Wet tumbling brass

[Pizzaman1]

For you guys wet tumbling your brass what tumbler are you using? Do you like it or wish you had another one? Tumblers to stay away from?


Corey

Hi Flare- I just started the wet tumbling. I will NEVER go back to vibratory tumbling. No more dust, media stuck in the primer pockets, no more dust on your hands and having to wipe it off, no more wiping the cases and blowing out the inside-none of that anymore. I use the Frankford Arsenal Lite tumbler. I opted to go with the smaller pins than the .047 ones. A little bit of Dawn dish detergent and a 1/4 teaspoon of Lemi-shine in hot water for an hour and a half. Do not use too much of the Lemi shine- it will turn your brass pink. I also use the Lyman brass dryer-has about 5 or 6 trays for your brass depending on how much brass you have. Has a timer on the front. I set mine for an hour and a half- comes out hot and dry!

 

[Pizzaman1]

Brownells 259$

Amazon has them for around a hundred bucks.

 

[rickjoty]

I bought the rock tumbler from Harbor Freight. I want to say it was $60 but I bought it years ago. The thing I like most is it has two chambers that can run at the same time. I shoot multiple guns at the range and I separate my brass. If you get one lube it well from the start.

 

[javman]

Personally i use the one from Harbor Freight with jewelers stainless steel media, works like a charm.

 

[sturner]

Amazon has them for around a hundred bucks.

If it's a model B Thumbler for around $100 it's a deal

 

[Tyler Kee]

Amazon.com: Stainless Steel Ammo Reloading Kit - Rebel 17 Tumbler - Stainless Steel Media - Detergent: Toys & Games

Amazon.com: Stainless Steel Ammo Reloading Kit - Rebel 17 Tumbler - Stainless Steel Media - Detergent: Toys & Games

www.amazon.com

I bought this almost 4 years ago and it's been a champ. Great capacity and has held up well to abuse. I've also used it extensively with corn cob media to clean up loaded rounds and make them shiny and new.

 

[wolfman73]

Hi Flare- I just started the wet tumbling. I will NEVER go back to vibratory tumbling. No more dust, media stuck in the primer pockets, no more dust on your hands and having to wipe it off, no more wiping the cases and blowing out the inside-none of that anymore. I use the Frankford Arsenal Lite tumbler. I opted to go with the smaller pins than the .047 ones. A little bit of Dawn dish detergent and a 1/4 teaspoon of Lemi-shine in hot water for an hour and a half. Do not use too much of the Lemi shine- it will turn your brass pink. I also use the Lyman brass dryer-has about 5 or 6 trays for your brass depending on how much brass you have. Has a timer on the front. I set mine for an hour and a half- comes out hot and dry!

I use the Extreme Rebel 17 Tumbler. Very well made

 

[waveslayer]

I love it! I use these guys https://stainlesstumblingmedia.com/?SID=41cbfeff4c118dcdc29295213f2e73cc

 

[Cdub338]

Frankford Arsenal Platinum Series Rotary Case Tumbler

The Frankford Arsenal Platinum Series Rotary Tumbler delivers a new level of brass cleaning performance. The small stainless pins easily penetrate...

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This is the one I use and I like it. I use the stainless pins and also picked up one of the magnets that has a release. Really helps with the cleanup.

I've got one myself, and I love it. I use a tablespoon of Dawn dish soap, a tablespoon of lemon-shine and I've got a magnet for transferring the stainless media. In addition to that, I've also got a media separator that I put over a 5 gallon bucket and then give it a few good turns.

Frankford Arsenal Platinum Series Wet/Dry Rotary Media Separator

The Frankford Arsenal Rotary Media Separator is ideal for both wet or dry cleaning processes. The dry rotary media separator is the ideal tool to...

www.midwayusa.com

After I've got it separated and rinsed, I just use a dehydrator on low to dry the brass. Easy as pie and sparkling fresh brass every time.

 

[Edsguns]

I made my own wet tumbler years ago. Not difficult, fun project! Brass comes out clean as new, inside & out!

 

[Stilts75]

I started with a Thumlers model B but it gets dogged down and you need to wash in smaller quantities. Latrone makes a nice one but it's really expensive. I ended up building my own. PM me if you'd like pics or other info.

 

[tdd3748]

I use Tommy's Tumbler, made from Odjob mixing tub and other stuff I had around the shop. Built it because my son suggested it when we were cleaning the shop and he pulled the mixing tub off the shelf. The Harbor Freight tumbler sits on the shelf collecting dust now.

 

[nvschütze]

The Franlford Arsenal one. Bought mine at Scheels for around $200; maybe a bit less. The only problem I have with it is that .223 cases will get lodged between the separation grids. Not too many, just a few. Then I have to push them back in and keep shaking-out the pins.

I capture the pins in a colander that just exactly fits a five-gallon bucket. I have an old piece of sheet completely covering the colander. The dirty water goes through and the pins stay above. I get 100% capture of the pins in just a few minutes. I spoon the pins back out with a big serving spoon; takes just a few minutes.

In my feeble mind, wet-tumbling is the best way I've seen to clean brass since 1983, when I started making dirty brass. I really, really like how the pins get in there and get the primer pocket sparklin' clean. The pins get everywhere, so I suspect the inside of the case is also clean. And they look like little sticks of gold when they come out. Very satisfying...

 

[Velvet]

Frankford Arsenal Platinum Series Rotary Case Tumbler

The Frankford Arsenal Platinum Series Rotary Tumbler delivers a new level of brass cleaning performance. The small stainless pins easily penetrate...

ads.midwayusa.com

This is the one I use and I like it. I use the stainless pins and also picked up one of the magnets that has a release. Really helps with the cleanup.

I have the same unit, using de SS pins.
The complete process consists in removing fulminant, washing with ultrasound to remove a large part of the combustion residues, drying, complete case prep and then 3 hours of wet tumbler.
The result is surprising. Cases that seem new both outside and inside.
I recommend that you buy the case dryer too, it is wonderful, and it speeds up the process a lot.
good luck
V