Drying brass after wet tumbling

[memilanuk]

Although I used fewer, I'm guessing you could probably dry 200-250 cases at a time with no trouble, just let it go for a little longer (1-2 h).

With the tiers in there, I usually get about 75 .308 Win cases per level - 100 if I'm crowding. I keep most of my stuff in 300rd batches (or multiples thereof) so that works for me.

Haven't tried it with bigger cases (.300WM, .338LM) as of yet... might have to do some field-alts to make that work

I went the dehydrator route after seeing some folks go to a lot of time and effort 'making' more or less the same thing from a .50 cal ammo can, a heat lamp, a computer fan, some metal grid, misc. framing and wiring to hold everything in place, reflective insulation, drilling air holes, etc. Tried one; mine didn't work all that well. The dehydrator... works great, and the end cost is probably about the same :/

 

[jlow]

would be to do a final rinse in alcohol. The alcohol will displace all of the water and then flash off almost as soon as you removed the cases from

Just keep in mind that the average joe like you and me cannot buy 100% alcohol. What that means is there is a signfiicant percentage of water in it and even though the alcohol will evaporate off, the water content will stay and not flash off and if you use the case thinking it's all gone, your powder will be in for a surprise.

 

[Area Man]

Don't any of you have an oven? Or maybe the wife won't let you put that nasty brass in it?

 

[ERGJ]

I decap my Berdan primed cases using the water pressure method. To dry these cases quickly, I shake most of the water out, then pop about 10 cases at a time in a small bowl with 91% isopropyl alcohol, making sure the cases fill with the alcohol. The small amount of water that was in each case dissolves in the alcohol. Empty each case back into the bowl. The small amount of solution that that remains in the case is mostly alcohol and that solution will evaporate rather quickly with a low level of heat. I place the cases on a paper plate that is placed in a toaster oven that had been heated to 300*F. The heat is turned off before the cases go in! In a half hour or so the cases are dry. Then they go into my tumbler with walnut media to get them clean and shinny. In chem lab we would use acetone rather than alcohol to dry glassware. Not recommended in a home environment. The alcohol is much safer to use. I retain the used alcohol in a separate container for several more uses.

 

[jlow]

Don't any of you have an oven? Or maybe the wife won't let you put that nasty brass in it?

Using anything that is involved in food preparation for reloading - failed....

 

[memilanuk]

Don't any of you have an oven? Or maybe the wife won't let you put that nasty brass in it?

Actually... I used that method for quite a while: I had some of the red MTM 50rd case trays that I'd 'modified' by drilling 1/8" holes in the bottom of each cavity to provide a route for drainage. The oven in our house has a 'Pure Convection' mode which I'd turn up to about 200F and then start putting the cases in. Worked great.

The problem was... case drying was probably the thing the oven got used for the *most*... but not the only thing. If I had a batch in there on low and the wife or daughter would come home and start punching up the oven to pre-heat for the (very) occasional baking spree, they would never actually check whether there was something in there already... like why is the oven *already* on... after a couple close-calls and finally getting a batch of Lapua brass pretty much permanently melted into a case tray, I decided enough was enough and got the dehydrator. Yeah, metal case trays and/or hanging a sign on the oven door would have likely worked... but this way the process takes place down in my basement shop, totally under *my* control.

Monte

 

[hogpatrol]

Don't any of you have an oven? Or maybe the wife won't let you put that nasty brass in it?

Using anything that is involved in food preparation for reloading - failed....

I do cerakotes in the oven. Works great!

 

[Area Man]

Using anything that is involved in food preparation for reloading - failed....

Seriously? You worried about contaminating the food or the components?

 

[jlow]

Using anything that is involved in food preparation for reloading - failed....

Seriously? You worried about contaminating the food or the components?

Lead (from the primers) is bad even though the levels are low but it can be a problem over long term especially for children. Keeping things that you use in the house for living (food, clothing, etc) completely seperate from reloading is highly recommended.

 

[racesnake]

I use a slow cooker with the lid off. Works great!

 

[Area Man]

Lead (from the primers) is bad even though the levels are low but it can be a problem over long term especially for children. Keeping things that you use in the house for living (food, clothing, etc) completely seperate from reloading is highly recommended.

I believe the discussion was about brass that had just come out of a wet tumbler.

But to each his own. If you want to live that way, good for you.

 

[Area Man]

but this way the process takes place down in my basement shop, totally under *my* control.

Good point. Sometimes we that live alone forget the challenges that others face.

 

[jlow]

Lead (from the primers) is bad even though the levels are low but it can be a problem over long term especially for children. Keeping things that you use in the house for living (food, clothing, etc) completely seperate from reloading is highly recommended.

I believe the discussion was about brass that had just come out of a wet tumbler.

But to each his own. If you want to live that way, good for you.

Dude, just because the stuff is shinny does not make it clean and lead free......

The way I look at it, it’s a free country and if you live alone, you are free to do whatever.

The problem comes if you live with your wife and kids, then yea I will tell you that it’s not right because you are putting their health into jeopardy without their knowledge or consent. I have an advance degree in health sciences and 30 years of research experience and I will tell you to not mix shooting stuff with anything that is food related. In fact, keep all that reloading stuff away from the kids and wash your hands before you come out of the reloading cave. The stuff you don’t see can hurt your family especially your kids.

 

[CJ6]

I'd guess it has more to do with the "wifes" objections than anything else (Mine refuses to allow anything I need dried/heated to be done in an oven that she cooks with) something to do with heat curing the paint on a SBC intake manifold 30+ years ago.

 

[jnyfeler]

I aerate my wooden loading blocks by drilling holes through the bottom of each recess. Then, I put the wet cases in the loading blocks and set them on top of my central A/C compressor so that the fan blows air up through them and dries them in just a few minutes.

This works most of the year in Austin, Texas. During the few months that I'm not running the A/C, I put the cases (still in the aerated loading blocks) in the oven set on 120 degrees. I keep the oven door cracked for air flow.

Jeff

 

[treeman]

I found the easiest way to dry wet cases is to anneal them with the added benefit of having more consistent neck tension thus more consistent elevation of shot placement...two birds with one stone