i have purchased a 50th anniversary lee challeger single stage press kit, i got my dies and what not and got is all set up when i realized that i cant get the inside of the shells as clean as i would like . is it necessary for them to be spotless? my question is do i need to go get a tumbler or ultrasonic cleaner to start my reloading or is there another way. thanks
beginner reloader question
- Thread starter winemaker
- Start date
- Location
- Fort St John BC
They don't need to be clean many reloaders reload without cleaning there brass and people that use vibratory tumblers still aren't cleaning there brass just making it shiny so it definatly is not something you have to do but if you do want them spotless I recommend stainless tumbling
the inside is almost never clean. some guys like to tumble till it looks like fine jewelry, other guys just tumble to get the crud off. the inside is where the expansion of gasses occurs.. to get that clean would be really hard and a waste of time. make sure your primer pockets get lceaned though. When I do pistol cases, i tumble them for about a half hour then go for it.
**yes, get a tumbler. use walnut or corncob media. I prefer walnut.
**yes, get a tumbler. use walnut or corncob media. I prefer walnut.
As said a tumbler isn't necessary. You can always clean the primer pocket with a primer pocket cleaner and even do the inside of the case witha a pipe cleaner if you really wanted to (although you'll probably spend more time than get results).
Personally I deprime my brass. Tumble them for a few hours in corn cob media to take the crud off which keeps my dies a little cleaner. I Lube, and size my brass. Then they all go back in for another tumble in corn cob with some polishing agent added to get that nice shine. Its a longer process, but the way I see it - while my brass is in the tumbler, I'm free to do other things. So if all it does is clean my primer pockets - that's time I've saved having to do them manually.
Personally I deprime my brass. Tumble them for a few hours in corn cob media to take the crud off which keeps my dies a little cleaner. I Lube, and size my brass. Then they all go back in for another tumble in corn cob with some polishing agent added to get that nice shine. Its a longer process, but the way I see it - while my brass is in the tumbler, I'm free to do other things. So if all it does is clean my primer pockets - that's time I've saved having to do them manually.
THE most important part of the case to clean is the neck and shoulder of the case (for bottleneck cases) as this is the part you are going to be sizing the most in your die and you want that area CLEAN. If you don't have a tumbler you can use 000 fine steel wool and give each case a few turns back and forth to clean those areas off.
Cleaninig the inside of the case is a complete waste of time other than the neck which will be sliding over your expander ball on its way out of the die after sizing (if you are using a standard FL Sizing Die), this does not have to be shiny spotless but a bronze bore brush will held remove the carbon and powder fouling which will help with the expander ball sliding through a little nicer.
I clean my primer pockets but I cant say whether makes a lick of difference or not.
Cleaninig the inside of the case is a complete waste of time other than the neck which will be sliding over your expander ball on its way out of the die after sizing (if you are using a standard FL Sizing Die), this does not have to be shiny spotless but a bronze bore brush will held remove the carbon and powder fouling which will help with the expander ball sliding through a little nicer.
I clean my primer pockets but I cant say whether makes a lick of difference or not.
- Location
- Fort St John BC
Vibratory tumblers are a waste of money in my opinion!! And if your trying to save money there are a few decent water solutions like mentioned that do a good enough job or look into building your own stainless tumbler it can be made quite cheap and gets amazing results
I've done the vinegar and a table spoon of lemon juice to 9mm and .45 brass. It works fairly well to remove the crud on the outside, the inside won't get as clean as the outside of the shell but I just take a small screw driver and wrap the tip in paper towel. Yes it is a very tedious task but honestly it makes no real difference.
The outside of the brass won't be as shiney as putting it through a stainless steel tumbler or a walnut/ corncob media vibrator tumbler. But it helps.
If you want to get the inside and outside clean look at a sonic case cleaner.
If your sole concern is the cleanliness of your dies, then I think a wipe down after a quick soak will suffice. Scrubbing with steel wool will do even better. But be aware that it is very time consuming. There are other el-cheapo solutions to cleaning your brass if you look around on the web, but none cheaper than...
...keep your brass clean. Don't drop it in the dirt. Don't throw it on the floor of your truck, or in the bottom of your range bag. If you keep it clean, then all you'll be dealing with is powder residue, which is easily wiped off.
google IOSSO case cleaner.This product smell exactly like CLR cleaner that you can buy at Canadian Tire. I have used it, it will clean brass but does not make it shiny. But an ultrasonic cleaner doesn't make them shiny either.
So if you want clean and shiny you need to buy both an ultrasonic and a tumbler, or go woth the SS pins method which I have not tried.
As far as clean primer pockets go I'm with cyaN1de, it doesn't really matter.
So if you want clean and shiny you need to buy both an ultrasonic and a tumbler, or go woth the SS pins method which I have not tried.
As far as clean primer pockets go I'm with cyaN1de, it doesn't really matter.
