Turbo Tumbler died, need advice

Yeah,

It's at least 20 years old. I picked up one of those hornady ultra sonic machines and it works pretty well especially on the inside of the cases. Might combine with a new tumbler for best clean/polish.

Thanks for the input all,

Patrick
 
What advantage is there to the stainless pin tumbling other than really pretty, shiny brass? .

I like the wet stainless method for a these reasons.

1. No dust.
2. Media lasts indefinitely.
3. Brass that is completely clean is very easy to inspect for flaws.
4. I find my brass easier to size... No grit left over from dry media.
5. No dust.
6. No dust.
The tumbler I built can handle upwards of 800 .223 cases.
It was inexpensive to put together and works well.
It's also much quieter than my old vibratory dry tumbler.
 
Everyone has "their" preferred method for cleaning brass. I myself use the stainless pins and have never looked back. I previously used the Lyman turbo 1200, but hated the dust, the noise and picking bits of the flash holes and I didn't find it did a great job on the primer pockets.
I now toss the brass into the tumbler with the pins, a little dishsoap, lemishine(citric acid) and flip the switch. No dust and very little noise. On occasion I will find a couple of pins in a flash hole, but that is rare
A few hours later, I just put the brass to dry on a towel on my bench. If I need it quick I drop a light down over top as a small heat source and it is dry in no time.
Brass is super clean...inside, outside & primer pockets. Badda Bing, Badda Boom

What machine are you using with that method ?

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Thanks !
 
What machine are you using with that method ?

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Thanks !

I'm guessing that most buy and use the Thumler's Tumbler. It is a popular unit. It was originally designed to be a rock tumbler, but has found a home on many a reloader's bench.
images.jpg


Then there are those who like myself feel that the 15 pound limit (which includes 5lbs of stainless pins and the water) is not enough for whatever reason. So some build thier own tumblers.
I myself found a used treadmill on Kijiji that someone was giving away and modified it to suit my purpose. I removed the hand rails, all the electronics, cut and welded the frame to shorten it and voila...a tumbler(well once you add the barrel).
I have used different barrels and am still in search of the perfect one, but an old 13l olive barrel or something in that size works great. The barrel will neeed some kind of ribs inside to get the tumbling action. If it is perfectly round, then the pins and brass will not actually tumble. I have a large glue gun and just put a few beads inside the round drums to get the tumbling action.
Here is a pic of mine after the modifications.
DSCN1073.JPG


I think ultimately I will create a smaller base for it, but the 12vdc motor that came with it works great and the tumbler as a whole does a fantastic job.
 
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