Time for SS Tumbling?

[dgeesaman]

I have no experience with SS tumbling and I'm now considering it.

Right now I steel wool the outside of the necks, brush the inside of the necks, and brush the primer pockets. It's a bit time consuming but since I load in batches of 25, it's not too bad and I can go from start to finish without stopping. It seems to resolve everything except carbon building up inside the cases.

So I'm starting fresh and looking for a simple and fast way to handle SS tumbling. Batch size of 25 or 50 6BR and 6PPC. Equipment, media, process recommendations please.

 

[DngBat7]

With that small amount of brass. Pick up the single cylinder harbor freight rock tumbler. Any other tumbler is to big for that small amount of brass. Plus it’s cheap. 40. I think or less. Then pick up a couple pounds of ss chips or pins. Tiny squirt of dawn and tiny bit of lemishine. Your done for about 60. Dollars

The hf single tumbler maxes out at about 50 pieces of 308

 

[dgeesaman]

With that small amount of brass. Pick up the single cylinder harbor freight rock tumbler. Any other tumbler is to big for that small amount of brass. Plus it’s cheap. 40. I think or less. Then pick up a couple pounds of ss chips or pins. Tiny squirt of dawn and tiny bit of lemishine. Your done for about 60. Dollars

The hf single tumbler maxes out at about 50 pieces of 308

What's your technique for separating, rinsing, and drying the brass?

 

[46and2]

I have no experience with SS tumbling and I'm now considering it.

Right now I steel wool the outside of the necks, brush the inside of the necks, and brush the primer pockets. It's a bit time consuming but since I load in batches of 25, it's not too bad and I can go from start to finish without stopping. It seems to resolve everything except carbon building up inside the cases.

So I'm starting fresh and looking for a simple and fast way to handle SS tumbling. Batch size of 25 or 50 6BR and 6PPC. Equipment, media, process recommendations please.

You will miss the carbon on the inside of the necks!
You'll find yourself adding it back in with Imperial dry lube (graphite, which was there to begin with).

 

[dgeesaman]

You will miss the carbon on the inside of the necks!
You'll find yourself adding it back in with Imperial dry lube (graphite, which was there to begin with).

I use a bronze brush on the insides of the necks and dry neck lube on the bullets already.

I started with a nylon brush but it did absolutely nothing. The bronze seems to get most of the carbon.

 

[46and2]

Sounds like you are doing well.
Why get rid of the good stuff by cleaning the inside by SS cleaning?

 

[AJC]

30-40 minutes works just fine. Gone a lot longer on a pile of range pickup brass that had been outside a while. Short times dont seem to bang up the neck to bad.

 

[DngBat7]

What's your technique for separating, rinsing, and drying the brass?

Like you, I am tumbling a small amount of brass at a time. I use a clean 5 gallon bucket. I take a mesh 5 gallon paint strainer and have it taped all around the outside of the bucket. With I hanging about 9 inches from the bottom of the inside of the bucket. Then atop of that I use the frankford arsenal brass spinner/separator. So when it’s done, I dump the canister of brass/chips/dirty water into the fa spinner/separator and spin. Brass stays up top, chips land in the mesh strainer and dirty water ends up on the bottom. They I throw some clean water over it all which goes to the bottom as well. 1 step process, works well for me.


I tumble about 3/4 firings to get out caked up carbon. I like that it’s done in about 30/40 minutes, and not bad dust to breath in

 

[BenPerfected]

My process on cleaning & annealing brass is after every 3X fired. Does it make a difference on paper? The results of annealing frequency are very hard to measure. I have stayed with annealing every 3X fired. For me, it is too expensive to try and prove the best time to anneal....or is annealing frequency similar to tripping over a mouse turd?
Ben

 

[BenPerfected]

My process on cleaning & annealing brass is after every 3X fired. Does it make a difference on paper? The results of annealing frequency very hard to measure. I have stayed with annealing every 3X fired. For me, it is too expensive to try and prove the best time to anneal....or is annealing frequency similar to tripping over a mouse turd?
Ben

....or is DJSBS recommended annealing interval just marketing?

 

[jpx2rk]

What's your technique for separating, rinsing, and drying the brass?

I use the Frankford Arsenal media separator (wet/dry model) for separating the SS pins and rinsing everything out. Here is the link for the one I use, very easy and I've not found a single ss pin when processing the brass for reloading. I usually lay the brass out on a towel in the sun for a few hours, but I also have a brass dryer/food dehydrator if the weather doesn't cooperate.
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1016958652?pid=271904

For 25 cases at a time, might consider one of the ultrasonic cleaners.

 

[David Christian]

@dgeesaman, here is what I have used for the past 2 years with great success. I batch in lots of 100 pieces of brass but this would work for a lesser amount as well. I anneal and STM tumble every firing. My 22 shot strings average an ES of 15-20 with this process.

I use this set up:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ILI2FDS/?tag=accuratescom-20


With hot water, I wet tumble for 1.5 hours. 2 tablespoons Dawn soap, 1 teaspoon-ish Lemonshine, 1 tablespoon car wax/soap.

I thoroughly rinse the brass in the separator.

Then use a dehydrator for 25 minutes.

Before seating I dip the bullets in powdered graphite. Due to the car wax residue and graphite, they slide in like butter.

Good luck!

DC

 

[Lone Hunter]

^^^^^^. What David said...Only I dry about a hour and one half.

 

[Poor Shot 65]

I use the Frankford Arsenal media separator (wet/dry model) for separating the SS pins and rinsing everything out. Here is the link for the one I use, very easy and I've not found a single ss pin when processing the brass for reloading. I usually lay the brass out on a towel in the sun for a few hours, but I also have a brass dryer/food dehydrator if the weather doesn't cooperate.
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1016958652?pid=271904

For 25 cases at a time, might consider one of the ultrasonic cleaners.

I find pins all the time after drying the brass (using the FA tumbler). I now use an AMP (after cleaning the brass) and there is a warning that the pins can damage AMP and that it will void the warranty.

Anyway just a warning.

 

[Texas10]

I have no experience with SS tumbling and I'm now considering it.

Right now I steel wool the outside of the necks, brush the inside of the necks, and brush the primer pockets. It's a bit time consuming but since I load in batches of 25, it's not too bad and I can go from start to finish without stopping. It seems to resolve everything except carbon building up inside the cases.

So I'm starting fresh and looking for a simple and fast way to handle SS tumbling. Batch size of 25 or 50 6BR and 6PPC. Equipment, media, process recommendations please.

Like you, i'm doing small batches so the Harbor Freight rock tumbler works fine. Get the Sleeping Giant SS chips, they won't get stuck in the necks like many pins will. I do 25 of my 6br cases at a time, just because I tend to load and shoot 50 at a time and I can't do a full load. BTW: they sell a double drum model too. Mine is about 5 years old and still working as good as new. About 3 lbs of SS chips will do fine. Don't skimp on the media, it's what keeps your case mouths from being banged up.

For drying, a small cardboard box with a hair dryer stuffed into the side will do an amazing job. It'll get the brass up to about 180 F. Just don't forget to make an exhaust hole in the box too or you'll melt your hair dryer. A quick blast with an air nozzle to clear out the inside, a roll on a towel and then into the drying box for 10 minutes.

I use RCBS tumbling/ultrasonic concentrate. I mix a gallon jug and just pour it in as needed. It also has a preservative that keeps the brass shiny longer. Lemi shine works well, it's just an extra step I chose to eliminate.

I tumble about 45 minutes, dump and remove media, load another batch and then into the drying box. All this takes about 10 minutes of process time done every 45 minutes.

I am finally seeing the light regarding NOT tumbling after every cycle. Carbon residue in the necks does seem to shrink the groups. I also anneal via the Salt Bath method and am gravitating towards anneal and tumble every 4th cycle, then use moly inside the necks for the first load after super clean.

I don't shoot competition, just like to shoot the smallest groups I can at the local range.

 

[DngBat7]

I find pins all the time after drying the brass (using the FA tumbler). I now use an AMP (after cleaning the brass) and there is a warning that the pins can damage AMP and that it will void the warranty.

Anyway just a warning.

The ss chips come out real well with the spinner, and don’t get stuck in the primer flash holes

 

[DngBat7]

@dgeesaman, here is what I have used for the past 2 years with great success. I batch in lots of 100 pieces of brass but this would work for a lesser amount as well. I anneal and STM tumble every firing. My 22 shot strings average an ES of 15-20 with this process.

I use this set up:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ILI2FDS/?tag=accuratescom-20

View attachment 1133074
With hot water, I wet tumble for 1.5 hours. 2 tablespoons Dawn soap, 1 teaspoon-ish Lemonshine, 1 tablespoon car wax/soap.
View attachment 1133076
I thoroughly rinse the brass in the separator.
View attachment 1133080
Then use a dehydrator for 25 minutes.
View attachment 1133081
Before seating I dip the bullets in powdered graphite. Due to the car wax residue and graphite, they slide in like butter.
View attachment 1133082
Good luck!

DC

How does that good dehydrator work for drying brass? I saw they are pretty cheap on eBay.

 

[jpx2rk]

I bought a dehydrator at wally world, has 4 or 5 trays, a temperature knob, and is pretty quiet as I usually set it up on the kitchen counter, you can hear it running but it's not annoying or anything. Sounds like a small fan running is all. I can dry 300 cases (223) in an hour or two.

 

[jpx2rk]

I find pins all the time after drying the brass (using the FA tumbler). I now use an AMP (after cleaning the brass) and there is a warning that the pins can damage AMP and that it will void the warranty.

Anyway just a warning.

I don't anneal much as I load 223 for the most part. I do anneal 22/250 & 204R brass at times but not much and have no need for the AMP.

Maybe you need to try rinsing the brass better, or change your method of rinsing. I use the FA wet tumbler as well, (both large and mini), and started using the one in the link I posted. I do spin the basket a lot in water at varying speeds, stopping it suddenly and reversing directions frequently to get all the pins out.

 

[dgeesaman]

The ss chips come out real well with the spinner, and don’t get stuck in the primer flash holes

So is it impractical to pick and shake out 25 pieces of brass by hand?

I’m trying avoid another closet full of gadgets.

David