good news is that I have learned not to Prime my thumb

You want an RCBS universal bench primer. Yeah people complain about the primer tube flopping about, but that’s how it’s designed and it works really well.

[Recycled bullet]

You want an RCBS universal bench primer. Yeah people complain about the primer tube flopping about, but that’s how it’s designed and it works really well.

I will read about that one. Thank you for the suggestion.

[Recycled bullet]

Thanks all for suggesting the wash and wax. Thanks Budzilla 19 for suggesting the specific turtle wax. Now they shine!!!

[Chill Wills]

Cartridge porn.