Stainless chips instead of pins, pros, cons?

[David247]

I recently bought a wet tumbler and have been reading about different types of media. I am leaning toward chips because they supposedly clean better and won't get stuck in necks and flash holes. They are very small, no larger than 1/8" or so. I would like to hear pros and cons of each. Thanks

 

[swadiver]

i have used both chips and pins. the chips don't get stuck in the .223 or 6BR cases, a big plus. they do as good a job as the pins. they seem to do the flash holes a bit better than the pins. the chips are a little harder to manage as they are very small and light and tend to get away from you. they are magnetic enough to get picked up by a magnet, however.

so, overall, the chips win, imho.

 

[Kurt Blasser]

I just started with chips. They clean great and don't get stuck.

 

[Rustytigwire]

Pins clean well.
Pins get stuck.
Edit clarification : stuck double in the primer holes, no prob with them wedging sideways or other.
Annoying but not terminal.
LOOK INSIDE EVERY CARTRIDGE
Respectfullyi
Doubting (everything) Thomas

Where can i get chips to try?
Edit
Thanks Dusty, ordered some wedgies.

 

[luckeeshot]

I recently bought a wet tumbler and have been reading about different types of media. I am leaning toward chips because they supposedly clean better and won't get stuck in necks and flash holes. They are very small, no larger than 1/8" or so. I would like to hear pros and cons of each. Thanks

I use "chips" or diagonal cut SS, for me they work best , the smaller diameter pins can get stuck in primer flash holes but the diagonal cut are harder to find but worth the trouble .

 

[AJC]

I would think stepping on a spilled chip would be very uncool, and was questioning if they were sharp enough to do damage. Following for information.

 

[oldduc]

Pins clean well.
Pins get stuck.
Annoying but not terminal.
LOOK INSIDE EVERY CARTRIDGE
Respectfullyi
Doubting (everything) Thomas

Where can i get chips to try?

If you google stainless steel tumbling chips you'll get a few hits. These are nice https://www.etsy.com/listing/538124951/stainless-steel-chips-wet-tumbling-media?ref=related-2&frs=1

 

[Dusty Stevens]

Sleeping giant brass has the chips. Personally i dont have an issue with pins.

 

[swadiver]

I would think stepping on a spilled chip would be very uncool, and was questioning if they were sharp enough to do damage. Following for information.

stepping on them is no issue, barefoot, from my experience

 

[AJC]

stepping on them is no issue, barefoot, from my experience

I had an image of a lego type pain, but good to know...

 

[jonbearman]

If it works use them. I use pins and tumbled some 10,000 cases and maybe 20 had a pin stuck mildly.

 

[Rustytigwire]

LC seems pretty ok with them but FC were the "pin collectors" if i remember right.
It doesnt add up as the pins are .040 waita minute
Oops. The prime hole is .08 !!
My pins are thumblers tumbler supplied.
I chamfer all my flash holes. I shoot 223.
It seems some brands do NOT all have round flash holes as some are pretty chewy and upon inspection look 8 ballish.

 

[David247]

Thanks for the responses. I ordered some at Sleeping Giant Brass. Glad to hear that it is magnetic. I am seeing a magnet setting over the drain hole of my laundry tub in my future. Seriously though, I would think that rinsing over a fine mesh screen would be a good idea. Thanks again and have a great day!!!

 

[Lefty Trigger]

Lyman make a great strainer for capturing the pins/media while separating them from the brass. Its a 2 piece unit...

 

[Sleepinggiantbrass]

Thanks for the responses. I ordered some at Sleeping Giant Brass. Glad to hear that it is magnetic. I am seeing a magnet setting over the drain hole of my laundry tub in my future. Seriously though, I would think that rinsing over a fine mesh screen would be a good idea. Thanks again and have a great day!!!

Thank you! I use a sink strainer with a magnet setting over the top just as you described to catch any rogue chips that may have gotten away.

 

[Texas10]

I work over a large plastic bowl in the sink so nothing goes down the drain, or the disposer. Since switching to S.G chips, no more pins stuck sideways in the neck of my 6.5 brass.

 

[Termite I]

I have both pins and chips but rarely use the pins any more. The chips seem to work better and have cut an hour out of my cycle time. The only thing I don't like about the chips is they have some steel mixed in and will rust. Not a big deal, I just hate to see anything rust. Sleeping Giant warns of this in their product description and as far as I can tell it doesn't cause any problems. I was concerned at first with the chips, thinking some would stay in the cases like the pins do, but have never found any when inspecting each case.

 

[stifffingers]

I have both pins and chips but rarely use the pins any more. The chips seem to work better and have cut an hour out of my cycle time. The only thing I don't like about the chips is they have some steel mixed in and will rust. Not a big deal, I just hate to see anything rust. Sleeping Giant warns of this in their product description and as far as I can tell it doesn't cause any problems. I was concerned at first with the chips, thinking some would stay in the cases like the pins do, but have never found any when inspecting each case.

I believe you must use a dedicated towel to dry the surface of your cases when using the chips. A chip can easily hide and not be able to be recovered by a magnet. Imagine someone drying there face and being cut.

 

[Mikemontminy]

I work over a large plastic bowl in the sink so nothing goes down the drain, or the disposer. Since switching to S.G chips, no more pins stuck sideways in the neck of my 6.5 brass.

I’ll separate the brass from the pins with my rotary case and media separator. After that I’ll dump the brass in a five gallon bucket with a mesh paint strainer in the bucket. That way you can pull the strainer out and rinse your brass out in the sink and nothing can go down the drain. After the brass is done I’ll do the same thing with the pins. You won’t lose any pins this way. The paint strainers are a couple bucks each at Home Depot or any paint store. It has an elastic top which wraps over the bucket edge.
Works great.

 

[Joel Dubose]

I recently bought a wet tumbler and have been reading about different types of media. I am leaning toward chips because they supposedly clean better and won't get stuck in necks and flash holes. They are very small, no larger than 1/8" or so. I would like to hear pros and cons of each. Thanks

Hi, here is what Im observing with the pins. It's leaving tiny dings or burs around the mouth of the neck. So much that I have to debur it before I can move forwards with my load. It can be a slight pain. Lol , let me know if the chips does this too.