Is tumbler better than vibratory and ultra sonic

gslinger

gslinger

New member
Rating - 100%
89   0   0
Location
Winnipeg
Has anybody got any thoughts on whitch case cleaner is better.I have been told that tumblers are hard on brass and can make it brittle.Vibratory cleaners are easier on brass but doesn't clean inside cases very well.
Haven't heard about ultra sonic any opionions.
thanks
 
gslinger said:
Has anybody got any thoughts on whitch case cleaner is better.I have been told that tumblers are hard on brass and can make it brittle.Vibratory cleaners are easier on brass but doesn't clean inside cases very well.
Haven't heard about ultra sonic any opionions.
thanks
Click to expand...

How clean do u want your brass?
 
i got a tumbler it does a good job but the sonic ones clean the primer pockets better im looking at some sonic there are pros and cons so ive researched them and you got to watch which ones you buy go on line and youll see what i mean . im not going to say i wont buy one its just has to be the right one . hound2013
 
I have a Frank Arsenal Tumbler, corncob walnut mix with Nu-Finish is ridiculously easy and cheap. Brass is super bright after a few hours and I think you can do much more brass in a tumbler than sonic tank???
 
triplepete said:
I have a Frank Arsenal Tumbler, corncob walnut mix with Nu-Finish is ridiculously easy and cheap. Brass is super bright after a few hours and I think you can do much more brass in a tumbler than sonic tank???
Click to expand...

I can fit ~200 30-06 maybe more in my sonic cleaner and a whack of 223rem in there. I had 200 223 and 50 30-06 in there and there was still lots room
 
I have no need for absolutely spotless brass for each reload so I use the cheapest Lyman tumbler I could find and use corn cob media.
Some people don't tumble at all and just wipe the brass off after each firing with some alcohol or spirits of some kind.
If you want brass that is often cleaner than virgin, use stainless pins in a liquid tumbler. I have no idea what the advantages are to this process but the disadvantages are it takes longer and requires more clean up.
Ultra sonic are great at removing carbon and dirt but aren't that good at removing oxidization. Some of the range collected brass I have picked up has spots of corrosion on them and a dry media tumbler or steel pins will remove it easily. Ultrasonic not as easily.

In my eyes:
For general reloading, dry media tumblers seem to be the most common and least work.
If you don't collect range brass and want cleaner brass for whatever reason (does it increase accuracy? I have no idea) then an ultrasonic cleaner works well.
If you want virgin looking brass, even if range collected, then stainless pins is the best option.
 
I hummed and hawed about this one a fair bit myself. I had already bought a Lyman 2500 when I first heard about SS cleaning and REALLY wanted to pull the trigger on getting one despite the fact I had already spent around $150 on the Lyman. After reading that some of the vets around here rarely even clean their cases I figured it really wasnt' much of an issue. They Lyman does polish the outside of the cases quite nicely so figured buying SS was just cosmetics.

Maybe down the road but for now, I'm sticking with the Lyman 2500.
 
I put an old bounce sheet in my tumbler and there is no dust to speak of.

I use a vibratory tumbler and found that using Lyman media (the green stuff) cut the time needed in half and does a better job than corn cob or walnut media, but of course the inside of the cases don't get cleaned.
I would have switched years ago if I had known...had it sitting there that long too...
 
ekp said:
I've read once that dry media tumbler produces lots of dust in the room. Can anybody confirm, it it right ?

--
Thanks !
Click to expand...

I think that would depend on the tumbler. I've seen a few models that have slits in the lid you bolt on, others don't. The ones with the slits in the lid I would imagine would create a fair bit of dust. The one I bought has a solid lid, no slits so I assume it keeps most of the dust in. Regardless of what type you have, running them out in the garage or outdoors strikes me as the smartest thing to do. Also when you use a media seperator, that's gotta create a fair bit of dust too.

Keep em outside your house I say.
 
I have a Thumler's Tumbler Model B High Speed and love it, I also have a vibratory case cleaner I used for years prior to getting the Thumler's Tumbler.

AccurateShooter.com is a hangout for competitive shooters and below are the negatives to the case cleaning types mentioned by them.

1. Vibratory case cleaners with abrasive compounds are not liked because it is felt the abrasive compounds will damage the bore of their custom barrels.

2. Thumler's Tumblers type cleaners can peen the case mouths and the ultra clean inside of of the necks causes bonding between the case and the bullet causing velocity variations.

Now that I have the Thumler's Tumbler Model B High Speed I would not use anything else, because many of my cases end up on the ground from my M1 and AR15. This method removes any abrasive dirt and grit that can become embedded in the brass and scratch your reloading dies, I also do not shoot in competition or have any custom made barrels.

I get the impression that more competitive bench rest and long range shooters prefer the ultra sonic cleaners. This method doesn't expose the cases to vibratory abrasive compounds or tumbling with stainless media and bumping and grinding the cases together.

NOTE: The competitive shooters mentioned above take great pains weighing, uniforming, neck turning etc their pampered cases and are very fussy.

Below, Remington .223 cases after using my Thumler's Tumbler to clean them and waiting to be resized and prepped.

halfdone.jpg


Rinsing and separating the pins.

basket_zps713203ef.jpg


Drying the brass.

hairdryer.jpg
 
Last edited:
ekp said:
I've read once that dry media tumbler produces lots of dust in the room. Can anybody confirm, it it right ?
Click to expand...
I've run mine for 8 hours before and it has a slotted top for sifting the media out afterwards. I've never had any noticeable dust in the room (I run it in a bathroom). I use the Bounce dryer sheets to reduce the amount of dust on the brass when I remove it from the tumbler though.

The dry media does leave some dust on the cases regardless and I have a couple dies with very fine scratches inside that may have been caused by this dust. They leave very fine scratches on the necks of the cases sized in them. When I stopped using spray lube and switched to RCBS case lube rubbed on with my fingers and later Imperial Wax I noticed that sometimes I could feed grit on the cases. Lubing in this way rubs it off but it may have remained on the cases when I was using spray lube and caused the scratches.
 
I tumble every load so my brass doesn't get very dirty but if I pick up range brass I throw it in the industrial sonic cleaner at work. It's got a heater etc so anything is spotless in a few minutes.
 
Well i got a thumler's tumbler model A-R1.Checked cabela's web site,but they don't show any.Anybody on the site got stainless media for sale or know where to order some?Because thier stainless pins and bearings and water,i'm asuming thier heavier and will have to use less brass for wieght load of tumbler 3lb. 1LB MEDIA 1LB WATER 1LB CASES
thanks
 
Personally prefer a vibrator to a tumbler... I find that it does a better job and the media last longer... +1 on the bounce sheets to clean the media.
 
i run my tumbler under/in my fish tank stand to keep the dust and noise down. i don't know how it happened, but one time i went to see how the brass came out and there was a red dust over everything in the stand! i use used dryer sheets now as well as tumble in the garage.
 
hometownhero said:
I got a sonic and use hornady cleaner solution with a bit of lemishine and the cases come out looking like virgin brass.
Click to expand...

I've got the small Hornady and use the Hornady solution also.
Haven,t tried the leminshine,but am impressed with how nice the cases come out.
I clean my benchrest brass and 45acp brass.
I'm now a believer in ultrasonic cleaning.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom