SS pins for cleaning brass.

[Lee S. Forsberg]

What equipment and pins do you recommend for cleaning brass?
Thanks
Lee

[BLAHUT]

I use a tumbler, hot water, ss pins, lemi shine, simple green, for an hour or two, then air dry and then into the corn with bras polish...

[Nueces]

I've used the high speed Thumler Model B High Speed with success, but stepped up to the more robust Rebel 17, which features ball bearing shafts. Stainless steel pins are typically 0.255" long, the early ones being 0.041" in diameter. Those tended to jam in flash holes, so newer pins are bigger, 0.047" diameter, to prevent this. Larger pins are also available, but I do not recommend them. A standard pin load is 5 pounds and larger pins, being heavier, offer a much reduced number of pin ends per unit of weight. The pin ends to the work, so I say stay with 0.047".

I use a plug in timer, selectable for intervals of 1,2 4 and 8 hours, to power the tumbler. One example is:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001DD7YSE/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

For soaps, I use Dawn liquid dish detergent with a dash of LemiShine and for final polishing with a thin wax anti-tarnish coating, ArmorAll Wash'n'Wax, also with LemiShine. Cold water works fine. I deprime cases first, not so much to clean primer pockets (but they do get clean), but to avoid trapping rinse water.

A media separator for removing pins, a shake in a large towel to mostly dry the cases, then 30 minutes in a 170F oven to finish dry.

[mac60]

I just can't deal with the drama of separating the pins from the brass, so I just don't use them. Frankford arsenal rotary tumbler, brass covered with water, a dash of dawn, a little sprinkle of lemishine and a few sprays of purple power. Let them run for 2 hours, if they're not clean enough to suit me I let 'em run another 2 hours. I've found the more brass I put in (within reason) the better the results.

[Tall]

I have the Frankford Arsenal Rotary Tumbler. I find the supplied solution does a great job without any pins so I have never used them. My brass is shiny and super clean - no pins needed.

[Leadmad]

I have the Frankford Arsenal Rotary Tumbler. I find the supplied solution does a great job without any pins so I have never used them. My brass is shiny and super clean - no pins needed.

Exactly what I do now, but use dishwasher powder a small amount only and superb results

[huntinlever]

I have the smaller Frankford Arsenal wet tumbler and like Tall I have just been using the soap pods supplied with the unit. I do use Frankford s/s pins as well, but agree they are a bit of a pain. I've never tried just tumbling longer without the pins, but it's worth the try.

We just moved and I discovered the water is a lot harder, so I was getting pretty substantial staining. Today I tumbled and rinsed them, then just rolled them well in batches in a folded towel, which seemed to do the trick. Drying in the sun now. Here's a few, 45-70 & .338 WM.

316744

[Hannibal]

I only clean range brass when I buy it. I buy new brass for range rifles where I can recover the brass and use range brass for hunting rifles and situations where it's unlikely I'll recover much if any of the brass.

I clean range brass in a wet tumbler with SS pins, citric acid, Dawn dishwasher liquid and a wash and wax car soap. Tumble for about 90 minutes and separate with a cheap plastic colander. Rinse then dry in the summer sun on a patio table with an expanded mesh top.

This allows me to throughly inspect the brass and after inspection I'm confident no pins will escape notice in the case anywhere. The primer pockets are very clean also.

Hope this helps the OP.

[Walter Laich]

something else to consider in place of SS pins: SS chips
I find them to work faster, and don't get stuck in the cases or primer holes.
not part of the company that sells them--just a happy camper
https://tbbullets.com/southern-shine-media-2/?fbclid=IwAR3_P7SQa-OKYV_vGsfbUY1vaLlY3Cc7clCclixfLnET-I5JbbcN3iORl7g

[dverna]

The first question is, "How clean to you WANT them"? Note: want vs need

For 50 years dry tumbling has been good enough for me. Even when shooting 20k rounds a year, I could not justify wet tumbling. None of the various reloading setups I had provided easy access to water so that made the choice moot.

Now, I mostly shoot alone so impressing someone with sparkling brass is not a factor. Heck, I have even reloaded brass without cleaning it....the travesty of it all.

[Dancing Bear]

I just can't deal with the drama of separating the pins from the brass, so I just don't use them. Frankford arsenal rotary tumbler, brass covered with water, a dash of dawn, a little sprinkle of lemishine and a few sprays of purple power. Let them run for 2 hours, if they're not clean enough to suit me I let 'em run another 2 hours. I've found the more brass I put in (within reason) the better the results.

It's not an issue for me. I dump the load into a RCBS media seperator and spin. The pins fall out and the brass gets rinsed. Maybe I'm lucky but I've never had a stuck pin.

[david s]

I use a Thumbers model B tumbler a small amount 1/4tsp of Lemi Shine a dash of Dawn dish detergent and enough water to cover. Your supposed to use 5 pounds of pins but this limits the amount of brass the Thumblers are capable of handling somewhat. So, I use 3 pounds of pins, it's still a lot of pins and another two pounds of brass. Lemi Shine is one of those less is more things where a little works well and more Lemi Shine doesn't work as well. When clean they get put into a grated rotary spinner to separate pins from brass, then rolled back and forth in a dry towel a few times and then spread out on a baking tray with another towel underneath and placed in a closed car to dry in the sun. My pins will fit in a flash hole so after the cases are dried, they get spun again in the rotary spinner/separator to get any straggler pins. One other thing my pins will stick cross wise in a 25-caliber case neck. So whatever cases your tumbling make sure the pins you get won't lodge in a similar fashion in your cases necks.

[rcslotcar]

I've used dry and wet systems. I prefer the Rebel 17 over the model B as it has actual heavy duty bearings. I use SS chips in the 17 and pins in the model B. I like Dawn and citric acid powder to do all my brass. The Rebel and chips cleans the brass faster and better inside and out. The primer holes get completely cleaned and appears as new. I do a lot of brass and at times have three tumblers going together for 2-3 hours. This is what I do for bright clean brass.

[GWS]

It's not an issue for. I dump the load into a RCBS media seperator and spin. The pins fall out and the brass gets rinsed. Maybe I'm lucky but I've never had a stuck pin.

I do the same adding clean rinse water and rotating some more....have NEVER seen a stuck pin. So the only drama for me is good! Bling bling, bling, and more bling.

Picture below is part of a load dumped from the RCBS media separator onto a beach towel. See any Pins? Not a one.

https://i.postimg.cc/YqvD3QNw/IMG-3407.jpg

[huntinlever]

I don't get any pins in the 45-70 but I have in the bottleneck cases (today, for instance, .338 WM). In fact today was a first time - they were basically stuck not in the neck but the body of one of the 338's, but not a big deal, just kept rinsing in both directions until they cleared as a mass. I am careful to check every case to make sure all clear.

[beemer]

Pins do clean very well but I don't like to do small neck cases for fear of having a pin stuck in the case. I only use the pins when cases are very dirty, like in range pick up. The rest of the time they get a dry vibratory cleaning. I am using Lyman corn cob polish now because I bought a jug cheap at an estate sale. I prefer lizard litter with a little polish added. Like Don said, did without pins for 50 years.

[kevin c]

For pistol brass:

Armor All Wash n Wax, citric acid in a FA tumbler for small amounts or in a cement mixer if I’m doing a large batch. SS pins do make the interiors look almost factory new but are a pain in the butt to separate. Rotary tumbling to get out most of the water then exterior drying in a towel sling to prevent spotting during final drying in the sun. I don’t decap first; I just don’t see the need to have clean primer pockets in semi auto pistol brass.

[Budzilla 19]

To the OP: Choose whatever method works best for you and your situation. This is my setup;Frankfort Arsenal tumbler, the big one, ss pins, Lemishine, and Turtle Wax Zip Wash and Wax, Dillon case media separator, the tub is filled full of rinse water with more Zip Wax in it, dump the dirty water out, then pour the brass, pins and all in the separator, give a few spins, pins are gone, brass is rinsed clean, roll them around in an old bath towel, on the table they go. Lately, down here in SW Louisiana, no problem drying brass in the sunshine, that’s for danged sure! If the brass is really dirty, I’ll leave out some brass, and let those brass really get to tumbling around in there! I have never ran this brass cleaner longer than 30 minutes as I don’t care for the “peened” look it leaves on the brass surface. But, that’s just my way of doing things.
Good luck to you.

[pertnear]

pertnear's recipe:

1) F.A.R.T tumbler
2) 2 tbl Turtle Wax Liquid car wash/wax
3) 1/4 tsp Lemishine
4) 5 lb SS pins

Tumble 1 to 3 hrs for dirty brass. I bought an extra barrel that I use without pins. I tumble w/o pins to remove sizing lube or when brass is still sorta clean. This saves on the pin separating process. I tumble dry brass in an old bath towel then lay them out flat on the towel for air dry. I use a few passes with a hair dryer if I need brass quicker. I hardly ever use the walnut crumbs vibrator anymore.

[kombayotch]

Spent pistol primers work really good in place of SS pins. The anvils fall out of the cups and clean the primer pockets out. They also don't get as jammed up in bottleneck cases as the SS pins do.

Run them through on their own with a bit of lemishine/dawn to clean them up initially if you like.

[Half Dog]

My 2 cents worth of response: there are several combinations of ingredients to add to the water and I’m sure each one works well. For me, the pins aren’t a problem. Cleaning is a summertime event for me. After the brass is tumbled I place them on a towel, in a small plastic kiddie pool, and in the sunshine to dry. At the end of the day the brass is dry and the pins fall out of the brass when I pick them up. I’ll run a magnet around the kiddie pool and pick up the pins that were in the brass.

[pertnear]

:Bright idea::2_high5::Bright idea:


Spent pistol primers work really good in place of SS pins. The anvils fall out of the cups and clean the primer pockets out. They also don't get as jammed up in bottleneck cases as the SS pins do.

Run them through on their own with a bit of lemishine/dawn to clean them up initially if you like.


My 2 cents worth of response: there are several combinations of ingredients to add to the water and I’m sure each one works well. For me, the pins aren’t a problem. Cleaning is a summertime event for me. After the brass is tumbled I place them on a towel, in a small plastic kiddie pool, and in the sunshine to dry. At the end of the day the brass is dry and the pins fall out of the brass when I pick them up. I’ll run a magnet around the kiddie pool and pick up the pins that were in the brass.

These are 2 new ideas I need to try! Thanks Guys!

[stubshaft]

Thumblers tumbler, Dawn, 1/4 tsp. Citric Acid and water. Let it run for an hour or two, pat dry and put in a WARM oven to dry completely.

[TimD]

I agree with Don Verna and beemer. Dry tumbling cleans well and prepares the brass for reloading.

I was recently given several thousand 38 special cases in canvas bags that were stored in a basement since the 90's. There was some mold on the bags and a lot of dirt and some corrosion on the brass. The brass had been used for pistol training classes for several years. Any cases that were obviously corroded as evident by the white mold like spots on the inside or outside were discarded. The rest were tumbled for two hours in walnut media which removed most of the crud.

To clean them further before a final inspection I soaked them in hot water, dish soap, and some white vinegar for about 15 minutes, then agitated them at bit, drained and rinsed with hot water a few times. They were briefly shaken in a towel then left to dry overnight. The next day I found a few more corroded cases, some with splits and cracks that were not visible before and some that were stained. Most of it was clean and bright.

When I look at all of the wet tumblers, stainless media, cleaning solutions, polishes, separators, magnets, brass dryers, and other stuff being sold I think about how much money is being spent on cleaning. I think that money is better spent elsewhere.

When I started reloading I could not afford a tumbler. I would wipe the brass off and resize. When it got very dirty I would wash it with hot water, soap, and vinegar, mostly to improve the sight of it.

Now I usually tumble my brass in corn cob media with a little NuFinish car wax and mineral spirits added, or walnut media if it is very dirty, for a couple of hours. I sift the brass out of the media using an old kitchen colander then dump the brass on a towel and give it a quick wipe. I brush the inside of my rifle case necks before sizing. After sizing I might brush the primer pockets, usually not.

Clean as much as you like, but your brass does not need to look new before reloading.

[45workhorse]

Shiny brass shoots more accurately!!!!!
Flame on, I got my asbestos skivvies on!:2gunsfiring_v1::dung_hits_fan:


Just joking, I like shiny brass.
Any of the above methods will work!
YMMV

[Minerat]

I just finished depriming and cleaning 630 scuzzy 40 S&W brass some were so dirty and tarnished they were black. They went into a RCBS sidewinder with a mix of water, 1/2 tsp dawn and 1 tsp/ gallon of citric acid. I use stainless chips and ran for 2 hrs. Then into some corncob media with Cabelas case polish for 1 hr to finish. They look like new and no amount of wiping or soaking would have salvaged about 75% of this batch. It was going to the scrap yard if it had not cleaned up. I'll word it differenty. I shoot more accurately with shiny brass.:not listening:

[dale2242]

One thing to remember.
Shiny brass is clean brass.
Most of my brass is range pickup.
I SS wet tumble it the first time to be sure it doesn`t have defects, remove stains, and to be sure there is no dirt etc. to harm my dies.
Thereafter it gets cleaned in my vibratory tumbler with walnut shells.