Using a Rock Tumbler to Clean Brass for Reloading

An important step in reloading is to clean your brass. I've been using a simple, inexpensive method; namely, wet tumbling using a common Harbor Freight rock tumbler. It does a great job cleaning the insides, outsides and primer pockets. This video, mostly filmed in 2020 but repackaged with a new intro and closing, summarizes how I do it.

[@kariatid]

I was searching for a method to clean brass jewelry findings! Great tips!

[@salmonthomas]

I hope it makes your jewelry look beautiful!

[@wemcal]

Great video and great looking brass

[@salmonthomas]

Thank you. Last year I bought the wet brass tumbler, sifter and dryer made by Hornaday, which does the same as what I show in this video, but processes three times as much brass in the same time. I hope to make a video showing the new equipment. But the process I show in the this video still works great.

[@assistedlemon]

Glad to see someone else had this idea, my wife already has one for tumbling rocks. Good to know I can use it too!

[@yeayeasautoadventures]

a simple bucket and that solution work just fine, just soak them, it works and if you want to get creative,pour them back and forth in another bucket,HF will never get my money for that

[@oakleydefense5513]

Thank you. I hadn't heard that method, but I suppose it will wash away grime or grit of the cases, which is the most important part. This is the method I learned at the beginning. I'm used to this procedure and pleased with the results.

[@Rusty_ok]

While this probably cleans the brass like it is new, it seems like a lot of tedious steps. I am not a fan of wet tumbling I see no need to have spotless brass. After all my goal is to quickly fill the inside with burnt carbon and throw all of it on the ground.

[@oakleydefense5513]

Thanks for the feedback. If you don't clean your cases, isn't there risk of abrading your dies, especially the carbide sizer die?

[@Rusty_ok]

@@oakleydefense5513 well I reload mostly pistol calibers and from my experience as long as the cases are free of debris you will not damage the dies. I tumble in crushed walnut shells, separate the media out, add a squirt or two of case lube so the press runs smoother and they go into the case feeder on the old 650. I have loaded way over 10,000 rounds of 9mm this way with zero problems.

[@rdmercer2451]

There’s many ways to clean brass... I think the point of using wet media is so that all the carbon and lead coating the brass stays in the water and not in your lungs.😮

[@Rusty_ok]

@@rdmercer2451 drop a dryer sheet in the dry tumbler and it eliminates dust and collects most of the stuff that comes off the cases. I don’t know what exactly is collected on the dryer sheet but it turns mostly black so we have to assume it is the carbon or lead.