I have had the same unit for several years. No going back to dry media or sonic cleaning. I never have to worry about clean brass inside and out. Yes, it it very pleasant to reload clean shiny brass especially when I do not have to clean the primer pockets or flash holes. Just 2 hours and its done. Even nasty wintered brass that has been snow covered and stained cleans up right away. This thing is a fast working workhorse.
Its important to deprime before wet cleaning so water doesn't get trapped in the primer pocket, that mixes with the residues and is acidic, if the brass sits for a year or so after cleaning, sometimes when you go to reload it the bottom of the old primer punches out, leaving the sides of the primer stuck solidly to the primer pocket, it is almost impossible to get those out, and it just kills me to have to toss otherwise good brass because you can't get the sides of the old primer out! Also I never handle the clean brass with bare hands, you cleaned it to get rid of powder residue and tarnish, when you handle it with your bare hands you are starting it tarnishing all over again. When I load up a few thousand rounds of ammo I don't want tarnished fingerprints all over it when I pull some of it out to shoot a few months or a year later. Wet brass is handled with latex or poly gloves, I handle dry brass with brown cotton gloves, keeps that newly cleaned brass bright and shiny over the long haul. I like to load in batches, spend a day or two loading a few times a year, and stockpile the ammo to shoot later.
Another great video Rex! I bought a thumblers tumbler about a year and a half ago and I love it. It's good to hear that they last so long, Yours is older than me!
I would suggest that maybe the use of a strainer, found in many Chinese Cooking stores can be used to seperate the brass from the steel pins, to strain the water after tumbling.
How long do you typically leave the tumbler running for each batch? I have always wondered about using those pins and wet tumbling, great to see how it actually all works. Thank you!
@@RexRoach Thank you so much Rex. Wasn't expecting such a quick reply, much appreciated. I am just about to get into reloading, finding out as much as I can first, and trying to sort out what I need. People such as yourself, who are so generous with their knowledge and experience, are gold! Cheers from NZ :-)
Well done video. I've been using my homemade 5 gallon bucket attached to a geared 30 RPM motor to clean my .44 magnum brass & will be doing .38 spl soon. I tumble the brass to clean the insides, then lub & de prime/ flare mouth then tumble again to clean primer pocket & remove lub. The lub on the brass just makes resizing etc easier even using Lee dies all of this on my forester co-ax press. Thanks
Hey Rex, Wet tumbling to clean has to be the way to get the absolute cleanest brass. I use a tumbler with cobb and walnut and I decap before cleaning and it comes out fine. I will still do a primer pocket uniformer and flash hole deburr because I have a Lyman case prep station which takes like an extra second to do. I see you had "Riders", the 9mm in the 45's, but I honestly think that in a wet tumbler you won't see that problem as much as it happens in a dry tumbler. I think those riders that you had came from when you were separating the brass from the pins, except that 357 Sig looked like it was stuck pretty tight. Thanks for the Vid !!
That was amazing! Great video, thanks for sharing. I'm going to buy me one & do as you demonstrated. Love your calm voice & your teaching... Greg in Utah
+stevoK20 Forty years from now, someone will tell you that YOU have all the toys! Thanks so much for commenting and best of luck as you pursue this terrific hobby.
I got one of these Rex and purchased their vibratory tumbler also! They make great product s! I prefer the wet tumbling best, they just look so much shiny!
Looks like I'm way behind the curve on this one. As trickyric67 and Englishman French correctly point out, no need to get your hands in that nasty soup. I will get a strainer and magnet before next time. Thanks for the tips, guys!
Don't forget the plastic bag, or you will be pulling those pins off the magnet until tea time! I is lucky for us that these SS pins are magnetic, not all stainless is. The contaminants include mercury, and lead!
Rex Roach One little tip here is that if you cannot get sieve mesh fine enough at the hardware store, you can use the very fine stainless mesh they sell for putting up at the windows to stop the flies coming in.
Rex, you need to get yourself a screen mesh colander. It'll be a lot cheaper than calling a plumber or taking the time and effort to have to clean that trap out of some of those stainless pins or cases. Having said that, I think I like this way of cleaning the brass better. Will probably look into one of these tumblers fairly soon. Thanks for another great video.
Good video sir. The .45LC case looked brand new. Just to give you more possibilities, after rinsing and draining as much water as you can, place everything (cases and pins) on large cookie sheets and place in an oven at low to med/low temp to dry (oven door should be slightly open to allow watervapor to escape), then allow to cool, then tumble separate out the pins. I think you will find that your brass looks better (due to less water spotting), also ensures no water trapped in the primer pocket if your reloading in the same day, and the different caliber cases will not stick inside each other as bad due to water suction (but there's always those odd ones, lol). May want to ask the Mrs' permission first, or use an old junk oven to keep from getting a wood spoon against the noggin! I learned this technique from a Jerry Miculek video, and it helps, especially if reloading in the same day! Keep shootin'!
Thanks for the video....definitely learned a few things :o) I recently got my Lee Load Master, all of the accessories for it, approx 3,000 .45acp brass cases, and now putting together the stuff needed for prepping the brass and so wanted to ask where did you get your stainless steel pins
Will this method work on rusted screwdriver bits used on cordless screwdrivers? (Obviously, NOT in water) but perhaps dry and using stainless steel pins in a vibratory tumbler?
I would absolutely try it with a few in the water, Dawn and Lemi-Shine. The parts won't rust while under the water and if you get them right out and dry them off, I would not be surprised but what this will work just fine. Naturally I'd experiment with only a few to start with, but give 'em six hours of tumble time and I'll bet they will be super clean and free of rust.
I have used the exact same tumbler, Dawn, and Lemi-shine to clean and derust srewdriver bits and socket wrenches, with water. The tumbling action rubs all the dirt, grease and rust off very quickly. I tumble brass cases about 30 minutes and the steel parts about 15 minutes. After separating the steel parts from the pins I soak the steel parts overnight in WD-40, then spread the parts out to dry on paper towels. The steel parts will be clean and shiny. If there is any loose chrome on the sockets due to rust underneith, the tumbling will rub the loose chrome off and the pins will rub off the rust.
Great how clean the brass gets; still, I like dry cleaning. Much easier for me. I turn on machine just before going to bed and in the morning I have clean shinny brass. I do not mix different size brass when cleaning either.
+William Robles I'm not a chemist nor a metallurgist, but as I understand it, there are five basic classes of stainless steel and only one is truly non-magnetic. That happens to be the most common type, but all of them can become magnetic when cold worked.
Good heavens what a success! It doesn't get any better than this! I cut some stainless 1/16th tig welding wire into half inch lengths, it took a while. I put some nasty looking perfecta and wcc brass in the unit with your recipe and one hour is all it took to make them look like new Norma brass!
Check out Frankford Arsenal Rotary Tumblers. I've had and used one for a couple of years now, and I am totally pleased with it. Using the same cleaning solution as you, I get amazing results in three hours. That is as high as the built in timer goes. I've done everything from 9mm to .308 without a single hiccup.I've done as many as 250 .30 /.30 rounds at once with great results. Check them out as they include strainer end caps that would streamline your cleanup !
I use a Lortone QT-66 rock tumbler with molded rubber drums that have decagon flats molded into the interior and I can and do take the nastiest, most corroded and oxidized "chocolate" brass that has laid on or in the range dirt and mud for weeks, months and years and make it look like new in an hour or less. I don't know what you guys are doing that takes 3 hours or more, but I think your cheap plastic drums don't agitate nearly enough or you're overloading the drum or you're using too much detergent. If you end up with tons of suds, the cleaning action goes to shit. Soap suds are slick and a lubricant and cushion the agitation action. Less is more with everything involved and I've found that too many pins, too much Lemi-Shine, too much dawn or too much water all negatively affect the process.
I use the same system but never tumble brass that can nest in other cases. I always ensure that 9mm, .38 special and .357 magnum go together. .44 Rem magnum and 45ACP are batched together and my .50AE goes in separately.
cousin uses this method , remarkably clean brass , but , the best way to rinse the brass and pins is to dump them in a sieve and rinse them under running water !
Separate the brass and pins before you rinse. Then pour off the black water, and rinse the pins to remove sediments. The surface tension with the remaining soap will keep the pins clumped up and slippery. Use a clean paint brush to sweep back into the tumbler. Rinse the brass separate from the pins with a plastic coffee jug. I like the Maxwell House with a molded in handle and flat sides. Another great use for these is to drill a hole near the top and hang on hooks on the bench for a large catch bin for loaded ammo.
+DG Ficklin That's interesting and I will try your method next time. Makes good sense after I read through your description a couple of times. Thanks for taking time to view the video and, even more, to share your technique with us.
I use a Lortone QT-66 and have done probably hundreds of pounds of brass with the same 5 lbs of pins I bought initially when I started. I've taken "chocolate" brass I literally had to pry out of dried dirt and mud at the range, rinsed it in plain water to knock off the big chunks, throw it in MODERATE volumes in my Lortone drums and with a drop or two of Dawn, a light sprinkle of Lemi-Shine, hard tap water from a farm well and an hour or hour and a half at most I turn out sparkling like-new brass. I don't know what the guys who claim 3 hours in a larger tumbler are doing wrong, but I suspect they're overdoing something. Too much of anything will slow down or completely stall the cleaning process. Too much Lemi-Shine turns cases pink in my experience and its not limited to brass, I've got some steel boxer-primed Wolf .45 ACP cases I reload mainly because the "experts" say I can't or shouldn't and they'll produce a pink tint with too much Lemi-Shine, too. My pin to case ratio as far as weight goes is probably 1:5 or thereabouts and I only use a "lot" of pins when I'm tumbling .50 BMG cases, which I can only do 7-10 of at a time. Too much Dawn in particular knocks the hell out of the cleaning process because all of the suds cushion the cases and reduce the agitation effect and prevent the cases from cleaning and polishing each other as they rub together, which is the PRIMARY cleaning process that occurs. Pins get in the nooks and crannies but most cleaning is case on case.
I REALLY appreciate your comments. I have a batch of dug-out-of-the-dirt range brass I plan to clean tomorrow. It's Labor Day, after all. I'm going to try your suggestions and use less of everything, except brass.
There are different types of stainless steel. Ferritic and martensitic stainless steels are magnetic. Annealed austenitic stainless steels are non-magnetic. Work hardening can make austenitic stainless steels slightly magnetic. www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-dont-magnets-work-on/ www.bssa.org.uk/faq.php?id=24 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stainless_steel Google "stainless steel magnetic" for many more articles
Your wife is going to be mad at you Rex messing up her laundry room ! I find the Rebel 17 to be by far the best of these machines as it runs on ball races, that said, yours looks good after many years of use. One thing I would advise is not to get your hands in the contaminated water after tumbling, the water is loaded with lots of nasty things. It probably will not affect you at your age, but not something you want to do. If you get a 2 Ft sieve with very fine mesh, dump the whole lot in, give it a shake, then pour it all on a large old towel, you can then use a large magnet in a poly bag to pick up all the pins, the SS pins will be dry, hold it over your tumbler body and pull off the poly bag, the pins will all drop into the bin. I also mix a car wash wax solution and drop the polished cases into it, this stops them tarnishing. Once you use this method, there is no going back!
Rex Roach I have just tumbled some Colt 45 cases, I drain the filthy water off into a bucket using my 24" fine mesh sieve, mix some of the car wax/wash liquid in another container, then pick out the cases and drop them into the car wax solution, you can pour the wax mix into a container for use again if you shoot a lot, the cases will then have a coat of wax on them and do not get that "water mark" you get if you just dry them, by that time the stainless pins will have dried in the sieve, and can be poured back into the tumbler vessel, do not leave the pins in contaminated damp solution for too long, stainless WILL rust under certain temperature/humidity conditions. P.S. You must dispose of the contaminated cleaning water down the foul water drain!
I'd suggest upgrading to a newer tumbler as that relic model B rotation speed appears on the slow side. A more modern one work much faster as they use better components. They work faster and have surpassed the vibratory tumblers both in speed and safer to use not dispersing lead dust into the atmosphere.
That speed would certainly make a difference. In addition, I think the rubber lining in mine is breaking down resulting in the unduly black water you see. I think that's 99% carbon black "extracted" from the rubber liner.
You will lose your brass long before enough crud builds up in the primer pocket to prevent proper primer seating. Successive ignition of primers will blast out most primer crud from the pockets anyway. In addition, A good reloader will always examine primer seating depth before boxing up his Ammo.
Just love this video, concept, and leadership. Might offer for anyone interested in following these footsteps, the Thumlers Tumbler is still very much available, marketed primarily to the rock polishing community. Trick is, and it's hard to find this, there are two motors available -- the rock polishing motor more commonly found is 1,550 RPM, while the brass polishing kind is available at 3,000 RPM. So I have have an extra motor available, since I had to purchase the faster motor separately. Also, the instructions I received said nothing about the horrendous squeaking of the nylon bearings used in the unit. Some 3-in-1 oil took care of that -- I hope the bearings are not soluble in the oil. For anyone interested, the stainlesstumblingmedia.com link listed below, is selling the "high speed" Thumlers Tumbler B at a great price. And I just took out my first load of .223 Win, and sure enough, Rex speaketh truth. Shiny, including the primer pockets, just as advertised. Thank you.
Love the video. Couldn't help but laugh when You said "Tighter than Dick's Hat Band" The only time I ever heard that expression, was in the movie "True Grit" Thanks for sharing.
I'm in no hurry so I let it run overnight. A minimum of four hours will get it 85% clean. If you change out the solution, you can do it in less time, but it so much easier to just let it run.
I've just watched this for the fourth time, and do not hear how long you run the brass. I'm sure "it depends" is one answer - I know you can do better than that. All I heard was "this is slower" and in another place when looking at the dirty water you said, "I ran this a little longer than usual". How long ?
Excellent point. Now that you mention it, that's always been one of the joys of new brass, every operation is so smooth. Virtually the same with pin cleaned.
If after a while NOT cleaning primer pockets you will start to have high primers which can be dangerous. I have been reloading 42 years and I know what I am talking about.
Been reloading 30+ years and I also know what I am talking about. You will lose your brass long before there is enough crud built up in the primer pocket to prevent proper seating of primers. Most of the crowd gets blasted out with each successive primer ignition.
Rex Roach thanks! I checked it out and it’s a beautiful little press but too steep for me to just use to deprime. I’m like you, I have to get those primers out before I wet tumble. Just the principle of it. Do you have a cheaper recommendation for a deprime press?
17:30 Just use tap water to rinse the pins out of the green bucket back into the tumbling tub, then pour off any excess water through a fine kitchen sieve to catch the pins.
+tkarlmann Most of the on-line vendors sell them. Here's one from the Midway folks: www.midwayusa.com/product/635839/pellets-brass-cleaning-media-stainless-steel-pins-5-lb-bag This is for a five pound bag which is what most everyone uses in the Thumbler's Tumbler size machines.
Supposedly you should use washing machine wet detergent rather than dishwashing wet detergent, someone said it strips the zinc outta the brass. I have been using washing machine since, no difference, so why gamble. Do deprime the casings before, I found out the hard way that wet tumbling leaves wet down in those old primers, and when you decap and recap all in one step, you might see some of the water squirt out and wet your new powder charge. This kind of information is not in a reloading manual yet. That I know of. Since stainless pins and sonic tumbling are much newer technology.
+ksharpe10 Yes, depriming before cleaning is very important. What brand of detergent do you use? I've not heard of the distinction between washing machine and dishwasher detergents. This is very interesting.
+Rex Roach The difference between washing machine detergent and dish detergent is mainly the fact that hand dishwashing degergents like Dawn are designed to be easy on the hands, the makers don't want the dishwasher's hands to get all chapped and dried out. Laundry detergent will be much harder on the hands than dishwashing detergent. Having been around the soap business its hard to believe all the old wives tales about dishwashing detergent, stripping the zinc out of the brass is ridiculous!
That could very well be the case on the soap. But you were right about the lime shine being corrosive, I just decapped some that I washed a couple month's back, and occasional casing has this white with green corrosive looking powdery residue in them, I threw out the few that did. I may skip the lime shine. Thanks for the tips that are not yet in reloading manuals yet.
Thanks. The magnetic stainless steel seems to throw everyone for a loop. I won't repeat, but I've responded several times with much detail. Bottom line: some stainless steels are magnetic. Check through the comments for details.
I was just talking about it on facebook and so I did a search and found out what makes some ss magnetic. Your video came up also. I will be watching more of your videos. I found it pretty good.
There is no specific definition of stainLESS steel. There are multiple alloys that are all considered "stainLESS" and stainless steel can be magnetic AND it can even rust or STAIN. Its stain LESS and not stain PROOF. I've got a Snap-On stainless top on one of my premium rolling cabinetes (roll-cab in Snap-On language) and it won't even begin to pull a magnetic. I've got a MAC Tools rolling tool cart with stainless inserts on top and they're magnetic as any other steel in the cart itself. Different alloys = different characteristics. Basic metallurgy.
After separating the pins from the brass, I dry the brass on a sneaker rack covered with wired down dog window screen. Run your dryer and they come out dry after one quick cycle. About 20-30 minutes. Brass comes out totally dry inside and out.
+George Colbert I had been pondering over how to dry the brass in a clothes drier. I had thought of using a mesh bag, but your idea tops that because it would protect the inside of the drier from clanging brass. Great tip!
@@RexRoachTry putting your brass in an old pillow case with the end tied shut. Then throw it in with “dirty” clothes so the brass doesn’t ring against the sides of the dryer drum, and the other clothes help to tumble the brass
Some types are, some are not. This has been brought up in discussion many times. Look through the comments and you'll see plenty of info. Thanks for watching and commenting.
The reason I started tumbling with the stainless media is because it is the only thing that will 100% of the time truly clean the primer pockets. This is important because after a time if you don't, the repeated firing and loading will cause an ever increasing amount of ash build up in the primer pocket, which in turn will create high primers. BUMMER! I used to hardly ever clean my pockets. Maybe once in a blue moon, and it was one at a time by hand. I love reloading but cleaning pockets one at a time by hand drives me nuts. So, I started looking into a way to clean my pockets on a mass scale that was easy and effective. Don't, let me repeat, DON'T waste your money on an ultrasonic cleaner. They simply don't work ! I now deprime and tumble every time simply because I don't ever want anymore high primers, but OH!!! how pretty the brass comes out looking. It looks like new brass every time. I tumble for three to four hours per batch, separate the brass from the pins, dump and spread 'em out on a clean towel and let em dry for a day. There is one caviaeut to this method though. And this is very important. You must visually check every flash hole to make sure that there are no ganged up pins stuck in there after you are through tumbling. I learned the hard way on this as a .357 round that I loaded had pins stuck in the flash hole when I loaded it. Upon firing only part of the powder ignited due I think to the partially blocked flash hole. What happened was there was just enough pressure to push the bullet half way down the barrel. I was able to clear the barrel but was skeptical of the rest of those 500 rounds I had loaded. Fortunately that was the only time that that happened. However upon subsequent cleanings of brass I have found 2 cases now that had ganged up pins. I typically load 500 cases/rounds at a time. It only takes maybe 5 minutes to visually inspect for ganged pins in 500 cases. I highly recommend it ! Luv, Dug.
You will lose your brass long before enough crud builds up in the primer pocket to prevent proper primer seating. Successive ignition of primers will blast out most primer crud from the pockets anyway. In addition, A good reloader will always examine primer seating depth before boxing up his Ammo.
I disagree with your assessment RE: successive firings will blast out ash build up in primer pockets. You can get by without cleaning primer pockets for awhile, but eventually you will have high primers. Now, I have been reloading for 48 years now, it is " my hobby ", and I will tell you that I am reloading brass that dates back to sometime in the 90's, and I will tell you that it is still going strong. I do not load MAGNUM loads, but I load " mild magnum " loads for .357 and .44 mag. My brass have been loaded by a conservative estimate of maybe 15 to 20 times. Also, I will address your comment on examining primer seating depth as you are reloading. Yes, that is all important, however if you seat a primer on an extremely dirty primer pocket and it comes out " high ". What do you do ? You certainly should not try and decap a fresh primer from a primer pocket !! And loading as you suggest you will come across some rounds that will not function in a double action revolver, and may even jamb the cylinder in the frame. So........I have come across a system that works extremely well and a big bonus is that the cases when cleaned in the tumbled, stainless steel media, when loaded, look better than factory new ammo. And that is all I have to say about the matter. Signed, Doug.
+da11671 I think you're probably right because (IMHO) EVERYTHING matters when the ranges get long. The tiniest detail can make or break a shot. I honestly believe it doesn't matter in handgun ammo at ranges under 50 yards except with the top-of-the-line target guns and equally good shooters. On the other hand, I enjoy seeing those primers going into squeaky clean pockets. I love seeing the shining inside of the brass where I can easily see the powder levels as I go. I really appreciate your comment and making an important point.
I like clean brass as well. I haven't reloaded in years, I lost a lot of stuff in a flood and don't get to shoot much at all now but I'm thinking about getting back into it. I agree on the hand gun under 50 meters and for that mater most shooters would never notice any difference anyway, but for consistent accuracy at long ranges it takes consistent loads. Thanks for taking the time to make the video, I did enjoy it.
da11671 I'm very sorry to hear of your flood loss. We had a minor flood in our basement and I can well imagine how a "real" flood would make for a major life upheaval. I hope you will get back into reloading.
A cursory glance at Google reveals that to be an old Southern expression...much like myself. Apparently it peaked in popularity in the 1940's, about the same time I was learning English. Thanks for your comment and attention to detail.
LOL, you are so right! I replaced that chair shortly after this video was made. It's funny how things you don't hear in real life can be so loud in a video.
+Laby 70 The magnetic properties of stainless steel is an interesting subject. Here's a good article on it from the folks at Fastenal. In a nutshell, there are five classes of stainless steel. Only one is non-magnetic. It is also the most common one. www.fastenal.com/en/75/magnetism-in-stainless-steel-fasteners
They are 304 stainless. stainless is not an element so there is no such thing as pure. stainless steel still has steel in it depending on what type and can still be magnetic.
There are different types of stainless steel. Ferritic and martensitic stainless steels are magnetic. Annealed austenitic stainless steels are non-magnetic. Work hardening can make austenitic stainless steels slightly magnetic. www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-dont-magnets-work-on/ www.bssa.org.uk/faq.php?id=24 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stainless_steel Google "stainless steel magnetic" for many more articles
That sounds counterintuitive. Do round balls really clean? What size? This is interesting. Tell us more. What has your experience been with this method? Thanks for the input.
sorry, i should of been more clear, jewelers stainless media mix has 3 to 4 different shapes pins. the bearing ones look like like Saturn, has a cool thin edge sticking out around it that gets in corners, there's different grades too by size. some pins are cut short and thick, not to thick to work cut at different angles to get in tight spots.
You are 100% correct. That chair went to the scrap pile a couple of months ago. Office Depot has very nice "drafting stools" at good prices. I have one now. It's totally quiet. Sorry for the annoyance, but thanks for commenting.
Not to minimize what you're saying, but let me pose a question: what about the tremendous accumulation of GSR (gunshot residue) that builds up on the hands of anyone shooting a revolver and most any handgun? The GSR contains exactly the same ingredients as the cleaning solution after the tumbling. In my case, my hands are exposed to the solution for less than a minute and then I wash them. When shooting handguns, our hands get blackened possibly for several hours. To me, that is much worse yet no one seems to mention that.
Rex Roach The implication is that your exposing yourself to a concentrated solution rather than being dusted by residue. cleanliness is next to godliness
You talk a lot about not having to remove the primers. I would think it best to remove them so the water can flow through the cases and not just in and out. Of course you need to inspect each case to make sure there are no pins stuck in the hole. Also, for those that cannot obtain Lemi Shine locally you can always order it from AMAZON or Walmart . Walmart has it for $4.32 + $4.97 shipping. If you order more than one, say 4, the shipping is the same so a better deal. AMAZON has it at $8.23 for one or 3 for $16.99. If you have AMAZON "Prime" the shipping is free.
+gizmotech007 It's been a while since I've watched this video. I hope I didn't "talk a lot about not having to remove the primers" because I agree with you 100%, it's one of the major benefits of this cleaning method to get the primer pockets absolutely clean. Yes, there will be some stuck pins in about 3% of the cases, but if you keep a pair of needle nose pliers handy, it's no problem. Honestly, I think one container of Lemi-Shine will last three lifetimes. I use only a tiny amount now, far less than I did in the video. Amazon is amazing, isn't it?
The only thing I do differently is I use Nitrile gloves from harbor freight when dumping out the water. I wouldn't put my bare hands in that soupy black mess.
seabaas I agree 100% and now do the same thing. It might be interesting to take a sample of the "soupy black mess" over to the chemistry department at nearby Auburn University and have it analyzed. Actually, it might be more scary than interesting.
This method is way too much work for this cowboy to clean his brass. I'll stick with my vibrating case cleaner and the regular dry media. Since I routinely use new Starline pistol brass, or new Lapua rifle brass, I rarely clean brass cases anyway, not until they get pretty dirty.
Really? Is that why those stainless pins never rust and "good" stainless steel by YOUR "definition" can and will stain in certain environments? ALL STAINLESS STEEL WILL CORRODE, OXIDIZE OR STAIN if exposed to certain chemicals and conditions. Its stainLESS steel and not stainPROOF steel. There are a ton of different stainless steel ALLOYS and they all have different properties for different applications. You don't know what you're talking about. Run along now. Go read a book or something.
+Rocketman9mm This looks like a good product that takes Englishman French's idea to a more convenient level. For those who don't want to look, it's a big magnet with a handle that will release the pins.
Those little pins are a huge ripoff! If they were real 💯% Stainless steel they Would Not stick to the magnetic. They chew up the brass case mouth and primer pockets. Plus miss one and run it down the barrel of your high dollar firearm. Lol
There are different types of stainless steel. Ferritic and martensitic stainless steels are magnetic. Annealed austenitic stainless steels are non-magnetic. Work hardening can make austenitic stainless steels slightly magnetic. www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-dont-magnets-work-on/ www.bssa.org.uk/faq.php?id=24 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stainless_steel Google "stainless steel magnetic" for many more articles
Quick example of SS that is magnetic is 304 which has a higher carbon content making it magnetic, 316 not magnetic at all. My guess is the manufacturer uses the 304 due to it lower cost from a material standpoint. 304 holds most of the same qualities of the higher cost 316 and gets the job done. Long story short cheaper to manufacture the pins out of 304.
You better be 100% educated before you try to correct and insult someone, smart one. Rex is right. Several stainless alloys are magnetic. Stay humble (not so) smart one.
Aaron Andersonn - Before you insult another Man's intelligence you should check your own IQ first because it's clearly inferior to Rex's. Now get back in the basement before your mom catches you!
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I have had the same unit for several years. No going back to dry media or sonic cleaning. I never have to worry about clean brass inside and out. Yes, it it very pleasant to reload clean shiny brass especially when I do not have to clean the primer pockets or flash holes. Just 2 hours and its done. Even nasty wintered brass that has been snow covered and stained cleans up right away. This thing is a fast working workhorse.
Nothing fast about this process!
Its important to deprime before wet cleaning so water doesn't get trapped in the primer pocket, that mixes with the residues and is acidic, if the brass sits for a year or so after cleaning, sometimes when you go to reload it the bottom of the old primer punches out, leaving the sides of the primer stuck solidly to the primer pocket, it is almost impossible to get those out, and it just kills me to have to toss otherwise good brass because you can't get the sides of the old primer out! Also I never handle the clean brass with bare hands, you cleaned it to get rid of powder residue and tarnish, when you handle it with your bare hands you are starting it tarnishing all over again. When I load up a few thousand rounds of ammo I don't want tarnished fingerprints all over it when I pull some of it out to shoot a few months or a year later. Wet brass is handled with latex or poly gloves, I handle dry brass with brown cotton gloves, keeps that newly cleaned brass bright and shiny over the long haul. I like to load in batches, spend a day or two loading a few times a year, and stockpile the ammo to shoot later.
Solid advice, thanks G5!
Or you can just throw your dirty brass in a vibratory tumbler for 2 hours and be done with it😀
Interesting. I always deprime first just because I want a clean primer pocket.
Thanks for the awesome tips!
one of the best pro shows for wet tumbling, thanks. Great job.
Another great video Rex!
I bought a thumblers tumbler about a year and a half ago and I love it. It's good to hear that they last so long, Yours is older than me!
I would suggest that maybe the use of a strainer, found in many Chinese Cooking stores can be used to seperate the brass from the steel pins, to strain the water after tumbling.
How long do you typically leave the tumbler running for each batch? I have always wondered about using those pins and wet tumbling, great to see how it actually all works. Thank you!
It has to do with how dirty the brass is and how clean you want it. I typically run about four hours to get them like new.
@@RexRoach Thank you so much Rex. Wasn't expecting such a quick reply, much appreciated. I am just about to get into reloading, finding out as much as I can first, and trying to sort out what I need. People such as yourself, who are so generous with their knowledge and experience, are gold! Cheers from NZ :-)
Wow!!! That really does a great job. Thank you sir for sharing this video!! Take care! God bless America!!!
I think you will find the machines are made in China! mine was, much to my disgust.
Well done video. I've been using my homemade 5 gallon bucket attached to a geared 30 RPM motor to clean my .44 magnum brass & will be doing .38 spl soon. I tumble the brass to clean the insides, then lub & de prime/ flare mouth then tumble again to clean primer pocket & remove lub. The lub on the brass just makes resizing etc easier even using Lee dies all of this on my forester co-ax press. Thanks
Thanks. I also lube straight wall cases even when using carbide dies.
Hey Rex, Wet tumbling to clean has to be the way to get the absolute cleanest brass. I use a tumbler with cobb and walnut and I decap before cleaning and it comes out fine. I will still do a primer pocket uniformer and flash hole deburr because I have a Lyman case prep station which takes like an extra second to do. I see you had "Riders", the 9mm in the 45's, but I honestly think that in a wet tumbler you won't see that problem as much as it happens in a dry tumbler. I think those riders that you had came from when you were separating the brass from the pins, except that 357 Sig looked like it was stuck pretty tight. Thanks for the Vid !!
That was amazing! Great video, thanks for sharing. I'm going to buy me one & do as you demonstrated. Love your calm voice & your teaching... Greg in Utah
Really nice for folks who like shiny things. Doesn't change your range experience much though!
I like this gentleman's style.
He's 'Been There & Done That and passes his Experience/Knowledge on to NewBeies.
Man!! You've got all the toys! This is an awesome video. Very well done! Thanks for sharing. I'm starting to get into reloading.
+stevoK20 Forty years from now, someone will tell you that YOU have all the toys! Thanks so much for commenting and best of luck as you pursue this terrific hobby.
I got one of these Rex and purchased their vibratory tumbler also! They make great product s! I prefer the wet tumbling best, they just look so much shiny!
People always say why bother but it is so much nicer reloading without getting your hands dirty
Looks like I'm way behind the curve on this one. As trickyric67 and Englishman French correctly point out, no need to get your hands in that nasty soup. I will get a strainer and magnet before next time. Thanks for the tips, guys!
Don't forget the plastic bag, or you will be pulling those pins off the magnet until tea time! I is lucky for us that these SS pins are magnetic, not all stainless is. The contaminants include mercury, and lead!
Absolutely. The bag was brilliant.
Rex Roach One little tip here is that if you cannot get sieve mesh fine enough at the hardware store, you can use the very fine stainless mesh they sell for putting up at the windows to stop the flies coming in.
Rex Roach don't feel bad. I was doing dry tumbling for over 30 years...
Rex, you need to get yourself a screen mesh colander. It'll be a lot cheaper than calling a plumber or taking the time and effort to have to clean that trap out of some of those stainless pins or cases. Having said that, I think I like this way of cleaning the brass better. Will probably look into one of these tumblers fairly soon. Thanks for another great video.
Thanks John. I ordered a big strainer from Amazon about a month after I made this video back in 2015.
Good video sir. The .45LC case looked brand new. Just to give you more possibilities, after rinsing and draining as much water as you can, place everything (cases and pins) on large cookie sheets and place in an oven at low to med/low temp to dry (oven door should be slightly open to allow watervapor to escape), then allow to cool, then tumble separate out the pins. I think you will find that your brass looks better (due to less water spotting), also ensures no water trapped in the primer pocket if your reloading in the same day, and the different caliber cases will not stick inside each other as bad due to water suction (but there's always those odd ones, lol). May want to ask the Mrs' permission first, or use an old junk oven to keep from getting a wood spoon against the noggin! I learned this technique from a Jerry Miculek video, and it helps, especially if reloading in the same day! Keep shootin'!
That sounds like an excellent process. Thanks so much for sharing. I had not thought of tumbling the dry brass to separate pins and cases.
Thanks for the video....definitely learned a few things :o) I recently got my Lee Load Master, all of the accessories for it, approx 3,000 .45acp brass cases, and now putting together the stuff needed for prepping the brass and so wanted to ask where did you get your stainless steel pins
www.midwayusa.com/product/635839/pellets-brass-cleaning-media-stainless-steel-pins-5-lb-bag
That was interesting.I have no reloading stuff at all. But I do love watching, maybe one day I will. Atb to you. Brian.
I know what you mean. I'm that way about model railroad videos.
Will this method work on rusted screwdriver bits used on cordless screwdrivers? (Obviously, NOT in water)
but perhaps dry and using stainless steel pins in a vibratory tumbler?
I would absolutely try it with a few in the water, Dawn and Lemi-Shine. The parts won't rust while under the water and if you get them right out and dry them off, I would not be surprised but what this will work just fine. Naturally I'd experiment with only a few to start with, but give 'em six hours of tumble time and I'll bet they will be super clean and free of rust.
I have used the exact same tumbler, Dawn, and Lemi-shine to clean and derust srewdriver bits and socket wrenches, with water. The tumbling action rubs all the dirt, grease and rust off very quickly. I tumble brass cases about 30 minutes and the steel parts about 15 minutes. After separating the steel parts from the pins I soak the steel parts overnight in WD-40, then spread the parts out to dry on paper towels. The steel parts will be clean and shiny. If there is any loose chrome on the sockets due to rust underneith, the tumbling will rub the loose chrome off and the pins will rub off the rust.
Really? Go to home Depot and buy a 5 pack for $2.00
Great how clean the brass gets; still, I like dry cleaning. Much easier for me. I turn on machine just before going to bed and in the morning I have clean shinny brass. I do not mix different size brass when cleaning either.
With primer pockets. For smooth burn. Is there any way to get insidr the casing primer holes burs cleaned out for smooth ignition?
Buy a "flash hole uniformer". They're cheap.
good stuff but how did you get stainless steel to stick to a magnet
+William Robles I'm not a chemist nor a metallurgist, but as I understand it, there are five basic classes of stainless steel and only one is truly non-magnetic. That happens to be the most common type, but all of them can become magnetic when cold worked.
rubber scraper spatula for returning the pins to the tumbler? Like the kind for scraping frosting or cake batter out of a bowl.
+DuffsterZ Sounds good to me. I'll try it.
Clever process there! I didn't think stainless would stick to a magnet. I guess some alloys of SS will. I'll be trying it! Many thanks!
The magnetic properties of the various stainless steels seem to be a surprise to most people. Thanks for watching.
Good heavens what a success! It doesn't get any better than this! I cut some stainless 1/16th tig welding wire into half inch lengths, it took a while. I put some nasty looking perfecta and wcc brass in the unit with your recipe and one hour is all it took to make them look like new Norma brass!
Mike Miller that's a great idea to make your own stainless steel media. Thanks for sharing!
people probably are thinking of hardened steel like on knives, which to harden, requires high heat which will force any metal to loose its magnetism
When I clean and prep my brass OCD goes into OVERKILL haha
I do not have OCD OCD OCD.
I'm trying the 100% Lemon juice and water right now
Brandon Latoski Let us know how it works for you. Thanks!
It is best to put cases that are the same size. Smaller cases can get jammed in with the pins and may be difficult to get out.
Just wondering about how long do stainless steel pins last in your septic tank? :)
Long enough to clean it! 😀
Check out Frankford Arsenal Rotary Tumblers. I've had and used one for a couple of years now, and I am totally pleased with it. Using the same cleaning solution as you, I get amazing results in three hours. That is as high as the built in timer goes. I've done everything from 9mm to .308 without a single hiccup.I've done as many as 250 .30 /.30 rounds at once with great results. Check them out as they include strainer end caps that would streamline your cleanup !
I use a Lortone QT-66 rock tumbler with molded rubber drums that have decagon flats molded into the interior and I can and do take the nastiest, most corroded and oxidized "chocolate" brass that has laid on or in the range dirt and mud for weeks, months and years and make it look like new in an hour or less. I don't know what you guys are doing that takes 3 hours or more, but I think your cheap plastic drums don't agitate nearly enough or you're overloading the drum or you're using too much detergent. If you end up with tons of suds, the cleaning action goes to shit. Soap suds are slick and a lubricant and cushion the agitation action. Less is more with everything involved and I've found that too many pins, too much Lemi-Shine, too much dawn or too much water all negatively affect the process.
Robert Byrns
I've hear nothing but good things about it. Looking forward to getting one.
I use one and it works great. I got the double barrel since I shoot 2 223s and neck size only it works out great
I use the same system but never tumble brass that can nest in other cases. I always ensure that 9mm, .38 special and .357 magnum go together. .44 Rem magnum and 45ACP are batched together and my .50AE goes in separately.
I have never fired brass so clean. I have a dry tumbler that doen't clean the inside.
cousin uses this method , remarkably clean brass , but , the best way to rinse the brass and pins is to dump them in a sieve and rinse them under running water !
Separate the brass and pins before you rinse. Then pour off the black water, and rinse the pins to remove sediments. The surface tension with the remaining soap will keep the pins clumped up and slippery. Use a clean paint brush to sweep back into the tumbler. Rinse the brass separate from the pins with a plastic coffee jug. I like the Maxwell House with a molded in handle and flat sides. Another great use for these is to drill a hole near the top and hang on hooks on the bench for a large catch bin for loaded ammo.
+DG Ficklin That's interesting and I will try your method next time. Makes good sense after I read through your description a couple of times. Thanks for taking time to view the video and, even more, to share your technique with us.
I use a Lortone QT-66 and have done probably hundreds of pounds of brass with the same 5 lbs of pins I bought initially when I started. I've taken "chocolate" brass I literally had to pry out of dried dirt and mud at the range, rinsed it in plain water to knock off the big chunks, throw it in MODERATE volumes in my Lortone drums and with a drop or two of Dawn, a light sprinkle of Lemi-Shine, hard tap water from a farm well and an hour or hour and a half at most I turn out sparkling like-new brass. I don't know what the guys who claim 3 hours in a larger tumbler are doing wrong, but I suspect they're overdoing something.
Too much of anything will slow down or completely stall the cleaning process. Too much Lemi-Shine turns cases pink in my experience and its not limited to brass, I've got some steel boxer-primed Wolf .45 ACP cases I reload mainly because the "experts" say I can't or shouldn't and they'll produce a pink tint with too much Lemi-Shine, too. My pin to case ratio as far as weight goes is probably 1:5 or thereabouts and I only use a "lot" of pins when I'm tumbling .50 BMG cases, which I can only do 7-10 of at a time.
Too much Dawn in particular knocks the hell out of the cleaning process because all of the suds cushion the cases and reduce the agitation effect and prevent the cases from cleaning and polishing each other as they rub together, which is the PRIMARY cleaning process that occurs. Pins get in the nooks and crannies but most cleaning is case on case.
I REALLY appreciate your comments. I have a batch of dug-out-of-the-dirt range brass I plan to clean tomorrow. It's Labor Day, after all. I'm going to try your suggestions and use less of everything, except brass.
cool video. Where did you get that separator? thanks
+fractal_force Thanks for the kind words. That's an RCBS I got from Amazon.
+Rex Roach Thanks!
what kind of stainless steel is magnetic and if takes a, magnet it will rust ie 400 sreies
There are different types of stainless steel. Ferritic and martensitic stainless steels are magnetic. Annealed austenitic stainless steels are non-magnetic. Work hardening can make austenitic stainless steels slightly magnetic.
www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-dont-magnets-work-on/
www.bssa.org.uk/faq.php?id=24
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stainless_steel
Google "stainless steel magnetic" for many more articles
I am as particular about cleaning my brass.........prior to sizing as well as after the sizing aspect.
Your wife is going to be mad at you Rex messing up her laundry room ! I find the Rebel 17 to be by far the best of these machines as it runs on ball races, that said, yours looks good after many years of use.
One thing I would advise is not to get your hands in the contaminated water after tumbling, the water is loaded with lots of nasty things. It probably will not affect you at your age, but not something you want to do. If you get a 2 Ft sieve with very fine mesh, dump the whole lot in, give it a shake, then pour it all on a large old towel, you can then use a large magnet in a poly bag to pick up all the pins, the SS pins will be dry, hold it over your tumbler body and pull off the poly bag, the pins will all drop into the bin. I also mix a car wash wax solution and drop the polished cases into it, this stops them tarnishing. Once you use this method, there is no going back!
Englishman French Thanks for your always insightful comments. Give me some more detail about the "car wash wax solution" and how you use it.
Rex Roach I have just tumbled some Colt 45 cases, I drain the filthy water off into a bucket using my 24" fine mesh sieve, mix some of the car wax/wash liquid in another container, then pick out the cases and drop them into the car wax solution, you can pour the wax mix into a container for use again if you shoot a lot, the cases will then have a coat of wax on them and do not get that "water mark" you get if you just dry them, by that time the stainless pins will have dried in the sieve, and can be poured back into the tumbler vessel, do not leave the pins in contaminated damp solution for too long, stainless WILL rust under certain temperature/humidity conditions. P.S. You must dispose of the contaminated cleaning water down the foul water drain!
Wrote up a great article for Sinclair International 10 years ago
I'd suggest upgrading to a newer tumbler as that relic model B rotation speed appears on the slow side. A more modern one work much faster as they use better components. They work faster and have surpassed the vibratory tumblers both in speed and safer to use not dispersing lead dust into the atmosphere.
That speed would certainly make a difference. In addition, I think the rubber lining in mine is breaking down resulting in the unduly black water you see. I think that's 99% carbon black "extracted" from the rubber liner.
You will lose your brass long before enough crud builds up in the primer pocket to prevent proper primer seating. Successive ignition of primers will blast out most primer crud from the pockets anyway.
In addition, A good reloader will always examine primer seating depth before boxing up his Ammo.
Another great video Rex. Hope you made it through the storm ok. Can you DM me? I may have some stuff you might be interested in.
Just love this video, concept, and leadership. Might offer for anyone interested in following these footsteps, the Thumlers Tumbler is still very much available, marketed primarily to the rock polishing community. Trick is, and it's hard to find this, there are two motors available -- the rock polishing motor more commonly found is 1,550 RPM, while the brass polishing kind is available at 3,000 RPM. So I have have an extra motor available, since I had to purchase the faster motor separately. Also, the instructions I received said nothing about the horrendous squeaking of the nylon bearings used in the unit. Some 3-in-1 oil took care of that -- I hope the bearings are not soluble in the oil. For anyone interested, the stainlesstumblingmedia.com link listed below, is selling the "high speed" Thumlers Tumbler B at a great price. And I just took out my first load of .223 Win, and sure enough, Rex speaketh truth. Shiny, including the primer pockets, just as advertised. Thank you.
Excellent addition to the discussion. Yes, a little bit of light oil works wonders. Thanks so much for sharing.
Love the video.
Couldn't help but laugh when You said "Tighter than Dick's Hat Band"
The only time I ever heard that expression, was in the movie "True Grit"
Thanks for sharing.
Me and John Wayne. We were tight. I called him "Duke." He called me "What's-Your-Name."
How long did you let the brass wash run?
I'm in no hurry so I let it run overnight. A minimum of four hours will get it 85% clean. If you change out the solution, you can do it in less time, but it so much easier to just let it run.
I've just watched this for the fourth time, and do not hear how long you run the brass. I'm sure "it depends" is one answer - I know you can do better than that. All I heard was "this is slower" and in another place when looking at the dirty water you said, "I ran this a little longer than usual". How long ?
I wet tumble my deprimed brass with pins for 3 hours. That gets them nice and clean.
I have found that with a clean pocket , the primer seats smoother. Goes in very easy. No resistance.
Excellent point. Now that you mention it, that's always been one of the joys of new brass, every operation is so smooth. Virtually the same with pin cleaned.
Philip Adams, That's what she said.
If after a while NOT cleaning primer pockets you will start to have high primers which can be dangerous. I have been reloading 42 years and I know what I am talking about.
Been reloading 30+ years and I also know what I am talking about.
You will lose your brass long before there is enough crud built up in the primer pocket to prevent proper seating of primers.
Most of the crowd gets blasted out with each successive primer ignition.
What press are you using to deprime? Thanks
Forster Co-Ax press. I did a couple of in-depth videos on it.
Rex Roach thanks! I checked it out and it’s a beautiful little press but too steep for me to just use to deprime. I’m like you, I have to get those primers out before I wet tumble. Just the principle of it. Do you have a cheaper recommendation for a deprime press?
@@Redlegarty The new APP (Automatic Processing Press) from Lee looks great. tinyurl.com/utgl3oj
Rex Roach Thanks Rex.
Where's the best place to buy the stainless media?
+200mphz06, I bought mine at Midway USA, watch and catch it on sale, it can be a little on the high side if not on sale.
MAD DOG Thanks. I picked some up last year online. Forget where. Got the tumbler from Harbor Freight. It does a great job.
I just decap them with a universal decapping die just to avoid that tumbling process damages the collets and have to sizing it again afterward
17:30 Just use tap water to rinse the pins out of the green bucket back into the tumbling tub, then pour off any excess water through a fine kitchen sieve to catch the pins.
Where do you get the stainless steel pins?
+tkarlmann Most of the on-line vendors sell them. Here's one from the Midway folks:
www.midwayusa.com/product/635839/pellets-brass-cleaning-media-stainless-steel-pins-5-lb-bag
This is for a five pound bag which is what most everyone uses in the Thumbler's Tumbler size machines.
A+ on the photography & tips!
Try a magnet on opposite side of the plastic for the ss pins , maybe easier to father
Good suggestion. Thanks for commenting.
‘Gather “ lol
Supposedly you should use washing machine wet detergent rather than dishwashing wet detergent, someone said it strips the zinc outta the brass. I have been using washing machine since, no difference, so why gamble. Do deprime the casings before, I found out the hard way that wet tumbling leaves wet down in those old primers, and when you decap and recap all in one step, you might see some of the water squirt out and wet your new powder charge. This kind of information is not in a reloading manual yet. That I know of. Since stainless pins and sonic tumbling are much newer technology.
+ksharpe10 Yes, depriming before cleaning is very important. What brand of detergent do you use? I've not heard of the distinction between washing machine and dishwasher detergents. This is very interesting.
+Rex Roach The difference between washing machine detergent and dish detergent is mainly the fact that hand dishwashing degergents like Dawn are designed to be easy on the hands, the makers don't want the dishwasher's hands to get all chapped and dried out. Laundry detergent will be much harder on the hands than dishwashing detergent. Having been around the soap business its hard to believe all the old wives tales about dishwashing detergent, stripping the zinc out of the brass is ridiculous!
That could very well be the case on the soap. But you were right about the lime shine being corrosive, I just decapped some that I washed a couple month's back, and occasional casing has this white with green corrosive looking powdery residue in them, I threw out the few that did. I may skip the lime shine. Thanks for the tips that are not yet in reloading manuals yet.
I say pre sort before tumbling keep it neat and separated
I'm surprised these stainless pins are magnetic. Good video, btw.
Thanks. The magnetic stainless steel seems to throw everyone for a loop. I won't repeat, but I've responded several times with much detail. Bottom line: some stainless steels are magnetic. Check through the comments for details.
I was just talking about it on facebook and so I did a search and found out what makes some ss magnetic. Your video came up also. I will be watching more of your videos. I found it pretty good.
Thank you very much. It's great to find fellow seekers of truth and wisdom...or booze and broads.
There is no specific definition of stainLESS steel. There are multiple alloys that are all considered "stainLESS" and stainless steel can be magnetic AND it can even rust or STAIN. Its stain LESS and not stain PROOF. I've got a Snap-On stainless top on one of my premium rolling cabinetes (roll-cab in Snap-On language) and it won't even begin to pull a magnetic. I've got a MAC Tools rolling tool cart with stainless inserts on top and they're magnetic as any other steel in the cart itself. Different alloys = different characteristics. Basic metallurgy.
Great video. You should never tumble two different sizes of brass together.
jpdemont I disagree. Only if they can get stuck to one another. I do 38/357 and 223 all the time.
Why not .......... You dont know what your talking about
After separating the pins from the brass, I dry the brass on a sneaker rack covered with wired down dog window screen. Run your dryer and they come out dry after one quick cycle. About 20-30 minutes. Brass comes out totally dry inside and out.
+George Colbert I had been pondering over how to dry the brass in a clothes drier. I had thought of using a mesh bag, but your idea tops that because it would protect the inside of the drier from clanging brass. Great tip!
@@RexRoachTry putting your brass in an old pillow case with the end tied shut. Then throw it in with “dirty” clothes so the brass doesn’t ring against the sides of the dryer drum, and the other clothes help to tumble the brass
@@4570Govt I like that idea!
What tumbler is that??
It's my 40+ year old Thumler's Tumbler Model B.
www.midwayusa.com/product/426185/thumlers-tumbler-model-b-high-speed-rotary-case-tumbler-110-volt
I thought stainless steel wouldn’t magnetize?
Some types are, some are not. This has been brought up in discussion many times. Look through the comments and you'll see plenty of info. Thanks for watching and commenting.
That chair needs some 🐸 frog lube lol.
You are far from alone with your suggestion. Instead of Frog Oil, I just scrapped the chair for a new one.
The reason I started tumbling with the stainless media is because it is the only thing that will 100% of the time truly clean the primer pockets. This is important because after a time if you don't, the repeated firing and loading will cause an ever increasing amount of ash build up in the primer pocket, which in turn will create high primers. BUMMER! I used to hardly ever clean my pockets. Maybe once in a blue moon, and it was one at a time by hand. I love reloading but cleaning pockets one at a time by hand drives me nuts. So, I started looking into a way to clean my pockets on a mass scale that was easy and effective. Don't, let me repeat, DON'T waste your money on an ultrasonic cleaner. They simply don't work ! I now deprime and tumble every time simply because I don't ever want anymore high primers, but OH!!! how pretty the brass comes out looking. It looks like new brass every time. I tumble for three to four hours per batch, separate the brass from the pins, dump and spread 'em out on a clean towel and let em dry for a day. There is one caviaeut to this method though. And this is very important. You must visually check every flash hole to make sure that there are no ganged up pins stuck in there after you are through tumbling. I learned the hard way on this as a .357 round that I loaded had pins stuck in the flash hole when I loaded it. Upon firing only part of the powder ignited due I think to the partially blocked flash hole. What happened was there was just enough pressure to push the bullet half way down the barrel. I was able to clear the barrel but was skeptical of the rest of those 500 rounds I had loaded. Fortunately that was the only time that that happened. However upon subsequent cleanings of brass I have found 2 cases now that had ganged up pins. I typically load 500 cases/rounds at a time. It only takes maybe 5 minutes to visually inspect for ganged pins in 500 cases. I highly recommend it ! Luv, Dug.
Exactly the same reason that started me on pin cleaning. Good advice about the stuck pins, too. Thanks for sharing.
You will lose your brass long before enough crud builds up in the primer pocket to prevent proper primer seating. Successive ignition of primers will blast out most primer crud from the pockets anyway.
In addition, A good reloader will always examine primer seating depth before boxing up his Ammo.
I disagree with your assessment RE: successive firings will blast out ash build up in primer pockets. You can get by without cleaning primer pockets for awhile, but eventually you will have high primers. Now, I have been reloading for 48 years now, it is " my hobby ", and I will tell you that I am reloading brass that dates back to sometime in the 90's, and I will tell you that it is still going strong. I do not load MAGNUM loads, but I load " mild magnum " loads for .357 and .44 mag. My brass have been loaded by a conservative estimate of maybe 15 to 20 times. Also, I will address your comment on examining primer seating depth as you are reloading. Yes, that is all important, however if you seat a primer on an extremely dirty primer pocket and it comes out " high ". What do you do ? You certainly should not try and decap a fresh primer from a primer pocket !! And loading as you suggest you will come across some rounds that will not function in a double action revolver, and may even jamb the cylinder in the frame. So........I have come across a system that works extremely well and a big bonus is that the cases when cleaned in the tumbled, stainless steel media, when loaded, look better than factory new ammo. And that is all I have to say about the matter. Signed, Doug.
OIL THAT CHAIR HEHEHEHEHEHE
+JuggusNawt Ain't it the truth! You'll be happy to know that I did and it's now quiet as a church mouse.
That's a great tumbler.
don stromberg it is, and as far as I know, they still make 'em like they used to.
I'm sure they do. I just ordered a new belt for mine. My tumbler is more than 30 years.
Clean primer pockets do mater if you are shooting long range for consitent accuracy
+da11671 I think you're probably right because (IMHO) EVERYTHING matters when the ranges get long. The tiniest detail can make or break a shot. I honestly believe it doesn't matter in handgun ammo at ranges under 50 yards except with the top-of-the-line target guns and equally good shooters. On the other hand, I enjoy seeing those primers going into squeaky clean pockets. I love seeing the shining inside of the brass where I can easily see the powder levels as I go.
I really appreciate your comment and making an important point.
I like clean brass as well. I haven't reloaded in years, I lost a lot of stuff in a flood and don't get to shoot much at all now but I'm thinking about getting back into it. I agree on the hand gun under 50 meters and for that mater most shooters would never notice any difference anyway, but for consistent accuracy at long ranges it takes consistent loads. Thanks for taking the time to make the video, I did enjoy it.
da11671 I'm very sorry to hear of your flood loss. We had a minor flood in our basement and I can well imagine how a "real" flood would make for a major life upheaval. I hope you will get back into reloading.
Tight as Dick's hat band!!!!! Best line tonight. Outstanding video, thanks for posting.
A cursory glance at Google reveals that to be an old Southern expression...much like myself. Apparently it peaked in popularity in the 1940's, about the same time I was learning English. Thanks for your comment and attention to detail.
Well played Mr. Rex, it made me enjoy your video that much more!
Wonderful!
my walmart don't carry lemi shine for some reason
+craneoperator4 Try Lowes, in the cleaning products section.
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Scott Wentworth
yes Lowes had it but I got it at a grocery store here called Lowes too...lol
iTheGeek we have a grocery store called Lowes as well...and a Lowes Home Improvement store
It sounds like your chair could use some oiling!!😄
LOL, you are so right! I replaced that chair shortly after this video was made. It's funny how things you don't hear in real life can be so loud in a video.
Try a mesh strainer
Best to separate your brass when you shoot it.
let the pins dry in the separator. then pour them out ,makes it much easier
+Matt Taylor I had not thought of that. Makes sense. I'm always trying to completely finish the job before moving on. I will try it next time.
Nice video sir TY
jewelers stainless shot mix media is what its called. check it out you will like it
They do a great job but more work than I care to do.
There is no way those pins are 100% stainless. They would not stick to a magnet. I wonder what the metalerguly is.
+Laby 70 The magnetic properties of stainless steel is an interesting subject. Here's a good article on it from the folks at Fastenal. In a nutshell, there are five classes of stainless steel. Only one is non-magnetic. It is also the most common one.
www.fastenal.com/en/75/magnetism-in-stainless-steel-fasteners
They are 304 stainless. stainless is not an element so there is no such thing as pure. stainless steel still has steel in it depending on what type and can still be magnetic.
FYI, decent stainless steel is NOT magnetic. This must be wannabe stainless,..but maybe it's good enough for tumbling. Any thoughts?
There are different types of stainless steel. Ferritic and martensitic stainless steels are magnetic. Annealed austenitic stainless steels are non-magnetic. Work hardening can make austenitic stainless steels slightly magnetic.
www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-dont-magnets-work-on/
www.bssa.org.uk/faq.php?id=24
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stainless_steel
Google "stainless steel magnetic" for many more articles
try stainless bearings
That sounds counterintuitive. Do round balls really clean? What size? This is interesting. Tell us more. What has your experience been with this method? Thanks for the input.
sorry, i should of been more clear, jewelers stainless media mix has 3 to 4 different shapes pins. the bearing ones look like like Saturn, has a cool thin edge sticking out around it that gets in corners, there's different grades too by size. some pins are cut short and thick, not to thick to work cut at different angles to get in tight spots.
Primer pockets, my OCD thing
Ha, ha. You called me out on that one.
Your chair might be comfortable. But if it were mine, it would be in the scrap bin. It was beyond annoying.
You are 100% correct. That chair went to the scrap pile a couple of months ago. Office Depot has very nice "drafting stools" at good prices. I have one now. It's totally quiet. Sorry for the annoyance, but thanks for commenting.
The cleaning solution becomes saturated with primer residue!. Wear gloves and take care pouring it down the sink rather than the yard!
Not to minimize what you're saying, but let me pose a question: what about the tremendous accumulation of GSR (gunshot residue) that builds up on the hands of anyone shooting a revolver and most any handgun? The GSR contains exactly the same ingredients as the cleaning solution after the tumbling. In my case, my hands are exposed to the solution for less than a minute and then I wash them. When shooting handguns, our hands get blackened possibly for several hours. To me, that is much worse yet no one seems to mention that.
Rex Roach The implication is that your exposing yourself to a concentrated solution rather than being dusted by residue. cleanliness is next to godliness
You talk a lot about not having to remove the primers. I would think it best to remove them so the water can flow through the cases and not just in and out. Of course you need to inspect each case to make sure there are no pins stuck in the hole. Also, for those that cannot obtain Lemi Shine locally you can always order it from AMAZON or Walmart . Walmart has it for $4.32 + $4.97 shipping. If you order more than one, say 4, the shipping is the same so a better deal. AMAZON has it at $8.23 for one or 3 for $16.99. If you have AMAZON "Prime" the shipping is free.
+gizmotech007 It's been a while since I've watched this video. I hope I didn't "talk a lot about not having to remove the primers" because I agree with you 100%, it's one of the major benefits of this cleaning method to get the primer pockets absolutely clean. Yes, there will be some stuck pins in about 3% of the cases, but if you keep a pair of needle nose pliers handy, it's no problem. Honestly, I think one container of Lemi-Shine will last three lifetimes. I use only a tiny amount now, far less than I did in the video. Amazon is amazing, isn't it?
+Rex Roach yes, three bottles of Lemi Shine would be overkill so for that you would be best served by sharing the order with some reloading buddies.
gizmotech007 And that's often true of many things we buy in our hobby, especially powder where several buddies or a club can make bulk purchases.
The only thing I do differently is I use Nitrile gloves from harbor freight when dumping out the water. I wouldn't put my bare hands in that soupy black mess.
seabaas I agree 100% and now do the same thing. It might be interesting to take a sample of the "soupy black mess" over to the chemistry department at nearby Auburn University and have it analyzed. Actually, it might be more scary than interesting.
Thats not a pen that’s a pin.
heck go to dollar store get a colander too drain and wash off
This method is way too much work for this cowboy to clean his brass. I'll stick with my vibrating case cleaner and the regular dry media. Since I routinely use new Starline pistol brass, or new Lapua rifle brass, I rarely clean brass cases anyway, not until they get pretty dirty.
@John Sickler Nice try at an insult but lazy shooters don't reload.
WD40 Brother
it's no good stainless steel if its magnetic..
Really? Is that why those stainless pins never rust and "good" stainless steel by YOUR "definition" can and will stain in certain environments? ALL STAINLESS STEEL WILL CORRODE, OXIDIZE OR STAIN if exposed to certain chemicals and conditions. Its stainLESS steel and not stainPROOF steel. There are a ton of different stainless steel ALLOYS and they all have different properties for different applications. You don't know what you're talking about. Run along now. Go read a book or something.
Please get rid of that squeaky chair
This will help you out a lot I think. www.midwayusa.com/product/375973/frankford-arsenal-media-transfer-magnet-for-stainless-steel-media
+Rocketman9mm This looks like a good product that takes Englishman French's idea to a more convenient level. For those who don't want to look, it's a big magnet with a handle that will release the pins.
Those little pins are a huge ripoff! If they were real 💯% Stainless steel they Would Not stick to the magnetic.
They chew up the brass case mouth and primer pockets. Plus miss one and run it down the barrel of your high dollar firearm. Lol
Please get a new chair
Ha, ha. I did, right after this video.
stainless dont stick to a magnet there smart one
There are different types of stainless steel. Ferritic and martensitic stainless steels are magnetic. Annealed austenitic stainless steels are non-magnetic. Work hardening can make austenitic stainless steels slightly magnetic.
www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-dont-magnets-work-on/
www.bssa.org.uk/faq.php?id=24
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stainless_steel
Google "stainless steel magnetic" for many more articles
Quick example of SS that is magnetic is 304 which has a higher carbon content making it magnetic, 316 not magnetic at all. My guess is the manufacturer uses the 304 due to it lower cost from a material standpoint. 304 holds most of the same qualities of the higher cost 316 and gets the job done. Long story short cheaper to manufacture the pins out of 304.
You better be 100% educated before you try to correct and insult someone, smart one. Rex is right. Several stainless alloys are magnetic. Stay humble (not so) smart one.
Aaron Andersonn
- Before you insult another Man's intelligence you should check your own IQ first because it's clearly inferior to Rex's. Now get back in the basement before your mom catches you!