So I wanted to get away from dry tumbling in cob or walnut, so I bought a lyman 6000 ultra sonic with the hope that it would do a good job on the brass and also clean other parts. I don't find it works overly well, especially if I put in more than 1/4 full, and I still have to polish the brass in wallnut. The only thing I really like it for is cleaning cosmoline off of parts. I'm thinking of selling it, and just getting an ss pin wet tumbler. The results people seem to be getting with the we tumbler seems unbeatable. Is the wet tumbling worth it? Is there something I'm missing with the ultrasonic? Thx
Ultra sonic vs wet tumble with ss pins
- Thread starter julesr
- Start date
BlackSheepBrass
Regular
- Location
- Cobourg, Ontario
I have a $2,000 ultrasonic cleaner. It works great for degreasing parts / cleaning intricate parts. That being said I have found that the brass never really comes out with a polished finish on it. I tried using it with all of the brand name ultrasonic solutions and the results were less than stellar.
For the average shooter I would recommend that they stick with a normal vibratory tumbler, if they want to be exotic go to the SS pin setup.
I use ceramic media and burnishing compound for my first stage clean, and my final is in a fine corn media. It gives me that "final polished" look that makes the brass more appealing to the consumer.
For the average shooter I would recommend that they stick with a normal vibratory tumbler, if they want to be exotic go to the SS pin setup.
I use ceramic media and burnishing compound for my first stage clean, and my final is in a fine corn media. It gives me that "final polished" look that makes the brass more appealing to the consumer.
I have a us cleaner but use it mostly to clean parts.
Ss tumbling is just so much faster and better.
The only thing I dislike about ss tumbling is the need to separate pins, plus mine is huge and takes a lot of space. I use the us cleaner for really small batches of rifle ammo when I dont want to polish, or get the ss cleaner out.
I have a drum that does around 1000 223 cases per batch, and another one that is smaller that can do around 200-300 i guess.
I need to add 2 pulleys and another strap so both rods turn. I get too much slippage with the smaller drum doing small batches.
Ss tumbling is just so much faster and better.
The only thing I dislike about ss tumbling is the need to separate pins, plus mine is huge and takes a lot of space. I use the us cleaner for really small batches of rifle ammo when I dont want to polish, or get the ss cleaner out.
I have a drum that does around 1000 223 cases per batch, and another one that is smaller that can do around 200-300 i guess.
I need to add 2 pulleys and another strap so both rods turn. I get too much slippage with the smaller drum doing small batches.
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SS WT for the pretty, shiny brass, can't beat it, lots more work than vib tumbler.
Wow, the SS WT even deprime the brass. On my frankford have to deprime it myself.
Wow, the SS WT even deprime the brass. On my frankford have to deprime it myself.
Before and After - Wet Tumble SS with Norinco .223/5.56 brass (some of the dirtiest post-fired brass I've tumbled).
Any questions?
- Location
- West Quebec
..+1
- Location
- West Quebec
Primer pockets with my tumbler is as clean as it gets IMHO
SS WT for the pretty, shiny brass, can't beat it, lots more work than vib tumbler.
Wow, the SS WT even deprime the brass. On my frankford have to deprime it myself.
Lol. Deprimed before going in the tumbler. Makes it easier to dry.
I'll chime I here and say that I starting wet tumbling with SS pins and its awesome.
I also have the big Dillon 2001 tumbler and big separator and had been using that for years... But it pales in comparison to wet tumbling.
Although it's more time consuming to wet tumble.. And arguably messier... I didn't start reloading 20 years ago to save time and be clean (or save money for that matter). I'm still learning the art of wet tumbling... But so far it's superior!
I also have the big Dillon 2001 tumbler and big separator and had been using that for years... But it pales in comparison to wet tumbling.
Although it's more time consuming to wet tumble.. And arguably messier... I didn't start reloading 20 years ago to save time and be clean (or save money for that matter). I'm still learning the art of wet tumbling... But so far it's superior!
- Location
- West Quebec
I use a small ss tumbler for rifle loads and a larger one for greater quantitys >60
My ultra sonic gets mostly used for cleaning gun parts, on brass I found it to be almost useless compared to S steel pins. After a black powder shoot I put the deprimed brass in the ultra just to knock off the rough stuff followed by SS pins.
I posted my advice on cleaning brass using SS media in another thread here on CGN. I will repost it here and add the link to the original thread. The prices are a year and a half old now but you'll get the point. As for experience I've use dry, wet SS and ultra sonic for cleaning my brass. I find that SS pins do the best job but I still finish cleaning with the ultra sonic to be sure the insides of narrow necked cases including flash holes are clean.
http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/foru...ling-Media?p=10796017&viewfull=1#post10796017
Repost
I've now owned the Frankfurt Arsenal Rotary 30 lbs tumbler, the Thumler Model B high speed 15 bs, and the Extreme Tumblers Rebel 17 lbs. My favourite is the Frankford for its shear volume. It also has a timer and comes with SS pins. Next would be the Rebel 17 followed by the Thumler.
Here are some tips to consider before buying their first tumbler. Many of these I found out the hard way.
1. How much brass can it clean at once. Although the Model B has a 15 lbs capacity it doesn't fit much brass after you add SS pins (5 lbs) and approximately 4 litres of water (8 lbs). This only leaves you with 2 lbs of actual brass. So if you need to do lots of brass at approximately 3 hours a shot, having a bigger tumbler makes more sense. If you only do small batches then the Thumler would make more sense. The Rebel which is almost identical to the Thumler model B except with a better motor and exceptional construction holds 17 lbs which means for the same volume it can hold twice the brass, ie 4 lbs. As for the Frankford Arsenal with a 30 lbs capacity can hold about 12-13 lbs of brass with 5 lbs of pins and approximately 6 litres of water (12 lbs)
2. What does 2 lbs equate to in actual cases? Here is a rough guide courtesy of Stainlesstumblingmedia (STM) website. 300 Ultra Mag (50-63 cases), 300 Mag (60-75 cases), 30-06 (65-87 cases), 7mm Rem Mag (60-80 cases), 7wsm (60-75 cases), .308 (75-115 cases), .223 (135 - 150 cases), .45 (150 - 170 cases), .40 (205 - 215 cases), 9mm (205 215 cases), 50 BMG (20-25 cases), .243 (95-115 cases).
3. Recipes. There are a number of different ways to clean your brass. I've found the tips and recipe page on the STM site to be very useful. The directions are for the Rebel 17 but the lemi-shine and dish soap proportions are the essentially the same for the Thumler and Frankford. I've tried a few different detergrents but the lemi-shine dishwasher drying agent works very well for a spot free finish. I get mine from Canadian Tire as mentioned early in the thread. Drying to a spot free finish can be achieved from using your wife's salad spinner (just don't get caught) and air drying, to baking sheets in the oven on low, or using the specialty drying rack that comes with newer dryers. I find 15 mins on speed dry in the dryer using a towel spread across the sweater rack is the fastest.
4. What about ultrasonic cleaners? I've used both for cleaning brass. In my experience with everything from 9mm, 40, 45, 223 to 308, SS pins are great for cleaning 90-95% of the time. Sonic cleaners also clean very well but the SS pins seem to externally do a better job. As for primer pockets and brass with narrow necks, sonic cleaner do a better job. I personally wet tumble for 2-2.5 hours then sonic bath for another 30 mins to clean the areas the pins have a difficult time. My sonic cleaning solution is basically the reverse proportions of lemi-shine and dish soap that I use in the tumbler.
5. Price Point The Thumler Model B varies from $250 CAD at Cabelas to $285 CAD at Canadian Treasure Seekers ($125-142 CAD per 1 lbs of brass). STM currently has the high speed model for $190 USD. The Extreme Rebel 17 is currently $220 USD at STM but don't forget the cost of shipping and brokerage. If SilverFoxDJ bought one recently perhaps he can provide an update on shipping. ($55 USD per 1 lbs of brass). The Frankford Arsenal Rotary Tumbler costs $270 CAD at Cabelas but there are a few CGN dealers here that stock them and have better prices ($22.50 CAD per 1 lbs of brass) It also includes 5 lbs of SS pins whereas the Thumler and Rebel require you to shell out another $45-65 CAD for 5 lbs. As SilverFoxDJ noted I too bought my initial pins from fellow CGN Rooky.
http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/foru...ling-Media?p=10796017&viewfull=1#post10796017
Repost
I've now owned the Frankfurt Arsenal Rotary 30 lbs tumbler, the Thumler Model B high speed 15 bs, and the Extreme Tumblers Rebel 17 lbs. My favourite is the Frankford for its shear volume. It also has a timer and comes with SS pins. Next would be the Rebel 17 followed by the Thumler.
Here are some tips to consider before buying their first tumbler. Many of these I found out the hard way.
1. How much brass can it clean at once. Although the Model B has a 15 lbs capacity it doesn't fit much brass after you add SS pins (5 lbs) and approximately 4 litres of water (8 lbs). This only leaves you with 2 lbs of actual brass. So if you need to do lots of brass at approximately 3 hours a shot, having a bigger tumbler makes more sense. If you only do small batches then the Thumler would make more sense. The Rebel which is almost identical to the Thumler model B except with a better motor and exceptional construction holds 17 lbs which means for the same volume it can hold twice the brass, ie 4 lbs. As for the Frankford Arsenal with a 30 lbs capacity can hold about 12-13 lbs of brass with 5 lbs of pins and approximately 6 litres of water (12 lbs)
2. What does 2 lbs equate to in actual cases? Here is a rough guide courtesy of Stainlesstumblingmedia (STM) website. 300 Ultra Mag (50-63 cases), 300 Mag (60-75 cases), 30-06 (65-87 cases), 7mm Rem Mag (60-80 cases), 7wsm (60-75 cases), .308 (75-115 cases), .223 (135 - 150 cases), .45 (150 - 170 cases), .40 (205 - 215 cases), 9mm (205 215 cases), 50 BMG (20-25 cases), .243 (95-115 cases).
3. Recipes. There are a number of different ways to clean your brass. I've found the tips and recipe page on the STM site to be very useful. The directions are for the Rebel 17 but the lemi-shine and dish soap proportions are the essentially the same for the Thumler and Frankford. I've tried a few different detergrents but the lemi-shine dishwasher drying agent works very well for a spot free finish. I get mine from Canadian Tire as mentioned early in the thread. Drying to a spot free finish can be achieved from using your wife's salad spinner (just don't get caught) and air drying, to baking sheets in the oven on low, or using the specialty drying rack that comes with newer dryers. I find 15 mins on speed dry in the dryer using a towel spread across the sweater rack is the fastest.
4. What about ultrasonic cleaners? I've used both for cleaning brass. In my experience with everything from 9mm, 40, 45, 223 to 308, SS pins are great for cleaning 90-95% of the time. Sonic cleaners also clean very well but the SS pins seem to externally do a better job. As for primer pockets and brass with narrow necks, sonic cleaner do a better job. I personally wet tumble for 2-2.5 hours then sonic bath for another 30 mins to clean the areas the pins have a difficult time. My sonic cleaning solution is basically the reverse proportions of lemi-shine and dish soap that I use in the tumbler.
5. Price Point The Thumler Model B varies from $250 CAD at Cabelas to $285 CAD at Canadian Treasure Seekers ($125-142 CAD per 1 lbs of brass). STM currently has the high speed model for $190 USD. The Extreme Rebel 17 is currently $220 USD at STM but don't forget the cost of shipping and brokerage. If SilverFoxDJ bought one recently perhaps he can provide an update on shipping. ($55 USD per 1 lbs of brass). The Frankford Arsenal Rotary Tumbler costs $270 CAD at Cabelas but there are a few CGN dealers here that stock them and have better prices ($22.50 CAD per 1 lbs of brass) It also includes 5 lbs of SS pins whereas the Thumler and Rebel require you to shell out another $45-65 CAD for 5 lbs. As SilverFoxDJ noted I too bought my initial pins from fellow CGN Rooky.
I do the same thing. I essentially use my Rebel for my small batch rifle cases and my Frankfurt for large pistol quantities. I am assuming that you finally picked up the Frankfurt as well.
