Rotary Stainless Steel Pin Tumbling Question
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To answer your questions, no, at least when used in my Tumblers Tumbler for about two hours along with Lemi Shine, Dawn dish soap and water. The inside of the cases and primer pockets (if you remove the primers before tumbling) are as clean as the outer case. The only problems I've had are my pins fit the flash holes about perfectly and they bridge in 25 caliber case necks. It's my understanding that there are different pin lengths and diameters though. For what it's worth I bought my pins thru Buffalo Arms out of Idaho.
Dusty Bannister
Well-Known Member
I use the Lyman Cyclone system but do not always use the SS pins. I do always deprime the cases to prevent the primers from becoming more difficult to remove after the cases finally are dry. The water does seep into the primer pocket and the cases are more difficult to shake out with the primers in place. There may be some minor burnishing of the brass cases during the three hour cleaning session, but no actually deformed case mouths have been noticed. Not specifically looked for either.
I use the pins for the first major cleaning of the cases and subsequent cleanings only require the solution made of Armorall auto wash and wax and a little lemi-shine. The Lemi-shine removes any oxide and the armoral imparts a protective wax like coating on the brass after cleaning. The solution does cushion the contents of the rotating drum during cleaning. I suppose in a similar way that the dry media reduces the impact of cases against each other in the vibrator cleaner.
I use the pins for the first major cleaning of the cases and subsequent cleanings only require the solution made of Armorall auto wash and wax and a little lemi-shine. The Lemi-shine removes any oxide and the armoral imparts a protective wax like coating on the brass after cleaning. The solution does cushion the contents of the rotating drum during cleaning. I suppose in a similar way that the dry media reduces the impact of cases against each other in the vibrator cleaner.
Hawk
Well-Known Member
Steel pins do work very well.
I'll occasionally get a pin bridged in the neck of a .223/5.56 case, but it's worth the trouble to get cases this clean.
I also get corn cob clumps in the base of cases and blocking the flash holes of any brass it a vibrating cleaner, so each case has to be inspected anyway.
I'll occasionally get a pin bridged in the neck of a .223/5.56 case, but it's worth the trouble to get cases this clean.
I also get corn cob clumps in the base of cases and blocking the flash holes of any brass it a vibrating cleaner, so each case has to be inspected anyway.
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glassparman
"OK, OK, I'm going as fast as I don't want to go!"
No damage ever. Even on mouths that have been belled for cast. I always use my Frankford Arsenal tumbler with 5 pounds of SS pins and the Hornady brass cleaner intended for the ultrasonic tub. I mix the cleaner with distilled water. Brass comes out super clean and shiny, even the primer pockets get cleaned.
Takes about two hours for best results. I have even cleaned up chocolate colored old brass to look new although that takes longer. If you like the look of the coloring from annealing, tumbling this way will remove that so anneal after.
The Frankford Arsenal tumbler has a three hour timer on it.
IMHO, this is the best process!
What Hawk said is true but the pins are easily dislodged. Happens in .30 Carbine as well. Just check them all after.
I also rinse in warm water after, then roll around in a towel to dry them and stand them upside down in plastic trays from ammo boxes. This helps them dry without water stains.
Mike
Takes about two hours for best results. I have even cleaned up chocolate colored old brass to look new although that takes longer. If you like the look of the coloring from annealing, tumbling this way will remove that so anneal after.
The Frankford Arsenal tumbler has a three hour timer on it.
IMHO, this is the best process!
What Hawk said is true but the pins are easily dislodged. Happens in .30 Carbine as well. Just check them all after.
I also rinse in warm water after, then roll around in a towel to dry them and stand them upside down in plastic trays from ammo boxes. This helps them dry without water stains.
Mike
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Dusty Bannister
Well-Known Member
Mike, I speed things up after processing and rinsing well, by spinning the brass in a rag filled rotating sifter. This is after processing WITHOUT the pins. It shakes the water from inside the cases, wipes off the exterior cases and then laid on either a towel, or some screen covered frames, for lots of air circulation, in the sun to finish drying. I do not need distilled water to avoid the chance for water spots as the rags in the sifter has already taken care of excess water. The Lyman has a three hour timer and does not run quietly if noisy operation is a deal breaker.
CWLONGSHOT
Well-Known Member
I got my first wet tumbler about two years ago...
Its amazing how well it works.
I have yet to open the bag of Ss Pins... Have not needed them!
I always use HOT water. Always Lemi Shine and either FA cleaner or Dawn dish soap. I do run them long 2-3 hrs unless Im just washing off lube.
CW
Its amazing how well it works.
I have yet to open the bag of Ss Pins... Have not needed them!
I always use HOT water. Always Lemi Shine and either FA cleaner or Dawn dish soap. I do run them long 2-3 hrs unless Im just washing off lube.
CW
With regards to the pins sticking in flash holes and bridging. I resize my brass before tumbling, this removes the primer, and the tumbling removes the case lube. After tumbling I rinse the brass and separate the pins by using a slotted hand cranked rotary sifter, it's green so I think it's by RCBS. Once the cases are rinsed and the pins separated the cases are put in a towel roll and shaken back and forth to remove as much water as possible, this also turns up a few pins. The cases are then placed on another towel on an aluminum cookie sheet and placed in a closed car sitting in the sun. After all this the cases make a second trip thru the slotted hand cranked rotary sifter. This seems to remove whatever other pins were stuck to the wet cases after their first wet trip thru the sifter. I reload on a Dillon 550 and since the cases are already sized a universal de-capping die get used in the first (sizing/de-capping/prime) station. If the machine crashes, it's because there was still a pin in the flash hole and the universal de-capper didn't make it thru the flash hole. This doesn't occur anywhere near as much as it used to since the second dry pass in the rotary sifter.
Pins are easy to remove with a MAGNET. I rotary pin tumble, pick out cases by hand. Dump pins out of the cases (what comes out easy) and place in a plastic jug. Dump a few magnets in the jug and shake. Rinse the cases in that jug. In processing the cases I find and lose some pins, no big deal. Dry on patio table in the sun. Never (so far) found a pin the the flash hole of bottleneck or pistol brass. I don't mix BO and 40SW cases, nor 40SW and 9mm. Last batch was 50 308, few 30/30 & 200 BO. Worked fine.
Michael
Active Member. Uh/What
Best thing since canned beer and sex for cleaning BPCR cases when shot with BP.
Decap, give a simple rinse to get big chunks out, add to tumbler with your favorite water based cleaning concoction, tumble for 2-3 hours, and wa-la. No scubbing, no scrapping, no brushing.
Decap, give a simple rinse to get big chunks out, add to tumbler with your favorite water based cleaning concoction, tumble for 2-3 hours, and wa-la. No scubbing, no scrapping, no brushing.
Snakeoil
Well-Known Member
Well, since I believe that you should learn something new every day, today is a banner day. I've never heard of using SS pins for cleaning. I use a Dillon vibrating tumbler and walnut shells. I don't deprime because I find that you need to check each case to be sure the flash hole is not plugged. From the comments above, it would appear that the SS pins are used with water. Guess I need to research this process. My guess is the pins do a much better job of cleaning the inside of the case. The clean primer pocket is a very attractive feature.
I'm used to letting cases dry from BPCR days. I always ran mine thru a jug of alcohol before allowing to dry as the alcohol flashes off much quicker. No chance of wet spots.
I'm used to letting cases dry from BPCR days. I always ran mine thru a jug of alcohol before allowing to dry as the alcohol flashes off much quicker. No chance of wet spots.
glassparman
"OK, OK, I'm going as fast as I don't want to go!"
Snakeoil, yes, the inside of the case looks brand new after. The only thing is don't tumble different calibers together where something smaller could slip inside another or get stuck.
Snakeoil you might try going to a pet shop and getting some reptile bedding media for vibrating. It's just like walnut tumbling media but untreated and much finer grained. Less dust also. It doesn't stick in the flash holes. Just mix it with your favorite polishing media. I used to use the green Lyman liquid polish with this media, and it worked pretty well.
462
California's Central Coast Amid The Insanity
Thank you, everyone, for your replies.
It's good to know that cases are in no way damaged. However, it seems the only advantage of using a rotary tumbler, water, Lemi-Shine, Dawn, and pins, over my current vibratory tumbler, corncob media, and Nu-Finish car polish is shiny case interiors. Now, I have to decide if shiny case interiors is worth the extra effort of draining, separating the pins from the brass, and drying the brass, versus just removing brass from the tumbler.
It's good to know that cases are in no way damaged. However, it seems the only advantage of using a rotary tumbler, water, Lemi-Shine, Dawn, and pins, over my current vibratory tumbler, corncob media, and Nu-Finish car polish is shiny case interiors. Now, I have to decide if shiny case interiors is worth the extra effort of draining, separating the pins from the brass, and drying the brass, versus just removing brass from the tumbler.
RicinYakima
High Steppes of Eastern Washington
fiver
Well-Known Member
hey Snake.
if you want to tip your toe in the water just to see before buying a whole unit try this.
take a bucket or jug or whatever that will hold water tightly.
throw enough hot water to cover them in with about a half a container of brass [or just a hundred cases and about a gallon of water if using a bucket]
put a couple of drops of shampoo or dish soap and some citric acid in the mix [ a 10 cent pack of kool-aid will work] shake and swish around for a couple of minutes and dump out the water.
give them all a quick rinse with some hot water.
look at the water before you dump it out.
now imagine three times that much black junk coming out of the cases with a pin tumbler and none of it going in your barrel.
if you want to tip your toe in the water just to see before buying a whole unit try this.
take a bucket or jug or whatever that will hold water tightly.
throw enough hot water to cover them in with about a half a container of brass [or just a hundred cases and about a gallon of water if using a bucket]
put a couple of drops of shampoo or dish soap and some citric acid in the mix [ a 10 cent pack of kool-aid will work] shake and swish around for a couple of minutes and dump out the water.
give them all a quick rinse with some hot water.
look at the water before you dump it out.
now imagine three times that much black junk coming out of the cases with a pin tumbler and none of it going in your barrel.
Winelover
North Central Arkansas
I'm satisfied with just plain lizard bedding in both my Thumbler's Tumbler Model B and or my Lyman Turbo vibrator. Every couple of months, I'll add some Iosso case polish to rejuvenate. The only time I go to wet tumbling is when I purchase a quantity of military range brass. Then it's warm water, dawn and Lemishine in the model B.