Rotary Stainless Steel Pin Tumbling Question
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462
California's Central Coast Amid The Insanity
Should have used sarcastic purple.
JonB
Halcyon member
This is just me thinking, yeah I know that's a dangerous thing, LOL.
But I could imagine accuracy issues with cases that are TOO clean inside...with what Tommeboy mentioned about cold weld of bullets to case during seating, especially with jacketed or maybe PC bullets too, mostly likely Less-so with lubed cast bullets.
Granted the amount of inaccuracy will probably be difficult to measure with Pistol loads and typical pistol shooting distances...But all this makes me feel better about loading cases with some soot inside, LOL.
But I could imagine accuracy issues with cases that are TOO clean inside...with what Tommeboy mentioned about cold weld of bullets to case during seating, especially with jacketed or maybe PC bullets too, mostly likely Less-so with lubed cast bullets.
Granted the amount of inaccuracy will probably be difficult to measure with Pistol loads and typical pistol shooting distances...But all this makes me feel better about loading cases with some soot inside, LOL.
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bruce381
Active Member
I use walnut BUT take a kitchen sprayer and spray a mist of water and a spoon of dawn and a squeeze of lemon juice.
I spray the walnut just a mist just to get slightly damp with the brass in and leave off cover let it dry as it tumbles I get best of both worlds but do leave in the primers. oh yeah 1 or 2 OLD dryer sheets takes up all the dust and crud replace as needed. Maybe a hour and golden clean even in the rim grove
I spray the walnut just a mist just to get slightly damp with the brass in and leave off cover let it dry as it tumbles I get best of both worlds but do leave in the primers. oh yeah 1 or 2 OLD dryer sheets takes up all the dust and crud replace as needed. Maybe a hour and golden clean even in the rim grove
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L Ross
Well-Known Member
We are, without a doubt, the worst bunch of over thinking, trouble borrowing, pickers of nits, I have ever had the pleasure of associating with. This affliction includes all of my shooting buddies that I hang out with that are not forum members. Must be something endemic in the hobby, nah, most likely in the species.
RBHarter
West Central AR
I never saw myself as particularly nit picky about loading and tools .......then I discovered that what I expected from my field rifles and side arms was basic competitive shooting. That was weird until I realized that what I did often as a matter of weekly business was major work vs being a return service repair .
Really I think it's just about making something work and delivering your desired results that makes us do all of the little idiosyncratic things that we have just integrated into our list of preemptive stuff.
Really I think it's just about making something work and delivering your desired results that makes us do all of the little idiosyncratic things that we have just integrated into our list of preemptive stuff.
CWLONGSHOT
Well-Known Member
Speaking to the models.
I have a Frankfort wet tumbler. I listened to suggestions NOT to go with the small unit. Knowing at times I do handle large quantity's of brass I decided to head and bought the large unit.
Its large and useful at times but I find most often I want to clean smaller qualities and that smaller
Unit would have been better choice. Its not as small as I was lead to believe. I have seen this small unit for 69$. Most often its on sale for 99$.
The Lyman Cyclone has been mentioned here and it a also a good unit. Its 1000 223/556 case cap is same size as large Frankfort. The Frankfort lite is rated @ 300 Cases and for most of my needs more efficient.
(I just looked at most places have the lite @ 120$ )
CW
I have a Frankfort wet tumbler. I listened to suggestions NOT to go with the small unit. Knowing at times I do handle large quantity's of brass I decided to head and bought the large unit.
Its large and useful at times but I find most often I want to clean smaller qualities and that smaller
Unit would have been better choice. Its not as small as I was lead to believe. I have seen this small unit for 69$. Most often its on sale for 99$.
The Lyman Cyclone has been mentioned here and it a also a good unit. Its 1000 223/556 case cap is same size as large Frankfort. The Frankfort lite is rated @ 300 Cases and for most of my needs more efficient.
(I just looked at most places have the lite @ 120$ )
CW
I mostly use, sell or trade range pickup brass.
I always run them through the wet tumbler deprimed.
I only do that the first time.
Thereafter I polish/clean them in my vibratory tumbler with walnut shells.
BTW, I have NEVER had SS pins peen or otherwise mark or harm my brass.
New factory brass has always had the worst case mouths in my opinion.
I always run them through the wet tumbler deprimed.
I only do that the first time.
Thereafter I polish/clean them in my vibratory tumbler with walnut shells.
BTW, I have NEVER had SS pins peen or otherwise mark or harm my brass.
New factory brass has always had the worst case mouths in my opinion.
Snakeoil
Well-Known Member
Hmmmmm....I was wondering if the pins would do damage to the case mouths. I suspect the speed at which the tumbler operates contributes to case mouth damage. The pins are so small, I would not expect them to have enough mass/inertia to ding the mouths. But, the other cases have enough mass/inertia and my bet would be on the cases doing the damage and not the pins. Another variable would be how much water is in the tumbler. The water will slow the movement of the cases as they tumble and hence reduce the chance of high velocity impacts.
If I were to wet tumble, it would be with .30-06 and .32-40 cases, the latter having very thin case walls at the mouth. Looking at the design in the two vids, I can see those interrupters he glued inside hitting case mouths and denting them. I think small plastic balls cut in half might be better. The balls inside Guinness beer might do the trick. And one sixpack should be enough.
It's a rainy day here. So, my mind tends to seek out diversions on such days. I was about to go to Horror Fright to price their rock tumber. I think what I'll do instead is just find my rubber tumbling drum and maybe do some brass at the lake. Need to find a way to turn it. Lathe runs off my little Honda generator and really don't want to run that for an hour. Maybe I can rig up my 1/2 drill to turn the drum. Pins will be the challenge, since I don't have any here and ordering adds a time delay. Maybe I'll cut up a 3 foot piece of 1/16" brazing rod. Or better yet, head over to the welding supply house and get a length of TIG wire to cut up. Lots of end polishing to be done in either case unless I tumble the pins with stones first.
What I like about the process is the internal cleaning, case and primer pockets.
I wonder if you could accomplish the same thing using fine gravel like they use in aquariums. Coarse sand might work as well. It would gradually become smoother with use. Initial use might be too abrasive. Hmmmmm.... damn rainy days.
If I were to wet tumble, it would be with .30-06 and .32-40 cases, the latter having very thin case walls at the mouth. Looking at the design in the two vids, I can see those interrupters he glued inside hitting case mouths and denting them. I think small plastic balls cut in half might be better. The balls inside Guinness beer might do the trick. And one sixpack should be enough.
It's a rainy day here. So, my mind tends to seek out diversions on such days. I was about to go to Horror Fright to price their rock tumber. I think what I'll do instead is just find my rubber tumbling drum and maybe do some brass at the lake. Need to find a way to turn it. Lathe runs off my little Honda generator and really don't want to run that for an hour. Maybe I can rig up my 1/2 drill to turn the drum. Pins will be the challenge, since I don't have any here and ordering adds a time delay. Maybe I'll cut up a 3 foot piece of 1/16" brazing rod. Or better yet, head over to the welding supply house and get a length of TIG wire to cut up. Lots of end polishing to be done in either case unless I tumble the pins with stones first.
What I like about the process is the internal cleaning, case and primer pockets.
I wonder if you could accomplish the same thing using fine gravel like they use in aquariums. Coarse sand might work as well. It would gradually become smoother with use. Initial use might be too abrasive. Hmmmmm.... damn rainy days.
todd
Well-Known Member
just in case my HF wet tumbler breaks, i have this one (bought it about 6 years ago, it is still new in box)
Michael
Active Member. Uh/What
I did provide instructions on how to get 5 dead hogs into a kayak.
Happy to do the same again here........
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Ian
Notorious member
Deprime first so the pockets get clean. Tablespoon of Armor-all wash-n-wax car soap and a teaspoon of Lemishine per gallon of water/brass mix. Rinse cases in distilled water/liquid car wax with a rotary basket media separator to shake out the pins OR pour off the tumbler water and refill a few times and shake out tue pins by hand under water and toss on a towel on a cookie sheet.
If you don't use the wash-n-wax your expander balls and carbide sizing dies will drag terribly and scratch the brass. If you run cases more than two hours the mouths start to peen, less time if they are annealed and/or thin like Hornet or 30-30. Less than an hour and the orimer pickets won't get clean. SSTM has the right size pins, I never get bridging in any caliber. Don't mix calibers or you will hate life.
I doubt cleaning brass perfectly has any detectable positive effect on accuracy, but it certainly does eliminate our biggest source of lead poisoning: inhaling airborne dust from primer residue.
Stainless pin wet tumbling cartridge brass as above after much trial and error to work it out perfectly and powder coating cast bullets have been the two things I can truly call "GAME CHANGING" for me after more than 30 years in this hobby.
If you don't use the wash-n-wax your expander balls and carbide sizing dies will drag terribly and scratch the brass. If you run cases more than two hours the mouths start to peen, less time if they are annealed and/or thin like Hornet or 30-30. Less than an hour and the orimer pickets won't get clean. SSTM has the right size pins, I never get bridging in any caliber. Don't mix calibers or you will hate life.
I doubt cleaning brass perfectly has any detectable positive effect on accuracy, but it certainly does eliminate our biggest source of lead poisoning: inhaling airborne dust from primer residue.
Stainless pin wet tumbling cartridge brass as above after much trial and error to work it out perfectly and powder coating cast bullets have been the two things I can truly call "GAME CHANGING" for me after more than 30 years in this hobby.
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