reloading CLEANING BRASS

[digger]

Tired of the noise and wear with my vibrating tumbler. Any thoughts about rotary tumblers (wet or dry) and brand suggestions?
Considering Frankfort Arsenal Platinum Series

[superduty]

I use a Harbor Freight rock tumbler (maybe $35) with stainless steel media (should be able to Google this), add some water, a couple drops of Dawn or similar dish detergent, and a pinch of LemiShine. Tumble for 3 hours or so, and they are clean and shiny as new.

[Sidecarist]

I have a stainlesstumblingmedia.com rebel 17 and it's fantastic, quiet and works great the improvement over vibratory cleaners is remarkable. Get yourself a media seperator too it makes life easier.

I dry the brass on a cookie sheet in the oven when the wife isn't looking....

[chances R]

stainless/wet cleaning is the only way to go.  Same set-up for 6 yrs.  On hot days you can dry outside in the sun in a short period.  If you have a shoe rack for your clothes dryer you can put clean brass in a wire basket and set on it.  Or put the wire basket in the oven 175* for about an hour.  Anyway, brass is super clean and shiny inside and out.

[jpx2rk]

Anyone tried both wet methods (ultrasonic and wet tumbling)?? Which is easier??

[owejia]

The Frankfort arsenal tumbler with ss media works really well. Still has the noise factor . Really clean shiny brass inside and out, cleans the primer hole if deprimed. My ss media will rust if I don't dry it after use , usually set it on my mold heating hotplate to dry.

[chances R]

Have a shooting buddy that tried US..now does the SS pins. Never had a problem with rust.  My pins simply airdry in the tumbler sitting in the garage.  But I suspect if they did rust the next tumble would simply rub it off and pour out with the next rinse. 

[Omega]

Yup, SS wet tumbling is the way to go, I have a Frankford Arsenal that I got on sale, I got their magnet as well, and a Midsouth media separator.  I tumble for about an hour, gets them pretty clean with a tablespoon of Dawn or Car Wash soap, with carnuba wax, and 1/4 teaspoon of citric acid (lemishine), the tumbler came with some pins but I got the MTM pins, before the tumbler, I was getting ready to use an HF tumbler.  The first time or two I had some pins still mixed in with the cases, but now I have it down and don't have a single pin mixed in.

[frankmako]

i use ss pin wet for rifle and i do the normal walnut clean with the pistol brass.  once a year i will deprime my pistol brass and run them in the ss wet pin system.  i use the frankfort arsenal one.  

[gregintenn]

You think a rotary tumbler full of steel pins will be quieter?

[Omega]

17 minutes ago, gregintenn said:

You think a rotary tumbler full of steel pins will be quieter?

I think so, the tumbler I have is quieter than my vibratory tumblers.  Might be because it's full of water, but it is quieter, not quiet by any means, but quieter.  And, if done right, less mess; I always hated the fine dust that would go all over when I opened, then sifted the media.

[Sidecarist]

On 5/28/2018 at 11:13 AM, gregintenn said:

You think a rotary tumbler full of steel pins will be quieter?

I think it's quieter. Mine is rubber lined. It's a different sound, lower frequency not buzzing. 

[digger]

On 5/28/2018 at 11:13 AM, gregintenn said:

You think a rotary tumbler full of steel pins will be quieter? 

Using liquid I know it will be! Watched two different models at work.

[Billco]

I use the Hornady sonic cleaner, and a FA dryer. I resize and decap first and then can clean about 1000 9mm at one time. Total cleaning time is about 2-2-1/2 hours.

[Grunt67]

I've been using a Thumblers' rotary tumbler with stainless steel pins for a few years now. The only way to fly for me. Cleans inside & out, primer pocket, flash hole, just like new.

As other have said, there are others out there, that may be just as good, maybe better. The process is the same. I gave my old Frankford vibrating tumbler away. Still use the separation bucket tho. Works fine.

Try wet, you won't regret...............did I just say that?