Does anyone here use a wet tumbler ?

[Blr243]

For cleaning brass cases

[mchughcb]

All the time.

[Stix]

Yes...you know i do...
Here is a couple pics in this thread...

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=12977

Although these werent properly cleaned...they need another tumble but ive just got the bulk of crud off the cases in these pics to start some basic case prep...



What you ask for...???

Loose a case at your feet & cant find it so wondering if it would be easier to see if it was all shiny..???... (i hate when that happens)

[wanneroo]

I damn sure do. Only way to go.

[Blr243]

Mostly I’m lying down prone in the field on bare soil cultivation with zero grass so finding brass ejected is easier... asked the question because I struggle to get inside necks lubricated properly. As the expander ball is being drawn up though my neck , that horrible dry forcing doesmy head in. I have tried bronze brush on a cordless drill, case lube but remaining lube gives me grief when adding powder. Also tried fine powdered graphite. So my question to the wet case tumbling crowd is does all that stainless media clean all that carbon build up off and does it eliminate the need for inside neck lubrication ? Or does it help because the inside case lube process become easier or simpler ?

[mchughcb]

So mate, you are asking how "exactly" we do it?

Well here's my tip for the day. That took me a little while to work out because nobody I knew was doing in Australia.

1. Wet tumble all your brass for a couple of hours in warm water 90% full with a squirt of morning fresh. Use the stainless steel pins media.
2. Rinse each brass in clean water. Make sure you dunk upside down in water and shake so the pins inside fall out. A magnetic pin holder will help for transfer back to tumbler.
3. Put in the oven on some foil at 80 degrees for 30 minutes (any hotter it will turn a copper colour)
4. Let it dry.
5. Get the dies setup for depriming
6. Roll the brass on a lube pad.
7. FLS and deprime each shell (you will notice with all the soot off your mandrill should glide. I find I don't need graphite, mandrill and bullets slide in easily.
8. Throw the lot back into the tumbler with water 90% full with a couple of squirts of morning fresh. This will now clean the primer pocket and remove lube off case.
9. Put in the oven on some foil at 80 degrees for 30 minutes (any hotter it will turn a copper colour)
10. Let it cool then start priming.

[marksman]

the inside of the necks are cleaner, tumbling brings it back to squeaky clean, you need to use dry lube
l hope that answers it for you

[Blr243]

Dry lube in a stick form. Or dry lube in a wd40 type spray? I googled dry lube and several different types came up

[SCJ429]

Clean brass is very grippy, try a collet or bushing die for sizing them. Add some graphite dry lube when seating your bullet.

[mchughcb]

I have found clean brass not to be grippy at all. I've loaded quite a lot of different rounds from 223 to 416 Rem. No problems at all except the Lapua 243 Win brass. All other calibres no problem and all other makes of brass.

[Stix]

BLR...
Ive found different results with wet tumbling...

When they are that clean, they can be a bit grippy, & can get a bit of drag with the expander ball...

My hunting brass, i dont tumble every time...i only tumble when i check things on paper every now & then & get bigger groups...At which point, when the batch is all shot, i size & tumble it.

My regime for sizing when using those expander ball type dies is this...

Nylon brush in a drill & very quickly brush out inside of necks...
Ballistol on a rag & wipe carbon off outside of necks
IPA on rag to clean ballistol off necks...
Powdered graphite the neck
Size the neck
Clean carbon out primer pocket
Re-prime, charge, seat & shoot.

To graphite the necks, i use a little tray with lead shot in it, that has the graphite in there as well--i rekon #5's or #6's the best...# 4's get stuck in 22 cal necks too often...

Dip the neck into the shot (have enough depth to get 75% of the neck depth) & swirl the case around...the lead shot carries graphite up inside the neck...
From there once sized, i have a little rag next to the press that i give the case a little tap & wipe the outside of the neck to get rid of excess graphite...
That way there is some graphite to aid in seating the bullet too...

If ive wet tumbled the brass, i still dip the neck in the graphite & tap & wipe excess off the outside...

Never use wet lube on the necks...i cant stand the messy clag it creates...you want the neck area dry when charging & seating bullets i rekon...

Ill take a pic of my little air rifle pellet tin thay my graphite sits in for neck lubing cases...

[marksman]

yep graphite is good on a brush or as Stix has described

[Potatoes]

No

I use an ultra sonic cleaner with a bit of engine degreaser, and a teaspoon each of salt and cream of tartare. I add the cream of tartare during the last 30 seconds. Comes up ok.

[Stix]

Sounds like you're cooking Potatoes...



Sounds like you're cooking....Potatoes...



If only it were possible to portray tone in text as well as is possible in voice...



Its this cheap low carb beer...just ignore me...

[mchughcb]

If you use that graphite in the tumbler it will stain the crap out of everything. Before committing to the graphite I'd check the if you still have a problem with the neck. It could be the hardness of the water but I put in plenty of detergent and leave at least two hours in the tumbler to really clean the inside neck.

[Stix]

I dont think anyone is suggesting putting graphite in the tumbler mch...

[mchughcb]

I had some left around the neck after firing. Dirty bloody stuff.

[Potatoes]

Sounds like you're cooking Potatoes...



Sounds like you're cooking....Potatoes...



If only it were possible to portray tone in text as well as is possible in voice...



Its this cheap low carb beer...just ignore me...

Been using hitting the el cheapo beers of the coles shoppadockets?

I’m not suggesting cleaning the brass in sudafed lol

[sungazer]

Thing is you can see there is no one way of doing the process. I will admit I like Hornady One Shot. If you are going to use a expander in the neck it must be lubed or you are going to end up with stuck cases. Choices are wet several different products available or the dry lube. I go with the several stage cleaning process decap, clean, size, clean then powder and seat bullet. Using the wet tumbler about an hour the first time and 15-30 min the second. I have also used the ultrasonic for the second clean as it is just to remove oils.
I am sure of only one thing I know I will keep trying different processes and equipment as my reloading goals change.

[SCJ429]

I have found clean brass not to be grippy at all. I've loaded quite a lot of different rounds from 223 to 416 Rem. No problems at all except the Lapua 243 Win brass. All other calibres no problem and all other makes of brass.

Your brass must be an anomaly, the carbon left in the neck area acts as a lubricant and reduces neck tension. I would never shoot clean brass in competition without using some sort of lube when seating the bullet.

Can you not feel the difference when seating the projectile with clean brass? The effort required is more than double.

[mchughcb]

I haven't noticed in the seating. I noticed during FLS. Most of my bullets are boat tail they slip in easy but tight. Been a long time since I shot for precision competition so maybe it makes a difference but these days I'm happy with sub moa groups at 100m and its just a question of how fast i can knock them out.

[SCJ429]

What made you say you didn't find cleaned brass grippy at all? What did you notice during full lenght resizing? Are you using an expander ball during sizing? Did you find you needed extra effort if you used an expander ball with no lube?

[mchughcb]

When the cases have been cleaned with plenty of detergent i don't get that horrible noise when im pulling the expander ball back through the next. I find little resistance and little noise. Almost on a par with putting graphite lube in there. If you want to spray one shot go for it as it can be washed out when you tumble the primer pockets.

Don't take my word for it try it yourself.

[JimTom]

Mate I have never experienced the grippy cases you mention with my regime. I decap and necksize using the one shot spray lube, then use a sonic cleaner which does a great job on the cases both inside and out, including the primer pocket. I even use the spray lube for full length sizing and it works fine. I know people will have a differing opinions on this, my old man is the first to disagree with me on this. Not sure what would be causing your grippy case issue mate, or if wet tumbling will solve it.

[Sergeant Hartman]

I deprime then use ultrasonic 7 min they are done, blow compressed air. And then let rest overnight. I neck size without the expander ball.

If you are going to the trouble of wet tumbling, imho it's only worth it if the brass comes out shiny and doesn't lose it's shine by next day. And that's never just warm water or just soap.

[8x57]

I also use a wet tumbler, I like to resize and deprime before I clean them so the primer pocket gets a scrub out.

[Blr243]

Thanks to you all for the input. I will process the info thoroughly when I get home in a few days

[mchughcb]

In anycase, wet tumbling gives a far superior clean both of the outside, the inside and primer pockets compared to the old vibrating corn husk setup. I won't be going back to the old method in a hurry.

[8x57]

In anycase, wet tumbling gives a far superior clean both of the outside, the inside and primer pockets compared to the old vibrating corn husk setup. I won't be going back to the old method in a hurry.

Spot on

[pomemax]

I would not mind this one should I hint to mrs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cUHJ7z3ZGI&t=386s