I just picked up a Rotary Tumbler and tried to tumble some 300 wsm once fired brass last night with water, stainless steel pins and Franklin brass cleaner. Tumbled for about 2-3 hours, rinsed and dried it and it came out pretty dull. Any tips of how to get it shiny?
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Tumbling Recipe?
- Thread starter Jcorb81
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PddPdd
Well-Known Member
My recipe is brass, SS tumbling media, hot water, squirt of Dawn, 1/2 to 1 tsp of lemishine depending on size of container. Tumble for 20 minutes for rifle brass to retain carbon in necks, 1-2 hours for pistol brass to make it look like new.
Varmint Hunter
Well-Known Member
I use a Rebel 17 high speed brass tumbler. They recommend Dawn and LemShine. A half teaspoon of LemShine is plenty IMO. Used together, my brass always looks good. I could tumble until they are shinier but that removes the carbon from the inside of the necks and tends to ding up the case mouths. Tumbling for 30min (max) gets the job done and makes the brass look good.
Sometimes if it's dull you need to change out the solution. Then tumble for a little bit after the clean water change and whatever else you add. I think sometimes it's like changing mop water. Sometimes it just gets too dirty to make whatever you are cleaning clean.
Tumbled too long , hour and a half with a micro shot of Dawn and a dash of Lemi shine with hot water then I follow up with a vibratory, Tumblr walnut hull media and white diamond metal polish for another hour and a half.
Thanks everyone. I did some 270 wsm brass this afternoon and it turned out way better with only an hour of tumble time!
Seabeeken
Well-Known Member
I use 1 ml citranox and tumble 1 hr. Comes out like new. Dry in an old food dehydrator
Laguna Freak
Well-Known Member
I'm old fashioned. I use crushed walnut shells and any abrasive thick liquid automotive polish in a vibratory tumbler. Works like a champ in an hour or so every time. It even made 50+ yr old 30-06 Match brass look like new.
Rick Richard
Well-Known Member
Dang dude you're making us look bad. lol. Very Very nice.
C.O. Shooter
Well-Known Member
I use the Frankfort Arsenal wet tumbler.
Hot water out of the tap, as hot as it gets (1/2-3/4 full). A pan of almost boiling water.
1 tablespoon of Lemie-shine
4 squirts of Dawn Power Wash.
2 cap fulls of car wash soap.
Small/medium brass 1-2 hours. Large/Lapua size brass 2-3 hours. After I'm done washing and rinsing, I'll hit them with the air compressor. Then I set them in the oven at 200 and shake every 15 minutes (1 hour). I leave the top of the oven door cracked.
6.5-284
338 Lapua
Hot water out of the tap, as hot as it gets (1/2-3/4 full). A pan of almost boiling water.
1 tablespoon of Lemie-shine
4 squirts of Dawn Power Wash.
2 cap fulls of car wash soap.
Small/medium brass 1-2 hours. Large/Lapua size brass 2-3 hours. After I'm done washing and rinsing, I'll hit them with the air compressor. Then I set them in the oven at 200 and shake every 15 minutes (1 hour). I leave the top of the oven door cracked.
6.5-284
338 Lapua
Last edited:
MarkInPA
Well-Known Member
Never been a fan of super shinny squeaky clean brass. Just a hour or so in vibratory tumbler with untreated walnut shells for me. My only goal is to get them clean for the sizing die. Cleaned not polished. I've never wanted to remove all traces of carbon from inside the necks as I have always felt that this helps in seating bullets and improves accuracy.
marchboom
Well-Known Member
Wet tumbling OF ANY TYPE will not give you shiny brass. Tumble it in walnut media or corn cob media for an hour or so after you wet tumble (and dry, of course) and you will get shiny brass.
After the dry tumbling you will be able to see the damage to the brass necks that is done by wet tumbling. (Couldn't help throwing that in).
After the dry tumbling you will be able to see the damage to the brass necks that is done by wet tumbling. (Couldn't help throwing that in).
