Wet ss tumbling advice needed. Update with pics #17

P

Potasz

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GTA
My brass comes out mint but the primer pockets
are not as clean as iv seen form others

Do I keep it tumbling longer
Add more soap or lemi shine ??
3.5 lbs or so of ss pins and 60 308 casings for 3 h


And I found a strainer that the pins don't fall through
If any one needs one they are 3$ at dollarama

Thanks
K
 
Last edited:
I've noticed some primers are a lot dirtier and takes longer to clean than others. If you really want clean primer pockets, do a quick clean of the pockets with a scraper tool before tumbling them or tumble them longer.
 
Leave them in longer, or go with 5 lbs of pins.
I also find I get way better results with dirty brass if I change the water an hour in... I do 4 hours total with the water change after an hour or two
One thing I have noticed, vs a vibe tumbler with walnut media, is that the brass from pin tumbling dulls way quicker - it just doesn't stay shiny for long... I am hoping to tweak my wash recipe and see if I can get the shine to keep!
 
Leave them in longer, or go with 5 lbs of pins.
I also find I get way better results with dirty brass if I change the water an hour in... I do 4 hours total with the water change after an hour or two
One thing I have noticed, vs a vibe tumbler with walnut media, is that the brass from pin tumbling dulls way quicker - it just doesn't stay shiny for long... I am hoping to tweak my wash recipe and see if I can get the shine to keep!
 
chrismc said:
Leave them in longer, or go with 5 lbs of pins.
I also find I get way better results with dirty brass if I change the water an hour in... I do 4 hours total with the water change after an hour or two
One thing I have noticed, vs a vibe tumbler with walnut media, is that the brass from pin tumbling dulls way quicker - it just doesn't stay shiny for long... I am hoping to tweak my wash recipe and see if I can get the shine to keep!
Click to expand...

I had the dulling problem and found cutting back on lemishine and rinsing really well fixed it..
 
My tumbler is home made it's a converted rock tumbler
If anyone is really curious I'll put up a pic
4" by 7" tube

I use a pinc of lemi shine and dish soap
I could fit more pins I'll just have to try it
K
 
Let it run longer. Also make sure you have enough water in there as well. Use the similar ratio as mention here w ww.stainlesstumblingmedia.com/tips/
 
They are dulling because the SS media literally strips off the surface of the brass and allows it to oxidize again. I find that mine dull in the rinse water, probably because we have a lot of dissolved minerals in my area. If you want them to stay shiny then passivate the brass by adding a tiny bit of Lemishine to your rinse water.

I rinse mine in a high-walled baking pan in super hot water. I'll generally fill the pan three times with rinse water and stir the cases to make sure the clean water gets all the way through them. Each time I empty the pan I'll add a sprinkle of Lemishine before refilling it and stir the water while the pan is filling. We have fairly hard water in the Toronto area, but this seems to keep the brass shiny pretty much forever.
 
I do a rinse in cold water until it's all clean... then rinse more in cold... After that it goes right in the 99% Isopropyl alcohol bath/shake to displace the water.... then it air dries overnight :)
 
Potasz said:
I read somewhere too much lemi shine will change the colour of the casings???
Click to expand...

Yes. It fact it leaches some of the metals out of the alloy.

You need about 1/4 of a teaspoon (not half a tablespoon) for a full sized Thumbler's Tumbler. Some people say 'half a 9mm case full' but I think that's too much. I use the recipe here.
 
Very good point zuke!

When you compress carbon for several million years it turns into diamonds.

When you wash your clothes and they don't come clean you increase the wash time or increase the agitation.

If your primer pockets are still dirty you need the change the wash cycle from "delicate" to "heavy duty".

The amount of soap and lemishine depends on water hardness and the efficiency of the "washing machine".

If you look at the STM website you will see they sell two different speed tumblers, the high speed unit cleans twice as fast as the slower speed unit does. No one can tell you what to do to fix "YOUR" problem, drum diameter and speed control the stainless media "agitation", so you will need to find your own cleaning times for your machine.

http://www.stainlesstumblingmedia.com/
 
My ghetto setup
image_zpsbb961b09.jpg~320x480


Before and after pics
image_zps758b327d.jpg~320x480


The ones on the left 3 hs tumbling

The ones on the right 5 hours more pins
added to drum and I changed water after
2 hrs and I used hot water
The brass is mint way above my expectations
I just need to tumble longer

Thanks all for your advice
For a $70 set up I'm happy
K
 
TedNugent said:
Where did you find that drum?
Click to expand...

Rona it's a plumbing 4" cap and threaded coupler which I welded
Together and then got a threaded cap to make it water tight
You can also glue it together but then you loose interior volume
Which is why I welded it

Hope this helps
K
 
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