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Thread: has anybody used this?

  1. #21
    Brass Trader SafetyJoe's Avatar
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    I use a frankford arsenal wet tumbler that I got on sale at Cabelas. I've already cleaned several 5 gal buckets full of brass using it. It only comes with a few pounds of stainless steel pins and I thought that wasn't enough so I bought a few more lbs of guntap stainless media. I do between 5 and 7 lbs of brass at a time and I use 1 teaspoon ( not tablespoon ) of regular blue dawn dish soap and 1 teaspoon lemi shine. Then after they are done I use a Cabelas hand crank media separator to get the pins separated from the brass. I keep the brass inside that media separator basket, but I open it up and run water over it in my bathtub so it rinses off the soap residue. Then I transfer the brass into a $20 harbor freight food dehydrator on the 2nd or 3rd shelf and let them dry over night. I found that the brass gets too hot on the bottom shelf and will cause the plastic trays to warp so that's why I use the 2nd or 3rd shelf instead. The bottom shelf just acts as an empty spacer. After I rinse the stainless steel pins I use frankford arsenal media release magnet to transfer them back into the tumbler.

    Here's a picture of some 223 brass I cleaned

    11696296_1464078060579665_5679944958017990256_o.jpg





    Not mine. Just a picture I found online of someone using the same harbor freight dehydrator.


    Last edited by SafetyJoe; 01-03-2016 at 05:10 PM.

  2. #22
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    I've had better results with more brass and less pins (750-1000 223, ~5lb pins) and more dawn and less lemishine (1 tablespoon dawn, 45acp case full of lemishine)

    Run 2.5-3 hours and rinse/separate. I just let mine dry on a towel for a few days with a small fan on them. I'd like to get a dehydrator sometime though...

  3. #23
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    Quote Originally Posted by packnrat View Post
    does this "fix" tarnished brass?
    Yes, it does. I thought I had some before and after pictures, but I can't seem to find them. I'll post them if I do find them.

  4. #24
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    Here is a before and after picture of some .44 Magnum brass that I wet tumbled in SS media, dawn, and Lemishine.
    44MagCases.jpg
    Clean Brass.jpg

  5. #25
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    Quote Originally Posted by WarEagleEd View Post
    My gun club has a lot of grass encroachment into the shooting areas, so super shiny brass is typically easier for me to find.
    That's one of the reasons I like to shoot nickel plated cases, they are easier to pick out from all the brass cases left laying around. Super shiny silver cases really stand out. Sadly its real hard to find most rifle calibers with nickel plated cases.

  6. #26
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    I “strain” my brass through half of an old media separator (intended for dry media and brass separation) that I place over a bucket. The brass stays in the separator/strainer as does some of the ss pins. I place an old, thin t-shirt over the bucket which is held in place by a large rubber band. The t-shirt catches the ss pins while letting the water pass through. I then hand pick the brass from the strainer (having to dump out some ss pins that are still inside the cases). This part is a little tedious. After that they go in the colander for rinsing and drying.

    Here's a picture of my separation setup.

    SS Pins.jpg

    I recently weighed my ss pins and found that I had only lost a negligible amount of pins (in the few tenths of an ounce range).

  7. #27
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    Quote Originally Posted by gandog56 View Post
    Now they have an even bigger version, A Thumler's Extreme Rebel 17 with a 17 pound capacity drum.
    Should you decide that you have to have that 17lb. Thumbler's tumbler I would be interested in your model B. 😁

  8. #28
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    tried to find a dehydrator at el-cheapo tools. but i guess they do not see a need for one in my area.
    getting tired of the odd case or three falling into my floor heater.
    i believe i might be able to use one of my vibraters (have three) to work the pins.
    every time i go out i bring back pounds of brass. had to stop yesterday as both bags were full.

  9. #29
    Brass Trader SafetyJoe's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by packnrat View Post
    tried to find a dehydrator at el-cheapo tools. but i guess they do not see a need for one in my area.
    getting tired of the odd case or three falling into my floor heater.
    i believe i might be able to use one of my vibraters (have three) to work the pins.
    every time i go out i bring back pounds of brass. had to stop yesterday as both bags were full.
    You can probably order one online and have it shipped to your local store for free.

  10. #30
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    bit the bullet and dropped $40.usd at walley world.
    first batch has been dried. stuffed it to, not too hot on the bottom tray as one had posted. but yes they were hot to the touch. (6+ hrs) did this while i slept.
    but off to work and not going to leave a batch in while gone for 18 hrs.

    when i get home two of my dry media cleaners will have some clean brass in them, sort place in with there friends. then decap, and when i have the lead will be able to reload them.

    need to find a good source for bullet's within riding distance. not so keen of shipping lead. (weight cost thing).
    when the snow melts will go over to reno.


    .

  11. #31
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    I just ordered the FA brass dryer from Amazon. It was a few bucks more than a normal one, but this one heats from the top and blows air down over the brass. According to reviews it'll dry a full load of brass in just a couple hours.

    It should be here tomorrow, gotta love Amazon prime, I'll post after running a couple loads

  12. #32
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    Quote Originally Posted by WarEagleEd View Post
    Should you decide that you have to have that 17lb. Thumbler's tumbler I would be interested in your model B. ��
    Me? Heck, I have a working one and I can usually fit my loads in. You still have to do like 9mm separately from the .40 cal, and .40 cal separately from the .44 and .45 cases. I usally fit all the rifle in with the 9mm, ,38, .357, .380 and 9mm Mak cases. (Except maybe the .223/5.56, they can go in with the big boy cases.)

  13. #33
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    I'll usually run 223/5.56, 40, and 45 by themselves. I'll run any .30cal brass together though. Basically I'll run anything together that doesn't have a chance to get stuck together. Though I am curious, will .44 mag/spl fit inside a 45acp, and would 357sig get tumbled with 40 or 9mm?

  14. #34
    Brass Trader SafetyJoe's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mbaker78 View Post
    I'll usually run 223/5.56, 40, and 45 by themselves. I'll run any .30cal brass together though. Basically I'll run anything together that doesn't have a chance to get stuck together. Though I am curious, will .44 mag/spl fit inside a 45acp, and would 357sig get tumbled with 40 or 9mm?
    I've tumbled 44 mag and 45 acp together with no problems. I've also had no problems with 357 sig and 9mm, but I never try 40 S&W because I leave that caliber dirty. Nobody ever seems to want it so it's probably just going to get scrapped eventually and there's no need to clean anything that's probably going to be scrapped.

  15. #35
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    Quote Originally Posted by SafetyJoe View Post
    I've tumbled 44 mag and 45 acp together with no problems. I've also had no problems with 357 sig and 9mm, but I never try 40 S&W because I leave that caliber dirty. Nobody ever seems to want it so it's probably just going to get scrapped eventually and there's no need to clean anything that's probably going to be scrapped.
    I use it, because one of my favorite pistols, my SIG P229, fires both it and 357 SIG. But I have SOOOO much of it. Can't seem to trade it to anybody for anything else.

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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