Anybody else wipe off their cases after tumbling?

[ny32182]

I picked up the habit of wiping off each case that comes out of the tumbler after reading that this would be a good idea in one of the reloading manuals I got when I first started.

After a few hundred cases, a white cloth will turn a little grey, but this is a time consuming step and I kind of wonder about the utility. Does anyone else do this, and/or does it serve any real purpose other than keeping a miniscule additional amount of crap out of the sizing die? I could pick up some speed if I dropped this and just sorted by headstamp and/or caliber instead of actually wiping each one down.

 

[esheato]

Nope...never.

Frequently I use a large Dillon tumbler...no way I'm wiping a giant tub of pistol or 223 cases. I use a rotary sifter and then it goes straight into a bucket.

 

[donger8]

I actually wipe off the case after tumbling, but only for rounds that will go into my bolt action rifle. I figure the cleaner the round, the less crud fouling up the chamber. I don't bother wiping off plinking/blasting ammo.

 

[winchester1886]

I use a old tee shirt to wipe off my rifle brass after removing them from the tumbler. I Use Flitz in my walnut media it leaves a residue on the brass.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I have never wiped off brass after tumbling. Actually, I've never thought of doing it.

 

[BigN]

I like to wipe the residue off each case out of the tumber. I like each round to be shiny and clean. I used nickel plated brass for all of my calibers. Just like shiny stuff...

 

[GLOOB]

Nope. I spritz a little water and car wax into my tumbler. It cuts down on the loose powder. What's left on the cases acts as sizing lube and protects the brass from tarnishing.

 

[kelbro]

If you use that Lyman media with the red coating, it would be a good idea to wipe the rouge off.

 

[DickM]

I like to get any tumbler dust off the brass before I run it through my resizing die - I don't spend much time with it, just dump them onto an old bath towel and rub them around a bit. I get a lot less dust, and much shinier brass in less time, since I started adding a couple capfuls of Nu-Finish car polish to my media.

 

[Horsemany]

I've found the cases come out dust free if you sprinkle in some mineral spirits with a strip of paper towel to absorb all the debris from the media. I don't know why but with mineral spirits the cases come out almost repelling dust like a coffee table with pledge on it. It works well.

 

[Gary Wells]

I shoot & load .45 auto only, use nickel plated R-P brass only, have found that any old car polish will work as well as Nu-Finish, & use a few cut-up drier sheets in with the media. Never have noticed a film or dust, never wipe down.

 

[Walkalong]

No. If they come out all gritty, it's time to change the media and tumble them again.

 

[idahoglock36]

I toss mine in an old flannel pillow case and shake them around a bit. Takes a minute. Takes all the dust and rouge off.

 

[Carl N. Brown]

When I help my son, I make a point of checking primer pockets and flash holes for media. I guess handling the casings with a cloth amounts to wiping as well.

 

[rcmodel]

Yes!
I wipe off every one, five times.

Once when I pick them up out of the media seperator to get them in zip lock bags.
Again when I prime them all.
Again when I put powder in each one.
Again when I seat the bullets.
And finally, when I pick each one up and put it in the cartridge boxs.

Then I wash my hands that I "wiped" them off with!

rc

 

[brickeyee]

I have some walnut I use for the last few minutes after using walnut with rouge.

When it starts to get dirty I add rouge and throw out the previous batch.

A new batch for final tumbling is then started.

 

[gamestalker]

I do , but I'm sure it isn't necessary. It's just something I've been doing for many years because of media dust concerns that I'm sure probably don't have much of an effect, if any, on powder burn rate.

 

[BigBob3006]

Every single time!

 

[esheato]

I'm curious...for the people that do wipe cases, how much do you load?

I have a feeling the people that wipe don't load in quantity, while the ones who don't wipe are exactly the opposite.

 

[derek45]

Never

I toss in a few (used) BOUNCE dryer sheets to collect any dust.

I use corn cob media and NU-FINISH car polish

This has worked well for me for many years

 

[twofifty]

I dump tumbled brass into a bucket of hot water, swirl them around, drain, let air dry.

 

[GLShooter]

I never wipe mine down. They are cleaned in a Dillon that has the lid off outside. I will spray them down with Hornady One Shot when I load them. After they are loaded I wipe them down with a towel soaked with rubbing alcohol. It has worked well for me for a bit over 30 years now.

Greg

 

[benzuncle]

I have a towel that I use to clean off any dust that the used dryer sheets miss. I put a hundred or so casings on the towel, folding it over and rolling the top around. This does a good job of capturing any dust that is still on the casings. After a few uses, the towel goes in the laundry and the warden washes it along with my work pants. I also turn the casings upside down and knock them to make sure there is no media in the casings.

 

[788Ham]

I don't wipe them off, but after the first trip thru the walnut/Nu Finish cycle, I toss them into another tumbler of corn cob to clean the Nu Finish off. After 10 min., I pull cases and clean out what little cob is left and ready to go.

 

[gregj]

I use the Lizard Litter (crushed walnut shells) and cut up used dryer sheets, and the cases are still a little dusty. After running them through my media seperator, I have an old hand towl that's a little oily from gun cleaning that I drop all the cases into. I gather the ends of the towl up like a little hammock, and move the ends up and down so the cases tumble in the towel. This takes about 1 minute to do, and gets the dust residue as well as additional media from the cases. Seems to work fine so far.