Wet tumbling brass with the Harbor Freight Rock Tumbler
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 6 ก.พ. 2017
- A short walk through of how I clean my brass by wet tumbling with stainless steel pins and the the Chicago Electric Dual Drum Rotary Rock Tumbler from Harbor Freight.
I bought my pins as a 2lb refresher kit from www.stainlesstumblingmedia.com
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You ever think a 4 year old video would help anyone make a decision. Well its sure helping me. Great video man.
Thanks!
Suggestion : After tumbling at the sink use a collender (bowl with holes in it) and empty your cases in it. The cases remain. The dirty water goes down the pipe and you can flush all brass with clean water. A much simpler way to clean up.
He has stainless steel cleaning media in his tumblers that he doesn’t want to go down the drain.
You convinced me to get that tumbler. Nice job.
When my wife and I go to the range I always have more ammo on hand than she does, so when she gets done shooting she walks around and picks up brass (yes she asks before she picks up near anyone). When she saw your brass bucket she laughed and said "Amatuer". She takes a 5 gallon bucket for pistol, another for rifle, and another for shotshells. For some reason I think she likes picking the brass up as much as she does shooting.
:)
At my range you're only "supposed" to pick up your own brass, but unofficially they don't mind if I pick up a little bit extra.
Our range is so cluttered with brass because nobody picks it up that we have literally swept the brass into a pile and scooped it up with a shovel on one trip.
I was adopted by a family of raccoons for my scavenging ability. Usually, get enough to cover my range fees and then some.
@@LoadsofBacon like finding quarters and dimes on the ground.
Great video. Thanks for posting
great video. thank you for taking time to film and edit. i know it's not as simple as it looks. you answered some of my questions regarding wet-tumbling. i want to get into it someday when i start reloading more. thank you!
Thanks Mike! I'm new to this filming/editing thing, but it's kinda fun. Any questions when you do get started - let me know.
Excellent content and procedure.
Thank you, I’m new to reloading and I was given a brand new HF Rock tumbler that I wanted to try wet tumbling with. Now I have the information I was looking for.
Excellent video! I just got the HF tumbler, now I need pins. I can't wait to try it out myself.
Thanks Lance! I ended up recording another couple of videos with this tumbler that you might also be interested in. One of them explored whether or not we really need the pins, and the other looked at making things a little more effient by adjusting things like water temperature and time. You can find those videos here if you're interested: www.thereloadersnetwork.com/2018/05/15/wet-tumbling-brass-using-a-harbor-freight-rock-tumbler-and-stainless-steel-pins/
Happy reloading to you!
Still a great video 6 years later, thanks Bacon, hop you're doing good.
Thanks! Doing great.
We use a net bag or one of those two guys you used to catch the shotgun shells in the Trap range to the script you about it's pretty good
Great video I was going to buy a drye tumbler but now i will be going with the wet tumbler thanks.
I would definitely recommend going with wet tumbling over dry.
The Decapper die I think is the best die in all my sets. Love that thing
Agreed. Mine gets plenty of use.
I started not depriming at the outset of getting into wet tumbling, but thought it'd be nice, clean pockets, and dry easier, so I picked up a Fulton handheld deprimer, and it's been pretty great!
Old vibratory tumbler makes for a nice way to clean the loaded brass and apply a thin coat of Nu Finish car polish so it stays shiny.
The thing I don't like is when I decap and tumble in corn cob it will stick in the flash hole.
With wet tumbling that's not a problem, and the pockets are spotless after about two hours or so.
Beautiful and oddly satisfying.
I understand what you mean.
Another great video. I never thought of a rock tumbler from HF! And they came out cleaner than my vibratory tumbler. looks like trip to HF. Lol. Thanks for the info I'm gonna try it today on some colt and acp brass. Safe shooting to you
+Steel Punisher 69 - awesome! Love to know how it works out for you.
Just got the dual one today. Going to try when I get my stainless media
Awesome!
(FYI, I've added a couple other videos with this tumbler. You can find them here: thereloadersnetwork.com/2018/05/15/wet-tumbling-brass-using-a-harbor-freight-rock-tumbler-and-stainless-steel-pins/ )
Loads of Bacon just watched those other videos too. Great content ! I also Subscribed
@@tangotwo4743 Where to buy stainless steel media?
I have the Harbor freight tumbler. I don't load enough at one time to bother with a larger one. I use car wash with the wax in it. About a hour and there done. I decap my and if the out side is clean I will resize before tumbling.
I have everything suggested in the video and just started my first batch of the Lords caliber, .45AP. Can’t wait to see what the cases look like.
How did they turn out?
@@LoadsofBacon They look amazing. I only put half pound of the stainless steel rods per container and still got great results. Thank you for the video.
countdown 2 days until my wet tumbler gets here. Looking forward to getting the 9 five gallon buckets o' brass cleaned up. Got tired of searching for large quantities of cobb media.
Back in the day when I was reloading, I always cleaned primer pockets...Time consuming, yes, but primers would always seat proper...
Back in the day.... sounds like it's time to get the press out again 😁
Love free brass I myself always on the hunt for brass at the range
I see we share the same addiction
We don't have a shooting range anywhere close to me
Foraging for brass is half of my game. ;-)
I had good luck substituting armor all car wash with carnuba wax instead of standard dish soap, results are comparable regardless.😎
I had the large Frankford Arsenal wet tumbler and it did a great job, in fact it cleaned the brass to good. I started having problems with my Dillon 650 powder funnels sticking and I mean bad! When I talked to Dillon they said it was the wet tumbling. I did not believe them buy I was about to load a bunch of 45 ACP so I dry tumbled it instead of wet tumbling it. I started with a good clean powder funnel (also expands the case mouth and it was getting streaks of brass on it) and I did not have any stick at all.
I was sold so I gave my Frankford Arsenal wet tumbler to my son in law and have been dry tumbling ever since. The only dust I get is from the separation process out here in the pole barn and with the walnut and auto wax I use I do not see much dust but I am sure there is some.
I say all this to say that I am getting some tarnished brass and I was thinking of setting it aside and then getting one of these units like you have. I wonder if you have ever ran it without the pins? I want to leave some of the crud in the case (Dillon says it acts as a dry lube). Your process also does not seem like it uses as much water and here in the barn in the Winter water has to be bottled and hauled from the house a few hundred feet away. Between the dog and the pan on top of my propane heater I use over a gallon a day as it is. The tarnished brass shoots fine but its just ugly.
Thanks for all you great videos! Happy New Year to You and Your Family!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I posted a video a few months about wet tumbling without the pins. I’ve done some more experimenting in the last couple weeks, and I’ll probably have a video out next week. The short version - you can wet tumble for 30 min with no pins and get good results. There is more “crud” left inside the case, but I have no idea how it would cycle in your Dillon.
Happy new year!!!
I soak my brass for two hours in the Frankford Arsenal tumbler barrel then tumble for 30 minutes. I soak in water, 1/4 tsp Lemishine, 1 tbsp Joy.
It comes out a clean as if I tumble for two hours without soaking. Reduces electricity use.
Thank you Hans, that's an outstanding tip!
What does the tumble medium do and is it necessary for cleaning brass? So far I’ve reloaded a few hundred .45ap rounds and 100 .223, but both have been virgin brass. I have hundreds of spent casings, with most being dirty. I am trying to do my research for the harbor freight rock polisher shown in video so I can have decent rounds to shoot.
Thanks. looks like the inside of the case gets very nicely cleaned too..?
The inside does get cleaned about as well as the outside. I recently posted a video about trying some 9mm cases without the stainless steel pins - the outside was about the same, but the inside was slightly less shiny.
I pick up every 9mm case left at my local sportsman’s club probably have 200-300 brass cases for 9mm right now wish more people used the 10mm keep having to order 10mm brass right now
cool thxs brother o and nice job on the video i to do my own reloading. i shot a 5.56 and i have a lot of brass that needs to be washed ..
The steel pins aren't a pain with bottle neck cases, but they are a little more work than a straight walled pistol case. I hear good reports of tumbling the rifle cases with the same process, but with no pins. It may be worth trying. That 5.56 brass can pile up real quick...
I use a pinch of "Bar Keepers Friend" vice lemmy shine, works great.
Thanks Bart! I had never heard of Bar Keepers Friend - it looks like great stuff.
@@LoadsofBacon Oxalic acid vs citric acid. In either case, a comparatively weak acid, well diluted. Oxalic acid is naturally found in rhubarb.
I use the same tumbler. I use me dehydrator to dry my brass or during the hot summer. I leave it in my car back window.
The tumbler isn't "high capacity", but that's its only shortcoming. And the price is great!
I had a dryer system set up when I lived further north, but where I live now is like living inside a dehydrator. Good reloading to you!
Good job thanks
I wondering how much brass I will be able to fit in the tumbler for .223 and 308
A kitchen wire screen colander or sifter works great for separating and rinsing! They are cheap at the dollar store!
Thanks!
What primer installation tool is used at the end of your cleaning brass video. It looks like RCBS (color). I have searched the net with no results. At best I am new to reloading and enjoy all of your videos.
oops I found it and ordered it. thanks.
@@larrycenter6360 - I’ve really enjoyed mine.
Great video! What kind of single press is that you were using when you were taking the primers out?
Thanks! The press is an RCBS Rock Chucker Supreme.
We’re do you get the 2pounds of pins or what else can be used?
I'm interested in this tumbler as the Frankford and Thumbler's tumblers are too big for my needs. I'm not yet into rifle reloading, I will in the distant future, but for now it's just handgun brass I'm looking to clean in moderate amounts, say 200 to 300 pcs at a time. Is this tumbler good quality? Any issues?
I started with the single drum version, and I'm glad I moved up to the two drum version. I've been very happy with this set-up, and I think it would serve the situation you described very well.
How many .308s do you think each will hold? Eventually I want to get a frank ford arsenal one, but I’m not shooting as much as I want to and don’t need anything that big yet. I think this may be a good alternative for the time being.
I’m not sure exactly, but each drum should hold about the same amount as you can fit in a 20oz cup.
What is the general policy regarding collecting brass at a range? My local range reloads for range ammo. Although I have never been stopped, many times I will use my own ammo along with range ammo, and have never seen anyone else take brass home. Before I make an enemy, is it OK to even ask the operators?
I've been to several ranges, and it really varies range-by-range. I asked the folks at the range I currently use. They stated that officially I am only supposed to pick up my own brass; they then defined that as, "you should probably wait until after you start shooting to pick up whatever it is you happen to pick up."
I would say it's definately OK to ask.
The price and availability is right. Thanks.
you could use the Inline case kicker for that press. A lot faster
Thanks Ryan. I've had my eye on the Inline case kicker for a while now. I just ordered some parts to make one of my own design - we'll see how it works out once the parts arrive.
You can cut 1 hour running time if you use boiling water.
I have the same setup.
Thanks Surfer, great tip!
I was wet tumbling but I kept having problems with the cases sticking on the powder funnel on my Dillon press. I asked them why and they said that the burnt powder in the brass case acted like a dry lubricant. So I purchased some fine walnut shells at my local pet store (they sell it for reptile bedding) and it worked good with a little car polish to make the case look nice on the outside. I thought the people at Dillon what just giving me a excuse but low and behold my cased stopped getting stick on the powder funnel.
Most of my brass never hits the ground (i use brass catchers on most of my rifles, and I have been shooting a lot more revolvers lately).
Does anyone that does wet tumbling had my problem and if so how did you correct it?
+Barn Dweller - I don't have any experience with a progressive. Maybe you could periodically lube the funnel with some graphite powder?
I use car wash and wax in place of the Dawn for 2 reasons. 1 for the reason you mention above, the small amount of wax it leaves helps lubricate them, and 2 the Dawn gets them so clean they begin to tarnish very quickly, the wash and wax protects them from oxidation.
I missed this one? If you wet tumble with steel pins, with any soap, detergent, or Lemi-Shine, how could there be any powder remaining anywhere on that case? If you don't de-prime first, what is the purpose of cleaning? Please be careful of your choice of auto polish chemicals, to make sure there is no ammonia ingredients. My brass only takes an hour to wet tumble and looks cleaner and superior to new gold jewelry. Thanks for the video.
I will go to the 99 cent store and get a mesh strainer and a magnet for the pins
Just bought my first reloading kit today. Was gonna try by hand but figured I’d check harbor freight, got one of these too. Where did you get the steel pins? Just online?
Yes, somewhere online. There are several sources; I think I ended up ordering based on the smaller size of package they offered.
Will that tumbler manage, like say 30-06 brass? Or is it to small?
A couple months ago I used it to tumble 1,200 30-06 cases. As you can imagine, it took more than a couple of loads, but the brass looks great!
For bottle necked cases you may want to try tumbling without the pins. I have not tried that yet, but I hear good things, and it would be a bit less hassle.
Did you find my .32 acp?
Do you really need the ss pins?
What was the white powder you put in the tumbler? Couldn’t quite hear you.
Lemi Shine
I want to get one of these to clean my 500 mag cases
Mine is still running strong. Make sure you use one of their 20% off coupons.
Are 3 hours really needed?
Why we need steel pin on the tumbler ? Can I run without the steel pin ?
I wanted to know the same thing, so I tested it. I recorded 2 more videos about this topic:
"Wet tumbling brass without stainless steel pins?" - th-cam.com/video/cwFio_SsmJE/w-d-xo.html
"More Efficient Wet Tumbling?" - th-cam.com/video/mgAcXMT9eZo/w-d-xo.html
1/4 tsp of lemi shine, 1 TBS of dish washing liquid and four hours of tumbling in most case scenarios makes my brass look like a mirror finish. Sometimes I let my tumbler go overnight and they still look like a mirror finish. To little lemi shine will give your brass a military green look. To much will turn them orange/pink in color
I just ran a batch for 23 hours because I couldn’t get back home. They still turned out mirror shine perfect. I figured the brass would turn pink or green tumbling that long. Nope, my brass looks like a polished show car.
Too long in the acid pulls the zinc out of the brass and turns it red looking. Not good.
I suggest running with just a little dawn for a couple of hours then add a little lemishine and run another half hour.
Corn cob works good for drying out parts
Thanks
Have you ever reload nickel brass i here a lot of don’t online is that true thanks
I reload it all the time. There are rumors of it wearing out a bit sooner because it may be a tad more brittle. I'm not sure about that, but I can tell you I've successfully reloaded it lots of times.
Great thanks
do you mind give me the link to buy the STEAL pins and the model of your tumbler please??
No problem.
Pins - Touch-Up Media (2lb Refresher Kit): www.stainlesstumblingmedia.com/reloading-products/media.html
Tumbler - Dual Drum Rotary Rock Tumbler: www.harborfreight.com/dual-drum-rotary-rock-tumbler-67632.html
thanks a LOT
Which works best, tumbler or vibrator ?
They both get the job done, but I prefer the wet tumbler for several reasons.
were did you get your Steel pins at
I bought the 2lb refresher kit from www.stainlesstumblingmedia.com
Where you buy the bullets and gunpounder?
I'm not sure where you are located, but here where I am, I can find gunpowder, bullets, and primers at lots if sites online, as well as several local gun stores, sporting goods stores, a couple of hardware stores, and a couple of guns ranges. They are also often sold at gun shows. The online retailers usually offer a larger selection, and a little better price, but you have to pay an extra fee to ship hazardous items such as gunpowder and primers.
Stainless steel media rods will help further.
Hey boss ... invest in a large kitchen strainer. Dump the contents of the drum in it and rinse away. With the water still running,m rinse the media out. The kitchen strainer should be large enough to bridge the sink from rim to rim. The window screen mesh won't allow the pins through.
The method shown worked just fine for me for a long time, but I did finally pick up a Frankford Arsenal media seperator.
What kind of polishing powder did he use.
Did you watch any of the video?
@@LoadsofBacon I did and used line shine but did not get z good result.
I suggest hot water, Dawn dish soap, and only add a very small amount of the Lemi-Shine, if any. The hot water and Dawn will be sufficient to get the brass clean.
Where did you get your steel pins?
I bought them as a 2lb refresher kit from www.stainlesstumblingmedia.com
Great video. I tried this same setup with dual drum tumbler and 2# pins (1lb in each drum). I was tumbling 50 shells in each drum, nearly fully of water, but after 15 mins it was not spinning much.
Could you clarify if you use 1# of pins in each drum... Trying to figure out why my same setup is straining under the weight or if it's faulty tumbler.
I do use 1# of pins in each drum. I pretty much fill each drum with brass and water. Sometimes I have to help spin the drums a little when it first starts up, but I've never had any issues after that, and I've been using this dual drum setup now for almost three yeas.
I have never experienced anything I would classify as "straining". I've had a couple of folks report to me that their motors get so hot that they cannot touch the unit. Mine gets pretty warm, but not that hot.
Thanks for the reply. I'll have to play with my setup. It started fine but then was straining for sure. Motor wasn't hot, hardly warm. I took a drum off and it worked great with a solo drum. I'll mess with the load and swap the belt for starters.
Just a follow-up... My issue became worse on my second batch. I switched belts, lightened the load of brass and pins, and ultimately found the problem is on the end of the tumbler where there's two vertical silver bars with 4 Phillips head screws. I loosened them and pushed the bars as far to the back of the tumbler (assuming the tumbler label facing "front") and tightened the screws. That is how to put tension on the belt. I tested and it spun both drums fully loaded now.... That's all it was. Fresh out of the box and needed a little adjusting. Hope this helps someone.
Update: Ok, so all the way back was too much, ended up breaking a belt before that bath was done. You'll have to play with it, some tension is good, just don't over do it and go all the way back. I went for the middle and still works good.
Another tip for people using this tumbler: Grease the passive roller if the drums start jumping around.
I would think that a vibrating, wet, tumbler would be ideal but I'm not a reloader.
i have a bunch of bags of citric acid powder from leftover concrete etching , now in need some pins, and a tumbler. so sick of dull brass.
It works well, but don't get overzealous on the citric acid. A little goes a long way, and more is not better in this instance.
Add a little vinegar to your mix. Why? I dont know , thats what my brother in-law told me. 😀
Cool vid, are both rods supposed to turn or only one? Thanks
One rod is turned by the motor, the other is free turning.
You only take that little bucket I take a couple of 5 gallon bucket and fill them all up
Why 3 hours? I clean my for 1 hour and they look good and clean.
I had followed the recommendation I got from some place or person I can't remember, and it worked, so I stuck with it for a while. I have since tested a few other times and temps, and I now usually use 1 hour with hot water. If you're interested, you see a couple updates I posted here: www.thereloadersnetwork.com/2018/05/15/wet-tumbling-brass-using-a-harbor-freight-rock-tumbler-and-stainless-steel-pins/
@@LoadsofBacon Thanks. I was not aware of your updates. I have heard a couple of people say three hours but could never figure out why.
Thanks for the video. I am assembling a reloading bench. All I need now is a tumbler. I like your idea of using a rock tumbler. And you can't beat those Harbor Freight prices. Would like something a bit larger. Just watched a Jerry Miculek video of his cleaning process. He uses an old cement mixer :) th-cam.com/video/O5y_dsP3dsM/w-d-xo.htmlsi=o2siiGMXWvUr2zV7
Why not just drop the cleaned load of brass in the sink and us the sprayer to rinse?
That would work. I've done that with 9mm and 45ACP brass when I was tumbling without pins in the bathroom sink. Normally though I'm using pins, and I'm using the kitchen sink, and both the brass and the pins want to go into the garbage disposal.
I wash and soak the brass first
Get to the instructions for Pete's sake
Here you go: lmgtfy.com/?q=how+to+wet+tumble+brass
Some of that brass is definitely unusable
Thanks for taking the time to comment Anthony. Which brass are you refering to, and why is it unusable?
@@LoadsofBacon , some of the brass I'm referring to was a few of the bulged in cases , yes I've used some and they resize fine , but I have also had case failure from cases like that, I believe due to resizing the inward bulge back out, it stretched the brass and weakened it in those spots, I was even using a few grains less than standard load. It's just my opinion, but after what I've experienced with cases like that "1or 2 case failures out of 300" mind you I'm l cautious don't wanna blow my hand off or damage my gun. What do you think?
If I see any sort of crease after resizing I'll toss it, but I've never had issues with the rest. Brass is pretty malleable. (Look how much they stretch the necks when they convert .223 Rem to .300 Blk.)
I've had a couple cases split on me in .357 Mag before (I believe those cases were corroded), and while they sounded funny and acted a little strange, they didn't present any sort of danger like a severely over-pressured case would have.
On the flip side, there's certainly no problem with, "if in doubt, throw it out."
@@LoadsofBacon I've cut and made my own 300blk it's quite fun I think never had any issues with that , but the reason I made a comment was because I'm the when in doubt throw it out to the extreme type of guy hahaha I appreciate your time and response and I'm glad you have the same ideals with that, some guys are just nuts and will use anything they find which makes my blood pressure rise. Thanks again.
@@LoadsofBacon The case isn't stretched. The original neck is cut off and then necked DOWN. .308 is smaller than the base cartridge case.
"Taking care of the environment. Civic duty, ya know"
"Oh ya with wet tumbling all that lead stays in the water and you just pour that bad boy down the drain."
Brass on ground vs. Lead in water. Hmmm.
The "taking care of the environment" comment was sarcasm. (I believe man's long-term impact on the overall environment is FAR less than we are currently told to believe.)
Most of the residue that gets poured down the drain is carbon, not lead. The little bit of lead residue that is present is filtered out by the waste treatment plant.
@@LoadsofBacon
Phew, that sarcasm went right past me.
Just one smart alec to another I guess.
Good video, thanks for posting.
Borrrrrrrinnnng
You can get your refund at the door on your way out
up grade that is rock bottom stuff.