Thumbler's Tumbler Recipes

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Nipigon Jack

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New to reloading. Just received my Thumber's Tumbler from Sinclair today. I have read about guys using Lemon Shine and Dawn, and I am full of questions.
Is Lemon Shine a dishwasher detergent?
Where will I find it?
Is it readily avaialble in Canada?
Am I adding water to the mix, or just the lemon shine, the stainless pins and my brass?
Did I read about someone using both Dawn and Lemon Shine?

Please pass along your knowledge. I have a thousand brass,plus waiting to be cleaned and my Black Badge course is at the end of the month. Please be prepared as I'll be setting up my Dillon next so another round of stupid questions are bound to come up in the next few days.
 
Indeed, go onto Canadian Tire's website, and check the stock level for Lemi-Shine. $4 on the nose here. And I bought 3 bottles just to make sure :)

My recipe is 1 Tsp of Ultra-Concentrated Dawn, and 1/4 Tsp of Lemi-shine. Then I fill the tub 3/4 full with scorching hot water. I tumble for about 3 hours. Everything is perfect after that.

Experiment a little. You might find that it is too much soap. Sort of depends on the water quality.
 
Moose308 said:
Indeed, go onto Canadian Tire's website, and check the stock level for Lemi-Shine. $4 on the nose here. And I bought 3 bottles just to make sure :)

My recipe is 1 Tsp of Ultra-Concentrated Dawn, and 1/4 Tsp of Lemi-shine. Then I fill the tub 3/4 full with scorching hot water. I tumble for about 3 hours. Everything is perfect after that.

Experiment a little. You might find that it is too much soap. Sort of depends on the water quality.
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I use this recipe as well with excellent results. I think any dishsoap will work I happen to use Sunlight Antibacterial (safety first, I can't have my reloads getting sick) I did use the vinegar/soap solution in my ultrasonic and tumbler but found that the vinegar would tarnish the cases even after rinsing with baking soda and water.
 
I've used water right out of the garden hose with great result's.
Don't be cheap with the Dawn dishwashing soap.
A 40 cal case of Lemmishine or Limefreash will work.
Lemmishine is from Canadian tire in the house hold cleaner section.
Limefreash if from Home Hardware,same section.

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I use 2 tablespoons of Dawn and 1/8 or 1/4 teaspoon of Lemi Shine (bought mine at Canadian Tire but it isn't on their shelves any more). Hint, pick up a dedicated set of measuring spoons from your local dollar store and just leave them with your brass cleaning supplies.

I use hot water from the tap. I tried cold distilled water (from the basement dehumidifier) but I think the hot water works better.

I tumble for about 3 to 5 hours (depends if I remember I left the damn thing on in the basement) and rinse in hot tap water. I just let the cases air dry in a metal basket (a metal cutlery drawer organizer from Canadian Tire again).

I tried not using Lemi Shine and the brass just wasn't as bright without it. Plenty clean for loading and use, just not as shiny.

The only problem I've had with using the Thumbler and SS Media is depriming my brass before tumbling. I've ruined two different makes of universal depriming dies (a RCBS and a Lyman) somehow. I've got a Lee on order and a replacement pin/shaft for the Lyman is on its way free from the manufacturer.
 
As far as I have been able to tell from reading various sites, Lemi-Shine is pretty much just Citric Acid, fluffed up with a bunch of liquid and packaged for retail.

Unsweetened Kool-Aid, is mostly Citric Acid, with some color and a few crystals of flavor added in, the Lemonade flavor pouch has about the least color and flavor added, if you don't want to spring for the kilogram bag of straight Citric Acid to try the stuff out.

FWIW, I paid under $10 for a Kg. bag at the U-Brew shop. It is used for cleaning bottles and equipment.

Cheers
Trev
 
CTC link;
w ww.canadiantire.ca/AST/browse/3/HouseHome/3/CleaningToolsVacuums/DishDetergents/PRD~0534063P/Lemishine.jsp
put in your postal code and see if there is any local to you.
 
What I have found since I started to use the tumbler and the stainless steel pins is that the mouth of the rifle cases sometimes will get penned slightly. So when you go to seat the bullet into the case it will be really snug and sometimes will scrap some of the copper jacket off and you will have little gold colored shavings.

When this was first pointed out on this site I thought the guy was full of it but he is correct. With pistol rounds I never noticed it because you always bell the mouth slightly in my Dillon 650 or 550. When I loaded 30-06 I never noticed it either because of the thickness of the brass I suspect.

When I tried to load .223 I instantly started to get bullets that the copper was getting scraped off.

I have since modified my .223 loading procedure as well as all bottle neck type cases.

1. Full length size any semi auto brass and neck size any dedicated bolt action brass on my single stage rock chucker.

2. I then put the brass into the tumbler with SS pins to do an inside and outside cleaning as well as the primer pocket. Obviously if the brass was really dirty before sizing I just simply wiped it off with a rag first. I mainly shoot at the range that has cement floors so the dirt is from gunpowder.

3. Do the usual sorting and drying.

4. When the brass is loaded into the 650 or the 550 on the first stage where you normally do the depriming and sizing I just adjust the deprimer/sizer die so it just enters the mouth of the brass and irons out any little bit of peening that might have occurred.


5. No more scrapped bullets.


For pistol I just deprime with the lee universal deprimer die and straight into the tumbler as usual.
 
Fusilier said:
The only problem I've had with using the Thumbler and SS Media is depriming my brass before tumbling. I've ruined two different makes of universal depriming dies (a RCBS and a Lyman) somehow. I've got a Lee on order and a replacement pin/shaft for the Lyman is on its way free from the manufacturer.
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I have to ask.
If you are depriming the brass before you tumble...how is this a problem with the tumbler or Stainless pins???
 
Wired leader said:
I have to ask.
If you are depriming the brass before you tumble...how is this a problem with the tumbler or Stainless pins???
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No problem whatsoever with the tumbler and pins. The problem is if I cannot get my brass decapped first, I'm not going to tumble it. My problem is my overall brass prep process - decap, tumble, dry, lube, size, tumble dry, prime, load. Decap is my first step and it is causing me some grief.
 
hunter64 said:
1. Full length size any semi auto brass and neck size any dedicated bolt action brass on my single stage rock chucker.

2. I then put the brass into the tumbler with SS pins to do an inside and outside cleaning as well as the primer pocket. Obviously if the brass was really dirty before sizing I just simply wiped it off with a rag first. I mainly shoot at the range that has cement floors so the dirt is from gunpowder.
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It seems odd you would full length/neck size the brass, and then tumble. After going to all that trouble to make your neck nice and tight to take a bullet, you then subject it to the tumbler?

I would think you would want to deprime first (with a depriming die), then tumble, then resize. During the resizing step, your neck should be all trued up, so you need not worry about peening.
 
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I've used a LEE universal decapping die from day #1, and have never had that problem.
My first tumble is ALWAY's for 4 hour's to get it right down to better-then-new looking, after that it's probably a 2 hour tumble.
Decap,tumble,size,10 minute tumble to remove sizing lube then load them up.
 
home made tumbler. 300 or so 223 or 200 of 30-06/270win/8x57.

Fill half of 5 gal pail with warm to hot water, add a touch of dishwashing soap, and a dash of lemishine.

tumble with 5lbs of SS pins for one hour after decapping all the brass.

comes out nice and clean.
 
i use a good sized squirt of soap (no way im pulling out a measuring spoon or anything) and a 9mm case of lemshine, tumble 3 hours and works perfect

if your water is harder (mine is very soft as is) throw in a squirt of jet dry as well, my friend in calgary wasnt getting them as shiny as me and that fixed it
 
Moose308 said:
It seems odd you would full length/neck size the brass, and then tumble. After going to all that trouble to make your neck nice and tight to take a bullet, you then subject it to the tumbler?

I would think you would want to deprime first (with a depriming die), then tumble, then resize. During the resizing step, your neck should be all trued up, so you need not worry about peening.
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I agree 100%, I was just trying to save a step having to remove the sizing lube from each case. I could do exactly as you say and just run the cases thru a vibrating walnut polisher (not to confuse the two types of Tumblers) after the tumbling.

The amount of peening on the very lip of the brass is very small and once it is removed by just inserting the sizer less than 1/64" the rest is fine.
 
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