Jasonf wrote:Hi
I’m thinking of buying a Lyman wet tumbler, see link below, my questions are.
Are they worth the money?
Does anyone use them already? If so what’s your opinion of them?
Gaznazdiak wrote:I use a plastic 4lt ice cream container and warm soapy water with liberal dose of Windex in it.
But then I only do 100 at a time.
in2anity wrote:Gaznazdiak wrote:I use a plastic 4lt ice cream container and warm soapy water with liberal dose of Windex in it.
But then I only do 100 at a time.
Here's my tacticool tumbler:
JimTom wrote:in2anity wrote:Gaznazdiak wrote:I use a plastic 4lt ice cream container and warm soapy water with liberal dose of Windex in it.
But then I only do 100 at a time.
Here's my tacticool tumbler:
Yep that’s pretty much what I used until I got a sonic cleaner. The manual method worked an absolute treat, only got he sonic cleaner as it saves a little time.
sungazer wrote:I used to use the vinegar in the mix but have since left it out of the recipe. I now use just dishwashing liquid and the citric acid you can buy at the supermarket. I use 1/2 teaspoon in the water, I have found it gives just as good results and also gives a much more consistent finish from batch to batch.
sungazer wrote:I used to use the vinegar in the mix but have since left it out of the recipe. I now use just dishwashing liquid and the citric acid you can buy at the supermarket. I use 1/2 teaspoon in the water, I have found it gives just as good results and also gives a much more consistent finish from batch to batch.
Stix wrote:sungazer wrote:I used to use the vinegar in the mix but have since left it out of the recipe. I now use just dishwashing liquid and the citric acid you can buy at the supermarket. I use 1/2 teaspoon in the water, I have found it gives just as good results and also gives a much more consistent finish from batch to batch.
Interesting...
Does it take longer without the vinegar...?
sungazer wrote:No I found it to take exactly the same time. in2anity I figure if I am going to the trouble to clean the brass to a nice shiny finish then I may as well try and get them all shiny. when i was doing the Vinegar I just gestimated each time then I started using a measuring cup and for the citric acid I was just using a squeeze of a lemon. sometime I would get results like new and other times they would be a darker colour even sometimes not an even colour over the whole case.
Since just using the 1/2-3/4 teaspoon of citric acid they are pretty shiny and consistent. I have found you can let them sit in the solution for any time if it is not turning. Rinse and dry off with a towle quickly and put them in a storage box so they dont touch each other until perfectly dry otherwise you may get discoloration.
sungazer wrote:I use the McKenzies available at Woolies. I use 1/2 teaspoon in the 5kg tumbler. I use just under 2L of water. I fill the tumbler with water, I have read one guy that says not to fill and only cover the brass enough. I dont see the value in this the full of water I dont believe weakens the cleaning power at all.
When finished it is important to rinse as soon as it stops I just put the tumbler under the tap and wait until the water runs clear and then I agitate with my hand. I then remove the cases one by one mouth down and shake /tap to remove any pins. The cases then go into a ice cream container full of water for a final rinse and check for pins. Then the shake and onto a towel for a dry. Then the complete dry there are many methods for this and its really important to get it right. One thing is though dont put them in a really hot oven for a long time as you will end up annealing the whole case a bad thing.
sungazer wrote:Yep a good squirt. From a lot of the instructions on the brand name ones they say if there are no suds when you are rinsing you didnt put enough in. I only use the cheap stuff though $1/L store brand. The concentrates no matter how much I tell my wife still get used in the same amount per wash as the cheap one. So no saving or even same price is achieved. Really I think the soap is there to remove any sizing oils or waxs that you may have used.