How Can You DRY Cases Quickly?

[CaptainMal]

My typical routine is to take fired cases, anneal, tumble, dump media out, deprime/size, clean stuck media and flash holes/primer pockets, trim and load. These new ultrasonic cleaning things are around and I figure that could eliminate all the media cleaning but would substitute something that has stumped me. WET CASES.

Did a dumb thing once and quenched after annealing. Now I had wet cases that really did not dry inside for days. That means for days I could not load those cases. Yes, did the shake, shake thing. Tried hair dryer. Did not try annealing again to boil the water out but that might work.

If I got one of those ultrasonic machines - is there a way (microwave maybe?) to dry the cases thoroughly and quickly?

 

[Leaddog]

Do a final rinse with 99% isoprophyl alcohol. They'll be dry in minutes.

 

[Elkbane]

Or just twirl a Q-Tip on the inside. They'll air-dry quickly. I keep a 500-pak on my bench and use them often.
Elkbane

 

[markm87]

I decap, SS media tumble, then dry in the vibratory. 30 minutes and done if I shake off most of the water before dropping them in the media.

I'll NEVER.. NEVER put a case with a primer into the vibaratory again... the media gets into all other operations of loading.

 

[bench]

My last step before loading is to throw them in the SS tumbler for about 15 minutes which leaves them wet if I wish to reload right away.
So I bought a small bench air compressor with a small air nozzle tip and blow out from primer end first then down the neck and they come out almost dry then if I want to reload right away I put them on a tray and have a small electric heater with a fan and in just a few minutes they are dry and ready to load.
But I always look with a flashlight inside the case to make sure there are no water droplets inside before loading.

 

[357Mag]

Skipper -

Howdy !

What do you call " fast " ?

What I do to accelerate the drying-out of my brass, is place it on a window screen ( horizontal ); and hit 'em w/ a blow dryer.

Works for me.


Regards,
357Mag

 

[navyrad8r]

Put thwm on top of your.ac.unit. outside the house. with the heat of.the summer they finish pretty quick.
cheers,
doc

 

[Beau]

Just lay them out in the Summer Sun.

 

[CaptainMal]

Multiple interesting ideas. From blowing, to alcohol, to screens, to media tumbling etc. All require time and work with each individual piece. That's what I was hoping to avoid...kind of like that media cleaning step.

Guess, for now, time sitting - maybe on a screen or towel - is the answer. Fast use is not in that equation.

I live in Ruskin, Florida on the shore of Tampa Bay. In the Summer it's 93 degrees every day. Humidity is up there and it rains most every afternoon. Any outside option would be suspect and then there's the fire ants and biting bugs.

Thanks for the ideas all.

 

[timeout]

I've seen on here that some guys lay them on a cookie sheet and place in the oven on low heat. That would eliminate handling one at a time. I purchased an air compressor for the loading area and blow mine out at both ends. They are dry pretty quick then.

 

[Larryh128]

1st, microwave won't be happy if you put them in. There is probably dozens of way to dry them but standing on end on a cookie sheet at 200 degrees will work every time. Back when there were a lot of paper target shotshells, that was THE way to make sure they were dry & it also brought a little wax to the surface & they loaded like butter. You could leave them in for an hour, at 200 degrees it won't affect the case at all.

 

[jcampbellsmith]

I got .2 inch holes drilled in every position in a 100 round plastic reloading tray. I put the wet cases in the airing cupboard for a day or so. I like to start them neck down and finish them off neck up. I'll try and take a photo of the next batch and post it.
Regards JCS

 

[spclark]

Try doing a last rinse in boiling water, then use some kind of device to spin/shake most of the water off. What's left will quickly dry as the cases cool off.

I use a denatured alcohol rinse as my well water's REALLY hard. The alcohol's reusable where buying distilled water could get costly over time. I save the plastic ammo inserts from factory pistol ammo (the black ones from Remington work best) to use as case 'baskets' for this operation, then after the rinse they get set in the sun for a few hours. Alternate method has rinsed & shaken cases in a NECO stainless sieve held over an industrial heat gun left over from my days messing with plastic laminate. Doesn't have to be set on HIGH either to do a quick & thorough job. 100 308 cases dry in about five minutes.

 

[Alex Wheeler]

Hi, This is Alex. I shoot bench rest with you guys at Manatee. I usually throw the brass in a towel shake em around then turn them upside down in a loading block and put them in the oven at 200. Should be dry in 30 min or less.

 

[ava123]

when the cases are wet with water, put them in the convection oven at 180 F and they will be dry very quickly.

 

[CaptainMal]

Ya know, I never thought of a regular oven. Simple idea that should work. Thanks again.

Eric Bostrom just called me to say there's no shoot at Manatee tomorrow. Week off. Shucks. Maybe next week.

 

[jlow]

Fast is all relative to your patience and wallet. If you got tons of money, you don’t need to clean and dry your own brass, so I will assume modest size wallet. Modest size wallet means a bit longer...

Since you live in Florida, your best bet would be to use a dehumidifier in the basement. Put the brass in a wire cage on top of the dehumidifier where the warm dry air blows out of the machine, dries the brass overnight and you also get to dehumidified your basement at the same time.

 

[toothman]

After a trip to the ultrasonic cleaner, I rinse well in a colander, dry the excess water in a towel. Then into an old food dehydrator. It holds lots of brass and dries with heat and air in about an hour or less. Uses little energy and works great time after time. Try it-you'll like it!

 

[Jim See]

+2 on the hair drier, roll the wet brass around in a towel for 15 seconds put them in a dry 1 gallon plastic bucket, and hit them with a hair dryer on high for about 3-5 minutes. they will be too hot to handle for more than 2-3 seconds. they may actually be dry in 2 minutes but I play the safe side and do them a bit longer.

 

[ColWhitecakes]

I can vouch for the oven method working very well, too. I set mine on 150 and there done in about half an hour. I place them on a pizza pan that has holes drilled in it, with the primer pocket more or less centered over the holes. I have also just laid them flat on a cookie sheet, and it does about as well. If it is sunny out, I place them out in the sun on a paper towel and, at least this time of year, they are down just as fast.