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Thread: So, I Thought It Was Time

  1. #1
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    So, I Thought It Was Time

    I finally broke out my new Thumler's Rotary Tumbler. I have enough brass to clean thanks to a few people here and at ammobrasstrader who knew all about my fight with cancer, and the bad bad aftereffects that stopped me from going to the range and getting more brass. They kindly donated lots of brass to me, and I thank them deeply. The instructions for the tumbler are like 95% about rock polishing, and only very little about brass cleaning. Every source I see says to get Lemi-Shine detergent booster to add to the cleaning mix, and of course, not knowing that, I had none. The rest seems pretty straightforward. 1/8 teaspoon of Lemi-Shine, couple drops of Dawn, water, and cases. When done drain the water from the drum, separate the steel media which can be re-used over and over, rinse cases and dry. I mean everywhere I look you supposedly get cases starting like this, and ending up like this. Found a place that had a big sale on the Lemi-Shine, so as soon as I get it, run the first batch. I'll keep this updated as I go.






    And the primer pockets are supposed to get clean, too!
    Last edited by gandog56; 07-27-2013 at 06:46 PM.

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    Administrator DukeInFlorida's Avatar
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    That's about the nastiest 45 acp brass that I have ever seen. I am delighted that you were able to get them that clean with the SS media.

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    Oh no, no, no Duke.
    I haven't even used mine yet. Waiting for my shipment of Lemi-Shine first. The pics were from somebody else using the same rotary tumbler I have with steel media.

    As for the nasty brass, I never picked up stuff like that from the range, before. I mean a couple weeks outside in the rain, that's what they start to look like. Now I will pick them up, just to see how good the tumbler really works.
    Last edited by gandog56; 06-30-2013 at 11:07 AM.

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    Received notice yesterday. The Lemi-Shine was on the big brown truck, yesterday.

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    Administrator DukeInFlorida's Avatar
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    Well, you are going to be happy either way.

    I have been using Lemishine and a small amount of dish detergent to clean 22 LR brass for use in my swaging operation (to make .224 55 grain bullets) for a while now. They all come out looking as clean as that picture you showed.

    Here's what I tumble mine in:

    http://youtu.be/5u4mSA6BbRc

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    What is that, a piece of PVC pipe? Ingenius.......Anyways got the Lemi-Shine today, running my first load now. But what do I use to separate the media from the cases? The you tube video I watched the guy used some kind of sifter and everything that came through the sifter into a mesh bag. I have no mesh bag, and until my health gets better, can't just run to the store and get one.

  7. #7
    Administrator DukeInFlorida's Avatar
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    Yes, it's a piece of PVC pipe, with an adapter on the end, to accommodate the black rubber end cap. That's held in place with a large hose clamp. I can put a HUGE amount of brass in my set up.

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    OK, here it is. The six cases on the left, old vibratory tumbler cleaned. See how black the insides and the primer pockets are? The six on the right, rotary tumbled wet with steel media.

    Me like. Grog like da shining tings!


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    The only problem I had was separating the media from the cases. But I saw a youtube video, where he used a small brass separator, held th thing over a cloth very fine mesh bag, and ran water over the brass, shaking the cases up. Media falls through the seperators holes and stay in the bag. Got some cheap cheesecloth bags from ebay on the way, and figure a kitchen colander will work.
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    Wow, those wet tumbled cases look great! I can't seem to get them that clean with my dry tumbler, clean enough to reload yes, but THAT shiny...no.

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    No, that's why I tried this way. Primarily for the squeaky clean primer pockets which a vibratory tumbler doesn't even touch.

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    Looks good. May have to try a rotary tumbler one day. I've seen a few videos and pics of home made, and keep thinking I can do that.

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    Not me! I have the mechanical aptitude of a rotten orange! Now electronics.....that's my talent.

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    I am maybe a step above a rotten orange. I've had to lurn a bit over the years being in the oilfield now. In the Marines, I was a computer geek, so then the oilfield said that I also needed to lurn electronics. It let's me build some of the stuff for my reloading bench, like the bench and the media seporator. That reminds me, did you get a media seporator fingered out? I think I know how to modify the one I built out of two 5 gallon buckets to work with wet media.

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    I now use a kitchen colander, and drain the water and wash off the brass with tap water. The steel washes out into a cheesecake drawstring bag. Washes them off and separates the media in one step.

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    Round two of the rotary:

    Before



    After



    Better shot of the cleaned primer pocket.


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    I have looked at this set up a bit. A buddy that is getting into reloading even came up with a rock polisher that his dad had, so all we realy have left to do is get the ss media and try it.
    This weekend, I stopped into a local reloading supplies shop and picked up a few things. I asked the owner about ss mediea, and he started going off about how it can and will distroy your brass. As I was in a rush, I left it at that. I have seen people sandblast a hole in steel, so I can see how he could say that ss could do the same to brass, but has anybody tested it? Has anybody put some junk brass in the tumbler and let it run for hours to see if it will mess up the brass it is cleaning or have you seen a shortend brass life with this?

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    You really have to accelerate the blasting media, a tumbler it's just falling with the brass. I don't beleieve it will wear the brass any worse than corncob or walnut. I get my media from http://www.stainlesstumblingmedia.co...Fctr7Aodb3cAxg I just ordered a 2 pound "refresher Pack" as somehow no matter how careful I try to be, some media gets washed down the sink. 5 pounds of media is what I load the drum with.

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    Have you tried anything else for media? I was looking at this and thinking about BBs. They would not be as small and wouldn't get in the small places as well, but if they work.... Also, what is the diameter of the stainless media? I think I could make a strainer out of a 5 gallon bucket, but the holes would have to be smaller than the media, and I don't know how small that is, let alone if I have the time to put enough holes that small in a bucket to drain out the water.

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    Happyguy says he uses steel shot. The pins I get with the set seem to work fine, though. They even work on nickel plated. Just look at the shine here.

    SANY0083_zps5fd699af.jpg

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check