Frankford Arsenal Tumbler

[brett1868]

Had one of these delivered today from Optics Planet in the U.S. Now I can combine cleaning and polishing into the one process which should save me around 90 minutes per batch. Keen to get in some range time now as I don't have any dirty brass to test this tumbler on. I need to modify the 0-3hr timer on it as it's the mechanical type which means I can't turn it on or off using a programmable timer. To save time I quite often plug tumblers into a power board with a timer so I can set the tumblers to run while I'm at work so the brass is ready when I get home.
I believe Lemi Shine is the pick of cleaners to add to the mix though I'll try regular ultrasonic solution till I can source the Lemi Shine.



I'll post some before & after pictures once I have some dirty brass to clean. By all reviews I've seen on the net these are the ducks nuts of tumblers, hopefully the results match the hype.

[on_one_wheel]

I thought a bloke like you would need something a bit bigger like a tumbler made out of a 44 gallon drum.

I've got a power load of dirty .243 brass and no tumbler, they have seen 5 reloads without a clean.

What's that one worth?

[brett1868]

I've got a 20L version being built but needed something sooner All up cost worked out as $452.14 delivered, shipping from the U.S was about $180 of the total which is the big killer coupled to the crappy exchange rates. They are a well made unit and I'm surprised I couldn't find one locally, if you're thinking to get one there are 2 versions available online so make sure it's the 220v version and not the 110v one. If you're Sydney based come over with your brass and we'll give it a spin, apparently it'll hold 1000 .223 cases which is impressive. I only just realised I've got 500 Barrett .416 cases that need resizing and cleaning, I'll get into that tomorrow after work. Should handle at least 75-100 big cases...not often I get excited about hardware but this has got me going. I'm about to get involved in a major project at work where we have a budget of 35 Mil. I've been reviewing the hardware quotes most of last week and although impressive they don't excite me as much as this tumbler.
Selling off some gear as well once the mods approve the ads will be visible in the 'For Sale' section to fund another project which will be a crutch bulging joy for the tacticool crowd.
Going bush late August for AgQuip in Gunnedah and shoot the big stuff so there'll be plenty of dirty brass to clean when I get home.

[Octane]

apparently it'll hold 1000 .223 cases which is impressive.

wow

That's a lot of shooting if you need to tumble 1,000 a time

[Will]

How long does it take to tumble a load of .50bmg cases compared to say .308 or something "normal" Brett?

Must be a LOT of surface area to cover.

[brett1868]

Haven't done any 50's yet, that'll have to wait till I empty some next week I did however just finish 200 .416 Barrett cases with it and the results were very impressive. Not so much about the outsides of the case as they were quite good to begin with but the inside and primer pocket looks as good as the outside of the case. I did them in 3 batches of 70, 70 & 60 changing the water each load and added about an egg cup of Hornady LnL ultrasonic cleaner. It uses one of those old school mechanical timer switches where you can wind it from a few minutes up to 3 hours so it's idiot proof in operation. I gave them the full 3 hours as I wasn't in a rush and since this cleans inside and outside it saves me some time. The only thing I'm going to do is grab another 2 bags of pins as the cases tend to fill up and there not a lot left circulating in the drum. I'll also cut the U.S plug off and put an Australian on one which isn't an issue and I'm going to buy another one in a couple weeks when I get back from the bush. The sheer volume of reloading I'm doing at the moment is huge and getting larger each week so it's time to invest some coins in more efficient machinery.

IMG_1505.JPG (509.94 KiB) Viewed 4255 times

[Yelp]

So pretty

[Wobble]

I see the annealed necks there, Brett.

Do you have a fancy rig for your annealing or you doing it simple with a torch and timer or temperature paint?

[brett1868]

I have a Bench Source Annealing machine that I bought from the U.S a while back. For each new case type / manufacturer I drill and tap it for the Hornady LnL case gauge tool then I paint the neck with 650f Tempilaq and the base with 450f Tempilaq paints. Case is then used to calibrate the bench source which is a once off process. Case then gets cleaned and tumbled on whatever next batch is done and because it's been drilled and tapped I know which case it is because I'll never use the calibration case for live loads again and this process ensures that's not possible.

Due to increased volume of reloading I've got my mates son on the press resizing brass a couple nights a week. I did a deal with him that I paid for his safety course, SSAA Membership and Permit fees and he pays me back in labour. Brass is then tumbled in batches and when I've got a hundred or more per calibre I fire up the Bench Source and my son sits there feeding it.

Great machine and delivers consistent annealing case after case.

[Gun Nut Gordo]

Hey guys I'm new to this forum but have been reloading for a little while, I have the thumlers tumbler, very similar to the FA one and also use the SS pins. I use the ultra sonic solution with it and have great results, just like Brett said it's not just the outside but the case inside and primer pocket come out immaculate. I have seen the rotary annealer on youtube but I don't want to know how much it costs lol

[Wes]

Due to increased volume of reloading I've got my mates son on the press resizing brass a couple nights a week.

Good old slave.... er... family labour

[Wes]

I have seen the rotary annealer on youtube but I don't want to know how much it costs lol

I saw a couple online a while ago and I think they were about $600 for the top ones?