Do stainless steel pins work? (Here you go)

[hunter64]

I went to the range on Saturday and shot off 250 rounds thru my M1 Garand and found some range 30-06 laying in some dirt and ice and brought them home to try and clean up with my recently made stainless steel tumbler.
For the drum I made one out of 8" PVC and one out of 10" PE pipe that is available at work. With the 10" PE stuff I made two ends out of Plexiglas that I had and some gaskets and it works great. Wrapped the PE with some hockey tape for extra gripe on the rollers.

10 Lbs. of stainless steel pins.
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e304/1964bigfoot/IMG_0367.jpg

270 rounds of 30-06
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e304/1964bigfoot/IMG_0368.jpg

2 gallons of water, 4 tablespoons of dish soap, 1/2 tablespoon of Lemi Shine
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e304/1964bigfoot/IMG_0369.jpg


Here are some before pictures of the range pickups. Really nasty, scaled on dirt and green rust (not sure what it is), and I thought were basically just throw aways.
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e304/1964bigfoot/IMG_0361.jpg

Look at how nasty the insides are.
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e304/1964bigfoot/IMG_0366.jpg

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e304/1964bigfoot/IMG_0359.jpg

Now 3 hours in the tumbler later.

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e304/1964bigfoot/IMG_0375.jpg

You can still see the soap in the primer hole on this one. Still need to dry.
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e304/1964bigfoot/IMG_0373.jpg

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e304/1964bigfoot/IMG_0370.jpg

Now look at the insides. Much cleaner. They are the same brass as before and you can see that they are by the mouth of the brass was squished by people walking on them in the dirt.
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e304/1964bigfoot/IMG_0377.jpg


This stuff really works and I wish I had made my own tumbler earlier. Hope this dispels once and for all people not believing that it works. As they say Pictures are worth a thousand words.

[Cowboy T]

You're not the only one who's gotten results like this from the stainless cleaning medium. A buddy of mine started using it a few months ago on some equally dirty and corroded .38 Special. Figured he had nothing to lose. After an hour and a half in the tumbler, they looked much like your brass. After about 4 hours...they looked like jewelry. He uses a lemi-shine mix like you do.

Yes, that stuff really works. I've seen it. Walnut is good, but stainless is better. And ultrasonic just became obsolete.

[warf73]

Would you post side pics of the tube with the ends on and off please.

Thanks Warf

[beagle]

A friend of mine in Texas just started using the SS media and he raves about it. I'm getting interested./beagle

[longranger10]

Nice work!! Looks great and the before and after pictures never get old.

Just a reminder if you haven't seen the post we are running a special for the month of Feb. that is $10 off any order over $49.

The promo code is castboolits10

http://www.StainlessTumblingMedia.com/

[bumpo628]

Would you post side pics of the tube with the ends on and off please.

Thanks Warf

I'm curious to see your drum design too.

[captaint]

The stuff works as good as THEY say it does. I'm amazed. I hate cleaning primer pockets. No more of that... enjoy Mike

[hunter64]

For the drum I used a piece of 10" PE pipe that I get from work that is thrown out. I cut a piece of Plexiglas that I already had and mounted it on one end with some gasket cork and RTV Silicone seal.
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e304/1964bigfoot/IMG_0391.jpg

On the inside I mounted with brass screws some strips of plastic that I had laying around to help with mixing the brass and pins up.

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e304/1964bigfoot/IMG_0389.jpg

On the top I glued RTV on the PE pipe then put a layer of gasket material on top of it then another layer of gasket material and then glued the Plexiglas on top of that. So I had glue/gasket/gasket/glue and Plexiglas. Drilled holes all the way around and drove long screws thru it all into the PE pipe. When it was dried I had a flat surface with gasket on the PE pipe and a flat surface on the Plexiglas. I cut out the inside of the gasket on the pipe and now I have a perfect water tight seal.
When I make another drum I will change the top Plexiglas to metal instead. I screwed one of the screws to tight and cracked the Plexiglas and had to start over as you can see in this picture.

I wrapped some hockey stick tape around the outside to help the PE grip the rollers better if the outside gets wet when I change brass.

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e304/1964bigfoot/IMG_0396.jpg

[Dannix]

I've been using stainless media in at Thumbler Model B High Speed since I first got into reloading, oh, several years ago I guess it's been. I can't imagine ever switching.

An old timer in SC that liked to keep a low profile fixed me up with the media. STM media is likely very similar indeed, and as a forum sponsor, going with them as a vendor certainly makes sense. I don't recall the price I paid, but I would presume STM is price competitive.



And ultrasonic just became obsolete.
Stainless is awesome, but ultrasonic is needful, I'm told, to turn 22LR brass into good swaging jacket material.

[totallycustom]

I used to use steel polishing shot,barrel & pin mix for polishing things in college in a metals studio. Worked well for getting the soldering grime off of copper/brass/silver. Never really polished any of it though cleaned it to a matte finish.

[Moonman]

I got my S.S. media from the guy in S.C.

.041/.042 Dia. X .252/.255 in length, MAGNETIC Stainless.

[gmsharps]

I recently purchased my SS pins from STM. No hassles involved and received the pins in just a few days, they are good folks to do business with. Of course it will be several months before I will be able to see them but they are their and waiting for my return.

gmsharps

[ErikO]

I now know what the drum that will be used on my 'in progress' tumbler as well as the medium that will go inside it. :)

[Fishman]

I really am feeling dense, but I still don't quite understand how you fixed up the end cap. Two questions please:

How did you cut the end cap out so neatly?

and:

How do you secure it in place so it doesn't pop out or leak?

And maybe a third question:

How powerful is the motor you used to turn the rollers?

Thanks and otherwise an excellent write up!

[hunter64]

I really am feeling dense, but I still don't quite understand how you fixed up the end cap. Two questions please:

How did you cut the end cap out so neatly?

and:

How do you secure it in place so it doesn't pop out or leak?

And maybe a third question:

How powerful is the motor you used to turn the rollers?

Thanks and otherwise an excellent write up!


For the end caps I figured that Plexiglas was the way to go and I had several sheets that I have had for years sitting there so why not. I used a jigsaw to get close to the dimensions that I needed and then afterwards I just used my belt sander to finish off the outside to make it perfectly round.

On one end I put a layer of RTV silicone on the drum mouth and also on one side of the cork gasket around the outside as you can see in the picture. I then drilled thru the Plexiglas thru the gasket and into the yellow PE pipe and screwed in 8 1 1/2" screws to secure it. I let it dry for 1 day to ensure it would be water tight.

Then on the other end I put the RTV silicone on the drum mouth all the way around then one layer of cork gasket on top of it. At the same time I did as before with the Plexiglas, put silicone around the outside edge and a few beads in the middle to make sure that it stuck to the Plexiglas. Then I put the Plexiglas with the cork I just put on there, on top of the gasket that I previously put on the mouth of the PE pipe. This way I have two layers of cork gasket touching each other with no silicone on them so I can remove them easier, and on the other side of the gaskets they are both being held and sealed with silicone to the barrel and the Plexiglas.

I then took the drill and drilled pilot holes thru the Plexiglas,gasket,gasket, PE pipe and then screwed it all together and let it dry for a day also. When done I had to cut the center out of the gasket on the barrel and I was ready to go.

Then I simply remove the screws with a power screw driver when ever I want to use the barrel. The two cork gaskets make a nice water tight seal.

I screwed in one of the screws to tight and cracked the Plexiglas as you can see in the last picture and of course it leaks like a sieve.

I have since replaced the removable ends broken Plexiglas with a piece of steel (about 14 gauge ) I had laying around and I am back in business.


The motor was an old treadmill motor and it is 1HP I think. I have since made a few more tumblers and have used 1/3HP with no problems.

Hopefully I explained it better, I have another barrel to make for a friend and when I get a chance I will take step by step pictures.

[shotman]

and they never wear out
oh as a note the magntic SS will rust if not dried.

[hunter64]

and they never wear out
oh as a note the magntic SS will rust if not dried.

Yes I noticed that also the other day. I had a few pins in a plastic cup with a bit of residue water left over from a session and two days later I noticed that they had started to rust.

Now once I am done tumbling and I am not going to use it for a while I just lay them out on a big towel and let them dry over night.

If I am going to use them a few days later I just keep them submerged in water.

[rbertalotto]

Based on this and other threads I ordered 5 pounds of the SS pins.

Used them today on some 45LC and Cowboy45 brass that was shot today and previously with BP. They were in terrible shape.

I only have a 1 quart tumbler so I used 1 pound of pins, 3/4 quart of water, a squirt of Dawn dish soap and a shot of vinegar.

I could only fit about 75 pieces of brass.

After two hours I put the tumbler in the sink and ran water until it came clear, dumped the whole mess out on a towel in the sink and picked out the brass.

Simply freak'n amazing how clean the brass is!

Some of this brass was cleaned four or five times in corncob with Brasso and still looked very black and nasty. Two hours with SS pins and it is better than new!

[lead-1]

rbertalotto, you answered my question, I was going to ask about using a smaller amount of pins and brass, thanks. Would you be interested in selling 1 pound of pins?

[Lefty SRH]

Some have said the SS media cleans primer pockets and flash holes. That would mean one would have to atleast deprime the cases before tumbling, correct?

[Moonman]

BINGO!, Correct answer.

[45fan]

I went to the range on Saturday and shot off 250 rounds thru my M1 Garand and found some range 30-06 laying in some dirt and ice and brought them home to try and clean up with my recently made stainless steel tumbler.
For the drum I made one out of 8" PVC and one out of 10" PE pipe that is available at work. With the 10" PE stuff I made two ends out of Plexiglas that I had and some gaskets and it works great. Wrapped the PE with some hockey tape for extra gripe on the rollers.

hunter64 where could I find 8" PVC or 10" PE pipe? I looked at local home depot and lowes with no luck largest diameter either of them carry is 4".

[Cord]

I've been doing this for awhile with very good results.
Learned about stainless pin tumbling on another site.
Got my 5 pounds of magnetic pins for $25 shipped IIRC (PelletsLLC).
My pins do not rust, I just leave them wet in my model B drum.

I put a handle on an empty 9mm case for a scoop of "Lemi-shine"
(under $5 at Wally World) which contains citric acid, and Dawn dish soap.
You don't really need much soap, if any.
Too much Lemi or too much runtime is not good. One 9mm scoop, 2-4 hours.
5lbs pins, 2lbs brass, fill to 1" below top, is the 15 lb limit of the B.

There is an old sticky thread here about wet brass cleaning with citric acid.
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=83572

Sagacious is.....sagacious.

So pin/citrus combines the wet citric acid bath with pin tumbling
for the best of both worlds.

I ran all my shell holders yesterday, some were getting rusty,
it worked on them too!
.

[hunter64]

hunter64 where could I find 8" PVC or 10" PE pipe? I looked at local home depot and lowes with no luck largest diameter either of them carry is 4".

Most box stores will not have more than 4" stuff which is a real pain. It is really hard finding anything bigger than 6" in a wholesale plumbing store.
I would look in your city's yellow pages or google for a wholesale plumbing store and start calling around. Also if you live in an area that uses irrigation on farms they have some bigger PVC stuff so try calling some farm supply stores, you never know.
I work for a natural gas utility company and they have throw away stuff in a big bin outside in the yard so I walk past about once a week and look in to see if there is any throw out stiff inside. Once in a while I get a piece of 8" or 10" stuff. Just finding end pieces that big is hard so I had to make my own, but undoing 12 screws that hold a lid down with a power screw driver is easier than trying to find end caps.

Lefty: Yes you have to remove the primers first. I actually found a use for my Lee 1000 that has been sitting on a shelf for a long time. I just put a universal deprimer die in station 1 and that is it for dies. Load up the brass in the tubes and away you go. Really fast and actually nice to use and much quicker than the single stage I use for rifle brass.

[LaPoint]

For those that can't find Lemi-Shine or are looking for a more cost effective way to acquire citric acid, Rust-Oleum sells it as concrete cleaner that is used before putting down their epoxy floor coating system. It is about $8/lb here at the local Menard's store.

Another good source is from Midwest Brewers Supply out of Minneapolis, about $4.50/lb. Citric acid also works great as a cooling system flush for your boolit transporter.

http://www.midwestsupplies.com/citric-acid-1-lb.html

[jah141]

I here is the one I built it works great! Here is the info on how I made it

Base ¾ plywood 26 X 19 free found in garage (Sorry I can’t weld)

Sears ¾ HP rated RPM 3450 free took off sander that I was not using at this time

Pulley 1in on motor, 7 ½ pulley on shaft $18.00 Grainger (because of 3450 rpm of motor) end RPM 80-85

½ in steel rod $4.00 ea. Grainger

½ in heater hose $12.00

Pillow Bearings ½ in online $8.00 ea.

Two small bearings on each end to keep tube centered found in garage

Rifle Tube 20 in long, Pistol Tube 13 in long

6 in sewer Tube 10 ft. $27.00 end caps $ 7.00 each 1 ½ PVC cut in half for inside paddles $3.00 all from Lowes


Here are my mistakes, my first try was too big for me, was able to cut everything down did not have to waste anything. I also went thru 2 pulley’s because of my motor rpm, first was a 3 ½, that made it run to fast. My first tube was about 28 in long; I cut into 2 now I have a Pistol and Rifle tube. Just for info I can put 400-500 S&W .40’s in my small tube, about 350-450 30.06 cases in the large tube. I feel that the SS media is the real limiting factor on size, just because of its cost. I’m using 10 pounds in my large one and 6 pounds in my small one. I have heard that you don’t want tumble brass with the primers still in, left in wet they seem to corrode and are very hard to get them out. I would also cut the 1 1/2 PVC into thirds next time I think in half was two big Once again I would like to Thank others who have posted their pic on AR-15.com. Let’s keep it going inspire others to build their own.

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i185/jah141/tumbler04.jpg

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i185/jah141/tumbler02.jpg

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i185/jah141/thumbler08.jpg

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i185/jah141/001.jpg

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i185/jah141/007.jpg

[waksupi]

Next time I use the tumbler, I am going to try a few drops of lemon juice instead of Lemishine. I bet it works, and will be cheaper yet.

[hunter64]

LaPoint: Thanks for the info. I will have to give the concrete cleaner a try next time.

Waksupi: Let us know if the lemon juice works ok.

jah141: Great job. Really the hardest thing about making your own tumbler is finding the 6" or 8" PVC/ABS pipe. The rest of the materials are easily found and put together. The second hardest thing is what size pulleys do I need to get the correct speed of the drum. I answered that question here http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=144547 with detailed math so you don't have to guess what size to use. Just plug in the appropriate numbers into the formula and it will tell you the size of pulley you need.

[jah141]

LaPoint: Thanks for the info. I will have to give the concrete cleaner a try next time.

Waksupi: Let us know if the lemon juice works ok.

jah141: Great job. Really the hardest thing about making your own tumbler is finding the 6" or 8" PVC/ABS pipe. The rest of the materials are easily found and put together. The second hardest thing is what size pulleys do I need to get the correct speed of the drum. I answered that question here http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=144547 with detailed math so you don't have to guess what size to use. Just plug in the appropriate numbers into the formula and it will tell you the size of pulley you need.

I was able to find mine at Lowes

[Sonnypie]

...I told you guys.

Works for other stuff too.

Peas porridge cold...

http://i1195.photobucket.com/albums/aa382/Sonnypie/P9070029.jpg

Peas porridge hot...

http://i1195.photobucket.com/albums/aa382/Sonnypie/P9130032.jpg

As well as everything else...

http://i1195.photobucket.com/albums/aa382/Sonnypie/P2030272.jpg

http://i1195.photobucket.com/albums/aa382/Sonnypie/P2030277.jpg

[LaPoint]

Sonnypie- The bullets and cases look like jewelry!

[shotman]

Simple Green works better let soak over night . MAKE SURE the seal is tight.
If you are going to make one in 4in PVC you can get the toilet flanges and put on the ends then make a cover for one end . Or you can use a screw in plug . and cap the one end
4 in is cheap and easy and make as long as you want . 6 In is getting up in price and you dont want to look at the screwin plugs price

[adkpete]

I was tumbling some .223 today and I used 1 tablespoon of lemon juice instead of the lemi-shine.
Works just as good

[lead-1]

Have you guys seen the lemon juice that comes in the little, yellow lemon shaped bottle with a green squirt lid? If so don't waste your money on one of them to try on your brass, it makes fairly good lemonade but sucks as a cleaner.
I made one disappear from the fridge a few months back and should've left it where I found it, lol.

[30cal]

Looks like new money!Im thinking about jumping on the steel media bandwagon myself.More pics of ur drum design please.

[hunter64]

I was tumbling some .223 today and I used 1 tablespoon of lemon juice instead of the lemi-shine.
Works just as good

Do you mean the lemon juice you get in the bottle like Realemon?

I have been searching on other websites also and basically as others have said you want citric acid as a cheaper version of Lemi-shine.
Found this thread and he used Sour Salt from the Kosher isle in the grocery store and all he did was dip the brass in for a few seconds and it turned out great .
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=83572&highlight=lemi-shine

I will see if my local store has any.

[adkpete]

Yep, the Realemon in the squirt type bottle. 100% lemon juice.

[Sonnypie]

Sonnypie- The bullets and cases look like jewelry!

LaPoint,
The bullets were an experiment. Those are 77 year old bullets I pulled to change the primers in the brass.
One hour of tumbling.
Towel tumbled to dry.

You guys have it all wrong about the LemiShine.
It isn't a detergent, or soap. It's a spot remover.
Makes the water softer.
1/4 teaspoon or less.
I use way less myself. Just a little sprinkle, and a single squirt of dish soap from a used bathroom hand soap dispenser.

[hunter64]

LaPoint,

You guys have it all wrong about the LemiShine.
It isn't a detergent, or soap. It's a spot remover.
Makes the water softer.
1/4 teaspoon or less.
I use way less myself. Just a little sprinkle, and a single squirt of dish soap from a used bathroom hand soap dispenser.

I knew it was a water softener and not a soap. I was just trying to find a substitute for Lemi Shine but honestly how much are you really going to use. It will probably take me 1-2 years to use up a $4.00 bottle of the stuff so it isn't that much of an expense anyway.

[captaint]

I bought my stuff from STM. Great folks.. Gave me enough LemiShine to do like 6 million cases. Keep in mind, it's 1/4 teaspoon per gallon. I couldn't be happier with the whole deal. When ready to start, I have to give my Thumblers a "kick start". The drum is too heavy for it to start by itself... enjoy Mike

[DtheD]

I had a brain storm this morning while filling my tumbler. I went to a pet store and bought one of those plastic ball you can put a hamster in to roll around on the floor. After tumbling I dumped the brass and pins in it, turned it by hand in a bucket of water and presto! all the pins were in the bottom of the bucket. It's the 6-7 inch diameter one and I think I'll add some more holes and slots to speed up the separation. Cheap, fast & easy.

[Dannix]

When ready to start, I have to give my Thumblers a "kick start". The drum is too heavy for it to start by itself... enjoy Mike
Same here as well.

Anther thing to those of you planning on switching to this: Make sure you set your tumbler on a level service, or at least level horizontally (level with regard to the longitudinal axis of the support rods). That should be a no-brainer, but if it's slight off and you leave it be, bad things can happen.

[SlimTim]

I had a brain storm this morning while filling my tumbler. I went to a pet store and bought one of those plastic ball you can put a hamster in to roll around on the floor. After tumbling I dumped the brass and pins in it, turned it by hand in a bucket of water and presto! all the pins were in the bottom of the bucket. It's the 6-7 inch diameter one and I think I'll add some more holes and slots to speed up the separation. Cheap, fast & easy.


Cheap, fast & easy, and pics needed for the hamsterless among us! :idea:

SlimTim

[DtheD]

I'm headed out the door for work but will try to post pictures tonight showing any extra holes / slots I cut in it.

[hunter64]

Same here as well.

Anther thing to those of you planning on switching to this: Make sure you set your tumbler on a level service, or at least level horizontally (level with regard to the longitudinal axis of the support rods). That should be a no-brainer, but if it's slight off and you leave it be, bad things can happen.

That is why I put a small roller bearing on a shaft on each end of the homemade tumbler that I use. Just in case it isn't perfectly level and the drum starts to walk across the rollers it will not hurt anything.

[DtheD]

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/imagehosting/thum_44424f70dab946971.jpg

SlimTim, here's my try at pictures. All I did was add 3 elongated holes in the bottom and one in the top. Seperates the pins and brass in no time.

[DtheD]

I screwed up and only put one of the two in the last post.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/imagehosting/thum_44424f70dab90b82f.jpg

[SlimTim]

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/imagehosting/thum_44424f70dab946971.jpg

SlimTim, here's my try at pictures. All I did was add 3 elongated holes in the bottom and one in the top. Seperates the pins and brass in no time.

Cool, thanks! I don't frequent the pet stores, so I wasn't quite sure of the toy. That helps.

SlimTim

[birdadly]

I finally looked at the STM's Package deals, watched their couple of videos and liked what I saw. The only thing I didn't like is that they put like 12 pieces of brass in at a time. They said there's room for 2 pounds of brass...

I guess I could just weigh some brass, but instead, I'm going to ask if anyone (with the red Thumler's Model B from STM) would care to share about how many of which calibers you're cleaning at each time... and for how long, if you don't mind. Just to give me some ideas. Thanks! -Brad

[GRUMPA]

When I got mine from them they gave me an envelope of paper work with it. In there they give you the quantities by cal of how much to put in, but I'll just type it in here.
300 Ultra Mag 50-70pcs
300 Win Mag 60-70pcs
7mm Rem Mag 60-80pcs
7wsm 60-75pcs
308 80-120pcs
9mm 230pcs
223 150-180pcs
45 210-220pcs
40 210-220pcs
50BMG 25-40pcs

I typically run higher numbers through mine just put in less water to compensate for the weight.

[birdadly]

That's awesome! Thanks so much, GRUMPA!!! -Brad

[Moonman]

If you get a NEW Thumblers Tumbler, pull out the rubber inner liner (it bare metal behind it) and paint with Rust-Oleum paint to prevent rust, re-install rubber liner. CLEAN & PRIME DRUM BEFORE PAINTING.

I use a push button timer 1-2-4-8 hour to set and forget the units running time, 1 hr works for brass in good shape, up to 4 hours for the brass people have that look like they've lain outside for decades.

My magnetic pins DO NOT RUST, I LEAVE THEM IN THE DRUM. You can use a magnet for picking up loose or spilled pins. Put the magnet inside of a BAGGIE for easy removal of pins from baggie.

I also made a 1/8" LEXAN side cover with a 1" water flushing hone at the top and a 4" hole 180 degrees from that that I mounted a very fine mesh kitchen strainer purchased at Wal-Mart (finer mesh than the pins) with silicone. I swap in the Lexan plate when tumbling is finished and insert hose in the 1" hole and flush until the water runs clean. The strainer keeps the pins in the drum.

I'll have to look up the number and name for the strainer, timer (purchased on-line) and some SPECIFIC ANTI-VIBRATION KNOBS that you can replace the easily lost wing nuts and washers with.

Name and Numbers:

Anti-Vibration knobs purchased on-liine from McFeeley"s JKA-2500 1/4"-20 FEMALE FLUTED ANTI-VIBRATION KNOBS you MUST use JKA-2500 or you will have roller clearance problems.

Timer purchased on-line "DoIt" Countdown Timer SKU# 520462

Strainer from Wal-Mart "ONEIDA" 4"Strainer Model 7822 (remove handle and use silicon to glue in place to 4"hole in the Lexan side plate.)

FIRST TIME TUMBLING PEOPLE, PLEASE USE THE PINS ALONE (N0 BRASS) FOR 4 HOURS TO HELP DE-BURR THEM.

[rasto]

Thank you for the information about deburring.
I was thinking about making my own stainless steel media.
It is nothing else then 1mm stainless steel rod cut into let say 4mm pieces.
I know that it would be a lot of work but trust me if you live out of states and the media cost 45$ + 40$ shipping it is not worthy that kind of money

[Jailer]

I finally looked at the STM's Package deals, watched their couple of videos and liked what I saw. The only thing I didn't like is that they put like 12 pieces of brass in at a time. They said there's room for 2 pounds of brass...


Make your own to the size you need.

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b180/Jailer/posting%20pics/Wettumbler1.jpg
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b180/Jailer/posting%20pics/Wettumbler3.jpg
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b180/Jailer/posting%20pics/Wettumbler2.jpg
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b180/Jailer/posting%20pics/Brassbling.jpg

[H.Callahan]

Make your own to the size you need.
What were the bearings and rollers you used from?

[ncbearman]

For me I was fortunate enough to get on here early and set myself up with steel media from the beginning. I do have a walnut media tumbler that I used twice. This is what I did;

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/imagehosting/thum_238404fe265ada3302.jpg (http://castboolits.gunloads.com/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=5642)

Went to Harbor Freight and bought a dual drum rock tumbler($45). I then went to the STM site that is a sponsor here. They have a 2# "refill" pack for about $25 I think plus shipping. Each drum's limit is about 3 pounds. 1# of steel media, 1# of cases and water work just right. Add the dish soap and lemi-shine and this is what you get. Amazing results.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/imagehosting/thum_238404fe265adb57ef.jpg (http://castboolits.gunloads.com/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=5643)

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/imagehosting/thum_238404fe265adc424e.jpg (http://castboolits.gunloads.com/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=5644)

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/imagehosting/thum_238404fe26772c33dd.jpg (http://castboolits.gunloads.com/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=5648)

Then a guy posted on here from my shiny brass thread that he uses a hair dryer to dry the brass wrapped in a towel that acts like an oven. In less than 2 minutes they are so hot (and dry) you can't touch them. I let them cool off and put them away and they still hold their shine. The bag in the pic above was done about 3 weeks ago.

All I have shared here is something someone else shared with me. Pay it forward guys. You are awesome. Think what it would have taken 20years ago to gather this much knowledge about something we love so much. In one month I have learned more about reloading than I had my whole life (52 years).

Thanks again all.

[Jailer]

What were the bearings and rollers you used from?

Rollers are 1/2 inch steel rod with 1/2 heater hose slipped over it. The bearings are 1/2 pillow block bearings I got off amazon.



Then a guy posted on here from my shiny brass thread that he uses a hair dryer to dry the brass wrapped in a towel that acts like an oven. In less than 2 minutes they are so hot (and dry) you can't touch them. I let them cool off and put them away and they still hold their shine. The bag in the pic above was done about 3 weeks ago.


I use an old food dehydrator to dry my brass. With 4 trays I can dry around 800 - 223 brass at once in about a half hour.

[ncbearman]

Rollers are 1/2 inch steel rod with 1/2 heater hose slipped over it. The bearings are 1/2 pillow block bearings I got off amazon.



I use an old food dehydrator to dry my brass. With 4 trays I can dry around 800 - 223 brass at once in about a half hour.

Jailer thats an awesome set up. I will keep this for when my usage grows. Mine is the Po' Man's way to get clean brass. It looks like I could get most of what you have on yours at our AgriSupply Store for farmers equipment.

[Longwood]

If you live in a area where evaporative coolers are sold, Home Depot, Lowe's and Walmart all sell the bearings they use.
The cheapest I found were at walmart and were a little over $4 each. Other places,,, + $2.
They are rubber mounted, oil-able brass bushings that are made for lengthy running periods. They also have small and large diameter pulley's.
If you live where they do not have the cooler parts, they can probably order them.

[H.Callahan]

Rollers are 1/2 inch steel rod with 1/2 heater hose slipped over it. The bearings are 1/2 pillow block bearings I got off amazon.


If you live in a area where evaporative coolers are sold, Home Depot, Lowe's and Walmart all sell the bearings they use.
The cheapest I found were at walmart and were a little over $4 each. Other places,,, + $2.
They are rubber mounted, oil-able brass bushings that are made for lengthy running periods. They also have small and large diameter pulley's.
If you live where they do not have the cooler parts, they can probably order them.

Cool! I may have to try to duplicate that! I have some 1/2" steel pipe, which should work ok I suspect; I know where I can get a motor pretty cheap; pulleys aren't a problem; and my dad was a plumber and I can get a ton of PVC. The only thing missing was the bearings! Thanks guys!

BTW, what is the HP of the motor?

[zomby woof]

The ulitmate time waster.....

[Jailer]

cool! I may have to try to duplicate that! I have some 1/2" steel pipe, which should work ok i suspect; i know where i can get a motor pretty cheap; pulleys aren't a problem; and my dad was a plumber and i can get a ton of pvc. The only thing missing was the bearings! Thanks guys!

Btw, what is the hp of the motor?

1/4 hp 1800 rpm

[Longwood]

The ulitmate time waster.....

Why do you say that?

[Dannix]

The ulitmate time waster.....
The same could be said of casting. It just depends on your point of view. :)

[maxidiesel]

Make your own to the size you need.

What size pipe, what size screw lid? What does the inside look like? How many lbs of pins per (looks like 250 or 300) ?
What does the perfect size loading amount to? (30-06)

Nice looking tumbler!!

:Bright idea:

[Longwood]

These guys sell several sizes of nice drums made with PVC for you guys that can't find it.
Their drive/base is quality made with real bearings and will last years longer that some of the competitors.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/350229959048?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649

Here is another small one.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/rle-EXTRA-TUMBLER-BARREL-6-LB-SIZE-NEW-LORTONE-OVERSTOCK-SALE-/400294472153?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5d3368e9d9

[Longwood]

If you use small diameter shafts and narrow driving surfaces on your drum, you may want to do as these guys do and add a short belt and two pulleys.
I used one similar to this one for milling some charcoal and it easily turned the steel drum like this one that was about 12" diameter and 8" deep.
I had about 25 pounds of odd lead and Linotype in several odd shaped ingots in it and it started right up with no skidding. I expected that much weight to cause the small area of steel to steel to cause problems but it did not.
The one that I am presently making with two 3 gallon buckets, did not spin with one shaft driving, but when I turn the other shaft by hand, the drum turns fine.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Scott-Murray-type-Deburrer-finishing-mill-tumbler-/360373754633?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item53e7f31b09

[Jailer]

What size pipe, what size screw lid? What does the inside look like? How many lbs of pins per (looks like 250 or 300) ?
What does the perfect size loading amount to? (30-06)

Nice looking tumbler!!

:Bright idea:

8 inch sch40 22 inches long. If I had it to do over again I wouldn't make it quite that big.

I would suggest going with 6 inch as the price is much more reasonable than the 8 inch stuff. I'm going to make a smaller drum for smaller batches. I've got 15lbs of media in my drum and it will hold about 1k of once fired 223 with a little room to spare. It's heavy enough that I wouldn't want to add any more than that.


If you use small diameter shafts and narrow driving surfaces on your drum, you may want to do as these guys do and add a short belt and two pulleys.
I used one similar to this one for milling some charcoal and it easily turned the steel drum like this one that was about 12" diameter and 8" deep.
I had about 25 pounds of odd lead and Linotype in several odd shaped ingots in it and it started right up with no skidding. I expected that much weight to cause the small area of steel to steel to cause problems but it did not.
The one that I am presently making with two 3 gallon buckets, did not spin with one shaft driving, but when I turn the other shaft by hand, the drum turns fine.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Scott-Murray-type-Deburrer-finishing-mill-tumbler-/360373754633?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item53e7f31b09

I've had this happen with mine when the drum is wet. I usually just make sure the outside it good and dry before I put it on rails and it works ok.

[Longwood]

A couple of ideas.
How about a Lortone drum in a $99 Harbor Freight paint shaker using the little steel pins.
May be super quick.

I scrounged two refrigerant bottles.
The plan is to cut the top out of one close to the end. Then cut the top out of the other tank far enough from the end so I end up with a overlapping piece to use for a lid.
To line it, in order to keep it from wearing through the sides of the drum, I will sand-blast the inside with a sharp course sand to make it as rough as I can get it then coat it with a couple of cans of that plastic tool handle dip.

[Lizard333]

BTW, in case anyone is hesitant to pull the trigger, my pins are magnetic, and they DO NOT RUST. I have left them sit for weeks in water and out, no change. I go mine from STM. Great guys to work with!!

[zomby woof]

Why do you say that?

Whatever you want to do with your time and money is up to you.

Every time I get my brass wet, I regret it. Spending another $200 on brass cleaning equipment, when what I have works fine, is foolish. I go through too much brass to be getting them wet all the time. Dry time is too long.

Here's my procedure, I have two tumblers.

Brass cleaning
Here’s what I do. I have a one hour timer with two vibrating tumblers.

1. Put dirty brass in media separator, spin to remove dirt, grass un-burnt powder etc…
2. Place brass in walnut, polish, fabric sheet and mineral spirits for one hour.
3. Remove from walnut and place in Corn cob, fabric sheet and polish for one hour.

It’s that simple. My brass is clean and shiny.

[Lizard333]

Zomby woof, your brass may look clean, but until you have used SS media, you won't know what that means. My brass has nothing in it, on it, and looks like factory brass every time I fire it. For those of that have done it the old way, corn or walnut media, and have done it the new way, with SS pins, it will be a cold day in heck before I go back.

I used to go through about 60$ a year in media that I dumped in the trash. I now have a product that will never wear and leaves my brass FACTORY clean. Wet brass is well worth the end product.

[zomby woof]

I say being clean enough for reloading and looking like "Bling" are two different things. I just don't have the time or need the aggravation. To each his own.

[Longwood]

Whatever you want to do with your time and money is up to you.

Every time I get my brass wet, I regret it. Spending another $200 on brass cleaning equipment, when what I have works fine, is foolish.



I usually use my cheapo Harbor Freight sonic cleaner for about 20 minutes, shake the brass in a colander and dump it in a Lyman vibrator for about an hour.
They end up shinier than new ones in less than two hours.


$200 for brass cleaning equipment and getting brass wet are not my goal at all.

My new homemade ball mill/tumbler has less than $50 in materials, can be made with simple hand tools, and works great.
I just did my first test runof cruddy brass with walnut shell, ceramic beads that were given to me, some Novus cleaner and a little Nu-finish.

The brass is clean but not shiny but it only ran for 62 minutes.
If I use less media, I will be able to clean more brass than 20 pounds at a time. Not sure yet how much.

How do you mill charcoal, or sulfur, in your vibrator cleaners?

[Moonman]

Stainless Steel Media Pins and a Thumbler's Tumbler Rock Tumbler are the "BOMB" FOR CLEANING BRASS, PERIOD, no comparisons.

If you need to clean VAST VOLUMES OF BRASS, larger tumblers are available, STM, one of our sponsors has a 40 pound drum unit I believe vs a Thumbler's Thumbler 15 pound total capacity.

"GETTING BRASS WET" a problem, Why? There are many drying methods, from the Sun, Towel Drying and Time, Hairdryers, The Oven, and Alcohol Baths (90% plus, not the 70% drug store variety) for people in a serious hurry to reload the cases.

The dust from other VIBRATOR CLEANERS AND THEIR CONTAMINATED MEDIA, BEING crushed walnuts, corn cob, or whatever is a HEALTH HAZARD TO YOU. PLUS it has to be replaced over time, the STAINLESS MEDIA PINS MEDIA DOES NOT NEED REPLACED, "EVER". The stainless will last a lifetime of cleaning and reloading brass.

I operate my unit with a PUSH BUTTON timer, either 1hr, 2hr, 4hr or 8hr are its available settings, just set and forget. I usually set it for 2 hours or 4 hours, but never longer that the 4 hour time for my brass conditions, usually just two. I do not reload rifle brass, only pistol. My shooting interests are almost exclusively pistol.

[rasto]

Nothing lasts forever ;-)
I am going to built my STM large capacity tumbler as well, the only problem is the media because I live out of states and the mail fee is too high together with tax :-(

[Longwood]

Nothing lasts forever ;-)
I am going to built my STM large capacity tumbler as well, the only problem is the media because I live out of states and the mail fee is too high together with tax :-(

Yesterday, I was testing the one I made using 3 gallon plastic bucket with 25 pounds of lead balls,
I had installed three 1/4" thick by 3/4" wide, oak molding strips too help the balls etc, tumble.
The little 1/3 HP motor was getting too hot so I replaced it with a motor from an old air compressor that had gone bad.
I believe the tree strips so far apart were causing the mill to lift the balls three times on each revolution which may have caused it to work too hard. I probably should have installed more strips so it acts more like the big ones they use for making cement and mining minerals.
Those are simply rippled inside and have no paddles like some people here added to their drums.
The last test I did, I filled the drum to 3/4 full with brass, walnut shell, ceramic beads, and polish.
It ran for an hour with no over heating of the cheap, poorly manufactured, Chinese motor.

[Longwood]

Nothing lasts forever ;-)
I am going to built my STM large capacity tumbler as well, the only problem is the media because I live out of states and the mail fee is too high together with tax :-(

There is a supplier in Taiwan or one of the countries in that area that sells it.
I don't know if it is the higher quality stainless that is non magnetic and will not rust if left wet and exposed to the air or is it is the lower grade stuff.

[Moonman]

rasto,

Maybe you can find a foreign source for the stainless pins for the tumbling media.

They are .042 in Diameter.

Wire is Chopped to .252 to .255 in Length.

Stainless Steel wire THAT IS MAGNETIC (it's easier to pick up dropped or spilled pins)

The Stainless ALLOY is MAGNETIC but DOES NOT RUST (you can leave it wet in the tumbler)

Tumble your pins ALONE the first time to DE-BURR THEM , before cleaning your brass.

If you find a foreign supplier maybe YOU COULD SUPPLY THE OVERSEAS RELOADERS to save shipping costs?

Good Luck.

[Rockchucker]

The ulitmate time waster.....

I really don't think I'm wasting my time or money using STM and a Thumlers Tumbler cleaning my brass. I will say it's a little more involved though. I don't need my brass jewelry shinny, but it's a by product of getting them clean using this system. I also have zero regrets buying this set-up and will continue using it over walnut/corn cobb any day. I'm a very satisfied customer and give 5 stars to our vender above (STM).

Rockchucker

[rasto]

Thank you guys for your answers.
I was taking care about your guy from states deployed in Sarajevo tonight on 4. of July :-)
I was asking local seller about the stainless wire to be cut by my own and the price was 36$ per 1kg of uncut wire!!!!!!
I need contact other source and do not worry I will keep you informed according my tumbler project after my deployment.

[Longwood]

Thank you guys for your answers.
I was taking care about your guy from states deployed in Sarajevo tonight on 4. of July :-)
I was asking local seller about the stainless wire to be cut by my own and the price was 36$ per 1kg of uncut wire!!!!!!
I need contact other source and do not worry I will keep you informed according my tumbler project after my deployment.

Aircraft safety wire is a good quality stainless wire that can be found in .041.
Cutting it into small pieces would sure be a problem.

[Moonman]

You'll need some type of automated shear to try to make your own from uncut wire, LOTS OF PINS in 5 POUNDS.

A SLOTTER/SHAPER/INTERNAL KEYWAY ATTACHMENT ON A BRIDGEPORT TYPE MILLING MACHINE MAY BE ABLE TO ACT AS A SHEAR WITH THE RIGHT TOOL. You could manually push the wire through a guide hole to a stop and the Slotter would shear the required length that you set. You would need to get your RYTHMN in SYNC with the Machine.

It's TO YOUR BENEFIT, if the ALLOY of STAINLESS is A MAGNETIC ONE THAT DOES NOT RUST.

MAGNETIC PINS aid with the pick-up of loose pins, and you will drop a few for sure, accidents happen, and with no rust, you can leave the pins in the tumbling drum wet and not have a rusting problem.

[hunter64]

One thing that I did notice with the stainless steel pins versus the old corn cob method of cleaning is how clean the inside of the case neck gets on a bottle neck rifle round.

For years I would have to take a dab of lube and just touch the case mouth on the inside and then a little on the outside as normal to resize the brass. I switched to spray on lube which is excellent but I still had to put some lube on about every third case mouth to keep the brass from sticking on the sizing rod as you pulled the ram out of the die. It wouldn't stick hard but just enough to be bothersome.

I did some reloading a couple of weeks ago for my 30-30 and I didn't have to lube the inside of the mouth at all. I did 300 cases without once having to touch the case mouth and nice and slick in the die.

Reloading pistol rounds you would never experience this but bottle neck rounds it was an eye opener on how unclean my brass before was compared to the tumbled with stainless steel pins is now.

[Slingshot]

I have been using the STM for about a month now. I have used it on some FA53 30-06 brass that my father had laying around a long time. I think the last time these saw daylight was in 53.

Anyhow they were very dirty and spotted, I deprimed them and ran them in the thumblers tumbler as the directions stated with Lemi-shine and Dawn soap.

WOW! cleaned inside and out and the primer pocket like they were just made. I use a Cabela's media seperator when I dump them out, after rinsing I put them on a towel and roll them around a while and then lay them out to dry further.

It is the best stuff I have used yet. I also used it on 223 Military brass that has been fired and very dirty with the same results. Oh, and no stuck pins in the primer pockets.

Jeff / Slingshot

[birdadly]

Oh, and no stuck pins in the primer pockets.

Jeff / Slingshot

I just bought this setup and have run 2 sessions with it. I ran 200 rounds of 45acp the first time, and 250 rounds the second time. I'm extremely pleased with the results, and don't mind the extra time at all in this process. I believe it's very minimal "extra" time actually.

But, I had 9 cases have the SS pins stuck in the flash hole. A few posts up I read someone say to run the tumbler with just the pins in it first. The directions didn't say to do this, but would the "deburring" help the pins NOT get stuck in the flash holes?

Thanks! -Brad

[Recluse]

For 95% of my brass cleaning, the stainless steel method is way more work than I want or need to do. Way more.

But for that 5% of brass I find that's been in the dirt forever or that is really dirty/tarnished/ugly, they probably do the best job of cleaning brass that I've ever seen.

The irony is that with my Thumler's, I use ground walnut with a cash of mineral spirits and a half-capful of NuFinish. I set the timer and let it run for 12 to 24 hours, depending on how dirty the brass is. Afterward, off with the top and pour through the sifter and separator and the brass looks new.

It then goes in my Rubbermaid shoeboxes with a couple of handfuls of dessicants and then the "brass closet" storage cabinet and it stays clean and shiny for several years without even a hint of tarnish.

After the SS media, washing, rinsing, drying. . . I still toss the brass in the tumbler with some NuFinish to put a coat of wax on it to keep it from tarnishing. :)

:coffee:

[o6Patient]

I've always used walnut and corn cob but walnut always seemed to clean better for me but those SS
pins look like the cats meow.

[Greg]

Hunter 64,
could you up date this old thread ? at least the parts lists and pictures ?? I"m wanting to build one (finally) and the pictures are gone
thanks for your help, may God continue to Bless all ya'll
Greg

[obssd1958]

Greg,
I use Chrome for my browser, and there is an extension that automatically fixes the issues that Photobucket caused when they started holding everyone hostage by making the links inactive. It works really well, it's seamless as far as I can tell, and I can see all of the pictures that Hunter64 originally posted.
Here's a link to the extension:
https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/photobucket-hotlink-fix/kegnjbncdcliihbemealioapbifiaedg

Not sure if there is a fix if you're using a different browser.

Don

[Beebee]

Not thread related but thanks for the link for chrome. I usually use Firefox but ive been looking at some old threads and having the pictures back is sure nice.