Stainlees Cleaning Media issue

[Rustystud]

Recently, I was asked to load a quantity of .223 ammo for a fellow forum member. He de-primed, and cleaned the brass with the stainless cleaning media with the appropriate soap and chemicals.

Before I load any ammo, I clean and inspect it. I vibratory cleaned all the brass again in walnut hulls with a mix of mineral spirits and Berry's Case polish. The brass came out bright and clean. I then lubed and full length sized, trimmed with a Dillon Case trimmer. This was followed by chamfering the necks inside and out. I cleaned the brass a second time and then annealed them with a Bench Source annealer. They were again lubed and loaded then cleaned for a final time before they were case gauge inspected.

During the process described above I found stainless steel cleaning media in the spent primer trap of my loader, the bottom of the shop vac attached to the case trimmer, and in the walnut polishing media. There was about two teaspoons of the stainless media in total out of approximately 2500 rounds.

The customer told me he personally blew out each case with air before shipping me the brass.

This leads me to my question. For those using stainless steel cleaning media how many of them are getting all the media removed from their cases before reloading. This media could not be good for de-capping pins, and/or if fired out the barrel.

Nat Lambeth

 

[Citysmasher]

He is tumbling way too long... or he has some pins that are different size than mine.

 

[Citysmasher]

http://forum.accurateshooter.com/index.php?topic=3801687.msg36208009#msg36208009

 

[Citysmasher]

http://www.urbanrifleman.com/2013/04/11/my-stainless-steel-media-thumbler-brass-case-cleaning-findings/

My article.

 

[Dans40X]

Nat,
I haven't witnessed stainless tumbling media pins getting hung up in flash holes.

But,I wet rinse all the brass inside & out in warm water prior to blow drying.

I do on occasion have bridging in 6.5 case necks.

Sounds like you gained a few stainless pins-
Have fun loading the 223 ammo & ship it back to TX.

 

[bigedp51]

After tumbling with stainless steel media the cases are put in a media separator bucket that is full to the brim with rinse water. The cage is rotated in both directions in the bucket seperator and then removed and the cases are dumped on a large beach towel. The towel is shaken and the cases are inspected and then dried with a hair dryer. The ONLY pins found are a few that might be stuck in the flash holes.

 

[dickn52]

When I empty the cases, I do it in water. Dip the cases back into a water bucket and this will remove all SS media I find. Trying to blow it out would just move it around inside the case I think.

 

[bigedp51]

Nat,
I haven't witnessed stainless tumbling media pins getting hung up in flash holes.

But,I wet rinse all the brass inside & out in warm water prior to blow drying.

I do on occasion have bridging in 6.5 case necks.

Sounds like you gained a few stainless pins-
Have fun loading the 223 ammo & ship it back to TX.

For your viewing pleasure, the Chinese stuck pin syndrome........
(photo from AR15.com and NOT my cases)

 

[Citysmasher]

After tumbling with stainless steel media the cases are put in a media separator bucket that is full to the brim with rinse water. The cage is rotated in both directions in the bucket seperator and then removed and the cases are dumped on a large beach towel. The towel is shaken and the cases are inspected and then dried with a hair dryer. The ONLY pins found are a few that might be stuck in the flash holes.

I have the same bucket and seperator.

Rinse in denatured alcohol then tumble again. Then into the oven at 185 for 30 minutes and they are bone dry and perfect.

 

[Nvreloader]

I dump the brass into a 3 gal bucket with 1/8" Hardware cloth screening in the bottom, that is inside a 5 gal bucket, and shaken until I don't see any more SS pins coming out, then the brass is transferred to a separator (like as shown) and processed the same way and then spun several times, (both ways) in a bucket full of water.

Water is drained off, with magnetic CC tub, to hold onto the pins in the bottom, and the brass transferred to a big towel and shaken, then transferred to the food dyer until dry.

All brass is then inspected and put in a case tray for primer pocket inspection, I have found several SS pins stuck in different cases/flash holes etc.

I find a few pins during the separating in the full water bucket and have never found any SS pins after the towel shaking except those stuck in the flash holes, but I keep a good eye out for them, anyway.

YMMV,
Tia,
Don

 

[rvn1968]

Does it have to be a strong electromagnet to get all of the SS ? I do not know the composition of the media and I was curious. I am not being sarcastic,it's an honest question because I am considering going the S.S. pin route at my bench. Tom

 

[M-61]

Are the stainless pins being used 300 or 400 series? (There are other choices too, but these two I assume would be the most likely.)

 

[spclark]

Yes, trapped SS media can be a problem but IMHO no more so than stuck corn or walnut media in flash holes.

I've rarely seen SS media in flash holes however (308 brass, both large & small primer; 6.5 Grendel/6RAT, 6XC (Norma-sourced or a variety of fire-formed 22-250 brands), 6HAGAR) but frequently wedged sideways in fired 6mm case necks.

I consider this just something annoying about using the stuff but on the whole so much faster, more effective and efficient than tumbling in dry media to be worth the time it takes to check each case before critical steps in reloading.

Even had a small few stuck sideways in primer pockets.

 

[Nvreloader]

Tom
The magnet I use is from and old speaker and about 2-3" in diameter, it is placed inside a cottage cheese plastic tub w/(no lid) and then placed on top of the SS pins, the magnet holds the pins together so I don't lose any when cleaning the pins for the next use.

After most all the pins are dumped back into the thumbler, the magnet will collect the remaining pins left and then I pull the magnet out of the tub and they drop inside the tumbler. And if I drop some pins they pick up real easy with the magnet, instead of getting the twizzers, LOL Certain grades of SS is magnetic.

Tia,
Don

Does it have to be a strong electromagnet to get all of the SS ? I do not know the composition of the media and I was curious. I am not being sarcastic,it's an honest question because I am considering going the S.S. pin route at my bench. Tom

 

[amlevin]

Re: Stainless Cleaning Media issue

Yes, trapped SS media can be a problem but IMHO no more so than stuck corn or walnut media in flash holes.

I've rarely seen SS media in flash holes however (308 brass, both large & small primer; 6.5 Grendel/6RAT, 6XC (Norma-sourced or a variety of fire-formed 22-250 brands), 6HAGAR) but frequently wedged sideways in fired 6mm case necks.

I consider this just something annoying about using the stuff but on the whole so much faster, more effective and efficient than tumbling in dry media to be worth the time it takes to check each case before critical steps in reloading.

Even had a small few stuck sideways in primer pockets.

Stuck pins are recognized as a PITA not only by users but by the people that sell them as well. I found that it usually happens when using fresh SS Pins. My original "bag" of media left pins in primer pockets and flash holes for the first few uses. I threw them away after I removed them as instructed by the supplier. Haven't seen this happen over the last year or so. Seems like "Certain" sized pins stick and when weeded out are no longer a problem.


I hated the globbed corncob/walnut shell media worse and it didn't even clean the primer pockets, just got stuck there.