Depriming before corncob tumbling....clean primer pockets?

[done111]

I have begun to deprime my brass before cleaning with corn cob media. The main reason is I have just started salt bath annealing and having that primer out gives a vent hole to allow the bath inside the cases easier.

So I thought there would be some good cleaning in that primer pocket, but I really didn't see enough cleaning after cleaning overnight, so I am still using my tool to clean the pocket. I also get a few cases with cob stuck in the flash hole. I know I can buy one of those stainless steel media tumblers, but I'm not ready to jump into that arena....Yet.

Is anyone having better luck cleaning primer pockets with cob media? Maybe I need a better brand of media?

Don

 

[Gina1]

For about $200 you can get a 6 transducer ultrasonic cleaner, through Amazon. With the proper cleaning agent, primer pockets come out looking like new.(no tool used to clean out the pockets). I still use a tumbler to get my brass nice and shinny

 

[shoot4fun]

Never got primer pockets really clean until I went to SS media. My brass is shiny after about two hours in my Thumbler B using water, Dawn and Lemishine.
I've tried both corn cob and walnut hull media in a vibratory tumbler and it just takes hours and hours to get them mostly clean. And that is as long as not fired thru a suppressed weapon.
Some use rice; follow this link to YouTube:

 

[done111]

Never got primer pockets really clean until I went to SS media. My brass is shiny after about two hours in my Thumbler B using water, Dawn and Lemishine.
I've tried both corn cob and walnut hull media in a vibratory tumbler and it just takes hours and hours to get them mostly clean. And that is as long as not fired thru a suppressed weapon.
Some use rice; follow this link to YouTube:

Regarding stainless steel media cleaning.....I thought i read somewhere that the inside of your neck can get cleaned "too good"? Something about the friction being different because it is shiny clean at the ID? I can see that seating the bullet could take less force, but I guess at most someone might need to reverify his pet loads with the different bullet restriction with less friction.

 

[Texan]

If you want really clean primer pockets, I'd just switch to SS wet tumbling.

As far as media (CC or SS) sticking in flash holes...I visually check each case during inspection.

Anything missed will be detected or removed from the flash hole with the decapping pin of my resizing die.

I neck friction is increased by SS tumbling, but that increased friction will be consistent if the whole lot was cleaned by that method.

I tumble all SS tumbled brass for a short time in corn cob with Flitz media additive, which reduces neck friction and protects against tarnish.

 

['Freak]

I de-cap then lightly shove the case against a Sinclair Primer Pocket Uniformer, what also cleans, driven via adapter on a Forster hand cranked stand thingamajig. A Krazy Kloth wipe-down of the case outsides and a couple or four swipes over a Sinclair Neck ID cleaning brush, and then except for a close inspection, I’m done.

 

[Richard Coody]

i clean in corn cobb media, want to leave the carbon in the necks. i use a crockagator to clean primer pockets, use a wilson decapping pin to clean the media out of the flash hole, and lightly brush out the necks with a nylon neck brush.

 

[jr600yd]

Removing media from flash holes is a PITA. A bent paper clip saves the day.

 

[CaptainMal]

No. That's the answer using corn cob or walnut media. Does not matter to me because I do not want to clean with primers out.

I always anneal, then throw the cases into a tumbler. After removing and tapping the media out, size/deprime and start. Each case not only is tried, checked for neck thickness, deburred in and out and an quick wipe inside the necks to remove any lube or extra powder residue. Primer pockets and flash holes are cleaned. Each case gets a K&M primer pocket uniformer tool inserted and turned by a cordless screwdriver. After initial cutting that cutter than turns out the carbon residue from shooting. I then run a flash hole demurring tool in the case mouth to remove carbon build-up from inside etc flash hole. That will also take out any media that might have stuck in that flash hole and got crushed to the side when the decapping pin went in.

Some will say it's a lot of time and work to do all that. Go ahead and say it. Then ask the deer, hogs, turkey, prairie dogs and fellow competitors in my gong and IBS shoots if things shoot well for me.

 

[MSS]

I’ve never had good luck depriming before tumbling in corn cob media. It makes cleaning the primer pockets a pain.

 

[people]

The SS pins are really the way to go if you do not want to clean them in a separate step. If you fire your brass then tumble the carbon is much easier to remove.

I also use hot water when I can. What I have found over the years is how long they need to run. The cassings might get 1 hour total but that is split like this.

20 min for initial cleaning before resizing.
20 min after working.
20 min if they sit too long before loading. I like them shiny.

 

[Hanbleceya]

I have begun to deprime my brass before cleaning with corn cob media. The main reason is I have just started salt bath annealing and having that primer out gives a vent hole to allow the bath inside the cases easier.

So I thought there would be some good cleaning in that primer pocket, but I really didn't see enough cleaning after cleaning overnight, so I am still using my tool to clean the pocket. I also get a few cases with cob stuck in the flash hole. I know I can buy one of those stainless steel media tumblers, but I'm not ready to jump into that arena....Yet.

Is anyone having better luck cleaning primer pockets with cob media? Maybe I need a better brand of media?

Don

 

[shoot4fun]

Regarding stainless steel media cleaning.....I thought i read somewhere that the inside of your neck can get cleaned "too good"? Something about the friction being different because it is shiny clean at the ID? I can see that seating the bullet could take less force, but I guess at most someone might need to reverify his pet loads with the different bullet restriction with less friction.

Imperial Dry Neck Lube by Redding will cure any issue you think you have with the inside of necks being "too clean".
Plus, the added bonus of making the necks glide easily over the mandrel in your die.

 

[rijndael]

How do you all dispose of the wet solution when it's time to change it?

Priming compounds contain some nasty stuff...

 

[shoot4fun]

How do you all dispose of the wet solution when it's time to change it?

Priming compounds contain some nasty stuff...

I pour it thru a strainer. Use the solids from the strainer to fertilize my vegetable garden and the liquid makes some great sweet tea!

 

[NorCalMikie]

Think about this. Every time you pick up that case is one more chance to inspect it for defects. Pick it up, punch out the media from the flash hole and get your eyes on it again. Better to spot a defect NOW, rather than when you about to prime it, or seat the primer or worse yet, when your ready to pull the trigger.
SS will clean the primer pockets AND clean the insides of the case necks, THEN you have to deal with TOO MUCH friction from the carbon being gone so you end up having to lube the case necks to keep from crushing the necks down into the shoulder area. (been there, done that) Dry neck lube will take care of that.

 

[Papa Charlie]

I, like many, want to leave the carbon build up in the necks. I use a Walnut media and leave the primers in during the three hour run. I then decap and use a primer pocket cleaner. I don't remove the primers prior to tumbling because it has a tendency to get stuck in the primer flash hole. This adds an additional step and could misshape the flash hole and could affect the distribution of the primer flash.

 

[Hanbleceya]

Regarding media stuck in flashhole: I blow cases out with airhose with rubber pointed tip (both ends-blasts inside with stuck media and removes carbon inside the case and cleans pocket nicely, depending upon how long carbon has remained in pockets across multiple firings. Once this is done, they maintain well. Must be sure compressor has has condensation blown off to prevent moisture from collecting in case.

I inside neck lube with swab and powdered graphite (ultrasound removes all residue and adversely affects bullet seating) At a farm supply store, I purchased a pound of graphite powder (EZ-Slide) seed-flow lubricant. It has many other uses around the house (screeching wood stove doors (LOL).

Sometimes I lube inside of necks with this powder placed in 35mm film can with some shot shell pellets. I just jab them in once or twice and wipe the outside off but this can get messy.

As an aside: you can pick up a cheap small food dehydrator at a "nearly new" type store and dry cases at a safe temperature quickly, especially useful on those damp days that you are reloading.

 

[riflewoman]

Down the drain. While the residues are nasty stuff, they are dilute at that point.

My process involves the tumbler half full with brass with a gallon of water plus 1/2 tbsp Lemi-shine and a squirt of Dawn. Run for 2 hours. Drain. Then rinse 3 times by filling up the drum with clean water, each time filling until no more soap suds. Drain well and place on an old towel in the sun to dry.

 

[carlsbad]

I, like many, want to leave the carbon build up in the necks. I use a Walnut media and leave the primers in during the three hour run. I then decap and use a primer pocket cleaner. I don't remove the primers prior to tumbling because it has a tendency to get stuck in the primer flash hole. This adds an additional step and could misshape the flash hole and could affect the distribution of the primer flash.

+1

I don't have world class results but I've tried SS, Ultrasonic, etc and I've come back pretty close to papacharlie . I use walnut media with the primers in. Then I anneal with AMP. Then I resize and head to the prep station. I brush the primer pocket and quickly tune up the chamfer on the inside of the mouth with sharp carbide. This helps the bullet slide in. I brush the neck with a nylon brush (also rotating on the prep center) as a feeble attempt to make them all consistent. About every 3rd firing I insert trim for length before heading to the prep center.