99, I have a 3 lb. Tumbler only clean 25 308 cal. at a time, the SS pins did a great job. I let them tumble for 2 hrs. 1 lb. Pins, 25 cases, water , dawn blue soap & lemiShine. Hand dried & let them sit in the plastic bullet holders that comes with the store bought rounds. Looks like I will retire the media tumbler for now. Have you used the pins on calibers lower then 30 cal.
Cleaning brass
- Thread starter cw308
- Start date
firewrench044
New member
SS wet tumbling --
decap before tumbling, gets the primer pockets clean ( decaping die is cheap )( extra step before eliminates the need to clean pockets later )
fill the tumbler all the way up up to the rim ( as little air inside as possible ) helps preventing the cases from banging into each other ( small ding marks on
case necks )
the blue Dawn soap works good ( when rinsing , when all soap bubbles are gone you know that all the soap is off the cases )
Harbor Freight food dehydrator dries cases very good ( maintains 200 F )
amount of time in drier varies with type and amount of cases drying
15 min.- 150 pistol cases, 1 Hr.- 450 pistol cases, 20 to 30 min.- 100
308 cases, 1 hr.- 200 308 cases
inspect all cases, pins get stuck inside some calibers and in flash holes
( deburring flash holes helps )( you do not want a bullet pushing a pin down the barrel )
inside case necks are very clean, so seating bullet will need a little more pressure on your press
decap before tumbling, gets the primer pockets clean ( decaping die is cheap )( extra step before eliminates the need to clean pockets later )
fill the tumbler all the way up up to the rim ( as little air inside as possible ) helps preventing the cases from banging into each other ( small ding marks on
case necks )
the blue Dawn soap works good ( when rinsing , when all soap bubbles are gone you know that all the soap is off the cases )
Harbor Freight food dehydrator dries cases very good ( maintains 200 F )
amount of time in drier varies with type and amount of cases drying
15 min.- 150 pistol cases, 1 Hr.- 450 pistol cases, 20 to 30 min.- 100
308 cases, 1 hr.- 200 308 cases
inspect all cases, pins get stuck inside some calibers and in flash holes
( deburring flash holes helps )( you do not want a bullet pushing a pin down the barrel )
inside case necks are very clean, so seating bullet will need a little more pressure on your press
Everybody here is much fancier than I am.
disclaimer: I normally only reload handgun rounds, so all my brass has straight walls. Also when I started reloading I didn't have a lot of cash to spare so I went as cheaply as possible. - I might get fancier and time efficient later on, but for now I see no reason to spend the cash as I'm satisfied with the way I do it.
I decap my brass first. - I do it manually with a punch I altered years ago for this purpose, a mallet, and a wood block I drilled holes into. (It has holes large enough to hold the brass, with a 2nd smaller hole drilled into the middle of the first hole that's big enough to let the primer drop through).
I normally do this outside in my backyard, drinking iced tea, and looking up at the wildlife on the hillside. -I find this very relaxing and enjoyable, otherwise I'd just decap with my press. (plus the rounds need to be decapped before cleaning - explanation below).
I use a vibratory tumbler (purchased from Midway - I used to use a rotary tumbler but the vibratory is much easier to use, faster, holds more, and overall is better for my purposes). I use corn cob media (purchased from my local feed store - pet bedding). I add a cap full of liquid car polish to the media in order to make the brass all shiny and beautiful (plus it keeps down any dust and lubes them). I normally run the tumbler with 250 to 300 rounds for about 2 hours. By that time they'll normally be clean inside and out (occasionally I'll run it longer).
Then I separate out the media with my homemade separator: Two plastic buckets ($1 each at the local hardware store) I cut the bottom out of one and replaced it with a piece of 1/4 inch hardware cloth. The other bucket I drilled four holes through about a third of the way up and then ran some wire through them - this supports the other bucket off the bottom. I stir the mix with my hand and most of the media separates out.
I'll reuse the media over and over.
Then I visually inspect every round and knock out any media that might be jammed inside the brass (usually I do this outside with more iced tea). Occasionally I'll be forced to push the media out with my decapping punch (this is why I decap first - so I can push through the primer hole - plus decapping allows the primer pocket to be cleaned by tumbling). Usually though I can get any media that's jammed inside out by just tapping the open end on a block of wood.
Then I'm done.
disclaimer: I normally only reload handgun rounds, so all my brass has straight walls. Also when I started reloading I didn't have a lot of cash to spare so I went as cheaply as possible. - I might get fancier and time efficient later on, but for now I see no reason to spend the cash as I'm satisfied with the way I do it.
I decap my brass first. - I do it manually with a punch I altered years ago for this purpose, a mallet, and a wood block I drilled holes into. (It has holes large enough to hold the brass, with a 2nd smaller hole drilled into the middle of the first hole that's big enough to let the primer drop through).
I normally do this outside in my backyard, drinking iced tea, and looking up at the wildlife on the hillside. -I find this very relaxing and enjoyable, otherwise I'd just decap with my press. (plus the rounds need to be decapped before cleaning - explanation below).
I use a vibratory tumbler (purchased from Midway - I used to use a rotary tumbler but the vibratory is much easier to use, faster, holds more, and overall is better for my purposes). I use corn cob media (purchased from my local feed store - pet bedding). I add a cap full of liquid car polish to the media in order to make the brass all shiny and beautiful (plus it keeps down any dust and lubes them). I normally run the tumbler with 250 to 300 rounds for about 2 hours. By that time they'll normally be clean inside and out (occasionally I'll run it longer).
Then I separate out the media with my homemade separator: Two plastic buckets ($1 each at the local hardware store) I cut the bottom out of one and replaced it with a piece of 1/4 inch hardware cloth. The other bucket I drilled four holes through about a third of the way up and then ran some wire through them - this supports the other bucket off the bottom. I stir the mix with my hand and most of the media separates out.
I'll reuse the media over and over.
Then I visually inspect every round and knock out any media that might be jammed inside the brass (usually I do this outside with more iced tea). Occasionally I'll be forced to push the media out with my decapping punch (this is why I decap first - so I can push through the primer hole - plus decapping allows the primer pocket to be cleaned by tumbling). Usually though I can get any media that's jammed inside out by just tapping the open end on a block of wood.
Then I'm done.
I only reload .223 and 6mmBR. I have never had a pin stick in a case.
One key is the Forester deep colander which fits way down into a drywall bucket. First you stir the pins and brass and then shake to get rid of the last few pins. Because the separator is so deep, the pins don't jump out. Then I pour the brass into a smaller rinse bucket, stir everything around with a drop of soap, rinse well, and dry.
For drying I shake off the water, pour the brass into a towel and while holding it like a mini-hammock get rid of the rest of the water. Then into a mesh bag in the clothes dryer for half an hour to dry out the inside. I use a shoe drying rest, but you can just trap the neck of the bag in the dryer door. Do NOT tumble the whole bag of brass.
schmellba99
New member
I just gave the formula I use for reference, it can easily be adjusted to work for your needs.
I've used the SSTL on everything from .223 through .45-70 in rifle and from 9mm through .45 in pistol without a problem. I bought the .047" pins from Stainless Tumbling Media and have never had an issue of stuck pins in primer pockets or flash holes.
I use a paint strainer bag and a collander to rinse my brass once I pull it from the Thumbler's. If you do it under water in a sink, pins don't stick to the inside at all. Hard to describe for me, but really easy to do.
Everybody's system is a little different, but without a doubt SSTL pins are the cat's meow when it comes to getting brass clean with very little mess and effort.
Thanks again for getting back, tumbling using SS Pins is now the way I clean my brass. Being that I clean small amounts 25 cases at a time, I hand dry also run a patch on the inside. I still wipe the necks,uniform pockets, trim & chamfer also run a # 45 drill bit through the flash hole. Again I'm only doing 25 at the most.
Girvin 13, I let them run about 2 hours. I don't use the walnut or corn cleaning anymore. I like the way the SS pins clean the brass inside & out. It's like reloading with new brass. IMO only way to go. I got the Harbor Freight 3 lb. Rock Tumbler, ordered the pins from another company 2 lb bag of pins & a cleaner called LemiShine , mixed with water & dawn bishwashing soap. At first I didn't like the idea of water on the cases but they dry fast & look like new. I really like this way of cleaning brass.
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seeking more detail
I am curious about cleaning brass with steel pins. I was given a rotary tumbler several decades ago. Only used it with corn cobb media in the past. I always have to unclog loose media from the flash hole and manually clean primer pockets. It is also rare that the inside of the case is cleaned.
I read this and one other post about tumbling with steel pins. Seems to clean the primer pockets and inside the cases as well. Sounds promising. I have a few questions for using steel pins to clean .45 and .38 brass and would appreciate any input. I don't think wet tumbling is for me since my better half will not appreciate drying brass in her oven.
1. Do you have to buy a particular size of steel pins?
2. Can you clean brass and nickel cases with it?
3. Can you use a rubber tumbler drum with damaging it?
4. Do you generally tumble the cases for the same amount of time and tumble a similar number of cases at the same time?
5. After tumbling a few thousand cases, do you or can you clean the pins so that you can continue to use them?
Thanks for your anticipated responses.
I am curious about cleaning brass with steel pins. I was given a rotary tumbler several decades ago. Only used it with corn cobb media in the past. I always have to unclog loose media from the flash hole and manually clean primer pockets. It is also rare that the inside of the case is cleaned.
I read this and one other post about tumbling with steel pins. Seems to clean the primer pockets and inside the cases as well. Sounds promising. I have a few questions for using steel pins to clean .45 and .38 brass and would appreciate any input. I don't think wet tumbling is for me since my better half will not appreciate drying brass in her oven.
1. Do you have to buy a particular size of steel pins?
2. Can you clean brass and nickel cases with it?
3. Can you use a rubber tumbler drum with damaging it?
4. Do you generally tumble the cases for the same amount of time and tumble a similar number of cases at the same time?
5. After tumbling a few thousand cases, do you or can you clean the pins so that you can continue to use them?
Thanks for your anticipated responses.
brasscollector
New member
May not have much choice in size of the pins themselves. I clean 45auto/45-70 all the way down to 204 ruger, no issues really. Make sure to buy good quality pins that do not rust. The ones that I have are magnetic but do not rust, good stuff.
Yes
Yes
I have mine on a timer set for an hour, just like ronco "set it and forget it" I try to run 2lb of brass in each load if I can (15lb tumbler) Sometimes I will mix handgun and rifle brass as long as the throats do not interlock.
The manufacturer recommends you do it every X # of cycles. I usually run a load of pins and soap when I notice the cleaning isn't as effective (maybe 10-15 loads)
RoadClam, dry tumbler with corn, did a nice job on the outside but the inside always had a build up, with the wet tumbler & pins the inside looks like the outside. I was very surprised how well they cleaned. Never liked the idea of water on the inside of the case, l just keep them upside down in the plastic holders loaded ammo comes with ,they work just fine in draining any water.
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schmellba99
New member
The pins come in .040" diameter (can't remember the length). This prevents them from being able to jam up in the primer flash hole or the primer pocket. Look at the link I posted earlier in this thread and there is a lot of information available, along with some very good evidence as to why SSTL tumbling is infinitely superior to any type of vibratory tumbling.
Also, there is no need to dry in an oven. I set my brass out on a towel in my garage facing a little $5 box fan and let the fan blow over them for a little while - dry as a bone after a surprisingly short amount of time, especially in the summer.
Absolutely
Absolutely
For absolutely horrible cases, I tumble for a couple of hours, change the water and solution, then tumble for a couple of more. For normal cases that are only dirty from firing a quick 2 or so hour tumble is just about always enough. I have a timer that I use and usually set it for about 3 hours just because I'm almost never in a hurry and that is what is currently set on the timer - basically I'm too lazy and see no real benefit to change it for any particular reason.
The pins last forever. You do some initial cleaning before you use them the first time, but the process keeps them clean as it is. I dump out the water, separate pins and brass (pins in a paint strainer bag) and then run some clean water over them for a few seconds just out of habit to make sure they don't have any grime left. Rarely does the water come out anything other than clean on this rinse. Put them back in the tumbler, cover with water and they are ready for the next batch whenever that may be.
I have 2 Lyman Turbo tumblers that never get used anymore. I think I turned one of them on a few months back to knock some lube off some rifle rounds after I loaded them, so in the last couple of years I have maybe 15 minutes of run time total on either tumbler. They are collecting dust in my garage as we speak. I probably should sell one of them.
schmellba99
New member
It doesn't matter if they are bottleneck or straight wall. Once the pins, citric acid and soap get inside the case, the result is the same.
I would say it is marginally easier to get the pins out of a straight wall pistol case than something like a .223 small neck rifle case, but that's it. And it really is marginally easier.