Using Harbor Freight SS Tumbler

[bsekf]

Used my double drum Harbor Freight tumbler today. I filled the drums 1/3 full of brass, dumped in 2 pounds of pins and filled to 3/4 with hot water, added 1/2 teas. Dawn and let it run about 2 hours. Water was really black but it did a good job. I think I need more water and fewer pins. What has been your experience with the Harbor Freight unit in regard to proportions of water, pins and brass? Didn't think I got enough agitation.

 

[Tempest]

Did you use the Lemishine?

Less is more!

 

[diego-ted]

1 pound of pins 40 cases in each drum, about 1/2 tablespoon of dawn, a pinch of limishine and I through in a squirt of brasso. Run for about 3-4 hours.

Diego

 

[mousegunner]

Brasso is a big no no due to the ammonia, I have really good results with the standard soap and lemishine recipe. Other than that I made a longer tube out of PVC to replace the 2 drums and works better for me.

 

[jlow]

Apart from the ammonia reason, there is no real rationale to use Brasso. Brasso is mostly a fine polish and for that to work, you have to put it on a piece of cloth and rub metal surfaces for it to work. That cannot happen when you suspend it in water. Don't just dump in stuff if you don't know what you are doing - You are just wasting the stuff and sometimes it can be dangerous.

 

[hedditch]

Lemshihe and dawn soap is all you need. Experiment with how long you tumble. My last batch I only tumbled for 1 hr and the brass came out looking like new with primer pockets clean. The time tumbled may depend on how many cases cleaned at a time. Experiment, write down your procedures for reference.

 

[diego-ted]

Did not know that about brasso. It's use was a carry over from my ultrasonic cleaning days. Never used much maybe 1/4 teaspoon mixed in a quart of water. Have had 20 or so firings with stiff loads and no problems. But no use in pushing my luck!

Diego

 

[amlevin]

To me, the Harbor Freight tumblers are too small to be effective on more than just a few pieces of brass when using SS Pins. The pins do their job best when there is lots of tumbling action which calls for a larger diameter drum. The larger drum will also provide a larger capacity so more cases can be cleaned at the same time.

That's just my $0.02 worth which due to inflation is more like $0.15 when comparing 1961 penny's to today's penny's.

If one is planning on using SS Pins for more than just a few cases at a time get a Thumbler Model B High Speed. More money today but when you get fed up with the Harbor Freight tumbler limitations they'll cost a lot more.

 

[jlow]

Did not know that about brasso. It's use was a carry over from my ultrasonic cleaning days. Never used much maybe 1/4 teaspoon mixed in a quart of water. Have had 20 or so firings with stiff loads and no problems. But no use in pushing my luck!

Diego

My guess is you are OK with that slight use, but Lemishine is really the way to go. It is citric acid and what it does is dissolve off the tarnish/oxide – that is what gives you the shine.

 

[Joe R]

amlevin said:

To me, the Harbor Freight tumblers are too small to be effective on more than just a few pieces of brass when using SS Pins. The pins do their job best when there is lots of tumbling action which calls for a larger diameter drum. The larger drum will also provide a larger capacity so more cases can be cleaned at the same time.

That's just my $0.02 worth which due to inflation is more like $0.15 when comparing 1961 penny's to today's penny's.

If one is planning on using SS Pins for more than just a few cases at a time get a Thumbler Model B High Speed. More money today but when you get fed up with the Harbor Freight tumbler limitations they'll cost a lot more.

amlevin you hit the bullseye with me. I don't mean to hijack the thread, but here I go:

I have been considering switching from walnut/vibrator setup to a water/tumbler/ss pin setup. A couple of people have told me that they don't have to even clean the primer pockets as a result and all the carbon inside the case is gone. Rather then going the cheap route I'd rather cry once and be done. So my questions are these:
1. How big of a tumbler do you use? Link to model, please.
2. How many cases do you process at one time? Caliber, pretty please.
3. For how long do you tumble them?
4. Recipe for water mixture? pretty please with a cherry on top.
5. How many pounds/bags of pins?
6. How do you dry the cases after you've cleaned them?
7. With the benefit of hindsight, is the trouble really worth it?

I know these are lots of questions, if you guys think it's inappropriate of me I'll start another thread. I don't want to offend anyone.

Kindest regards,

Joe

 

[amlevin]

amlevin said:

To me, the Harbor Freight tumblers are too small to be effective on more than just a few pieces of brass when using SS Pins. The pins do their job best when there is lots of tumbling action which calls for a larger diameter drum. The larger drum will also provide a larger capacity so more cases can be cleaned at the same time.

That's just my $0.02 worth which due to inflation is more like $0.15 when comparing 1961 penny's to today's penny's.

If one is planning on using SS Pins for more than just a few cases at a time get a Thumbler Model B High Speed. More money today but when you get fed up with the Harbor Freight tumbler limitations they'll cost a lot more.

amlevin you hit the bullseye with me. I don't mean to hijack the thread, but here I go:

I have been considering switching from walnut/vibrator setup to a water/tumbler/ss pin setup. A couple of people have told me that they don't have to even clean the primer pockets as a result and all the carbon inside the case is gone. Rather then going the cheap route I'd rather cry once and be done. So my questions are these:
1. How big of a tumbler do you use? Link to model, please. I use an older RCBS Sidewinder. If it quits I'll buy a Thumbler Model B, Hi-Speed and they're usually on the shelf at Cabela's
2. How many cases do you process at one time? Caliber, pretty please. usually 100 .308 and 200 .223. For 9mm, just "2-3 handfulls"
3. For how long do you tumble them? Depends on "fouling". For the really bad stuff I let the tumbler run for 3-4 hours while I'm doing something else (like mowing or gardening). For the clean stuff I just shot, an hour does the job. I let a couple of range sessions worth accumulate so I have a max load when I run the tumbler
4. Recipe for water mixture? pretty please with a cherry on top. My tumbler is a little smaller than the Thumbler (but a lot larger than the Harbor Freight) so I use 1/2 gal water, 1 TBSP Dawn, and 1/2 TSP of Lemi-shine
5. How many pounds/bags of pins? Still using the original 5# batch I bought almost 5 years ago
6. How do you dry the cases after you've cleaned them? I rinse by dumping in a large coffe container with an old t-shirt lining it. I pull up the t-shirt which holds the cases/pins while letting the water/crud strain through. The crud mix is dumped and hot water then fills the container for anoher slosh and strain/drain. When I stop getting "suds" during the rinse I then just let the water drip from the t-shirt strainer. The cases and pins are separated using a regular media separator tumbling basket. The cases are then dropped in a large towel. Picking up the ends to make a "hammock" I slosh the cases back and forth to shake and wipe any excess water off. At this point I either let them air dry as they're still warm from the hot rinse or I go to the annealing process which flash drys any remaining water
7. With the benefit of hindsight, is the trouble really worth it? I've been doing this for several years and don't even bother with my vibratory "tumbler" or ground corncob anymore. It's like using brand new brass every time with the insides clean and shiny, primer pockets clean, and no dirty hands after handling the brass. To me, loading totally clean brass is just like eating off a plate that's been washed in a dishwasher rather than just "wiped clean". I like to punch out the primers with a universal de-priming die first and when sizing the fully cleaned cases I use either Hornady or RCBS Spray lube. Both wipe off really easy when doing a final inspection of he finished product. My dies stay much cleaner too.

I know these are lots of questions, if you guys think it's inappropriate of me I'll start another thread. I don't want to offend anyone.

Kindest regards,

Joe

See my notes/answers in red I added to your post.

 

[jerdebson]

Where are you guys getting your SS pins? I may try this. TIA.

 

[Joe R]

Amlevin,
Thank you so much for all the info in one nice concise post. You are a great help to me and I'm sure to others on this forum. Blessings to you and your loved ones.

I've ordered the thumbler and pins from Midway since they have both in stock. I already have Dawn dish soap and Walmart carries Lemi Shine, I'm looking forward to trying this out.

Kindest regards,

Joe

 

[amlevin]

Joe R---

With the Lemi-Shine, a little is good and a lot is not. If you use too much, your brass will start taking on some funny colors. Keep the amount you use down to a minimum (I recommend 1 TSP/Gallon) to just brighten the brass a little. It's not the cleaner, it's only the "brightener".


jerdebson---

Pins can be bought at Midway and other suppliers. Also available at this site http://www.pelletsllc.com/stainlesssteelshot

Their customer service rep know the right size. You can get about 5# in a small USPS flat rate box so shipping is under $6.

 

[Joe R]

amlevin said: Joe R---

With the Lemi-Shine, a little is good and a lot is not. If you use too much, your brass will start taking on some funny colors. Keep the amount you use down to a minimum (I recommend 1 TSP/Gallon) to just brighten the brass a little. It's not the cleaner, it's only the "brightener".

Got it. Thanks again for taking the time to answer my questions. Looks like Midway/UPS are really moving, the thumbler and pins are scheduled to be delivered tomorrow. There has to be some mistake, that's way too fast. Gotta run to Walmart and get me some Lemi Shine just in case.

Have a great day all.

Joe

 

[jerdebson]

Thanks for the info. I see they say to use ss pins in tumblers only. I was wondering about use in a ultrasonic cleaner I recently salvaged from work, they cleaned small meter parts in it.

 

[fredhorace77]

tag

 

[amlevin]

Thanks for the info. I see they say to use ss pins in tumblers only. I was wondering about use in a ultrasonic cleaner I recently salvaged from work, they cleaned small meter parts in it.

You'd have some really clean pins 8)


The ultrasonic cleaner uses a totally different means to clean. The ultrasonic sound waves cause small cavitation bubbles to form on the hard surfaces of the object you're cleaning. When they collapse they break loose whatever is sticking to it.

The pins clean and burnish through the "sliding action". The ends of he pins chip away at deposits like scale and carbon then "rub" the brass to give it a nice burnished shine.

The pins only work (properly) in a tumbler with water and soap. Vibrators might work but would take longer than forever and often the brass and pins would just separate from the vibration.

 

[Bayou]

my questions are these:
1. How big of a tumbler do you use? Link to model, please.
2. How many cases do you process at one time? Caliber, pretty please.
3. For how long do you tumble them?
4. Recipe for water mixture? pretty please with a cherry on top.
5. How many pounds/bags of pins?
6. How do you dry the cases after you've cleaned them?
7. With the benefit of hindsight, is the trouble really worth it?

Hi, Joe -

Here are my responses:

1. I use a Thumbler's Model B hi-speed. These are widely available,

2. I process 2 pounds of cases, of any caliber, per drum,

3. 4 hours of SS wet tumbling time is the "sweet spot" for impeccably clean brasses - inside, outside and primer pockets,

4. My recipe for each batch/drum is - 1 gallon cold water, five pounds of SS pins (NOTE - I use the larger pins with a diameter of 0.047" since this size pin does not get stuck side-by-side in flash holes as to the smaller 0.041" diameter pins), 1/4 teaspoon of Lemi-Shine and a couple ounces of auto wash and wax instead of Dawn or other dishwashing liquid. I use Blue Coral, Rain-X and Armor-All auto wash and wax interchangeably. They all clean equally well. The auto wash and wax is used since it leaves a very slight wax coating that impedes the return of tarnish to the brass. It works very well. I've got brasses laid exposed for months with no appreciable loss of shine. I first started using Dawn but noticed that the brass was prone to re-tarnish within weeks. So, I switched to auto wash & wax with good results,

5. Five pounds of SS pins are used per drum,

6. I use a rotary media separator to separate the pins. Works well. I then "spin dry" the brasses in the rotary media separator to remove 99+ % of all remaining moisture/water from the brasses. I simply throw a dry towel/rag/old t-shirt into the squirrel cage and spin it, and repeat a second time with a dry towel. Almost all moisture is instantly removed without the need for any dryers, heaters, dehydrators, fans, ovens, etc., etc.,

7. SS wet tumbling is not only worth it, but it is well worth it. I've been wet tumbling for going on 2 years. The process is easy, efficient, and the results speak for themselves - brass looks better than what you buy new. This brass nearly glides through the sizing dies - very smooth, indeed.

 

[Joe R]

Man, this is getting better and better. Good man Bayou, I have a 1/2 gallon of Blue Coral sitting in the garage just waiting to be used. Great idea to use the media separator to spin dry the cases. I wouldn't have thought of it, but it is so cool once you think about it.

Bayou, thank you and many blessing to you and your loved ones.

Sincerely,
Joe