So what happened to my nickel plated brass?

Perhaps there are just some things that the wet/pins method is simply not the best for?
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Could well be 44 AMP. Could well be.

Right now, I have them vibra tumbling in corn cob. Not looking forward to the corn cob getting stuck in 90% of the flash holes; but the plan is to blow them out with my air compressor with a conical shaped rubber tip (inserting from the mouth side). Last time I made the mistake of doing this, I picked them out one by one with a dental pick type tool - that was a no-fun lesson-learned. At least this time, I know it's coming and have a plan.

Anyway, I'll let everyone know if the corn cob tumble rescues them.
 
As a lifelong machinist/mechanic my first thought is that the stainless pins are harder than the soft nickel plating and they are "abrading" the nickel (tumble them long enough and the plating will be removed). I have tumbled my own brass and been around commercial/industrial tumbling (deburring/cleaning) for a while and believe the hardness of the media vs. the hardness of the part determines the finish. Tumbling cases in ceramic media will leave the cases with a dull, matt finish, Walnut and cob, while "sorta hard" will leave the brass with a finer finish.

To "salvage" your nickel cases, try dry tumbling in walnut or cob.
 
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Update: After vibra-tumbling in corn cob for exactly an hour, I checked a couple and they are nice n shiny again. I went ahead and let them continue to tumble for a bit longer. I doubt they need it, but I'm doing other chores around the house, so I have a little time to let them run longer.
 
it's the acid... mine do the same... try running a load with only the soap & pins, & no Citric acid or Lemishine... they'll look much nicer...

BTW... the Nickel plating does wear thin... even with cob or walnut media, & will as well, with the stainless pins... I have many 44 Mag cases that have been reloaded & tumbled several times, & you can see the brass through the nickel ( long before I went to wet tumbling ) I've started rotating out all my nickel cases, replaced with regular brass cases, since I started wet tumbling

BTW #2... the inside of the Frankford drum is rubber lined ( black ) & has nothing to do with the color of the drum... ( my 1st nickel cases looked like that out of my old RCBS Sidewinder... which has a green drum )

BTW #3... I've since worn out my old RCBS Sidewinder, & just purchased a Frankford Arsenal tumbler, & love it so far... the drum holds way more than the RCBS drum, & the unit rotates at like 4 times the speed ( I used to have to run the RCBS unit for 12 hours to get the same level of clean as the new Frankford unit in 3 hours ), & the new one is 1/2 as loud...
 
Pics or it didn't happen
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Here they are now. Nice n shiny and ready for reloading. My corn cob in the flash hole removal system (compressed air burst) worked like a champ. Although, I don't want to make that a part of my normal reconditioning process ;)



As you can see, some of the nickel is wearing thin now; and that's perfectly okay.
 
Interesting, haven't run into that problem with the nickel plated brass I have.

I did have issues right off the bat with my wet tumbler, but I was using the liquid Lemi Shine rinse aid, not the powder. It's not the same stuff - left my brass clean, but with a very dull (almost brown) finish. Next batch was with the powder and they came out looking like new.

Nickel plating will come off with corncob and walnut, and the SSTL pins aren't as abrasive as people think - the consistency of the water, pins, soap and brass is almost like a slush. The pins agitate the water and soap more than they do actually abrading anything off the brass.
 
Nickel plating will come off with corncob and walnut, and the SSTL pins aren't as abrasive as people think - the consistency of the water, pins, soap and brass is almost like a slush. The pins agitate the water and soap more than they do actually abrading anything off the brass.
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From my personal experience, I agree with this completely. The pins mostly agitate the water/soap solution. They do get into the crannies too - like the primer pockets.
 
I keep a pair of welding goggles next to my vibratory tumbler so I don't damage my retinas dumping nickle plated .38 brass into my media separator. I'm using walnut hull media with a touch of Dillon rapidshine. I'd post a picture but they all come out way overexposed :cool:
 
Your future's so bright, you gotta wear shades :cool:

I'm still confused as to what happened. I've wet tumbled nickel brass before with no problem. It seems if there's just a few mixed in with regular brass, it's fine. But if there is a large quantity of them, it's a problem. ??

Anyway, when I have large quantities if nickel stuff, I don't think I'm going to ss pin tumble. Just vibra tumble with corn cob.
 
I tumble/clean all sorts or metals for a living in a manufacturing plant. I've been doing it for 7 yrs. I use dry tumble, wet tumble, media, etc. etc.

IMO the reason your nickel brass turned that way is because there is some sort of grease (sizing lube) along with particles of powder and nickel plating that aren't able to be "suspended" in your media/tumbling solution. If it were me I would use some form of degreaser on the inside of your tumbler and clean it thoroughly. I'd do the same thing with your SS media after that I'd thoroughly rinse out your tumbler and media w/ plain water.

You'll know if that is your problem when you clean it.
 
The inside of the tumbler is clean, as are the pins. Isn't Dawn dishwash soap a degreaser? Because that's what I use for tumbling.

At any rate, I tumbled some 10mm and 40 today. A small percentage of the brass was nickel plated - about 15 of them, or so. Everything came out nice n shiny - including the nickel plated stuff. Go figure.
 
Maybe there is some electrolytic charge going on. Brass consists of copper and zinc. Nickel and zinc is being used in batteries (Nickel–zinc battery). Maybe the electrical charge reverses the nickel plating, but only when the amount of nickel matches the requirements.
 
You say your media is clean...but you said that when you take a paper towel and wipe the brass that stuff comes off also that grey stuff comes off your SS pins when you hold them in your hand.

In my experience when material like that is present its because your media and solution mixture can't suspend the particulates so it sticks to anything it can.
 
There was a film of some sort on the nickel brass and the pins. But it didn't just "wipe" off with a paper towel. It took a thorough rubbing for it to come off - a polishing action, if you will. None the less, yes indeed, there was something there.

As for the pins being dull looking: I had a bunch of 44 Mag brass that needed to be tumbled, so I took this opportunity to do so. The Mag brass (non-nickel) - as well as the pins - came out nice and shiny. So whatever it was came off and went into suspension in the water this time.

Then today, I tumbled some 10mm & 40 S&W - with a few nickel among them. Again, the result was normal - nice, shiny brass; the nickel too.

Go figure. Seems that there is something about the quantity that caused the original problem.
 
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