How do I seperate SS pin media

[Irascible]

I've ordered a high speed motor and the SS pin media. So when I get it all going and the first batch is done, how do I seperate the media from the brass without loosing any media or without leaving any pins in the cases?

[Rockchucker]

So far I've been reaching into the tub and removing them one at a time and shaking them in the water, the pins all fall back into the tub. I've got to get a better system myself but this way works for now, and they're pretty darn shiny and clean. I have a RCBS media separator I'm thinking about filling with water then dumping all the brass and pins in for a few spins and see if that works. Hopefully others will jump in here and post their way of separating pins.

[captaint]

chucker - I've been doing this the same as you, until something better comes along. I don't tumble in the pins every loading, so it hasn't been a big deal. enjoy Mike

[Moonman]

I pull handfulls of brass out shaking it and throw them into a plastic container.

Rinse-Rinse-Rinse.

I have a magnet inside a BAGGIE that I keep swirling amongst the brass, water and pins, inside the plastic bin.

Pull the pins off the baggie and return them to the drum.

Pick up 2 in each hand and shake out any pins, throw on a towel.

I roll around the brass on the towel, then use a hair dryer on them.

[oldandslow]

ira, 8/7/12

When I first set up my SS pin tumbling materials I ordered a media seperater from RCBS. I think it was about $30. I just pour all the contents of the tumbled drum (pins and cases and water) into the plastic inner drum and then spin the drum by hand in its water bucket and all the pins fall out leaving just the clean cases. It takes about 30 seconds.

best wishes- oldandslow

[Mohavedog]

I can't think of anything easier than using the media separator that is sold by STM a vendor here. Other separators work the same way and some cost more. There's more to consider than just taking the tumbled brass out of the media by hand. You should rinse a couple of times in nice clean water or the brass will discolor. All-in-all handling the brass is so fast and easy with the rotating separator. BTW, some size flash holes will have pins stuck in them very firmly and are a pain to get out.

[Lizard333]

It's isn't cheap, but the media separator from Dillon is the best built, most sturdy separator you can buy. I have been using it with my SS media for over a year. Very good stuff.

[PbHurler]

ira, 8/7/12

When I first set up my SS pin tumbling materials I ordered a media seperater from RCBS. I think it was about $30. I just pour all the contents of the tumbled drum (pins and cases and water) into the plastic inner drum and then spin the drum by hand in its water bucket and all the pins fall out leaving just the clean cases. It takes about 30 seconds.

best wishes- oldandslow

+1
Works great, I do pour off as much of the drum water as I can before dumping into the RCBS strainer which I fill (almost) with clean water. The cases & pins are submerged while rotating & all the pins fall to the bottom of the seperator bucket. Plus with the RCBS strainer being all plastic there's no chance of rust. I've also seen no need to reinforce the RCBS unit in any way. I do use a Dillon for any dry media seperation.

[John Boy]

Kitchen Cloanders (https://www.google.com/search?q=colanders&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&channel=fflb#q=colanders&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=3E5&sa=X&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&channel=fflb&tbm=shop&prmd=imvns&tbs=price:1,ppr_max:15&psj=1&ei=kBAhUIurN-TH6wH2ioCYAw&ved=0CK4BEMEJKAA&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&fp=4c96c4e68d5e88&biw=1024&bih=476)
Buy a cheap plastic one with the openings the size you want:
* Pour the contents of the tumbler into the colander
* Burnishing solution drains out
* Pick out cases - shake any pins or media out of the cases back into the colander
* Rinse brass with warm water
* Rinse pins or media in colander
Put pins or media back in the tumbler

DONE

If one believes there is ANY Separator that will remove all the pins or media from the inside of cases ... They Live in a Dream World!

Instead of pins, I use Kramer 2mm plastic ceramic triangle polishing media. This media will clean primer pockets and insides for calibers 220 Swift up to 50-70. The pins will not clean the insides of small caliber cases

[GRUMPA]

YEP!!! I admit it, I'm a tight SOB. I just use the Colander as well ($1 at the dollar store). I have the colander set inside a large stainless steel bowl, like the ones you see salad in at one of those buffet type outfits and I got it for free. I just pour the entire contents into the colander and shake it while submerged under water (keeps pins from flying all over) and have the faucet going and shake most of the pins out. When I'm confident I have most of them out (less than a minute) I lift it out of the water and with the faucet still running rinse and shake at the same time rinsing the brass and still getting what remains of any pins to fall in that big stainless steel bowl.

Then I drain the water from the big bowl and pour the pins back in the tumbler. I take the brass outside and have a large towel (Beach towel) I have and dump them and dry them off with another towel and let dry. Any pins that were still in the cases are on the drying towel that I pick up with one of those telescoping mechanics pocket magnets that I got at an auto parts stores (also $1). I would say that 98% of the time there are no pins to pick up from the drying towel, and when I do find pins on the drying towel I pick up, and at the most 3 pins, so I must be doing something right. I weighed my pins about a month ago and came up with 5Lbs so after almost a year I really haven't lost hardly any and I have another 2Lbs on stand-by just in case.

[Lance Boyle]

I've been doing the pins thing for 2 or 3 years now. yeah it's got it's share of work to it.

When I started I found the easiest low tech way was to pour off as much dirty water as possible and dump the brass and pins into a plastic mop bucket. Put the bucket in the tub and turn on the tap to wash away the black water and soap. I'd do that for about 3-5 minutes agitating with my hand periodically to better rinse the soap off the brass. From there I tried both draining all the water and trying to seperate the wet brass from the wet pins but there's an adhesion issue. I found it was easier to leave the bucket full of fresh clean water and shake out the brass under water and let the pins fall to the bottom. This eliminated the adhesion issue but you do still have some jammed pins in the flashole or with .260's once in a blue moon you'd get them in the neck as the lenth of the pin was just right.

That was slow so I broke down and bought a Dillon seperator. Worth every penny in time saved to me. Yes, Dillon is very proud of their contraption and I'm sure their markup is like 85% over cost. I don't begrudge them as I'm a dillon user and their no BS warranty makes up for it for me. I like the dillon version due to it's more solid construction. I'm sure the others work fine.

I also find that the pins do the small calibers just fine. So far for me the smallest cases are .223 Rem and the interior is just as clean as the exterior including the primer pockets. Not sure if John isn't running them as long as I do. I'm pretty much the standard 2-4 hours run time with water, dawn, a squirt of lemishine. I'll check them at 2 hours and if they're still dirty in the pockets I'll let it go for 4. I've had great luck with .223, .308, .260, .30-06, .303, .30-40 Krag, .38 Spl. The only one with any extra issue was the .260 due to the neck being a near match to the pin length. Any of them can get the pins stuck in the flash holes, inspect with a pair of tweezers or run them all through a universal depriming die or your regular sizer if you haven't done sized them before cleaning.

Sometimes I'll universal deprime without sizing and pin tumble then size, load and tumble again in walnut with a splash of mineral spirits to delube. Works well with the mineral spirits, otherwise the walnut and dirt grunge will just cake up in the lube and make a black case mess especially around the neck/shoulder.

Sorry John, your experience isn't as good as mine with the small cases. Are your cases smaller than mine? hornet, 17 cal???? I'm interested in your answer.

ETA- I also have used a harbor freight round magnet in a baggie. I mostly use that to pick up the pins that escape from the seperator. I tend to spin with a bit of speed and toss maybe 10-20 pins out of the tub. I just sweep the magnet an inch over the floor in the area and recover them. Also watch your press spent primer hole for the errant pin.

[Cadillo]

It's isn't cheap, but the media separator from Dillon is the best built, most sturdy separator you can buy. I have been using it with my SS media for over a year. Very good stuff.

Dittos! Bulletproof! Mine is still running strong since 1989, and is the only method I've ever used to separate my stainless media from my cases.

[John Boy]

Sorry John, your experience isn't as good as mine with the small cases. Are your cases smaller than mine? hornet, 17 cal???? I'm interested in your answer.
Smallest for me is 220 Swift then 25-20's

[Lizard333]

22 LR cases don't even fall through. Even father de-rimming for jackets.

[Cord]

To separate my pins I use a standard plastic dishpan, a block of wood and a
plastic Folger's coffee can. The whole rig cost me $1.00 for the dishpan.

The plastic can is the large 48oz. Folgers can as sold at Sam's Club.
I tested what size drill would keep a .380acp case from coming out.
Then I drilled holes all over the plastic can top, sides, bottom, and lid -
LOTS of holes, about 1/2" apart.

To use it, I put the short block of 2x4 crossways under one end of the
dishpan to angle the pan in the sink. I put the coffee can in the pan,
pour the contents of the model B into the coffee can, and snap the lid on.

I put the can crossways in the high end and do the " barrel roll" on the can,
rolling it towards me up in the high end. Adding more water makes it easier.

After only a few rolls, most of the pins are out through the holes
and sliding down the pan into the low end, out of the way of the can.

Then I pick up the can, hold the lid on and turn it end for end a couple times
to redistribute the cases with pins inside them, and do some more rolling.
This does not take very long, you can feel the can quickly get 5 lbs. lighter.

I drain the can, slide a frisbee under it to hold the water and the few pins
that remain and set it to the side, tip up the pan and pour off the dirty water
over the low end; the water and suds flow out, the pins stay in the bottom end
and you can pour off almost every little bit of the dirty water.

Repeat with very hot water to rinse the cases and the pins, when the water is
clear enough pour the pins and some water back into the model B after each run
and do it again, soon you won't find very many pins left in the pan.

I finish rinse with water so hot it hurts, drain and shake well, pour the cases into
a towel, roll off excess water, and spread on a screen; the hot cases dry quicker.

I don't have any problem with stuck pins, and this works great for me.
.

[Balkandom]

I just use a metal colander that I opened the holes up with a drill over a bucket filled with water. Make sure your brass and media stay in the water, and you son't lose any of it!

[Bullet Caster]

Well, I guess I'm a cheap SOB too. I pick each piece of brass out of the pin water and dump the cases out in the barrel of the tumbler. I rinse each piece of brass and place in a plastic butter tub. Then I put all the cleaned brass in the sink for another hot water rinse. After mixing them in the water I then pull them out, shake off any remaining water and stand them up in a yogurt tub lid. Then I use the hair dryer to make sure all the cases are dried.

Then I full length size them, trim 'em and put them in a big plastic coffee can marked "Ready to Prime". Once the brass has been primed, they go into another plastic tub marked "Ready to Reload". So I have come up with a couple of abbreviations--RTP and RTR. This lets me identify the next step in the process of reloading. Sure it's time consuming but what is time to a hog walking to slaughter. Lol. BC

[supe47]

99 cent store. Splurged, bought 2. Agitate IN clean water. I have a tumble separater but 22 cases slip through. I use it with larger cases but for the 22 cases the 99 cent store colander works great.

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