SS pin wet tumbling , interesting observations already
- Thread starter Metal god
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cryogenic419
New member
How much are you using? I have heard others using that with no issues.
71 Karabiner
Inactive
In regards to the comment about the stainless pins being attracted to a magnet means they are low quality stainless, by the same logic, if you have to dry your pins between uses, then it is definitely low quality stainless,
I use a vibratory cleaner with corn cob. I load it with old media do clean the cases enough that I won't scratch my dies or brass, do all my case prep, pop them into a hot water/dish soap to clean the Lee Lube off them and into some fresh corncob for a final polish. Done. My cases are nice and shiny. No messing with eighteen steps and water rinses, drying, etc...
I use a vibratory cleaner with corn cob. I load it with old media do clean the cases enough that I won't scratch my dies or brass, do all my case prep, pop them into a hot water/dish soap to clean the Lee Lube off them and into some fresh corncob for a final polish. Done. My cases are nice and shiny. No messing with eighteen steps and water rinses, drying, etc...
71:
I did it that very way for years . It's all about my grandson now . The extra effort is worth it IMO and I did eliminate the manual cleaning of primer pockets and case necks . That right there saves quite a bit of time . Excluding the dry time . On the whole I'd say I've actually saved time in the overall case prep .
I did it that very way for years . It's all about my grandson now . The extra effort is worth it IMO and I did eliminate the manual cleaning of primer pockets and case necks . That right there saves quite a bit of time . Excluding the dry time . On the whole I'd say I've actually saved time in the overall case prep .
kilimanjaro
New member
What eighteen steps are there?
Fill tumbler with brass, add water and a bit of shining agent.
Tumble for as long as you like.
Drain water, brass, and pins into the separator.
Spin the water and remaining pins out of the brass.
Dry the brass.
Flush the dirty water from the pins and rinse, replace pins in tumbler for next batch.
Seems to take me about 5 minutes total handling time for a batch.
Fill tumbler with brass, add water and a bit of shining agent.
Tumble for as long as you like.
Drain water, brass, and pins into the separator.
Spin the water and remaining pins out of the brass.
Dry the brass.
Flush the dirty water from the pins and rinse, replace pins in tumbler for next batch.
Seems to take me about 5 minutes total handling time for a batch.
I love ours. I did see the first picture and I learned not to put 357 and 45-70 at same time for that reason. Mine are bottleneck and 45-70 first and do all my hand gun brass separate. We bought a strainer from Northern tool to go pretty deep inside a five gallon bucket. Clean dump in bucket. Wash pins and back in tumbler. Wet doesn't matter so far. Rinse brass in another bucket for few minutes and throw in Frankford Arsenal dryer. Nothing more than a $30.00 food dehydrater. The magnet we use for what few pins straggle onto table or in garage sink. Also put a small plastic strainer in the sink so no pins have been lost yet. I wouldn't do it any other way since we got it.
Shiny..... yes. Clean........ not so much. If you process 500 rounds and you like clean primer pockets and clean necks, then you've added a total of 1000 steps to the cleaning process. Plus if, as you say, you wash the lube off with hot water, you're already involved in most of the steps involved with a wet SS tumbling process except for separating the SS media, which takes me about 90 seconds.
cryogenic419
New member
Its actually takes me less time to get better looking, completely clean cases with wet tumbling than it ever did with vibrating tumblers. The added steps really aren't that demanding or time consuming. For me the benefits outweigh the little extra effort.
Mind you some of the benefits may be pure mental, but if you shoot competitively you know a big part of that game is mental. I'd rather spend a little extra time upfront rather than shoot on the 600 yard line at a match wondering "what if", and have my confidence go straight down the tubes.
Mind you some of the benefits may be pure mental, but if you shoot competitively you know a big part of that game is mental. I'd rather spend a little extra time upfront rather than shoot on the 600 yard line at a match wondering "what if", and have my confidence go straight down the tubes.
brasscollector
New member
The pins I have, which I got from STM are magnetic. I have let them sit in the wet tumbling barrel until they dried out and never seen any rust. I've had them for more than two years, still no rust. It may be low quality but they do what I need them to. Still using the same pins from two years ago.71 Karabiner said:
How many steps is that?!? Also, you state71 Karabiner said:
I'm assuming your brass is wet after the dishsoap manuever, do you toss it back into the tumbler in this condition or do you dry them first..Confused.
I got into the SS pin tumbling craze when it first started. It worked great! I quickly got tired of the wet-mess & sold all my stuff off. I went back to the tried & true vibrating polisher. Then I started making bullets out of .22 RF cases. To get the jacket insides squeaky clean I found out that the SS tumbler was a MUST have. I tried the ultrasonic route too, but I had poor luck mastering that - perhaps it is the cheap HF unit(?)
Now that I'm figuring it all out, I appreciate both the SS method & the vibratory method. I feel that if you can afford it, "Mr. Complete Handloader" needs both. There is plenty of advice on both methods & now that I have done enough in the FA tumbler there is really very little mess & work to deal with. I believe that you need to find out what works for you & stick with it - quit experimenting. You can over-do with either method. Be consistent to get consistent results.
FWIW...
...bug
Now that I'm figuring it all out, I appreciate both the SS method & the vibratory method. I feel that if you can afford it, "Mr. Complete Handloader" needs both. There is plenty of advice on both methods & now that I have done enough in the FA tumbler there is really very little mess & work to deal with. I believe that you need to find out what works for you & stick with it - quit experimenting. You can over-do with either method. Be consistent to get consistent results.
FWIW...
...bug
JeepHammer
Moderator
What shape of pin ENDS do you use? (Brand?)
Rounded pins didn't seem to get the primer pockets clean in the corners for me,
I use pins that are square end with a slight radius break from side to end now,
They seem to get the corners of the primer pockets cleaner.
Smaller diameter pins get those flash holes cleaner also.
When I use a round container (PVC Pipe) with no 'Stir' blades/bumps installed,
The brass took a lot longer, but came out high polished.
The 8 sided drum that I started with cleaned a little faster, but it didnt polish quite as well, really clean when I stopped, just not quite as much polish when cleaned.
Now I use a drum with blades to mix brass.
I've tried long blades to mix up brass, but short blades in the drum seem to work as well and the brass comes out just as clean,
And the shorter the blades the higher the polish I'm seeing.
The only thing I can think of is the less mixing, the more time the pins have to rub/polish the cases instead of being constantly displaced and have to settle back in, compact, and clean/polish the cases...
Just my theroy.
At the recomendation of the guys here, I'm using citric acid in the water,
And it makes a BIG difference!
A little industral hand cleaner (cheaper & more concentrated than Dawn) and some citric acid based parts cleaner, and they are ready to work in about two hours, high polish takes longer.
Rounded pins didn't seem to get the primer pockets clean in the corners for me,
I use pins that are square end with a slight radius break from side to end now,
They seem to get the corners of the primer pockets cleaner.
Smaller diameter pins get those flash holes cleaner also.
When I use a round container (PVC Pipe) with no 'Stir' blades/bumps installed,
The brass took a lot longer, but came out high polished.
The 8 sided drum that I started with cleaned a little faster, but it didnt polish quite as well, really clean when I stopped, just not quite as much polish when cleaned.
Now I use a drum with blades to mix brass.
I've tried long blades to mix up brass, but short blades in the drum seem to work as well and the brass comes out just as clean,
And the shorter the blades the higher the polish I'm seeing.
The only thing I can think of is the less mixing, the more time the pins have to rub/polish the cases instead of being constantly displaced and have to settle back in, compact, and clean/polish the cases...
Just my theroy.
At the recomendation of the guys here, I'm using citric acid in the water,
And it makes a BIG difference!
A little industral hand cleaner (cheaper & more concentrated than Dawn) and some citric acid based parts cleaner, and they are ready to work in about two hours, high polish takes longer.
schmellba99
New member
Magnetic or non-magnetic stainless doesn't have to do with "quality", it has to do with chemistry.
200 and 300 series stainless is non magnetic - this is austentic stainless. High chrome and high nickel contents that provide the corrosion resistance. Non-heat treatable, but will work harden very easily.
400 series stainless is magnetic - this is martenistic stainless steel. High chrome, moly and small amounts of carbon are added. Still corrosion resistant, but not as much as the 300 series, but can be heat treated and work hardened.
Ferritic stainless alloys are magnetic as well, usually designated by Cr series (18Cr, 26Cr, etc.)
As far as tumbling, some of you seem to make it a much more difficult process than it is (at least to me), and some seem to think it is significantly more difficult than it really is.
I have a fairly simple system - I use a paint strainer bag and a collander to capture pins, do my pin separation work under water so that surface tension does not adhere pins to the walls of brass, and a simple box fan dries brass in a surprisingly short amount of time. I've never had a pin stick in the primer pocket either that I can recall (STM pins). Use citric acid and Armor All Wash-N-Wax (leaves a thin wax coating on the pins that acts as a corrosion barrier and a lubricant in the dies). There is no need to dry pins out between uses - put them back in your tumbler barrel with some clean water and they are ready for the next use.
All stainless will rust given the right conditions - stainless does not mean rust proof, it simply means it "stains less" than your run of the mill carbon series steels.
200 and 300 series stainless is non magnetic - this is austentic stainless. High chrome and high nickel contents that provide the corrosion resistance. Non-heat treatable, but will work harden very easily.
400 series stainless is magnetic - this is martenistic stainless steel. High chrome, moly and small amounts of carbon are added. Still corrosion resistant, but not as much as the 300 series, but can be heat treated and work hardened.
Ferritic stainless alloys are magnetic as well, usually designated by Cr series (18Cr, 26Cr, etc.)
As far as tumbling, some of you seem to make it a much more difficult process than it is (at least to me), and some seem to think it is significantly more difficult than it really is.
I have a fairly simple system - I use a paint strainer bag and a collander to capture pins, do my pin separation work under water so that surface tension does not adhere pins to the walls of brass, and a simple box fan dries brass in a surprisingly short amount of time. I've never had a pin stick in the primer pocket either that I can recall (STM pins). Use citric acid and Armor All Wash-N-Wax (leaves a thin wax coating on the pins that acts as a corrosion barrier and a lubricant in the dies). There is no need to dry pins out between uses - put them back in your tumbler barrel with some clean water and they are ready for the next use.
All stainless will rust given the right conditions - stainless does not mean rust proof, it simply means it "stains less" than your run of the mill carbon series steels.
drain smith
New member
Over the years I have learned three things.
1. Don't fight gravity.
2. Don't argue with the wife.
3. When you do argue with the wife and win, you still lose, make sure that you have a luxury "dog house/man cave."
Now this is how I put gravity to work for me. After I run my f.a.r.t. I put the stopper in my wash tub and just pour everything in to the tub.
I then fill the tub up with 6" of water and work everything around. Then I pull the stopper.
I take my spray hose and rinse everything down the drain including the pins. The brass is stopped by the cross bars in the drain.
I then put the brass on my drying racks. Then I reach under the sink and unscrew my pin catcher that is screwed into a trap assy. that has a clean out plug in it. I then pour the pins on a special drying rack, and I am done.
1. Don't fight gravity.
2. Don't argue with the wife.
3. When you do argue with the wife and win, you still lose, make sure that you have a luxury "dog house/man cave."
Now this is how I put gravity to work for me. After I run my f.a.r.t. I put the stopper in my wash tub and just pour everything in to the tub.
I then fill the tub up with 6" of water and work everything around. Then I pull the stopper.
I take my spray hose and rinse everything down the drain including the pins. The brass is stopped by the cross bars in the drain.
I then put the brass on my drying racks. Then I reach under the sink and unscrew my pin catcher that is screwed into a trap assy. that has a clean out plug in it. I then pour the pins on a special drying rack, and I am done.
LOL
after running my F.A.R.T. I put my custom made blue jeans caps (both ends) on my F.A.R.T. put the damn pins back in the F.A.R.T. stand it on end and let the whole thing dry. When the bottom cap is dry replace with clear plastic ends and ready to go when needed. I put it on my old media separator over the 5 gallon bucket to allow drainage and air movement.Rottweiler
New member
schrapnel
Nice idea, I call them schrapnel because the first thing I did when I bought my F.A.R.T was drop the bag of pins on the garage floor. Of course it broke open on impact, scattering them half way across the garage. Hence the the name schrapnel. Good thing they are magnetic otherwise I'd have probably swept them out the garage door and ordered another bag.
Nice idea, I call them schrapnel because the first thing I did when I bought my F.A.R.T was drop the bag of pins on the garage floor. Of course it broke open on impact, scattering them half way across the garage. Hence the the name schrapnel. Good thing they are magnetic otherwise I'd have probably swept them out the garage door and ordered another bag.
I empty the tumbler cylinder into a 5 gal paint strainer. Then rinse the brass off in the strainer. Then I use a media separator to get the ss pins out. My Lyman separator does a pretty good job of removing the pins. Then I dump the brass on a towel and quickly pat them dry mainly to prevent water spots from the tap water used to rinse. The brass dries overnight. I use my vibe tumbler with lizard bedding to remove the one shot case lube after sizing. One hour is all it takes. It's a lot of steps but I enjoy the time spent.