Brass cleaning

[gmcman355]

Does the US contain the lead any better to prevent exposure or is it not much difference?

 

[EyeCarry]

For starting out I recommend an inexpensive vibratory tumbler, I would stay away from the Harbor Freight one though as mine died shortly after warranty was out. .......

My small HF one is still working fine although, I admit, I am not processing 1000 a week. The small one is cheap enough to try if you catch it on sale and use their 20% coupon. I usually cycle it twice per batch, rinse the brass under hot water using an onion bag and, if it is summertime, lay the brass on the hot concrete outside to dry. Otherwise I lay them out for a couple of days on newspaper in front of the dehumidifier fan's breeze.

 

[Broom_jm]

The notion of getting brass wet to clean it...and then have to deal with drying it off so you can reload it, just cracks me up. One of the best shooters I ever met, personally, (held six BR records, in his younger years) used a rag to wipe the soot off his 6BR cases before neck-sizing them and loading them again, right there at the shooting bench. His targets were literally postage stamps and 5 shots often did not exceed those dimensions.

There is clean, and there is shiny. One is a requirement for reloading.

 

[jcwit]

If you end up opting for a vib. tumbler take a good hard look at the Berry Products, they are made here in the U.S. of A using U.S. labor as much as possible. The motor is from off shore being as no one here makes a suitable one.

 

[Ruffnek]

So I think I've narrowed it down to either ultrasonic or wet/ss pins tumbling.

 

[throttletony]

So I think I've narrowed it down to either ultrasonic or wet/ss pins tumbling.

cool.
If you go for wet tumbling with ss pins, just consider how many pieces of brass you want to clean at a time.
My small tumbler does a little over 100 pcs of 357/38 spl brass (about 130-150 pcs of 9mm, and about 80-90 pcs of 223 --- yes, these are small quantities, but I reload less than 250 pcs in any single session) For me this has been perfect --living is small units, I take my reloading stuff down when not in use, etc.
I'll eventually get a large wet tumbler! (like a thumbler tumbler)

If you're looking for less expensive options, there are small (1 small barrel) and a medium (2x small barrels) tumblers from harbor freight. I currently use the small one, and the numbers above reflect that.

P.S. I might be able to fill it a bit more than this, but these quantities get totally clean in about an hour. Then I pick out the brass, let it dry overnight (can be done on low heat in a cookie sheet in oven if needed), and they are ready to go

 

[Gluemanz28]

I bought a Thumbler Tumbler Model B rotary cleaner with SS pins. It is nice but I wish that I would have bought the heavier duty Extreme Rebel 17. It is basically the same unit but it has bearings on the shafts instead of plastic bushings and has knobs instead of wing nuts on the lid.

Buy once cry once

Stainless Tumbling Media | Deluxe Stainless Tumbling Media Package

I have two dry media vibratory cleaners that do a good job and two cleaners that do a good job too but the solution get expensive.

If I would have bought the Thumblers Tumbler years ago I would be money ahead and the dust in my reloading area in the basement wouldn't have the dust issues.

 

[17 squirrel]

I don't get why some of you all have dust problems with dry media, didnt your vibrator come with a sealed lid ? Dillons Vibrators come with a 0 ring mounted in the lid to seal the drum off. No dust escapes.

 

[bulletsmith]

I bought a Thumbler Tumbler Model B rotary cleaner with SS pins. It is nice but I wish that I would have bought the heavier duty Extreme Rebel 17. It is basically the same unit but it has bearings on the shafts instead of plastic bushings and has knobs instead of wing nuts on the lid.

Buy once cry once

Stainless Tumbling Media | Deluxe Stainless Tumbling Media Package

I have two dry media vibratory cleaners that do a good job and two cleaners that do a good job too but the solution get expensive.

If I would have bought the Thumblers Tumbler years ago I would be money ahead and the dust in my reloading area in the basement wouldn't have the dust issues.

I agree with that. I went ahead and got the Extreme 17 and it does seem like a quality build.

I don't get why some of you all have dust problems with dry media, didnt your vibrator come with a sealed lid ? Dillons Vibrators come with a 0 ring mounted in the lid to seal the drum off. No dust escapes.

The only time I get dust is when dumping.

 

[Gluemanz28]

I agree with that. I went ahead and got the Extreme 17 and it does seem like a quality build.



The only time I get dust is when dumping.

I am so jealous of the Extreme 17.

I also got the dust when dumping the media. I have the auto flo and it's not as bad but still has dust in the air that ends up in my sinus.

I have even done the willowing outdoors to try to get rid of the dust. What a pain in the rear especially when the wind shifts. To each their own, but it's water tumble for me.

 

[Ruffnek]

My next question is about depriming. I'm looking at buying the Lee Classic Turret press, which will allow me to load more rounds in less time, and the first station is deprime/resize. I see a lot of people mention depriming before tumbling to clean the primer pocket, but is it necessary? That would partially defeat the point of getting an indexing turret over a single stage.

 

[17 squirrel]

My next question is about depriming. I'm looking at buying the Lee Classic Turret press, which will allow me to load more rounds in less time, and the first station is deprime/resize. I see a lot of people mention depriming before tumbling to clean the primer pocket, but is it necessary? That would partially defeat the point of getting an indexing turret over a single stage.

Let me ask you a question, if you are concerned about time spent reloading ( your statement More rounds less Time ). Why are you looking at buying a ultra sonic or a wet tumbler system ?????
You are going to spend 2 to 4 times the amount of time tumbling, rinsing and drying your brass when compared to dry tumbling.
With a semi or fully progressive press in the time people wait for there brass to dry you can have it loaded if you dry tumble.
Production speeds up when you remove process'es not by adding them.

 

[Broom_jm]

For all intents and purposes, cleaning a primer pocket is like putting lipstick on a pig. Particularly for pistol rounds, where function is what matters, cleaning primer pockets simply isn't necessary.

 

[Cemetery-man]

Switched to a rotary tumbler and haven't looked back. Fast and easy! Now my vibratory tumbler just gathers........ dust.

 

[throttletony]

My next question is about depriming. I'm looking at buying the Lee Classic Turret press, which will allow me to load more rounds in less time, and the first station is deprime/resize. I see a lot of people mention depriming before tumbling to clean the primer pocket, but is it necessary? That would partially defeat the point of getting an indexing turret over a single stage.

Lee makes a great universal decapper pin. $5.
I decap, clean, then load

 

[Gluemanz28]

Switched to a rotary tumbler and haven't looked back. Fast and easy! Now my vibratory tumbler just gathers........ dust.

I'm with you there CM. It's better to collect dust than to creat dust, which they all do.

 

[17 squirrel]

Switched to a rotary tumbler and haven't looked back. Fast and easy! Now my vibratory tumbler just gathers........ dust.

How is it faster ? Please explain the process and how long it takes you for each process.

When I tumble I can toss a 1000 5.56 emptys in my Dillon and let it tumble for 1 1/2 hours and dump them in my media sorter and hand crank it 10- 15 times.
Then I hand inspect each case individually. So just under 2 hours total for super duper double dog mirror finish brass.

Cut that time in half for super shiny brass.

 

[U.S. Patriot]

You can buy big bags of corn cob bedding at the pet store. I just add a dryer sheet, and occasionally some mothers polish. Tumble for three hours, and done.

 

[U.S. Patriot]

I'm with you there CM. It's better to collect dust than to creat dust, which they all do.

Odd, mine has never created any dust. It must be broken.

 

[Gluemanz28]

Odd, mine has never created any dust. It must be broken.

Well since it's broken now would be a good time to upgrade to the 21st century and get a wet tumbler. :