Wet tumbling media, any thing other than SS pins ?

[onegunred]

I am going to buy a Lortone 33B double drum wet tumbler and need some sort of media. Are SS pins my only option ?

[Conditor22]

I've had good luck with the pins, they don't get stuck in the primer pockets and clean the primer pockets

I seen where others use SS chips?
or
google 1Lb Stainless Steel Tumbling Media Shot Jewelers cylindrical Tumbler Finishing

[Hick]

There are things other than SS pins-- but I am also in the SS pin camp. I think they work just about better than anything. I wet tumble, and the SS pins are very easy to separate from the brass and the last pretty much forever. I bought the 2.5 pound jar of pins a couple of years ago and that's all I seem to need. About the worst thing that has happened is losing a few pins down the sink when I rise the brass.

[Mica_Hiebert]

If you have Facebook search southern shine media they sell stainless chips and work great.

[vagrantviking]

About the worst thing that has happened is losing a few pins down the sink when I rise the brass.

I was annoyed by this too and a little bemused to see some would even float on the surface tension of clean rinse water.
I found a doughnut shaped speaker magnet that was just the right size to fit around the drain. It holds back a half inch of water in the sink and catchs any pins that escape.

[Burnt Fingers]

If you have Facebook search southern shine media they sell stainless chips and work great.

Yep. I like the chips a lot better than the pins.

[mdi]

Actually, any small metal object or even ceramic tumbling media will work. Stainless steel is use because the pins don't rust and can be used for a long time. I was owned by a 30' sailboat a few years ago and have a good supply of stainless steel hardware; wood screws, machine screws, cotter pins,nuts, bolts and washers. My first try at wet tumbling with SS media I used small cotter pins (3/32"x 1/2") and some #4 wood screws, 6-32 nuts and some #6 washers. Worked fine, but didn't get pristine primer pockets (BFD!). I have tried hard resin media wet and dry during my "experimenting" with tumbling media and after 5 years of playing with a bunch of different "media", I settled on corn cob blast media, 14-20 at the easiest, cleanest, most effective media for tumbling brass...

[sparky45]

Actually, any small metal object or even ceramic tumbling media will work. Stainless steel is use because the pins don't rust and can be used for a long time. I was owned by a 30' sailboat a few years ago and have a good supply of stainless steel hardware; wood screws, machine screws, cotter pins,nuts, bolts and washers. My first try at wet tumbling with SS media I used small cotter pins (3/32"x 1/2") and some #4 wood screws, 6-32 nuts and some #6 washers. Worked fine, but didn't get pristine primer pockets (BFD!). I have tried hard resin media wet and dry during my "experimenting" with tumbling media and after 5 years of playing with a bunch of different "media", I settled on corn cob blast media, 14-20 at the easiest, cleanest, most effective media for tumbling brass...

How much water you use with the Cob media?

[Walter Laich]

If you have Facebook search southern shine media they sell stainless chips and work great.

+1
for me they cut the time in half.
I think they are equal to pins and are faster so life is good

[OS OK]

Yep. I like the chips a lot better than the pins.


+1
for me they cut the time in half.
I think they are equal to pins and are faster so life is good

Could one of you post some pictures of the primer pockets...up close?
I'm wondering just how clean they get and if the chips will get in there in the corner of the bottom of the pocket?

Also...do the chips want to get into small caliber case mouths and get packed within the case?

[CrystalShip]

There is a variety of media that can be used. Besides The standard , Corn cob , walnut. Pins I have use small leather strips , not vinyl.. Strips put and excellent shine and remove small marks or lines, small Plastic Beads with plain soap and water . The last thing I have used was Erasers. similar in Pencils but larger. All do a Good Job but If your a primer pocket Nut. then these are not for you

[rmantoo]

I have been using ss pins in a thumblers tumbler for about 10 years. This year in January, I stopped using pins, at all. I hate the hassle of separating the pins from brass, and whenever I end up with 9mm and 40 or 45 randomly in other batches, pins end up in between the cases, and I lose a few whenever I separate them...

So I tried Guntaps "Brass Shine," and "Brass Juice." Brass Juice with no pins is all I'm using from now on.

It's $20 for 32 ounces, drain/septic safe, and you can reuse it at least 5-6 times...so each load comes out to about $0.08.

Advantages (for me): 1. No more separating pins 2. Faster. I only tumble 30-45 minutes for regular brass, and 75 for black, aged range brass. 3. So far, I've rerun each load (of brass juice, not the brass) at least 5 times...a few 6, and I'm going to try going a few more.https://photos.app.goo.gl/tATocuGEuLuiLwF38

https://photos.app.goo.gl/j5gdbX5ApTZzkU6G7

https://photos.app.goo.gl/ev45x74ZP8zVHGHK6

Maybe I should add: I don't have any kind of relationship with either of those companies...I was just tired of ss pins and figured there had to be other guys out there in the same basic boat... figured I'd share.

[JeepHammer]

What you might try that worked for me, depending on situation.

Put water in the media separator, this breaks surface tension and pins/chips come out easier.

Drop a 5 gallon bucket paint strainer in the media separator bucket under the basket, throw a couple weights in to keep it from rubbing on the basket with brass.

These run under $1.50 when bought in 20 packs off eBay and catch pins/chips.
Bucket catches water, strainer catches pins/chips, basket retains brass.

I often don't use pins/chips, just soap & a little acid.
This cleans the brass quite well, and really quick.
Stains remain inside brass, but carbon chunks, dirt/sand washes out of brass.
With pistol brass in particular, leaving the stain in the case helps get the brass off the powder funnel/neck expander on my Dillon progressive.

This is entirely depending on large volume...
I use a cement mixer ($150-$300) instead of 'Rock' tumbler,
Better made tumblers can cost well over $300.

I made a strainer for the mouth of the mixer...
Wash, strain crud/pins/chip out,
Throw in rinse water and strain out rinse water,

Throw dry walnut shell media on DAMP brass and let the polish media (on clean brass) both dry & polish.
The small amount of moisture just keeps the dust down.
Again, screen out dry media and dump brass into buckets.

This keeps me from having to lift the brass (up to 15 gallons at a time) several times since the brass stays in the mixer until it's ready to process.
Dumping brass with pins/wash water, rinse water, etc. all requires lifting the brass over & over again.
(I guess if your are a body builder you want to 'Pump Brass', but I don't!)

When weather requires processing indoors, I dump into a laundry tub,
Sawed the legs off a little,added casters and put a rubber hose on the drain.
Laundry tubs are still cheap.

For drying,
I often use dry walnut shell media,
BUT,
A nylon (synthetic) Minnow Seine Net, on 2"x4" frame (looks like a sleeping cot), and either a cheap fan or sunlight dries most brass without large energy costs.
The synthetic fabric net is strong enough to hold 10 gallons of brass, and it doesn't leave marks on the brass like metal screen does.

This doesn't discount things like food dehydrator or an old kitchen oven, etc.
I live off grid, and making heat in volume costs money.
I can stack up a few stretched net frames with an air gap between and dry a bunch of brass while others get cleaned/polished, and leaving them to dry doesn't mark or dull the brass.
Like a giant food dehydrator with just a fan under it...

---------

No matter the volume you do,
Walnut shell will eventually plug up with crud/brass.

The paint strainer bags work to catch pins/chips.
They also work to wash the crud/dust out of your walnut shell media.
A piece of common nylon window screen allows you to dry out your walnut shell for reuse.
It also dries in food dehydrators just fine.
(This is assuming a stray cat doesn't use it for a litter box when you aren't looking! ;) )

The longer your stuff lasts, the lower the total cost, and the more components you can buy!

[jmorris]

I used pins but know a business that doesn’t use any media, just the water, cleaning solution and brass. They are not as clean inside as with pins but after they are reloaded, you can’t tell the difference. Might try that first, you can always buy pins later.

[mdi]

How much water you use with the Cob media?

Dry only. Wet cob blast media will turn into a goo when water is added. Went back to dry tumbling (rotary) as for me there is less mess, easier use, and for me, a bright, glossy shiny and pristine case IDs and primer pockets are not necessary. Only 2 cases get shined; 45 ACP and 30-06, when fired from my semi-autos. Easy to find in the dirt, rocks and trash at my "range".

[mdi]

I used pins but know a business that doesn’t use any media, just the water, cleaning solution and brass. They are not as clean inside as with pins but after they are reloaded, you can’t tell the difference. Might try that first, you can always buy pins later.

A machine shop I worked at did the same; just parts, dish soap and water. I tried just water one time and got the same finish on the OD, but brass started tarnishing a few days after tumbling...

[Mica_Hiebert]

Could one of you post some pictures of the primer pockets...up close?
I'm wondering just how clean they get and if the chips will get in there in the corner of the bottom of the pocket?

Also...do the chips want to get into small caliber case mouths and get packed within the case?

That is part of the advantage of chips is they do not get stuck in bottle neck cases I've done tons of 223 brass. I do not have pictures but the chips will make the primer pockets look brand new. They also cost slightly less than stainless pins.

[Conditor22]

After I wet tumble and rise the brass, I drop it in a bucket with water and a little car wash - wash/wax in it, lightly rinse off the bubbles spin them again in a rotary media separator (that I also use to remove all the pins), towel dry and load into a food dehydrator. Helps keep the brass shiny.

[Time Killer]

I use pins but my next purchase will be the chips. I have seen veideo's of both in use. I have a media separator that was used to separate dry media from brass. It is the turn style separator. I found it works excellent for separating the pins from the brass. The bottom that was used to catch the media I fill to where the rotary tumbler is about on inch under the water. it works great. I dump most of the water out then spin them a little more to get the water out of the cases.

[Drew P]

Another vote for no media here. I dint care how the insides look, and omitting pins makes the process way easier. After a rinse I place a bath towel on the floor, and dump wet brass in the towel, then I pick up the towel by the ends, making a hammock shape. Then tilt the hammock side to side which rolls the load of brass end to end, getting about 95% water out.
Works for my lazy boot

[6bg6ga]

Years ago when I worked in a factory we had a commercial tumbler that used ceramic media. I would think that would work fine on brass.

[JeepHammer]

I confused cleaning, polishing and coatings for YEARS.
Until I started doing large volume I just never rubbed the two extra brain cells together to define the difference and come up with a process...

Now I wash, strain, rinse, strain, polish (dry media, with or without coating), strain and dump finished brass.
Strainer on a cement mixer (or any other tumbler drum) allows removing water, pins, dry media without unloading the drum, which saves back breaking work when doing large volume, cement mixer spin and tumble through range of angle.

Media strainers (spinning baskets) are made for mostly dry media, there isn't a system for catching pins/chips, that's where the paint strainer bags come in for small volume.
Being able to add coating to dry media (walnut shell in my case) keeps the brass from dulling.
Again, that's a dry, polish & coat in one step.

When I don't want polish inside the case, I strain off dry media, throw in sponges with coatings and tumble a few minutes, this keeps coatings out of my dry media, and sponges don't enter the cases so no coatings inside the case. Sponges are also easy to pick out of the brass, so straining isn't necessary.

I also case lube with sponges, again it keeps the case lube out of the necks/bodies of the cases, and missed sponges simply ride around in the case feeder, they don't jam it up, pick them out when the brass is processed.

Again, just ideas that have worked for me, if you can use any feel free...

[lightman]

Have any of you guys that use the stainless chips noticed any accelerated wear to your drum liner?

[jmort]

I have not
May be due to much shorter run times
I get the brass clean enough for me in 20 to 30 minutes
Most everything seems to be a plus/minus deal in life
The chips have to be harder on everything they come in contact with.

[mdi]

Wow, I guess I'm "old school". I put brass in my rotary. I turn the switch on. A few hours later I dump and sift the brass. Inspection is a normal part of my reloading style so I often inspect just before my next step, one by one. Three steps for cleaning my brass; two if you don't consider turning on a switch as a step. I'm not impressed by virgin looking cartridges, and there's no one at the range to impress. My "pride" and satisfaction comes wen I retrieve a target with a good group (life long machinist/mechanic that got satisfaction by the accuracy of construction/usefulness of the finished product or repair)...

[rmantoo]

Wow, I guess I'm "old school". I put brass in my rotary. I turn the switch on. A few hours later I dump and sift the brass. Inspection is a normal part of my reloading style so I often inspect just before my next step, one by one. Three steps for cleaning my brass; two if you don't consider turning on a switch as a step. I'm not impressed by virgin looking cartridges, and there's no one at the range to impress. My "pride" and satisfaction comes wen I retrieve a target with a good group (life long machinist/mechanic that got satisfaction by the accuracy of construction/usefulness of the finished product or repair)...

Whatever works for you is what works. No reason to conform to others' ideas if you're satisfied.

When I first got into competitive shooting, most of the semi-pros and actual professionals didn't clean their brass, at all. They simply reloaded dirty cases. this wasn't bulls eye, or precision, but tactical and defensive and bowling pin types of competitions.

While I do clean my brass, I don't care about it being 100% beautiful...just want to reduce friction and foreign contamination, and have consistent case volumes and seating/crimps, etc. I shoot USPSA and 3 gun. Between that, training, and my families' needs, it's not uncommon to shoot 2000-3000 9mm, 40, and 223 a month. ANYTHING that cuts down on the time I spend reloading is a good thing... I decided early on that vibratory tumblers were, for me, a HUGE waste of time when wet tumbling generally took 1/5th the time a vibratory tumbler did.

Likewise, in semi autos, I do NOT clean finished ammo in a vibratory tumbler after loading- even though I use dillon case lube, and there is definitely a residue on it afterwards, I've yet to see any feeding issues after doing it this way for almost 10 years. My personal belief is that the case lube residue- basically lanolin after the alcohol dries- protects the brass from oxidation.

Switching to no pins and Brass Juice cut out one more step and a bit more time was a logical progression. Not going back.

[hollywood63]

I was annoyed by this too and a little bemused to see some would even float on the surface tension of clean rinse water.
I found a doughnut shaped speaker magnet that was just the right size to fit around the drain. It holds back a half inch of water in the sink and catchs any pins that escape.

Love this idea sounds better then the screen I tape to the drain[smilie=1:

[stranded1980]

Another vote for stainless steel chips: they just flow out of any type of bottleneck case. So long as the squirrel cage of the separator is submerged in water, the chips will quickly exit the cases.

I reload inside my home, and I have little children with developing brains. As a result, I like to clean my brass in a water solution so I don't have lead dust flying around.

Also, of all the different wet tumblers I've tried, the Frankford Arsenal is my favorite: The drum is made of plastic, so no fear of rust like I had with the Thumbler Tumbler Model B. Also, I really like only having to unscrew the lid, as opposed to the 6 wingnuts.

[6bg6ga]

What ever works.

[luv45acp]

I am going to buy a Lortone 33B double drum wet tumbler and need some sort of media. Are SS pins my only option ?

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?332513-Stainless-Pellets

[Pipefitter]

After 20 years of using a Dillon vibratory tumbler I added one piece of equipment and a couple more steps to cleaning very dirty brass.

I bought a Hornady Magunm ultrasonic cleaner. Just finished cleaning/polishing 2500 raw LC 5.56 brass
Step one: unbox and de-prime the brass
Step two: Swage out the primer pockets
Both of these steps allow me to handle each piece of brass twice, looking for culls
Step three and four: a trip through the sonic cleaner with lemishine and dawn dish soap, rinse under hot tap water. This gets the dirt and crud off the outside (and most out of the inside). Then a trip for an hour or so in a 200*f oven to dry
Steps five and six: lube and size (in a dillon carbide sizer die) then trim to 1.750".
Step seven: another trip through the sonic cleaner, dried in the oven as above, then about 3-4 hours in the dillon vibratory tumbler with corncob and liquid car wax.
At this time you would think that instead of being once fired brass it looks like brand new unprimed brass. Primer pockets are squeaky clean
All that is left to do is chamfer inside and out and reload as you see fit

[Fishoot]

I use Cream of Tartar (at your grocery store's spice rack) , about a tablespoon to a half gallon of water in a rock tumbler. I tumble the brass first in Simple Green and water, then the Cream of Tartar. The resullt is not quite as shinny as the pins, etc., but it is more than enough and cheap.

[rmantoo]

I use Cream of Tartar (at your grocery store's spice rack) , about a tablespoon to a half gallon of water in a rock tumbler. I tumble the brass first in Simple Green and water, then the Cream of Tartar. The resullt is not quite as shinny as the pins, etc., but it is more than enough and cheap.

I'd be down for that process, if it wasn't 2 processes.

[salpal48]

I stopped with all The Mix and match, Liquids and such . Went back to dry and that's it. No mess

[JM7.7x58]

I have been washing by hand in plastic Folgers coffee containers. I've been using hot water, dish soap, vinegar, and salt. It works OK. Brass functions just fine.

I had read on here about Lemi Shine. I wanted to try some. So I googled it to see what it was made of.

And I found this.

http://www.chemistry-blog.com/2012/05/18/whats-in-lemi-shine/

Wow! He spent a little time working on that science!

Is Brass Juice that much better? I wonder what's in that Brass Juice that makes it worth $75.00 bucks a gallon?

JM

[Mytmousemalibu]

We have a guy here in ICT that buys, sorts, cleans, and sells brass as a side gig. His brass is pretty dang ckean and shiny. He wet tumbles with the traditional lemi/soap but in a cement mixer. No pins though. His media of choice:

.22LR brass!

He gets a ton of it in the range brass as it is but thats what he uses for media. It seperates easy and I have to admit, it works awesome. The insides aren't as clean as pins and he doesn't deprine it but it works and you can't ask for more plentiful free media.

[gloob]

Dry only. Wet cob blast media will turn into a goo when water is added. Went back to dry tumbling (rotary) as for me there is less mess, easier use, and for me, a bright, glossy shiny and pristine case IDs and primer pockets are not necessary. Only 2 cases get shined; 45 ACP and 30-06, when fired from my semi-autos. Easy to find in the dirt, rocks and trash at my "range".
I actually use a bit of water with my corn cob dry tumbler.

My brass usually comes with a lot of dust and gravel. I started rinsing my brass in a bucket of water before tumbling. Initially, I thought this would keep my corn cob working longer by reducing the amount of dust I was putting in there. I would shake out excess water then put them in the tumbler like that. What I found was the brass got cleaner than dry, and in about a quarter of the time! And there was less dust on the cases. The corn cob would be grossly dry by the time the load was done.

But I found I couldn't do multiple loads in succession like that. The corn cob would accumulate too much water and start to clump and sometimes stick in the cases. So there's a limit. On successive loads, I'll shake/drain the cases more thoroughly and let them dry out a bit in the sun before adding them to the tumbler.

[Tmaloy]

I deprime and size for pistol brass, if rifle brass, just deprime. Take the brass to be worked on and place in a 3.5 gal bucket with a squirt of Dawn and a pinch of Lemi-shine and hot water about an inch above the brass. Agitate by hand a few times and let sit for 5 minutes or whenever I remember I had brass soaking. Drain and rinse through a square plastic basket with holes to drain the dirty water out. Load up in my FA tumbler with SS pins also with another pinch of Lemi-shine but with Turtle Wash and Wax this time. Run for 45 minutes to an hour. Break out the FA media separator and spin about 10 times back and forth. Lay them out on an old bath towel, do the hammock rock, spill them out on another towel and air dry, if I want to speed it up, I'll use a blow dryer run them over the laid out brass.

[bobthenailer]

For decades I used BB gun BB in my Lorton,s, with JOY dish washing soap & water, I switched to SS pins about 10 years ago and never looked back !