Looking for Organization Advice (Doing Light Work in Living Room)

[Jamey]

Good evening,

I've lurked for a while but never posted. I'm getting started reloading (not casting yet, if ever), and I believe I have about all the tools I'm going to need. Where I know I have room to improve is organization and process. Right now, I'm prepping a load of brass (I've been collecting for a while) while sitting in front of the TV - and I'm a mess. Not literally, there isn't a ton of stuff going everywhere, but things are squirrelly. So I've got a Lee hand press with universal decapper against my left leg, a factory ammo box filled with spent cartridges either on my left leg or wedged between the leg and the arm of the chair I'm sitting in. Just past the press, between my legs and before my knees I've got a small heavy-duty brown paper bag that's collecting the deprimed brass, and another empty factory box next to that, between the box and my left leg, for the cartridges I'm not currently prepping to reload (I'm just working on .45 ACP right now). Just past those I've got a double-layered plastic grocery bag I use for spent primers, steel cases, and random stuff to trash at the end. I've got a pair of nice cotton nitrile-palmed gloves I'm wearing to keep the filth off my hands as much as possible, and there's a small side table with just enough room for the box for my press when I'm done and a few empty ammo boxes and the boxes that get filled with random brass (mostly 9mm and .40), so there's no real room to leverage there. I'm doing about four 9mm/.45 boxes full of loose brass worth a night over the span of a few hours.

What am I missing to make this easier/cleaner?

The problems I've noticed are these. One, these ammo boxes aren't that sturdy, especially in my recliner, and more than once they've tipped over and spilled brass down the side of the chair and/or onto the floor. Two, the boxes are deeper than my fingers are long (short and stubby, make it hard to use anything larger than a single-stack in .45 or a smallish double-stack 9mm) and towards the end of each box I'm tipping a pile into my left hand and going from there. Three, dumping the primers out of the ram at the end into the bag is sometimes problematic as they tend to to one degree or another bind up inside and have to be shaken loose - I'd rather not spill any, but about once a night or so some get loose. Four, working through that much brass in one go means it's very hard to keep enough to hand without frequent interruptions to switch out boxes. Five, at some point either a box or bag will disintegrate and I'm going to have a horrible mess on my hands.

Keeping things contained and clean is high as far as priorities go. I've got two little boys and while they don't normally get into much the youngest will occasionally find, and eat, a floorio (damn cheerios go everywhere, and it's nigh-impossible to keep 'em contained in the face of a suitably motivated 18-month-old). Economy of motion and ability to work with minimal disruption would be very nice. Cost is a factor, my budget after buying all these cool new toys is small. I'm not in a giant rush because I have worked through most/all of the .45 brass I had lying around, but I'd like to have things solid before the next go-'round. Oh, and finally, I'm not particularly handy but I'm not completely helpless either. So, building something from scratch isn't going to work, but modifying an existing item could be viable.

I've considered getting a few Akro bins to cover some of these responsibilities, but they seem like they're going to have capacity issues - but I don't know because I haven't gotten that far yet. I just can't help but think I'm missing a lot of opportunities here.

Thanks in advance to anyone who has advice on making this process more awesome.

Jamey

[454PB]

Wow!

I recommend you stop handling brass in your living room....when there are kids around.

If you don't have a garage or other out building, wait until you do.

[Garyshome]

Take the tv out to the garage! This is silly!

[paul h]

For safety sake, I highly recommend paying close attention to every step in the reloading process, so turn off the boob tube. And that attention to detail is just as important to the neophyte as the guy who's been doing it for 30 years.

I can understand being tight on space and funds, but try to find a dedicated space you can set up a be ch or desk to organize your tools and prices. It doesn't have to be large 2-3 feet wide and 18-24" deep will do.

[Jamey]

The responses so far seem to be making assumptions without asking for clarification. Based on how friendly everyone seemed, I have to say this is not the helpful welcome I was expecting.

Instead of getting upset I'm going to address those misconceptions.

1. I have a perfectly serviceable, if messy, garage with a similarly describable workbench.

2. I do not handle reloading components when the kids are around, I'm working solely after they are in bed. Additionally, I am careful to clean up any components and waste after a session so as not to expose my children, especially anything that falls or spills.

3. I am not, nor do I intend to, engaging in distracted reloading. As I said above, the process I'm working to improve is depriming.

4. Moving the tv to the garage, while the closest thing so far to addressing the topic I raised, is not a viable solution because then I do not get to watch with my wife, which is sort of the point.

5. I have a full-size press waiting to be set up in the aforementioned garage, on the aforementioned bench, where all reloading activities aside from depriming will occur.

If you have questions I'm happy to answer them to the degree I am able. If you feel you can give constructive feedback, positive or negative, without making assumptions I look forward to hearing from you. If not, please do not bother to respond. I'm not here to get flamed, even a little, and would rather not have this end up being my last post.

Thank you.

[KYShooter73]

I've been in your boat in years past. I have about 10 little 5" deep x5x7 storage bins with lids from Office Depot. About $3 each. Plenty sturdy. Save your ammo boxes for live ammo. One bin for each stage of the operation, like a little assembly line moving the brass from bin to bin till it is clean, sized, and primed.

[gmsharps]

With all of the moving around in the military I have had to make over the years I had to come up with all kinds of way to have a reloading room of some sort. If I was lucky I would use a small closet and have used a Black and Decker work mate when living in a 5th wheel trailer. I saved all of the TV dinner trays and used them for various bullet and ammo processes. They stacked pretty well when I was finished as well. Casting I made sure I had proper ventilation either in a garage or outdoors and used something to make sure I had some sort of overhead cover to keep the sun off and keep rain from creating an interesting time with the molten lead. Of course making sure you wash your hands frequently and before eating or drinking anything. I always look for containers that doesn't cost me a lot hopefully free to keep bullets and brass in. I also have used ziploc bags a lot to store small quanitys of brass after sorting them out. Look for stackable containers when it's possible as you will accumilate more than you think rather quickly. I have a bunch of accu bins that I came across and they work fine for bigger projects and various stages of an operation.

gmsharps

[Jamey]

KYShooter73, thanks for that tip. The 5x5x7 bins sound like they could be a good solution, and I wouldn't have thought about Office Depot for them. My local OD is fairly awful - they're generally well-stocked but the employees are usually worthless. Longer term, the ammo boxes are intended to hold live ammo, and I even keep the plastic or styrofoam inserts whenever I can. I'll check out their online catalog and see what I can see.

Gmsharps, I can sympathize. My little brother got a medical retirement as a sergeant, and before that happened he was at seven or eight different bases in the middle east, Europe, and stateside, averaging about one move per year. The Workmate could be a solid solution for a portable bench, I've borrowed my father-in-law's a few times to work on projects around the house. Thankfully, I don't have to worry about ventilation just now, and maybe not ever, as casting is not in the cards at this point. It's hard to get enough shooting time to justify the incremental additional monetary savings of rolling my own lead. The hand-washing reminder is, I think, always relevant. I'm meticulous about washing mine and ensure I touch as little as possible to minimize contamination. I've even gotten some nice gloves as I mentioned to help keep the lead off my own skin, and they seem to work very well indeed. Ziplocks could be good for holding the small quantities I collect at the range of random cartridges while sweeping up my brass, but I'm even more on-board with getting something stackable for that. It seems you can get lids now for those Akro bins, I rather like that idea. I think I'll try to stop at the Home Depot and see what I can see there.

So far, the suggestions are leaning towards bins, and I was too. Good! Keep it coming!

Jamey

[KYShooter73]

I was layin down last nite, but here are those from OD I was talkin about.

84620

[mold maker]

First off, welcome the the insanity.
Please don't take offense to those who try to point out safety issues. We want to have you around for a long long time.
Dollar stores have quiet an asst of sizes and shapes of containers with lids. Don't buy "just big enough", your need will grow.
One caution to your present setup is the dust from depriming is full of lead, and the furniture you sit on, will contain lots for your little ones to injest.
Most of us started out on a shoe string, many thinking we would save money. It's a false hope, and although you'll shoot lots more, you'll always find the need for another piece of equipment, or more supplies.

[Green Frog]

A couple of quick suggestions...

1) consider working with a plastic trash can (bathroom/office size) between your feet on the floor so you can just drop primers as they come out of the cases. 8-)
2) those little ammo boxes are fine when you get done, but a couple of larger plastic boxes with tops work a lot better for getting rounds out of and into, especially when you are batch processing one step as you describe. Try the kitchen section of your local Dollar-type store if you want to really get bang for your buck! :)
3) decapping and FL resizing with a single TC die in 45 ACP (or your caliber du jour) will speed up production. :D
4) for the full "kitchen table" experience, and without waking the kids, I like the Lyman 310 tool but your press will let you FL size as well, and if you already have it and the correct dies, go for it! ;)
and finally,
5) use a good hand priming tool... I add a shallow dish for the fresh primers and a single loaded priming tool (I have several different types depending on caliber being loaded.)

and you are right, you have to decide for yourself what is the way you will accomplish your task at hand safely. Just remember, the more distractions you have, the more idiot proof your system needs to be... don't ask me how I know this! :shock:

Regards,
Froggie

[Zymurgy50]

The 4 or 5 quart plastic ice cream buckets work well also, and we seem to have a regular supply of them here.

[Artful]

Ok, I'm having a tough time envisioning here, but this is what I used to do before I let myself get into my current sorry state.

Brass is sorted first as part of the cleaning process. Discard rocks, steel cases etc.
before it's ever brought into the house.
Brass is collected into free buckets (prefer those with lids)
visit restaurants or bakery's and ask they typically throw them away.
If your not doing that many ziplock backs are good - if you like you OD boxes use 'em.

Once the 9mm vs 40 vs 45 vs 223 etc is segregated then cleaning begins.
If you don't have a rotary or vibratory cleaning station you can use wet method
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?83572-Citric-acid-brass-cleaner

Only after cleaning you can take the bucket of dry cases and empty deprimed clean bucket into the house
Full bucket on one side of chair put an empty bucket on other side
- it helps the noise if you tip the bucket and slide the brass in and have a rag in the bottom to start with.

I have used several presses and some contained spent primers (Love my Co-Ax) and some didn't (RCBS) - I think your using this tool
http://media.midwayusa.com/productimages/880x660/primary/665/665540.jpg

If you use the 'Hand Press' to deprime, drill a hole in the side so the primers dump out as you go, instead of having to shake them out through the hole in the shell-holder.
http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa132/AJMD429/Leverguns%20etc/LeeHandPressDrilled.jpg
I don't know if you have to work with staked in primers - you didn't say
This is going to be the messy part - if you take a container and make some holes for your hands
you can contain a lot of the mess
http://canusplastics.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Ottawa-20120809-00020-2.jpg
Extreme example

After everyone is deprimed and sized (I use imperial sizing wax and carbide dies)
- Yes I know you have the universal decapper die but your handling the case twice -
and in the other bucket you can reverse the movement by
taking your primer tool and taking from deprimed side and moving to your now empty bucket
I recommend a tool like this LEE
http://www.hobbygunsmith.com/HandPrimer.JPG

At this stage your cases are clean ready to expand/flair, dump powder, seat boolits and crimp.

If you want to do this without buckets (ie in smaller batches) look at making up loading blocks.
http://www.siarm.com/public/images/Palmella_Faggio_Grande.jpg
or use the blocks some ammo is loaded into but you'll have to skip rows as you don't have enough finger room on those.

Two TV trays on either side of your chair will do then to hold them.

Hope this helps and Welcome to the club

[Jamey]

Those are some excellent suggestions! I especially like the idea of the ice cream buckets for temporary storage. I also really appreciate the process descriptions. I won't be doing anything but depriming in front of the tv, that's the original plan. And I realize I could be resizing in the same step, but one of my goals is to simplify the tool setup I need to keep handy, and this allows me to deprime multiple calibers by only changing the shellholder.

I got a few small storage bins that I'm going to try out until I find one I like for each task. The small trash bin for spent primers is still a bit of a puzzler, but I'm thinking I might be able to find a plastic juice bottle that would work for that.

I stopped at the Depot today and got bolts to mount my press, so the workbench cleanup is going to start in the next few days.

If I find a setup that works well for this I'll be sure to post details.

Thanks everyone,

Jamey

[David2011]

Jamey,

I've posted this photo a few times but it was a great solution for me when I was living in an RV while trying to sell a house after a transfer. An inexpensive roll-around toolbox with a piece of ply cut to fit the top and bolted on made a very good loading bench. The wheels were not installed for stability. I would NOT buy the lowest priced model again- it had trouble with the weight I put in it from reloading stuff and bullets. One with ball bearing glides is the minimum I would consider if doing it over. The ply top has threaded brass inserts in it so the interchangeable mounting plates for the powder measure, swager, bench priming tool, case trimmer and other reloading comonents that we tend to collect can be mounted or removed in seconds with a T-handled Allen wrench. The Rock Chucker is equipped with a Hornady L-N-L bushing and all of my commonly used dies are similarly equipped. It was solid, not terribly expensive and held just about everything I needed except the brass polisher and media. The ammo produced on it was excellent.

84882

As some have mentioned, there is lead in the primer residue and "filth" associated with reloading. Young children are especially vulnerable to neurologic damage from lead poisoning. Floorios and primer dust could be a tragic combination. You really might want to re-think decapping in the living room. That is probably the greatest risk to your kids in the entire process short of playing with live primers or loose powder and matches.

A plastic juice bottle will hold a few thousand primers and is a good way to store them while gathering enough to make a trip to the scrap metal yard. Remove the labels so the kids aren't attracted to them as their favorite juice.

The plastic shoeboxes available for about a buck are everywhere in my reloading area. They house mostly brass but tools, ammo and anything that needs organization finds its way into them. Look at various stores. Some of the containers are much more sturdy than others.

David

[Jamey]

David2011, any suggestion about the brand/size of juice bottle? I'm going to look nutty if I start going through the juice section of the grocery store with a tape measure, and frankly I look nutty enough without help.

With regards to the lead associated with the primers, I've got a nice hand-held vacuum cleaner that I'm using to go over the chair and surrounding floor area (hardwood, so no worries about **** getting stuck in rug pile). There won't be any lead-flavored floorios, though I am looking forward to when the youngest learns to stop eating things he drops on the floor.

I've seen a few people who worked up bottle-based primer solutions. The press drops the primer into a tube which has a pop bottle cap with a hole drilled hot glued to it, and you just screw a bottle onto the lid for easy primer collection. This is what I was thinking. I take a .45 case, drill out the bottom a bit larger than the diameter of the hole in the shellholder. Glue a bit of tube either inside or outside (whatever works) and run it to a bottle & lid set up as mentioned. That keeps the trash very well contained on its own, minimizes the amount of lead I have to worry about and I end up with a very easy to deal with vessel to take for processing. We'll see if that's viable.

Jamey

[Green Frog]

BTW, if you are JUST decapping without sizing, I would again suggest the Lyman 310 tool with a "universal decapping die" held over a small bowl, bucket or jar on the table or a small trash can on the floor in front of you. All other steps could then be done on your bench mounted press just as well.

Froggie

[bullet maker 57]

Just another quick thought, after handling lead boolits and or primers there is a soap called D-LEAD(sort of like mechanics hand soap). I believe it costs about $5.00 at Sinclair. Removes all forms of heavy metals.

[Lead Fred]

I have always put my cases in those cheap Chinese made plastic shell boxes you get at Cabella's for a few bucks each.
I am Mr portable reloader. I teach folks how to be portable.

First thing I tellem is to be organized. Helter/skelter only leads to mistakes, mistakes lead to damaged firearms or shooters.

An upright padded chair works far better than a recliner. A TV tray on either side of the chair holds your gear. A inch thick hardwood board, 2 feet long 10-12 inches wide, works wonders for a working surface.

A solid surface is the key, even this yahoo uses a stomp to reload on.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3duhNVjAu6E

[Lefty Red]

I work out a large tool box! It has my dies, reloading block, Lee Primer Hand Tool, One Caliber reloading manual, Lee Hand Press, Lee dippers, Redding #2 scale. In the tray I have my primers and small odd and ends like shell holders and Lee Prime holders.

Clean the damn cases! Either get a tumbler and and throw out the media when its dirty (easiest way) or get an old gallon milk container and wash them with soap and rinse then tumble.

Now you can deprime and watch TV. Oh, and get a depriming die in the caliber you need! Universal, isn't! Now you can clean the primer pockets after depriming and check over your brass.

Enjoy!
LEFTY

[Jamey]

Lefty,

I've got about all the accessories I could need aside from the organizational hardware and processes. Tumbler & media, primer pocket tool, scale, press, dies for the caliber I'm reloading, micrometer, light, primers, powder, powder cop, powder drop, primer flip tray, a few manuals (Hornady and Lyman) which I have in fact read, bushings, shell plate, and I'm sure a few other things I'm forgetting. The cases are getting cleaned after they've been deprimed, and after they're clean they're gonna get checked for stray media, checked for reloadability/damage, and then they move along to the workbench.

Jamey

[Lefty Red]

I clean before and after depriming. Too messy handling and tumbling media is cheap. And it helps get allot of the crud out of the primer pocket.

Sounds like you have it by the tail! Organize and hit it hard!