Homemade Brass Dryer(56k Beware)

arcstarter

arcstarter

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Location
Lethbridge, AB
I needed a way to better dry my brass after using the stainless tumbling media and this is what I came up with...

It uses:
1 Toolbox
1 Computer fan, Power adapter
1 Light bulb, outdoor mount, and power cord
144 wooden rod pieces at 3"
1 Gutter Guard grate
1 Length of 3/8" ready rod
8 Lock Nuts
and a whole lot of time

All I did was drill the holes in the top for ventilation, the holes in the side for air intake for the fan, the hole for the light, and holes to fit the ready rod through.

once all the holes are drilled mount your computer fan so that the air is being blown into the toolbox and wire it to your 120v to 12v adapter. at this time I also mounted the outdoor light fixture inside the box and wired it to a cord.

I then cut the ready rod to the lengths I needed and bolted them into the box to provide the support for the gutter guard. The mesh I had wasn't wide enough to span the toolbox so I had to cut and overlap a strip of it to make it work. I then used hot glue and attached each piece of the wooden rods(make sure you use the high temp hot glue, I made the mistake of using the low temp stuff and my light bulb melted it).

All in all this worked out pretty well and can dry 144pcs of brass in 15-20mins and you don't get any water spots on your brass.

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I have been thinking about that kind of setup. I drilled out a couple of MTM reloading trays and use the forced air register in the kitchen. Works as long as the furnace or A/C is on.
This works any time and you would only have to wait an hour or so.
Good Idea.
 
Please reduce the size of your pictures.
Lotta work for something that can be done in 15 minutes with a cookie sheet and your oven.
 
I decap, sort, put them into smaller baggies (220 for 9 mm, 200 for 40, 180 for 45) then run the tumbler as I'm on the way out the door to work. Get home from work, rinse and spread out on a towel. The ones sitting there from the day before are dry by then and I bag those ones up into big ziplock bags .. Done .. Really not much more to it. They are perfectly dry in 24 hours ...

Building a set up like that just seems more time and effort than I would take ... Just have a supply of clean brass waiting for you then you're not worries aout the time it takes to dry them. Just IMO
 
Rubberknot said:
Nicely done!!. Not to hi-jack this thread, but do you guys wash the brass with soap or cleaner once tumbled or just rinse with water?
Click to expand...

I just rinse with warm water, roll it in a big towel then I just leave my brass base up in reloading trays overnight under a heat vent. I use a RCBS rotary media seperator, run it under the water while turning it.
 
Rubberknot said:
Nicely done!!. Not to hi-jack this thread, but do you guys wash the brass with soap or cleaner once tumbled or just rinse with water?
Click to expand...
After the tumbler, I wash the brass with soap & water. Then rinse with warm water twice. The brass is then put in plastic trays, head stamp faceing up, then placed on top of the vent. Left their over night.
 
I dump them into a metal basket that fits into a pale. While I twirl them by hand to rinse them, media falls down and the brass stays in the basket. Shake, then towel-dry, dump them back into the basket. Put the basket over an air register overnight. Works for me - mind you, I only reload pistol calibers, short pistol brass is easier to dry.
 
I was going to build a box as you did but read that 99% alcohol work's quicker and cheaper.
Off to Walmart,$7.50 later I have a liter bottle.
I pour it all into a bucket,put in my brass and swish it around with my hand.
Lift them out,put'em on the picnic table and in the time it take's me to pour the remainder of the alcohol back into the bottle and put it away my brass is dried.
 
If anything, it would make a great winter project when it's minus 25C outside. It does the job that it was intended for and that's what matters most. Nice looking project.
 
257Roberts said:
I have commented on another post. Sunray you really have to watch using the over method. I had to scrap a bunch of brass once and never did that again.
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Not really, set it up at 250 and your good to go. Leave them in for however long you want, its not going to hurt a thing. It's when it reaches over 425deg. that it starts to anneal the case and that's when you need to scrap the brass.
 
gerard said:
If anything, it would make a great winter project when it's minus 25C outside. It does the job that it was intended for and that's what matters most. Nice looking project.
Click to expand...

I agree, but when it's get's to -25 the furnace is cycling on and off.
I put my brass over a heat duct at that point,and let it dry that way.
 
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