How much ss media?

[Bignutt]

I'm trying to put together a tumbler for these ss pins, they sure look like they do a good job. The thing I'm wondering is how many pounds of pins to get, haven't made the tube yet but it should be in the 24 in range and im going to use 6 in pvc for the tube. Going to mount it in a cement mixer I have so weight shouldn't be the problem there. Would five lbs be enough or do I need to go 10?

[jmorris]

If you don't want them to shine on the inside, try it with no pins first.

[altheating]

My tumbler holds approximately 2 gallons. I started using 5 lbs of pins and found that was way to much. I now have approximately 1/3 cup of pins in the tumbler weather I tumble a full batch or a partial batch. A cut off 12 ga shotgun shell cut just above the high base brass as a measure for the Lemishine Shine and a one second squirt of Orange dish washing liquid is all I use. Give em about 1/2 hour and they look like new brass. Most times they tumble for more than that as I usually get doing something else and forget about them, but they sure are clean at that point. I have never had a tarnish problem, but I use hot water to rinse the brass. Not sure if that has anything to do with it or not, maybe my water is the key. Save yourself some headaches, don't tumble mixed sized brass like 40 s&w and 9mm or 44 mag and 223. The small ones get inside the big ones and then the outside of the small ones does not get clean and the inside of the big ones don't get clean and they have to be hand separated and pulled apart.

[Bonz]

I have read several articles that say the weight of the pins should exceed the weight of the brass being cleaned for the best cleaning. My commercial tumbler has 18 pounds of SS pins in it and I wash 15 pounds of brass at a time. But my new "FART" (common nickname for the frankford arsenal rotary tumbler) does a great job of washing 8 pounds of brass with only 5 pounds of SS pins. Truly think its completely "trial & error"

[altheating]

I wonder if it has something to do with the shape of the drum?

[Bayou52]

I think Bonz is right - trial and error. I've got a Thumlers Model B. I use 5 pounds of pins with 3 pounds of brass. I've used less pins -down to 3 pounds, and it cleaned great, too. So, you just use the comments as informational and see what works for you.

Bayou52

[Gillie Dog]

Bignutt,

It is not possible to get better advise or answer to your question than you have received here. Take a few batches and do exactly what these guys say and you will have a procedure which works like the cats meow.

Change everything:

Amount of pins
Amount of brass
Amount of soap
Amount of LemiShine (citric acid)
How much water
Hot or cold water
Run time

Everybody has their own recipe.

Mine in a Thumblers B is:

5 lbs pins
2 to 3 lbs brass
tablespoon Dawn
1/4 teaspoon LemiShine
fill to 1/2 inch from full with hot tap water
tumble 30 minutes

Try out all the scenarios until you find your sweet spot. Check brass for cleanliness as well as peening of the mouth and you will be set.

Good luck

GD

[jmorris]

The one I built works well with 10lbs and around 3000 45 acp cases.

http://i664.photobucket.com/albums/vv5/qvideo/IMG_20130727_144639_090_zpsd9095290.jpg

[mongoose33]

I just use the amount I bought--five pounds. The more you have, the fast it will clean.

I have both the Thumler's Tumbler as well as the Frankford Arsenal offering. I like the Frankford option better.

[oley55]

I'm trying to put together a tumbler for these ss pins, they sure look like they do a good job. The thing I'm wondering is how many pounds of pins to get, haven't made the tube yet but it should be in the 24 in range and im going to use 6 in pvc for the tube. Going to mount it in a cement mixer I have so weight shouldn't be the problem there. Would five lbs be enough or do I need to go 10?

24" is real close to the length of my 22"+. 10 pounds ought to work, but. I've done 1k batches of 223 with approximately 10 pounds of pins. Never thought about how much my batch of brass weighs though. Besides I have no idea how much 1k of 223/556 weighs. I bought 15 pounds of pins when I was putting this together. I just pour in what I think is enough an go for it. Nice to know with certainty that I have enough on hand. Not sure how can it would hurt to have a few too many pins in there?. For me the pins were certainty the highest dollar item.

link to mine:
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?144547-Home-Made-Tumbler-Plans-with-Pulley-Size-and-Drum-explained/page2