Question for reloaders; cleaning brass

[MuttCat]

I plan to do some reloading come spring. I'm a newbie and have done a fair amount of web browsing for equipment and process. Soapy water, wet tumblers, walnut shells...don't even bother cleaning brass...all kinds of opinions on the topic. I doubt my needs will be for anything over 50 cases at a time, but I intend to clean them in some fashion. I'm kind of leaning towards a dry tumbler...wet seems to the rage.

Any thoughts out there?

 

[togmaster]

Pistol? Rifle? I wet tumble with steel pins. It's a lot more work but you get much cleaner brass. Is it necessary? For me yes because that's how I'm wired. Dry tumbling has been around forever and it works. To each his own.

 

[MuttCat]

Pistol? Rifle? I wet tumble with steel pins. It's a lot more work but you get much cleaner brass. Is it necessary? For me yes because that's how I'm wired. Dry tumbling has been around forever and it works. To each his own.

For me it will be both rifle and pistol. wet tumbling is appealing, but for small volume batches dry tumbling looks like it might be the best approach. I guess if I was doing thousand of cases, or even hundreds, I can see where wet really shines (see what I did there?).

 

[gun_slinger_boy]

You can get very small wet tumblers. Wet tumbling is better in my opinion.

Single Drum Rotary Rock Tumbler

 

[1911guy]

It's mostly subjective. Rarely does it affect performance. You could go for decades without a cleaner. If you like shiny new looking brass and lots of it, go wet. Other wise, "meh."

 

[dsdmmat]

The main reason for wanting clean brass is to prevent contaminants in your dies or gun chambers. It is also easier to inspect your brass for defects when it is clean.

I have done the dry media, ultra sonic and SS pins. I now use my ultra sonic for gun parts cleaning, the dry media tumbler is collecting dust and my SS pin wet tumbler is the only thing I use for brass now.

 

[Eddie Gunks]

Wet tumbling for SUPER dirty brass, OCD people, or for resale.

Dry tumbling for ease, speed, and less work.

Wet tumbling can be slower. Requires a rinse and a dry step. The dry being he most important as wet powder can cause major issues/sqib loads.

Drying is best done with a dehydrator or some kind of a wood stove / furnace room, with moving air. Until perfected drying can take longer.

Wet tumbling can be expensive if you buy “professional” grade equipment or equipment that can handle large batches.

I use these : Biggdawg Tumblers & Wildcats

It looks like he has delved into wildcats as well. Too bad he is not taking orders. He shit is awesome!

Dry tumblers are easy. Fast and cheap. I have started uaing them for several min. To just get the dirt off if straight walled cases. You can pull them right out and begin to load them.

One downside of dry is lead contamination (from the spent primers!) and lead dust. So wear the correct safety gear (mask and gloves. Good ventilation) and wash you hands.

Have fun.

 

[MoMan]

I've been dry tumbling with a mix of 50/50 corn/walnut. I add a capful of NU-Finish wax. My brass comes out looking really good, and it slides up into my carbide effortlessly. I've been doing it for years, and have no reason to change. But like has been said; to each their own.

 

[HighlandLofts]

When I get binto anything I go overboard. Getting into loading I bought a dry media tumbler from Harbor Freight along with 25 pounds of the coarse walnut hulls. It does ok job of cleaning the cases, but the cases don't get as clean as when done in the stainless steel whet tumbler.
And you will get walnut hull media in the primer hole so you need to check every case to make sure the hole ic clear.
It is the cheapest way to go.

I then bought a Frankfort arsenal stainless steel wet tumbler. More of a pain In the ass, but does a superior cleaning job. No media in the primer hole, much cleane brass, cleaner primer pockets, ain to collect all of the stainless steel media. For drying I made wood blocks with wood dowels to put the brass on and then set a fan on them to dry. I'd imagine if you don't dry them right after tumbling the brass hey could get stained.
I like this method of tumbling the best.

I had four single stage presses, Hornady had the Lock N Load Classic Kit on sale at a decent price with a free sonic cleaner. I had a store discount coupon for $30 and a gift card for $50 or so.
I was going to keep the sonic cleaner and sell the Lock N Load kit.
I bought the kit just for the sonic cleaner.when my son came to get me all set up with the old single stage presses he said to get rid of the old presses and keep the Lock N Load Classic press.which I did. I kept one of the old presses just in cse. It is a Pacific Press (pre-Hornady), exact same press as the Lock N Load except you screw the dies in like a conventional single stage press.
I took it to a friend's shop and had him retrofit it to turn in into a Lock N Load press. I now have both of the set up.
By the way the sonic cleaner is still in the box unopened setting on the shelf below my reloading bench collecting dust.

I pick up a ot of range brassat a couple of sand & gravel pits, Some of it is really nasty, the wet tumbler does a superior cleaning job.
For fresh shot brass that is clean the dry tumbler will be good enough, but check the primer pockets after tumbling.

The wood drying racks I made I put polyurethane on them so they don't suck up any water.

I prefer the Lock N Load Classic press over the conventional presses.
If you go with the RCBS Rock Chucker press Hornady sells the adaptor to turn the Rock Chucker press in to a Lock N Load press.
Once you get the dies set up, a quarter turn and switch dies. Next time you want to load put the die in the press, quarter turn and start loading.
I love this set up for being a single stage operation.

 

[MuttCat]

You can get very small wet tumblers. Wet tumbling is better in my opinion.

Single Drum Rotary Rock Tumbler

Took a quick look, interesting, like the price. Hmmm....

 

[MuttCat]

I do confess though, I am attracted to high shine brass...a belt buckle and a drill sergeant..."fond" memories. Still have that damn buckle.

 

[Robin]

Here ya go.
Robin

 

[Uninformed and Compliant]

All will do fine, as many have said. The big thing is protecting your dies from grit. Other than that, all methods have caveats.

Dry: Dust. It will get all over everything in the room, your clothes, and you will also inhale it. It also takes forever.

Wet: Pins can be tricky to get out of small necked cases, as they can "log jam". You also need to visually inspect for single pins still in the case. However, you don't need to use pins in a wet tumbler; as others have said, you can just toss the brass in by itself (no pins) and the cases will clean the outside of each other perfectly. Typical wash time will be 15 to 60 minutes, depending on cleaning agent, then toss it on a $20 dehydrator for the overnight. This method is very versatile and reliable, and when out of your ideal cleaning agent, it'll still work "good enough" with a spoon full of electric (no foam) dish washer soap, or dawn (but it'll be foamy as frig), or even a chip of hand soap, or a squirt of hair shampoo lol. You'll love it.

Ultrasound: The correct cleaning agent is important. You can waste lots of time experimenting. A good agent will make the brass beautiful and once you find one, it'll be very reliable. Small batches of brass tend to waste it unless you are creative with ziplock bags or beakers or whatever. BUT you can also ultrasound various gun / car / whatever parts as well, if they need it. Wash time is 10 to 20 minutes, then dehydrator per usual. The biggest caveat is the brass will be a lot more clean - it will tend to stick in the dies like a mofo. Unlubed pistol brass in a carbide die will still work fine without damage, but it will take more effort than if you'd used a dry or wet tumbler. This method is useless if you don't have a good cleaning agent, however. If you go this route, you'll also love it - but strongly consider getting one with a drain.

 

[MuttCat]

View attachment 24387
Here ya go.
Robin

That's the stuff! And Kiwi black for the boots.

 

[Darth]

That's the stuff! And Kiwi black for the boots.

Don't use Brasso to polish reloading brass. It contains ammonia and that weakens brass .

 

[MuttCat]

No, of course not.

That small tumbler that gun_slinger_boy linked, might be the ticket.

 

[Robin]

Don't use Brasso to polish reloading brass. It contains ammonia and that weakens brass .

Humor said, and the limited contact would have little affect but, Darth is right, ammonia makes it brittle!!!!!
Robin

 

[pmcjuryny]

I dry tumble in a Franklin armory tumbler. I use corn cob blasting media that I bought at harbor freight for 20$. Every once and a while I throw in some nufinish car wax and a cap full of mineral spirits. The wax/mineral spirits helps keep the dust down a little and helps with the cleaning.

The only thing this doesn't cut it for are old range pick up brass that are stuffed with dirt. For those I either throw them out, or if i have a bunch or something I really want to reuse, I soak them in a 5 gallon pale, and agitated it a few times over a few days. Then I dry the brass in the oven, and then dry tumble once it's dry.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

 

[Darth]

Even when I dry tumbled, I washed the brass beforehand. Saves media life.

 

[Deplorable Me]

Keep in mind, brass needs to be cleaned of grit, grime, powder residue and NOT "polished". Foreign material is removed to protect the dies. A little discoloration of the brass due to heat is not a problem.

In the absense of electricity, brass could be mildly brushed with a soft brush (no scratching) and wiped off with a soft cloth. Primer pockets are cleaned with a hand tool specific to the job. (For the preppers amongst us.)

 

[Darth]

Keep in mind, brass needs to be cleaned of grit, grime, powder residue and NOT "polished". Foreign material is removed to protect the dies. A little discoloration of the brass due to heat is not a problem.

In the absense of electricity, brass could be mildly brushed with a soft brush (no scratching) and wiped off with a soft cloth. Primer pockets are cleaned with a hand tool specific to the job. (For the preppers amongst us.)

It's not all 100% for looks though. Polished brass is easier to see/pick up in the field.

 

[Deplorable Me]

It's not all 100% for looks though. Polished brass is easier to see/pick up in the field.

Wait til you wear bifocals. .........

 

[mgunner]

I started reloading about 6 months ago. I don't clean my brass but here's what I've heard from guys with much more experience have said.

Some say that they don't tumble at all. One guy knows long range shooters that don't clean their brass and it doesn't affect performance.

Another guy says he just takes a plastic jug filled with dish soap and citric acid or Lemi Shine, shake the brass in the container and then he lets it sit for an hour. It removes dirt and cleans the brass good enough.

Other's have said that they stay away from dry tumbling because it creates dust and that dust will contain lead which isn't good to breath in so they wet tumble instead.

 

[MuttCat]

The thread is alive....

Many good points made. In the end I went with a dry tumbler...recent purchase, the price was right. I've not actually used the thing yet, but I'll be placing it outside the garage/love dungeon door when I do.

 

[gun_slinger_boy]

I started reloading about 6 months ago. I don't clean my brass but here's what I've heard from guys with much more experience have said.

Some say that they don't tumble at all. One guy knows long range shooters that don't clean their brass and it doesn't affect performance.

Another guy says he just takes a plastic jug filled with dish soap and citric acid or Lemi Shine, shake the brass in the container and then he lets it sit for an hour. It removes dirt and cleans the brass good enough.

Other's have said that they stay away from dry tumbling because it creates dust and that dust will contain lead which isn't good to breath in so they wet tumble instead.

I went from dry to wet tumbling. Dry is perfectly fine as long as you do it somewhere where you won't breath it in. Outside is best. And also wait until it settles before opening up the tumbler. I like wet tumbling because the brass comes out like new. Not necessary but nice. Did you inspect the case rims?

 

[Carlos Hathcock]

I've been wet cleaning. Ultrasonic with simple green and lemi shine. Half hour in an electric toaster.

3 hours in a Hornady tumbler with corn, SS pins, and a couple drops of Syn Wax. Seems to work for me.

 

[Tintalieau]

the harbor freight rock tumbler is what i started with for wet, then used these plans to build a better one (36"x6" PVC tumbler barrel)

DIY Wet Media Tumbler

nice info on building a wet tumbler in case anyone needs/wants

 

[OnSight Firearms Training]

I plan to do some reloading come spring. I'm a newbie and have done a fair amount of web browsing for equipment and process. Soapy water, wet tumblers, walnut shells...don't even bother cleaning brass...all kinds of opinions on the topic. I doubt my needs will be for anything over 50 cases at a time, but I intend to clean them in some fashion. I'm kind of leaning towards a dry tumbler...wet seems to the rage.

Any thoughts out there?

Electric tumbler from Cabelas.

Cabela's Model 400 Vibratory Case Tumbler Kit | Cabela's

Everything you need to quickly and easily clean all your brass cases. This kit contains the Model 400 Vibratory Case Tumbler with a large 4 quart 12" injection-molded bowl and a quiet 110-volt motor

www.cabelas.com

and

Lyman Case Tufnut Cleaning Media | Cabela's

Lyman® Case Tufnut Cleaning Media is the most effective choice for cleaning heavily fouled cases. A few hours in a Lyman Turbo Tumbler filled with Case Cleaning Media and cases are clean,

www.cabelas.com

and dont forget:

Hornady One Shot Case Lube | Cabela's

Buy the Hornady One Shot Case Lube and more quality Fishing, Hunting and Outdoor gear at Bass Pro Shops.

www.cabelas.com