Thumblers Tumbler Tell me About yours

[KY_Windage]

I just washed these off after tumbling them for 4 hours, and they are perfect. I use a mix of SS pins, 3mm ceramic balls and a few 3/8" ceramic triangles. The pins do a great job on the p-pockets but do not clean the necks out well because they are too long. The 3mm balls get the necks, and the 3/8" triangles polish up the outsides. A little Dawn and Lemi-Shine.

Leave the necks dirty if you want but I have no use for dirty necks. I love the consistency in neck-tension I now get (assuming, of course that your neck w-t's are uniform to start with).

I think the reason they look WORSE if you leave them in too long is that the water gets so full of carbon. The media is grinding the carbon into the brass. Early in the cycle most of the carbon is inside the cases, but that gradually changes.

 

[TheOtherZilla]

I use this one with lizard litter crushed walnut, find the right grind and none stick in the flash holes. Skewer a used dryer sheet over the center stud, capful or so of Nufinish car wax and clean for a couple hours. Blow any remaining dust off brass with a blowgun, brass shaken around in a sifter.
Very well made product.

View attachment 1270489

I have been using this same tumbler since the mid 70's.

 

[deadidarren]

LMFAO
How many cases do you clean at a time? I'm pretty sure I don't anything like that. Pillar bearings, industrial motor, 8" or 10" PVC. Very nice!!!

It has been a while since I used it is in storage as I had to move house into somewhere smaller for now I did put 400 7mm Remington Magnum cases in it there was room two spare with 8 pounds of stainless pins .

Cheers

 

[jghoghunter]

I finally got around to doing 75 pieces of brass in just 2 tbls of Dawn and 2 tbls of lemon juice and NO pins. Clean inside and out. Primer pockets are about 50%. I will continue to do it this way and no pins for the ease of it. I can clean the primer pockets with the RCBS prep mate. This is a very simple way to get very well cleaned brass. Thanks for everyone's help.

 

[divingin]

And btw, those screw threads on the lid are metric(?). Whose idea was that?

Made in China, and apparently the manufacturing contract didn't specify Imperial hardware.

Segare: Rice works well in a dry tumbler. It's white though, and shows soot really well. Be prepared to replace often if you're on the anal side. I also tried buckwheat groats - got too much dust. I'm sticking with walnut (cheaper if you buy it as grit blasting media, but you need to get an appropriate grit size to minimize the stuff stuck in flash holes.)

Deadidarren: I've seen people use cement mixers as wet tumblers. Lots of capacity that way, too. Nice manufacturing job though.

KY_Windage: Try less acid (Lemishine or whatever you're using) next time. Too much gives you the bronze-ish or copper-ish color you have in your pic. I use 1/8 to 1/4 tsp Lemishine for a 1 gallon tumbler drum.