How do you like to dry your brass?

[Butcherbill]

I was thinking of getting one of these but had read a few crappy reviews about them falling apart or breaking. Have you had any issues with yours?

Zero issues, I bought it used last year so who knows how little or how much it’s been used. I only use it to separate SS pins and not as a dry media separator, I use a colander on top of a 5gal pail to sift walnut media out of brass I clean in the vibratory lyman. Works well for how I use it, haven’t found any pins in flash holes.

 

[legi0n]

40 min at 250F or 20 mins at 350F if I'm in a hurry
350F will oxidize the cases though but then annealing does that anyways

 

[toxic]

A quick whirl in a case separator and then into the air fryer (dedicated to doing brass only). Dries brass in 4 minutes. Keep the temp low enough that it doesn't set off a live primer just in case something got mixed in by accident.

 

[recce]

Zero issues, I bought it used last year so who knows how little or how much it’s been used. I only use it to separate SS pins and not as a dry media separator, I use a colander on top of a 5gal pail to sift walnut media out of brass I clean in the vibratory lyman. Works well for how I use it, haven’t found any pins in flash holes.

Thank you and Happy New Year.

 

[Paul_1982]

Frankford Arsenal Brass Dryer

 

[blargon]

I have used the oven on occasion, and also have used a mesh laundry bag pinched in the dryer door.

 

[BigRobb]

I only ever air dry on a towel. In the sun in the summer or a few days in the garage when it’s cloudy. Primers out makes a big difference though. Harder with pistol brass, but I’d say it makes a huge difference with rifle brass.

 

[old303]

That Frankford brass dryer looks strangely identical to the food dehydrator Lee Valley sells. Don't use the same unit for both, though.

 

[Paul_1982]

That Frankford brass dryer looks strangely identical to the food dehydrator Lee Valley sells. Don't use the same unit for both, though.

It has multiple layers and can hold hundreds of casings. I like it, but it’s not an essential piece of kit.

 

[Gatehouse]

I wet tumble in a cement mixer. In summer I lay the brass out on 2'x 8' drying racks in the sun. I try to do as much brass as possible in summer. Winter I use dehydrators, I have 2 of the Frankford ones and 2 generic food dehydrator.

 

[DiMP]

I'm never in a rush for reloading as I keep enough brass that I'm not waiting for the newly washed stuff. I use a wet tumbler with the SS pins and after I sift all the pins out I have an old cookie sheet with a towel on it. I just let them air dry at the bench, usually for a couple days before I get back to them. If I ever find myself in a rush for specific brass, I wait until close to dinner and toss them in the pre-heating oven and by the time it's up to temperature everything is dry (as noted above though, make it too hot and they change colour slightly)

 

[Bubba Yugga]

I'm never in a rush for reloading as I keep enough brass that I'm not waiting for the newly washed stuff. I use a wet tumbler with the SS pins and after I sift all the pins out I have an old cookie sheet with a towel on it. I just let them air dry at the bench, usually for a couple days before I get back to them. If I ever find myself in a rush for specific brass, I wait until close to dinner and toss them in the pre-heating oven and by the time it's up to temperature everything is dry (as noted above though, make it too hot and they change colour slightly)

That's a little scary, if you anneal the case heads. I'd take those discoloured cases to the recycler in town.

 

[gunlover03]

I use shoe rack that came with my clothes dryer works very well

 

[Snider shooter]

Winter time I dry my brass on a try by the wood stove. Summer time I lay it outside in the sun. I have laid it in the back window of the car with the windows up which works well.

 

[RRH.01]

I do it in the oven, wait until it preheats to 200f and then throw them in for ten minutes, turn it off and wait another 10-15 and they’re good to go. I was told to throw it in after it’s pre heated and not while as they can be exposed to too much heat.

 

[Wendell]

How to clean your brass for reloading with Jerry Miculek
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5y_dsP3dsM>

 

[DiMP]

That's a little scary, if you anneal the case heads. I'd take those discoloured cases to the recycler in town.

I'll take the note of caution, but I thought I'd read before to anneal brass you need to bring it up to like 600*f? I'd assumed all would be ok when I preheat the oven to 300 and pull them out when it beeps (ie: they've only been in the heat for 10 minutes total and even less of that time at the top end of the range). I haven't done it too many times, but I haven't run into any issues as of yet for the batches I'd completed

 

[Blinkmaster]

I only ever air dry on a towel. In the sun in the summer or a few days in the garage when it’s cloudy. Primers out makes a big difference though. Harder with pistol brass, but I’d say it makes a huge difference with rifle brass.

I do the same. I leave them on a towel for a few days, very dry air in basement, especially in winter. I also remove the spent primers b4 wet tumble.

 

[Sun_and_Steel_77]

outside in the sunshine and wind in the warmer months and on top of the woodstove in the winter and shoulder seasons.

 

[hoytcanon]

I use dry media in a vibrator and then wash in a pail with warm water and a spot of dish soap. After swirling around in the water for a few minutes, I drain the water, swishing the brass around to empty as much out of the cases as possible, then I spread the batch in the center of a large towel, then gather the ends together to form a hammock, see-sawing the hammock back and forth rolling the brass rapidly. This empties all of the water which the towel captures but it also does a very good job of doing a final polishing on the exterior of the brass. I then layout the batch on a clean dry towel for a couple days to air dry... never had a problem with moisture in the cases.