Cleaning Tumbler and Pins

[Methow Packer]

Been using pins for long time. Wouldn't go back. Use dillion case media seperator, fill up with water and let hose or sink run into it, turn handle and pins fall into tub and are then are thoroughly washed in crystal clean water as are brass.

Do you all find stainless pins way better than walnut shells? Does stainless pins give you a better shine and are more thorough in cleaning? Thinking of switching. I use an older Hornady tumbler

 

[Chas1]

Use corn media and change it out about every 2-3000 case polishings.

 

[BASE424]

Every so often, I try to clean my tumbler and stainless pins. I just run it for about 90 minutes with water and dish soap, followed by another 90 minutes with plain water. I am always surprised at the dark water afterwards. Do you guys clean your pins and tumbler?

I have started to experience longer run times on my tumbler to get acceptable results. I am starting to think my pins are "wearing out", ends of the pins are getting rounded and therefore less affective. Anyone experiencing this?

 

[TXTrained]

Every so often, I try to clean my tumbler and stainless pins. I just run it for about 90 minutes with water and dish soap, followed by another 90 minutes with plain water. I am always surprised at the dark water afterwards. Do you guys clean your pins and tumbler?

I put on my screen and use hot water to rinse.After all brass is out I put pin back in tumbler with Dawn soap with a cap full of Bleach and tumbler it 30 mins a n d rinse twice.
No more than pins cost It's nit worth too much time and effort. But I do want my tumbler spotless.I clean each time after I done using it so I don't start back with it dirty.I ama little OCD about things being clean and things being level and square.

 

[Nuube]

I run mine for about an hour or so, with simple green/water mixture and stainless pins. Works well for me

 

[Old Rooster]

Do you all find stainless pins way better than walnut shells? Does stainless pins give you a better shine and are more thorough in cleaning? Thinking of switching. I use an older Hornady tumbler

I do sir.I still use walnut hulls if I have just a few fired cases to clean and shine up but the s s pins and soap and lemi-shine does a much better job.

 

[gruising]

Long time ago when I was still pulling cases out of the pins by hand I noticed my hands got dirty. Figured that shouldn't be so I looked at the pins. Not shiny silver but a grey color. Ran the pins only with Zep purple cleaner. Back to shiny silver. I think it was the lanolin lube I use. Started pre washing my brass in warm water with Dawn to get the lube off and my pins stay clean now.I use a small shot of Hornady sonic clean in the tumbler and it works amazing. Dump brass in a bucket with warm water and Dawn and swirl by hand. Rinse brass and dump in the tumbler. I don't think pins ever wear out. Some of mine are almost ten years old and still work as new. Tip: only use .047 pins, don't get stuck in flash holes.

 

[WHITEBULL]

Every so often, I try to clean my tumbler and stainless pins. I just run it for about 90 minutes with water and dish soap, followed by another 90 minutes with plain water. I am always surprised at the dark water afterwards. Do you guys clean your pins and tumbler?

No I haven't, but I appreciate the information. Should've thought about doing that!

 

[RidgeTop]

After a run of about 45 minutes, dump water and put brass in clean water. Put in some clean water and slosh the pins around. Dump that water and I am ready for the next load. Brass comes out clean inside and out, even the primer pockets.

 

[BrianID]

I don't waste time tumbling pins to get them clean. I'll just rinse them of and let them dry on an old towel. They are just going to get dirty the next time I use them. I'm still able to get shiny/new looking brass without cleaning my pins.
Wet tumbling sure does a great job of getting primer pockets and carbon inside the case clean. Cleaning the brass so it looks shiny and new does little to nothing to improve functIon or accuracy but it makes me feel good about my finished product.

 

[KAMIKAZE BOB]

Every so often, I try to clean my tumbler and stainless pins. I just run it for about 90 minutes with water and dish soap, followed by another 90 minutes with plain water. I am always surprised at the dark water afterwards. Do you guys clean your pins and tumbler?

Yes. Although I clean many different cases, most of my cleaning is a large number of 50 BMG or 338 Lapua brass. After several large batches of brass, I'll partially fill the tumbler with clean water to see if it appears dirty or soapy. If dirty, I'll run a tablespoon of Dawn and hot water for about an hour, then rinse well. Otherwise, if still clean water, I'll run another batch of brass.

 

[Pointman]

I rinse it twice with a bit if dish soap, tumble it for about 20 minutes or so, and one with just water. I only use distilled water.

I do use distilled water but only during the final rinse cycle. I also have switched to SS chips versus the pins in the smaller calibers, less jamming inside. I still use my original pins in my 338 LM.

 

[QuietTexan]

Do you all find stainless pins way better than walnut shells? Does stainless pins give you a better shine and are more thorough in cleaning? Thinking of switching. I use an older Hornady tumbler

I actively use pretty much every method out there - they all have different purposes. SS pins are great for scrubbing brass hard and removing heavy deposits, but as previously mentioned will remove everything and the brass will tarnish afterwards if not treated. Walnut might not clean as well but it polishes to a really bright shine. Some of my bench rifles I don't clean cases at all: lube, size, load. Match the process to what your end goal is, the benefits to changing might not be there for you.


My thoughts on when I use processes:

I use SS pins for brass from suppressed ARs that are nasty carbon dirty, anything that has been dumped into mud/soil/ has chunks on it, to "reset" brass and get primer pockets cleaned out for precision rifle loads when I'm changing out bullets or powder to a new load. I'll use it before storing brass when I don't know when it'll get loaded again.

Corncob is good for absorbing oils off the cases and can be treated with wax so the cases don't tarnish. Good for hunting loads IMO, because cases still cycle well and I can tell when they're dirty versus tarnished when I check them. Good for general pistol loading.

Walnut I don't use nearly as much for cleaning, but when I want to polish up bullets or cases I'll run them through. Puts a nice shine back on tarnished cases coming out of storage. Cleans up bullets, sometimes you get boxes with spots or that just look nasty - yes it probably sounds petty but if I don't know what made them tarnish I prefer to clean it off.

Ultrasonic - stubborn primer pockets or heavy carbon chunks on muzzle brakes/ suppressor parts, or if I need the inside of a case really clean to check for head separation or something like that. Probably my least-used process.

White 3M pad/ 0000 Steel wool - clean up necks before running through the neck sizing die for loading on the shooting bench, or cleaning up my bench match loads after firing.

Alcohol or acetone - you can dunk cases to remove sizing lubes if you don't want to run through a mechanical process after sizing. If you do this after an SS scrub cases come out so squeaky clean that you probably need to lube the bullets in dry Imperial or use a dirty neck brush before seating. You can see some pretty wild seating force swings when cases are this clean.

 

[Dentite]

My pins get rinsed when I rinse my brass. I have no need to clean my pins separately.

Love stainless steel tumbling.