Dry tumbling but getting two problems

[Maximumbob54]

Problem 1:

Tumbler eating up lead while trying to dry coat...

A couple of times now I've had bullets rattling away in the tumbler with some HF red and when I pour them into the tray for baking I see black dust in with the red. As they are covered in red powder I can't really tell if the edges are being eaten or what. The bowl was wiped clean prior to use so I know it's not dirty residue from brass. I'm thinking it's got to be lead breaking down during tumling. It doesn't seem to matter how many bullets are in the bowel. I thought doing more of them together might add enough mass so they wouldn't bump each other so much, but I've gotten it once more again with what looks pretty full. Can't figure this one out. The good thing is they still shoot...

Problem 2:

Under sized bullets...

Using a Lee push through die that's supposed to be .401" and I know the previous lead pushed through worked just right as they were always just right. I worried I might have lead build up in the die so I wrapped some copper Chore Boy around a brush and with some solvent proceeded to scrub the inside. No lead on the copper at all what-so-ever... Twice tumble coated and baked gives me about .405ish" or so. And they pop right out at .397" - .398" with the same range scrap I've been casting with. I've read about lead "spring back" before but I thought that was only with harder alloy. I know I could open up the die for this use but I feel like I may be missing something else. I know they still shoot but I doubt I'm getting anything close to an accurate shot with an undersized bullet. Any thoughts???

[popper]

By any chance added more tin? I added too much in my 40sw alloy once and got a big bunch of small boolits, after sizing. Honed out the Lee sizer then figured out the problem. Bought another sizer. Darn.

[bangerjim]

1) You are correct. That is why I quit trying to get a rotary to work and use a coolwhip bowl. I found I had lead and black rubber from the drums in the powder and it did not stick at all. the boolits just roll around and do not tumble at all. Very poor coverage. Some on here have the tumblers/vibrators working, but after HOURS of wasted time, I gave up.

Try the coolwhip bowl...no lid....a little powder...and shake and roll around, adding powder a bit at a time until no more sticks and starts collecting in the bottom. Only takes about 2 mintues!

Why spend a half hour or more with a vib/tum when you can do it in ~2 minutes and get some upper body work-out at the same time!

Dump out or pick up as you so desire.

Have fun!

banger

[Maximumbob54]

I doubt it's too much tin since these are straight range scrap with nothing added. And I can't figure why I get black dust one minute and not the next.

Too much tin shrinks during sizing? I had no idea.

[Beagle333]

I have also found that springback occurs more with fresh boolits. Try sizing as soon as possible to get bigger boolits. I had some older boolits and I was testing out a new die in my Star and they weren't coming out what I was used to, and this was said to be the reason. I used fresh boolits and it was the same as my other sizer then. I know it's not a scientific test, but it worked last week. (I just discovered this recently) I don't know the time limit, but some have told me that they do not recover nearly as much after some time. (Suggested time was a couple of weeks, but I have not experimented with this.) I now just resize sometime the same or next day they were cast and it is working well for me.

[Maximumbob54]

Problem 2 is cleared up. Turns out my Mitutoyo caliper is now just a little out of spec. The use of a micrometer showed me this and now I'm left with figuring out how to reset it or have it repaired.

[mdi]

I have a Lyman wobbler and a little 2 drum HF rotary. I didn't want to get powder in one of the drums so I stuffed a container in one of the drums. Enough room to do 75-80 .38/9mm bullets and a bit fewer .44 or .45 bullets. No rubber chewed up and 10 minutes tumbling give a good coat...

[Walter Laich]

I was able to get OK results in 1-2 minutes. After that no real improvement on covering.
Looks like others are on different time tables

[bangerjim]

Not to be a pest........but.

All you need is an old Coolwhip container and 2 minutes!!!!!! I quit using any mechanical tumblers.
Just put a SMALL amount of powder and about 30-40 boolits in the tub, swirl for ~2 minutes (that's all that is needed!) adding more powder if all are not coated.....NO LID....so you can see what you are doing.

Works as perfect as you can expect DT to do.

banger

[cheetah]

That's true. The best results seem to be with not only a round dish but a radiused bottom as well - so there are no sharp corners. It needs just the right wrist action to swirl the entire mass of bullets and powder as one - so there aren't any rattling and collisions. I trickle the boolits onto a stucco lath screen with a newspaper underneath and dump the fallout right back in the bowl. HF red.
Shot off some today hitting 2000 in a .223 leaving a clean barrel. A Contender is nice to watch the bore from shot to shot. At one point I developed a scuff halfway down that could have been a lead rub. Subsequent shots erased it. Had a 30-30 and 7-30 to 1900 with nothing but powder residue.

[mdi]

No, no, no. My way is best! Neat and clean and fast. All yall is crazy...:veryconfu

(JK!)

[bangerjim]

No, no, no. My way is best! Neat and clean and fast. All yall is crazy...:veryconfu

(JK!)

I have NO mess at all doing it in a coolwhip container. This saves new guys from have to buy a tumbler just to find out they really did not need it. If you have one, try it, will not cost you anything.

But the round container seems to be much better than the square or rectangular ones. I have tried them ALL. And there IS something about that domed bottom!

banger

[mdi]

Did anybody see the (JK!)? FWIW; that means just kidding...

[popper]

there IS something about that domed bottom! So OK for those of us that don't use cool whip, you talking the round raised bottom of cottage cheese container? They are #5. I'm using a rect. #5 container as it does OK but looking for something better. Takes 2 coats of HF white to get a good 30/30 coating.

[Maximumbob54]

I already had the second tumbler as I let used brass stuck up so much that when it comes time to run it I finally broke down and just bought a second tumbler. But it is round on the bottom.