I have $175, which brass cleaning system should i get?

[Treegunner]

I have $175 to put towards either an ultrasound cleaner or Frankford Arsenal Rotary tumbler which would be best for cleaning 45-110 black powder brass? I think I would prefer the UC, just put the brass in then dry them off when done, no messing with pins etc.

What's our advice and thanks in advance!

[Gunlaker]

I was a big believer in ultrasonic because I couldn't get my Lyman rotary tumbler with stainless steel pins to clean cases without peening the mouths badly. It turns at about 100 rpm and has a large drum.

I later switched to a 30rpm Thumblers Tumbler with stainless pins. The lower speed, or maybe better drum design of the Thumblers has nearly eliminated peening. I've switched entirely to the Thumblers for all case cleaning now.

Chris.

[John Boy]

https://www.harborfreight.com/dual-drum-rotary-rock-tumbler-67632.html?utm_source=blog&utm_medium=blog&utm_campaign=cleanbrass
212344
I have 2 of the dual drum Harbor Freight's (for about 8 years) and a dual 6# drum Lotorne but that one is $225
Highly recommend the Harbor Freight
And you'll be sorry if you buy a sonic cleaner to clean brass - ask me how I know

[Treegunner]

https://www.harborfreight.com/dual-drum-rotary-rock-tumbler-67632.html?utm_source=blog&utm_medium=blog&utm_campaign=cleanbrass
212344
I have 2 of the dual drum Harbor Freight's (for about 8 years) and a dual 6# drum Lotorne but that one is $225
Highly recommend the Harbor Freight
And you'll be sorry if you buy a sonic cleaner to clean brass - ask me how I know

Wow, I have a %20 off coupon for Harbor freight!!! I just need to get the pins!!!

[M-Tecs]

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/713881/frankford-arsenal-platinum-series-rotary-case-tumbler-110-volt

I use both pins and ultrasonic cleaners. For blackpowder I have not been happy with the results that the ultrasonic gives.

[slim1836]

I second the Frankford Arsenal Platinum Series Rotary Case Tumbler, works well for me.

Slim

[Treegunner]

I second the Frankford Arsenal Platinum Series Rotary Case Tumbler, works well for me.

Slim

Thanks so much guys, I just ordered it off Amazon!!!! I really want to get into this BPCR doing the right things and buy once!!! Cant wait Thanks again!!

[Smoke4320]

SS pins and a low speed rotary tumbler
Turn low brown stained brass like new in 2 to 3 hrs

[Road_Clam]

I have the FA wet SS pin tumbler, wished I had bought this 10 years ago. Yes it's a bit more work, a bit more messy for cleanup but dam your brass comes out looking BRAND NEW. Alls' I use is a quick squeeze of concentrated Dawn dish soap, and a tblspoon of Lemi shine. Let the brass dry in the sun (summer) or bake ay 150F for about 30 min in the oven. Done.

[John Boy]

Let the brass dry in the sun (summer) or bake ay 150F for about 30 min in the oven.
Waste of time in the Sun and oven ... Here's How to Dry Brass in Under 2 Minutes
http://www.theopenrange.net/forum/index.php?topic=7653.msg56565

[Treegunner]

Thanks for the tips, I am going to tumble my brass tomorrow! I have to get some Dawn and Lemi Shine!

[Mr_Sheesh]

I could use any of my soldering hot air guns if in THAT big a hurry; At the risk of annealing them. I just use the dehydrator tho, as the next lot of cases will take a while to get clean & need drying :)

[Lead pot]

The Frankford Arsenal is a good tumbler I use it also. Do your self a favor and get these two extra pieces it makes saving the pins a lot easier and get a 5 gallon bucket to catch the water. Also if you leave the dirty soapy water in the bucket for a couple days the black fouling will settle to the bottom and you can reuse the soap several times.

For the classifier get the 70 mesh it will hold the pins.
http://www.goldfeverprospecting.com/clsc.html
The magnet is also great to have to pick up pins off the floor if you spill them and separate them from the cases.
http://www.goldfeverprospecting.com/blacksand.html

[Grmps]

home made
https://i.imgur.com/NagxvZM.jpg
or get the The Frankford Arsenal
dry in food dehydrator
https://i.imgur.com/JPuyQIW.jpghttps://i.imgur.com/pNQJ5BS.jpg
for small batches
https://i.imgur.com/df8FjES.jpghttps://i.imgur.com/IKUyuLT.jpg
for 2 gallon batches
https://i.imgur.com/Uy4UWGY.jpg

[Mr_Sheesh]

Got the magnet, meant to ask but keep forgetting it (pretty busy here, also Ooooh Shiny Brass syndrome LOL!) - Would it be wise or is it unnecessary to pop the magnetic pin remover into a plastic bag / coating, to keep water out of it? Been just using it once the brass is in the sieves but considering trying another way maybe...

[Tom Herman]

I use the HF tumbler for low volume production (with SS pins and Lemishine), but I'm not entirely happy with it because the brass doesn't come out shiny as when I use the big Dillon vibratory tumbler, corncob, and the Dillon Rapid Polish...
That being said, I'll tolerate the matte finish on the cartridges.
Processing the BP brass takes several stages: A good soak in a water and dilute vinegar solution to neutralize the alkaline salts, followed by a wash and a trip to the oven to dry.
Then, I deprime and SS pin/Lemishine tumble, followed by another good rinse and another oven dry.
If I ever do larger quantities, I may simply use the Dillon vibratory tumbler, but will still do the rinse/decap stages.
I think the steel pins do a GREAT job of cleaning out the primer pockets.
I was shocked at how much crud is in the pockets, even when using 4198....
Best of Luck!

-Tom

[jmort]

FART with chips and the FA Dryer

[Treegunner]

I have the FA wet SS pin tumbler, wished I had bought this 10 years ago. Yes it's a bit more work, a bit more messy for cleanup but dam your brass comes out looking BRAND NEW. Alls' I use is a quick squeeze of concentrated Dawn dish soap, and a tblspoon of Lemi shine. Let the brass dry in the sun (summer) or bake ay 150F for about 30 min in the oven. Done.

Do you use distilled water or regular tap water???

[Treegunner]

I used my FA tumbler with the soap they provided and the brass came out great and YUP!!!! I need a magnet!

[hiram]

I have both.

Whereas the ultrasonic cleans the grime, grit, or other dirt off the case, it does not polish. The cases are still dull and 'look' dirty, but they are clean.

The thumblers tumbler leaves my 45-70 cases clean enough that when you open the canister, put on sunglasses. My mix is water, 1/2 tsp of dawn and a few shakes of sour salt. I use small ceramic media. You might also use lemishine instead of sour salt.

[marlin39a]

I deprime my black powder brass, and clean in an ultrasonic with warm water and citric acid. Then they get tumbled in corn cob with Nu finish. They come out looking like new.

[rfd]

the type of brass cleaning method, tools and materials will depend on how bad the bp residue is on the brass. my fired brass gets dunked in a soap/water solution within a few seconds of firing and this brass cleaning works best for me - 30 minutes in a hornady 2L U/S with hornady brass solution. shake off the excess water and then 15 minutes in a corn media vibrator. done. what i like best about a U/S is how well it cleans what's most important - the inside of the case, particularly since i only load black powder, and we know what can happen with anything that'll give purchase to the bp whence fired. the .45-70 brass below has been fired many times and has lotsa life left.

https://i.imgur.com/VbsMVSZ.jpg

[blackpowder man]

Just saw this thread and I’m also debating which way to go when I replace my old and tired vibratory tumbler. I was thinking about ultra sonic because it should quieter, easier, and less messy. I’d like to hear more about them and their downfalls and also how loud are the rotary tumblers? If you use stainless pins a magnet won’t get the pins out of the brass right?

[Treegunner]

Just saw this thread and I’m also debating which way to go when I replace my old and tired vibratory tumbler. I was thinking about ultra sonic because it should quieter, easier, and less messy. I’d like to hear more about them and their downfalls and also how loud are the rotary tumblers? If you use stainless pins a magnet won’t get the pins out of the brass right?

I bought a rotary with metal pins and love it! I use the wheel/ball brass separator the brass from pins and the magnet to pick up any pins on the floor or bucket. I use a fine mesh cloth to strain the water from the pins and rinse. I love it compared to dry tumbling. I never tried the ultrasonic.

[rfd]

totally subjective since vibratory, tumbler and ultra sonic brass cleaners all can get the job done. i tried all three, each type for years. for my bpcr and handgun brass, i'm sticking with ultra sonic all the way - super quiet, twice as fast, and the brass is just as clean inside as outside, which is important to me for black powder loads. ymmv.

[M-96 Hunter]

Tumbling with SS,Lemishine,Dawn, water is the only way to go for any case cleaning.

[gpidaho]

I have two RCBS vibratory tub cleaners, a Lyman ultra-sonic and a Lyman Cyclone SS pin tumblers. Each have their spot and chore in my brass cleaning efforts. Gp

[zymguy]

I have two RCBS vibratory tub cleaners, a Lyman ultra-sonic and a Lyman Cyclone SS pin tumblers. Each have their spot and chore in my brass cleaning efforts. Gp

when do you use which ? diffrent media in the two vibratory tubs ?

[mold maker]

I would only recommend ultrasonic for smaller batches. The rotary tumblers w/SS pins for large numbers, and vibrators for light duty.
The cons are rinsing, dirty water disposal, and drying with ultrasonic and rotary, lead-laden dust from vibrators.
As stated each has it's favored use. If I didn't already have several tumblers of both types, I'd be interested in sonic. Most of what I do is in large volume so the ultrasonic really isn't feasible.
The ultimate in shiny brass, (much better than new) is a combination of SS pins in a rotary tumbler to clean, and a turn in cob vibrator to polish. You'll need sunglasses. It's true, they won't shoot any better, but sure are a source of pride at the range when I bring out my loaded jewelry.

[rfd]

there are ultra sonic machines and then there are Ultra Sonic machines. its size (and overall quality) determines its effective capacity. i use a hornady 2L and can do fifty 45-70 cases at a time ... but do remember it only takes a very quiet 30 minutes to get the job thoroughly done, so an hour for 100 cases. this fits me fine as typically i'm cleaning no more than 40, but if i had to do 100 it would be no big deal. if i had to routinely do a 100, that would justify a much larger machine.

also, it WILL matter how well you take care of a fresh spent case, and mine are immediately dropped into a water/dawn solution after firing. the more lax one is with pre-clean handling the less work the U/S hasta do to get the brass squeaky clean. i was given some really nasty winchester 45-70 brass that took a double run (1 hour) to get acceptably clean inside and out. i do use a corn media vibratory (with the top off) to dry off the wet brass because i'm usually lazy about towelling them off, or leaving 'em in the sun (if it's out :) ).

all the brass cleaning processes available will work just fine. all are subjective compromises of sorts. all can get the job done.

[bluejay75]

Just a suggestion. Lyman and a brass dryer. You will need to come up with 25 more dollars.

https://www.amazon.com/Lyman-7631550-Cyclone-Rotary-Tumbler/dp/B01A3PNX1E/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1519096723&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=lyman+rotary+tumbler+stainless+steel+pin+ media+sifter+set

PLUS........

https://www.amazon.com/Frankford-Arsenal-909213-Platinum-Brass/dp/B00RPABBG0/ref=sr_1_1?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1519096754&sr=1-1&keywords=brass+dryer

[rfd]

that frankford brass dryer got some really negative reviews. some folks are having much better results using a food dehydrator instead.

[bluejay75]

I have had no issues. Mine is over a year old and gets used roughly twice a week. I shake in a towel before putting them in the dryer. Usually gets them dry without spots in less than an hour.