Ultra Sonic or tumbler?

[Wildman1024]

Getting my xmas list together for this year. I received a Redding T-7 turret press a few years ago and a hornady lock n load power measure but I have not set them up yet. Looking to get the rest of the supplies I need to get my bench setup this year.

Would you go ultrasonic cleaner or use dry media?

 

[togmaster]

There is a third choice. Wet tumbling with steel media. I wet tumble and recommend it.

 

[GTN]

I just screwed around with ultrasonic for the past two weeks. Takes a long time for a little amount of brass. Friend of mine told me about this wet Tumbler
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00H...rsenal+wet&dpPl=1&dpID=41RxBp0yRML&ref=plSrch
And it's on Black Friday special right now for $50 off. Don't screw around just buy it you won't be disappointed

 

[kev74]

I dry tumble my brass. Its quick, easy and gets the brass clean enough for me.

I've tried both wet tumbling and ultrasonic for cleaning brass. Wet tumbling makes the brass look like new. Ultrasonic cleaning takes off the dirt, but not any staining or tarnish. Both required rinsing and drying the brass, which makes it more of a pain in the ads than I'm willing to deal with.

The big plus for the ultrasonic cleaner is the ability to clean other stuff in there. I clean reloading dies, carburetor parts, my wife's jewelry, gun parts and anything else that will fit in there with it.

 

[71velle]

Ups and downs to all cleaning.

What are you loading and how much?

 

[Phazer]

I just screwed around with ultrasonic for the past two weeks. Takes a long time for a little amount of brass. Friend of mine told me about this wet Tumbler
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00H...rsenal+wet&dpPl=1&dpID=41RxBp0yRML&ref=plSrch
And it's on Black Friday special right now for $50 off. Don't screw around just buy it you won't be disappointed

I just started using that Frankford Arsenal tumbler kit. I've processed about 30 pounds of brass, so far. The results have been great.

I used a vibratory tumbler with crushed walnut media for years. I had a lot of (probably) toxic dust settle all over my loading area. I decided to go to wet tumbling in order to avoid the dust issues. It is certainly more expensive to start with wet tumbling since the mechanical tumbler is certainly more expensive, you'll want a transfer magnet, and you may possibly want a dehydrator to use as a brass dryer. You'll still want a media separator (same as with dry) to use full of water to allow pins to slip out of brass and be collected.

Over time, however, prices certainly even out. The steel pin media is reusable forever (as long as you don't lose it bit by bit). Water is certainly less expensive than walnut media. And, the amount of soap and Lemishine used per run is minimal. Mainly, I just like not having to deal with the dust.

 

[Wildman1024]

Ups and downs to all cleaning.

What are you loading and how much?

I have never loaded before. I plan on loading 223, 45-70, 9mm, 45acp, 380 auto and 357/38 special.

 

[Phazer]

As GTN said, just get this: https://www.amazon.com/Frankford-Arsenal-Platinum-Rotary-Tumbler/dp/B00HTN4R6O/ref=redir_mobile_desktop?_encoding=UTF8&dpID=41RxBp0yRML&dpPl=1&keywords=frankford arsenal wet&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&qid=1511542431&ref=plSrch&ref_=mp_s_a_1_3&sr=8-3&tag=fgyn-20

I paid $149 for mine around 6 months ago. Now it's $117.55 for another 4+ hours (or as long as stock lasts).

Just do it! Now!

 

[Wildman1024]

I just started using that Frankford Arsenal tumbler kit. I've processed about 30 pounds of brass, so far. The results have been great.

I used a vibratory tumbler with crushed walnut media for years. I had a lot of (probably) toxic dust settle all over my loading area. I decided to go to wet tumbling in order to avoid the dust issues. It is certainly more expensive to start with wet tumbling since the mechanical tumbler is certainly more expensive, you'll want a transfer magnet, and you may possibly want a dehydrator to use as a brass dryer. You'll still want a media separator (same as with dry) to use full of water to allow pins to slip out of brass and be collected.

Over time, however, prices certainly even out. The steel pin media is reusable forever (as long as you don't lose it bit by bit). Water is certainly less expensive than walnut media. And, the amount of soap and Lemishine used per run is minimal. Mainly, I just like not having to deal with the dust.

Not having the dust is a win for me. I will be building a bench in my computer room to do my reloading. There is no other space in my house to do it.

 

[Phazer]

Not having the dust is a win for me. I will be building a bench in my computer room to do my reloading. There is no other space in my house to do it.

Bingo!

All of the water handling can be accomplished in the bathroom.

1. The initial dirty water is decanted off into a toilet (avoiding allowing any solids - pins or brass to exit) and flushed.
2. The rinsing is done by running more water through the tumbler vessel in a 5-gallon Home Depot bucket in a bathtub (so that pins are not allowed to go into a drain).
3. Brass is rinsed and separated from the media (spun in media separator filled with water to allow pins to slide out - https://www.amazon.com/Lyman-Produc...id=1511553634&sr=1-5&keywords=media+separator).
4. Brass is put on a towel for cursory drying and to allow transfer magnet to pick up stray pins.
5. Brass can be air dried or put in a cheap dehydrator for faster drying.

 

[GTN]

Brass can be air dried or put in a cheap dehydrator for faster drying.

Or use a couple of your wife's cookie sheets in your oven set as low as it goes for 1 hour

 

[GTN]

$117

$117 sonofabitch I just paid 129 two days ago.

 

[Mosinitis]

For rifle brass I recommend dry tumbling in corn cob. Adding one table-spoon of mineral spirits to corn cob, boosts its cleaning power, mix it in well breaking all the lumps. The most popular method now is wet-tumbling with SS pins. It has several problems. Pins can get stuck inside rifle brass and subsequently shot through your barrel. I know people say they can check inside every case or use a particular brand of pins. All I can say is BULLSHIT, you don't know how irregular is the surface inside rifle brass. Anything you clean your brass with will be shot through the bore sooner or later. I seen pictures of pins welded inside the chamber and the bore. There are few other smaller problems. Shiny clean brass is not necessarily the best thing for your ammo.

 

[MilesTeg]

I want to try this one out.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01B...Mwebp_QL65&keywords=frankfort+media+separator

 

[71velle]

I have never loaded before. I plan on loading 223, 45-70, 9mm, 45acp, 380 auto and 357/38 special.

Unless you buy a real big sonic cleaner you likely wouldnt clean the brass fast enough.

If you choose to dry tumble do not get the RCBS unit, its too loud!!
I dont think I would want to deal with the wet brass of wet tumbling. But, I have no clue about the drying deal, I sure wouldnt want to run it through the oven or any other device.

Cleaning brass sucks no matter how you slice it!!!

 

[HighlandLofts]

I have all three, haven,t opened the sonic cleaner yet. I have used the regular tumbler i bought out of Harbor Freight along with the 25 pound box of coarse walnut hulls from Harbor Freight. It work OK, during it would be OK in the computer room, but emptying it and separating the brass from the walnut hull media is where the problem lays. That,s the dusty part.
I cut up a dryer sheet in half then I cut the halves in to quarters and put the four quarters from the half dryer sheet in the tumbler to help hold down the dust.
For separating the brass from the media I use the black plastic separator pan you,'l find in the reloading section. It looks like a gold sifting pan except it has slots in it. After tumbling I set the pan on a three gallon.bucket I got form the grocery store bakery, dump the brass & media in the pan, sift it.
Dump the brass in to a smaller bucket then back in to the sifting pan again on the three gallon bucket a few times, sifting every time to get most of the media from the brass.
It seems like you never get it all.

I deprime first with the Lee Universal Deprimmer before I tumble.

After wards I check the flash hole between the primer hole and the case, walnut hull media will.get hung up in that little hole.
I use a small ice pick that I bought in a four piece pick set from Harbor Freight as well, around $4 for the set.

I,m a brass whore, I pick up all the brass I can find up where I go shooting in the cascade mountains. Plus I buy brass if I can get it at a reasonable price.

This past summer I picked up a bunch of 223 brass that was left out on the ground for a long time and was really tarnished. I posted about it on here, young can look it up. I posted it recently.

I tumbled some in the regular tumbler with the walnut hull media and I opened the Frankfort Armory Stainless Steel wet tumbler.
The wet tumbler is louder and a sum what of a pain in the ass to separate the media from the brass, but I like the results a lot better.
As far as the tarnished cases I couldn,t find any lemmi shine to try on that brass.
I took a piece of inch & a quarter Tim stock and pounded galvanized Finnish nails part way in about every half an inch to put the brass on so any water drains out of the brass. I also set a small fan to blow on them so they dry quicker.
The primer pockets came out GREAT!

I like the wet Frankfort tumbler better then the dry media tumbler

 

[Eddie Gunks]

For rifle brass I recommend dry tumbling in corn cob. Adding one table-spoon of mineral spirits to corn cob, boosts its cleaning power, mix it in well breaking all the lumps. The most popular method now is wet-tumbling with SS pins. It has several problems. Pins can get stuck inside rifle brass and subsequently shot through your barrel. I know people say they can check inside every case or use a particular brand of pins. All I can say is BULLSHIT, you don't know how irregular is the surface inside rifle brass. Anything you clean your brass with will be shot through the bore sooner or later. I seen pictures of pins welded inside the chamber and the bore. There are few other smaller problems. Shiny clean brass is not necessarily the best thing for your ammo.

I use the larger pins. This has solved the stuck pins in the flash hole issue. After it is dry i tumble it in my media seperator for several revolution to get any pins out.

That being said. I use the wet tumbler for rifle. I use the vibratory for pistol.

Lately i have been buying ammo or making my buddies load it for me

 

[Mosinitis]

I use the larger pins. This has solved the stuck pins in the flash hole issue. After it is dry i tumble it in my media seperator for several revolution to get any pins out.

That being said. I use the wet tumbler for rifle. I use the vibratory for pistol.

Lately i have been buying ammo or making my buddies load it for me

Pins can get stuck inside case walls as well, not just in the flashholes. Upper part of the case is out of the view. Even one pin shot through the barrel out of thousands of rounds is one too many. Not to mention it's all cosmetic and unnecessary. Polished primer pockets are a negative and so is shiny clean necks. Clean, but tarnished primer pockets hold primers better, more reloads per case. Cold welds can result over time, when neck surface is too clean.

 

[zzrguy]

I have a RCBS DRY tumbler and it works great. My friend has a wet and dry tumblers and a high end ultra sonic if your reloading for bench rest shooting wet is probably what you want gets the inside and out side clean the US cleaner has other uses I've drop my BCG in his US and it works wonder it was spotless. If your just running your brass to clean it for plinking and hunting a dry tumbler will do a good job for you add a little flitz and your brass has a high polish on the outside inside not so much. All of them you will need a media separated but the US and wet tumbler you will need to rinse and a dryer

So my vote is a dry tumbler.

 

[Darth]

I recommend the SS wet tumble, and have been complimented on here about my brass before.

Decap, Wet tumble (Lemishine + Dawn), cheap food dehydrator, load.

I did used to dry tumble, but it was not only slow and didn't get things really as clean, but if you leave the primers in, it won't clean the pockets. If you decap, the flash hole will plug with media.

 

[kev74]

I recommend the SS wet tumble, and have been complimented on here about my brass before.

Hey @Darth, nice brass!

 

[togmaster]

I don't know why you guys worry about drying the brass. After wet tumbling just lay the brass on a flat tray and air dry. Usually only takes 12 hours in my garage.

 

[Darth]

I don't know why you guys worry about drying the brass. After wet tumbling just lay the brass on a flat tray and air dry. Usually only takes 12 hours in my garage.

Takes too long. I used to dry it by my pellet stove. That was also before I decayed then tumbled. A lot of moisture used to get stuck in similar sized cases.

 

[Mosinitis]

Like talking to the wall. Oh well