Case cleaning

[Snider shooter]

I use a tumbler with walnut. I picked up a second tumbler when I bought my Lyman T mag. I was going to sell it but when I want to do my 30-06 and 303 brass I use them both, l have close to a 1000 of each so the extra tumbler helps. I don’t really care about getting into wet tumbling. As far as rifle primer pockets go I use a tool for cleaning them.

 

[downwindtracker2]

Did they do the weekly piss tests? As well as the weekly blood tests for lead. We had to when we got into a old section where there might be residue from Sullivan ore. It wasn't a problem with Red Dog ore.


The reason to make sure the inside of the necks are clean, is to get as even a bullet release tension as possible. Even release means even pressures.Just common sense.

 

[Gatehouse]

There should be two types of reloaders out there. The ones who wet tumble, and those who are looking to upgrade to wet tumbling.
Besides the price, I cannot think of a single reason one would choose to use a vibratory tumbler…

Dry tumbling is more convenient. Dump in brass, turn on machine and walk away. Come back later, dump tumbler contents into media separator and give it a few spins and you are done. No need to dry brass or remove pins if you use them.

 

[Potashminer]

Dry tumbling is more convenient. Dump in brass, turn on machine and walk away. Come back later, dump tumbler contents into media separator and give it a few spins and you are done. No need to dry brass or remove pins if you use them.

In my experience with crushed walnut hull media, you forgot to mention the part about checking the flash holes one by one for blockages - or do not care about that. But is similar with wet tumbling with pins - I had three pins wedged into a flash hole - so even those, I check one by one before re-priming them.

 

[FLHTCUI]

In my experience with crushed walnut hull media, you forgot to mention the part about checking the flash holes one by one for blockages - or do not care about that. But is similar with wet tumbling with pins - I had three pins wedged into a flash hole - so even those, I check one by one before re-priming them.

Potashminer,I use dry media and have done so from the first time I started reloading.
I have only ever used a vibratory bowl type machine with walnut media .
The most I ran through the machine was 200 rounds either with or without spent primers and yes I checked every last one.
Labor intensive yes, but piece of mind or ocd was and is important...maybe not so much the ocd
Rob

 

[FarmerDanz]

Just get the Frankfort wet tumbler.

Before you know it you will have 400lbs of 9mm brass. Lol sigh...

 

[Biologist]

For those commenting on not using a dry media tumbler:

I get where you are coming from. That is why I run my brass through an ultrasonic cleaner first. Three 8 minute cycles.
That gets rid of alot of stuff via water and solution. Then I rinse it, and place on a drying rack.

There is still a tenacious carbon film on the necks (bottleneck cases) despite 3 cycles in the ultrasonic cleaner, and some primer pockets still contain alot of crud. 1 or 2 days later after drying, I take the cases outside for the dry tumbling which gets it shiny and clean. But its covered in dust, and that dust has nasty compounds in it. So I then wash the cases in dish soap and water, and rinse, then dry on the rack.

There is no dust residue getting into my dies because I wash it off.

 

[Gatehouse]

In my experience with crushed walnut hull media, you forgot to mention the part about checking the flash holes one by one for blockages - or do not care about that. But is similar with wet tumbling with pins - I had three pins wedged into a flash hole - so even those, I check one by one before re-priming them.

I don't decap before tumbling so the primer punch will take care of that.

 

[A&Shuntr]

I've worked a shutdown in the smelter in Trail, the world largest lead/zinc smelter. It was unreal the precautions we took. They don't do that unless they have to. If you can avoid lead dust, all the better.

And this has what correlation to this thread? Unless I'm missing something where was tumbling lead mentioned?

 

[downwindtracker2]

And this has what correlation to this thread? Unless I'm missing something where was tumbling lead mentioned?

Priming compound has a has lead in it, it's that dust, that is the problem. I worked around liquid lead for over 20 years, but I was cautious around the lead baths. My yearly blood samples numbers were good. After our mill closed, I did a shutdown at Trail. I worked for a contractor there, if our weekly blood sample numbers were high, you would be laid off. They took lead dust that seriously.

 

[coyoteking]

There should be two types of reloaders out there. The ones who wet tumble, and those who are looking to upgrade to wet tumbling.
Besides the price, I cannot think of a single reason one would choose to use a vibratory tumbler…

Convenience.
Ease of use.
No dinged up case mouths (assuming you use steel pins).
Wet tumbling removes the carbon from the necks, which is undesirable.

 

[coyoteking]

The reason to make sure the inside of the necks are clean, is to get as even a bullet release tension as possible. Even release means even pressures.Just common sense.

I’ve experimented extensively with clean case necks vs leaving them coated with carbon. The carbon coating consistently produced lower SD’s and ES’s. I also tried lubing clean necks with graphite vs necks with carbon coating left intact. The carbon necks produced smaller SD’s.

 

[A&Shuntr]

Priming compound has a has lead in it, it's that dust, that is the problem. I worked around liquid lead for over 20 years, but I was cautious around the lead baths. My yearly blood samples numbers were good. After our mill closed, I did a shutdown at Trail. I worked for a contractor there, if our weekly blood sample numbers were high, you would be laid off. They took lead dust that seriously.

This ain't 1950 anymore, Ever since Sintox lead-free primers were introduced in the 1980's most if not all primer manufacturers in the free world make alot of their primers lead free. But even when you dry tumble a hundred or so cases that did have lead in the priming, during the consumption of the compound from being fired the miniscule residual amount left in the cases would be insignificant - sorry, the sky isn't falling. And yes, I did chew on my lead containing painted crib when I was a baby back in the '60s and there are a lot of lead municipal water lines still kicking around....

 

[Butcherbill]

There should be two types of reloaders out there. The ones who wet tumble, and those who are looking to upgrade to wet tumbling.
Besides the price, I cannot think of a single reason one would choose to use a vibratory tumbler…

Some people dry tumble after resizing bottle neck cases to remove case lube prior to priming etc, I’m in the it’s nice to have both options camp. I use wet or dry depending on what I’m doing or what level of clean I want to achieve.

 

[kjohn]

I use a Frankford vibratory setup. Crushed walnut from Princess Auto, along with a dribble of car polish. (a friend gave me some part bottles). Works good enough for the girls I go with. I also have an old Thumbler's Tumbler, a smaller one, that I used for years. I tried a Canadian Tire vibrator. It fell apart after a couple of uses. JUNK.

 

[4n2t0]

This ain't 1950 anymore, Ever since Sintox lead-free primers were introduced in the 1980's most if not all primer manufacturers in the free world make alot of their primers lead free.

Really? Wow, I wasn't aware that was the case. Can you please provide links to all these lead free pistol primers available for purchase in Canada from "most if not all" of the primer manufacturers? I should start loading them exclusively since they're so readily available now.

 

[Buckmastr]

I use a walnut tumbler. I don’t want super perfectly clean brass. I prefer to leave the carbon on the necks and a bit of dust on the inside never hurts either.

 

[downwindtracker2]

At a gunshow many years ago now, there was a fellow selling bags of crushed walnut and plans to make your own vibrating tumbler. He had one displayed. A motor hanging off the bottom of a sturdy one gallon ice cream pail driving an out of balance disc. For springs, I was going to use 1/4" ID rubber air hose over 1/4" stovebolts. The open space between the bolts and the how out of balance the disc was would govern the shake. I picked up a little PA surplus motor, some lizard bedding, and the sturdy ice cream pail, but never bothered making one. When I rebuilt my wife's lapidary tumbler, I used the modifications I addded on my case tumbler design. I'm quite pleased with the brass after some experimenting with soap mixtures.

 

[Canuck65]

I use a lyman vibatory tumbler. Works great. I also use a hobby-shop rock tumbler with some lemmishine and pin media. Also works great.

 

[Butcherbill]

I run my Lyman 1200 outside in the unheated garage in the depths of winter at temperatures as low as -20C, sometimes colder. Many years of use its never failed. I duct taped the lid slots to keep the dust in, although some will inevitably escape around the lid edge. Tumbler media dust is bad to breathe in, so I recommend always running a dry media tumbler outside (under cover obviously, protected from rain and snow). Its also very noisy, so outside it is for my preference.

I understand why the newer Lyman’s have the slots in the lid but the solid lids on the older ones keep dust in, with some liquid car wax and varsol added there’s virtually no dust anywhere around my solid lid lyman tumbler. Doesn’t take any more time to drain the bowl into a separator or colander.