Wet tumbling with stainless steel media

[marksman]

good job Tassie

[Member-Deleted]

You may be onto something Stix balls don't do a good job in tight areas that's why they are situated where they are on the penis

[TassieTiger]

Pockets need attention regardless - I could throw in ultrasonic but I generally clean individual pockets anyway.

[on_one_wheel]

The balls don't get into the corners of the pockets but they leave a nice finish everywhere else, they don't have any sharp edges like fresh pins do, so I've found they are slower to do the job.


What I've been doing is tumbling with pins in citric acid and detergent for an hour or until clean then running the balls for an hour in fresh water to give the a rinse and a better shine.

I'm finding that warm water is great for keeping the seal tight, as it cooks it creates a slight vacuum.

I've only had it leak once so far, The citric acid was reacting with either the laundry powder or very dirty brass, it was gassing off and making pressure inside the tumbler.
I simply mixed the next batch and let it sit with the lid open for 10 minutes untill the reaction stopped.

I did a batch of brass that I found in the sand hills for sihts and giggles. It was black when it went in and looked new inside and out after 3 hours.

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Too bad it won't chamber

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[Stix]

Id suggest to get the pins Tassie...no point in doing the primer pockets after being in the tumbler...you bought it to clean after all...

If anyone's interested...i dont dry with a towel...
I use a couple ply boards like this...
Just slammed a few rungs of 1st fix galv nails through bit of ply...this ply is off-cuts of form ply...

Case dryer

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Here is another bit...
Guess what its from...?

Case dryer

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Its the corner off-cut from my camo portable shooting bench...
I was too lazy to even cut the corners off before i fired all the nails through...
(Heres a pic of the bench on page 4 of this thread...)
viewtopic.php?f=14&t=8826&start=54
... ... ...
I make sure the nail isnt sitting in the flash hole when drying & either sit them in front of the combustion heater in winter, or outside during day in summer.

It leaves the slightest mark on inside of neck (some kind of galvanic reaction i guess) but i just brush that out with a nylon brush before priming.

[on_one_wheel]

I sit mine in a wooden reloading block to dry.

I find that a quick blast of compressed air through each shell speeds up the drying time.

[TassieTiger]

I wrap mine in a rag ball and hang from clothes line - walk passed - give it a decent shake.

Just wondering on the pins - is there a possibility with some larger cases where a pin might jam into a pocket and wedge in to the tumbler...?

I must say - after seeing the hornady $350 unit - I’d buy 3 more of these non round eye cheapo units lol

[Stix]

Not quite sure what you mean by "pin might jam into a pocket and wedge in to the tumbler...?" Tassie.

If you mean a pin jam.in flash hole or primer pocket...i doubt it.
I think flash holes are lots bigger than pins.

I once found a pin in a loading block when i was charging...so i do give the cases a good tap not only when taking out the tumbler, but also when priming etc...

Since then ive wondered how many people in the world have fired pins down the barrel after wet tumbling...& what damage a pin may or may not do.

[on_one_wheel]

Pins definitely get jammed inside the cases now and then, but they don't jammed in the tumbler as such.

It pays to carefully inspect inside each case before reloading.

Short pins seem to jam easier.
The companys who sell pins "especially for tumbling cases" claim to have worked out the ideal length and diameter to minimise pins getting jammed.

[Bills Shed]

I do a lot of 17 cal brass and the pins can be jammed in there tight. Slightly larger diameter pins fixed that. Those little bottle necks can be painful to shake the pins out of. I too have found SS pins in loading blocks and I got a little paranoid. As the pins were magnetic I put just one pin into a loaded round and seated a projectile. Put the loaded round on the kitchen bench on it side and used my strongest magnet to see if you could detect the pin. Yes you can. The loaded round did not exactly jump to the magnet but it defiantly moved and that is all that was required to confirm if any of my past loaded rounds had any pins. Tested them all like this, no pins found.

Bill

Bill

[Stix]

Good tip Bill...

Where can i buy magnets...?

[marksman]

thats a good setup Stix

what I do is after I have shaken the pins out in a bucket of clean cold water I give the cases a blast of compressed air to blow out the inside then the primer pockets, I will give the cases a roll around in an old towel afterwards to make sure there is no moisture left
I dont reload them straight away and may put them upside down in an old polystyrene ammo tray for the night
I do like the idea of a wipe with a slightly oily rag or cloth but not much as it could cause problems

[Bills Shed]

Good tip Bill...

Where can i buy magnets...?

Got mine from the rubbish tip. Big old bass speaker. Cut all the sheet metal and cardboard off and leave the big steel base, surrounding magnets and most important,the centre steel core. Once clean and flat they are hard to get off the steel bench. Have made magnetic spotlight holders and all sorts out of them