Anyone wet tumble without pins to remove lube?

[slowr1der]

I've wet tumbled since the days before it was popular and the reloading companies made wet tumblers. However, for years I've been using Dawn + Lemishine + SS pins. While the results are spectacular, the process is pretty time consuming. I've never tried it without the pins, but lately I've been reading about a lot of people leaving the pins out. If I didn't have to deal with these, it would save a decent amount of time. So I'm wondering if I was to tumble without the pins if it would remove the case lube? Anyone tried this? What were your experiences?

 

[ms6852]

I don't wet tumble, do use a sonic cleaner for a lot of range brass. The reference you make about lube, are you referring to sizing lube? If so, I don't remove lube from formed brass since I use imperial sizing die, just a tiny amount with my thumb and finger on all my cartridges. Never had issues since the amount used had it been to much you would have seen the problem during the sizing as the case would have a dent from the lube.

 

[JEBruns]

Yes, that would work to remove the lube. I just use my old dry tumbler if I'm only looking to remove lube.

 

[tightgroup tiger]

There are a lot of members that wet tumble with out pins. They should be along shortly.

 

[maxxhavoc]

There are a lot of members that wet tumble with out pins. They should be along shortly.

You called?

You will be fine. I used pins for years and loved the results. I decided to try pistol brass without pins once when the time was more important than the shine.

I was surprised to find that the brass was almost exactly the same looking as with pins except for the inside and primer pockets.

So unless I am handloading low quantity rifle ammo, I rarely use pins anymore. It is much faster and easier... And no more stuck pins in 223 primer holes.

 

[FROGO207]

I use homemade alcohol and lanolin mix to size with. I may use too much but when cleaning them after it does not work as well using no pins for me. Only real way for you to know for sure is to try it for yourself it seems.

 

[slowr1der]

I use homemade alcohol and lanolin mix to size with. I may use too much but when cleaning them after it does not work as well using no pins for me. Only real way for you to know for sure is to try it for yourself it seems.

This is the same kind of lube I'm using. This doesn't give me hope, but I may give it a try and see how it does. I'm always worried with my dry tumbler that it's not getting it off of the inside since it doesn't clean the inside at all. Since I spray this lube on, it gets both on the inside and outside of the cases.

 

[9mmepiphany]

I wet tumble pistol brass all the time without pins. Since I also don't deprime before tumbling the results are basically the same.

I only do this for the initial cleaning of brass, not the remove the lube...I remove lube by dry tumbling in corn cob.

I've heard too many horror stores of the lube coating the tumbler to chance it. Neither the Dawn nor the Lemi-shine are designed to attack the lanolin in the lube mixture. If you insist on wet tumbling your lubed cases, I'd suggest using Woolite

 

[Laphroaig]

I've done it to remove lanolin lube in my Thumlers. Hot water and strong detergent. I've come to believe an easier solution is just not to use lanolin lube. I never tried Woolite but that sounds like it should work.

 

[tightgroup tiger]

Since I spray this lube on, it gets both on the inside and outside of the cases.

I lay all my brass down with the mouths pointing away from me and spray them, I don't get any inside the case. At least my neck tension doesn't change so I'm guessing I'm not getting any in there. I check my tension with one of these. With my RCBS resizing dies my pistol and revolver loads usually run over 50 lbs which is really good. I put a dummy round in my SR9 and worked the slide 4 times and the bullet only moved .002" so I considered that good enough. That's enough tension that my upper mid range .357 mag cartridges don't set back any with a taper crimp.

I use One Shot on my pistol and revolver and Unique on my rifle loads. That Hornady Unique is really good stuff. It comes right off in a vibratory tumbler.

 

[AK Hunter]

I use the lanolin-alcohol mix to lube my rifle cases for sizing. I don't use any for pistol brass because I have carbide dies.
I use more alcohol to remove the lube from my rifle brass then let it dry.

 

[Highland Lofts]

If you wet tumble lubed brass with out the pins use a small squirt of Dawn & hot tap water.
Hot water will cut the lube better.

 

[sfl_gunner]

I started doing this recently. Removing lube with wet tube. It tends to be faster than the whole process of dry tumbling for me.

 

[9mmepiphany]

It tends to be faster than the whole process of dry tumbling for me.

Interested in how long you're tumbling.

When I dry tumble to remove lube, I'm only tumbling 20 mins or so.

 

[Kaldor]

Wet tumbling will remove lube easily, both with and without pins

I use pins when I tumble rifle brass because I want the deburring action after I trim the cases. Pistol cases I take the pins out. Switching to PEG 75 lanolin made the cleanup alot easier as it water soluable.

 

[2ndtimer]

I also wet tumble without pins most of the time, using Dawn and Lemishine. I use Hornady Unique for lube, and just wipe off the cases with a towel after sizing. If I have extra cruddy brass, I may resort to the stainless steel pins, but they are a pain to deal with during rinsing and then having to dry them as well as the brass. My bet is once you try it, you will only resort to the pins occasionally.

 

[AJC1]

I don't tumble after lube. I hand wipe each case while the next one is dwelling in the sizing die. I use Redding sizing wax so the bare case after wet tumbing now has protection for long term storage... using a mandrel vise an expander means no lube is ever inside....

 

[Varminterror]

I wet tumble without pins to clean brass, then use Hornady One Shot so I don’t have to clean again.

 

[ParallelCode]

For both pistol and rifle brass I wipe each case with a microfiber cloth that has rubbing alcohol on it. Afterwards I go back with a cotton swab dipped in alcohol to ensure the case necks are lube-free.

I originally planned on wet tumbling to remove lube, but didn't want the pins coated with lube residue. I doubted that no pins would be sufficient, but it sounds like others have had success.

 

[JEBruns]

I also wet tumble without pins most of the time, using Dawn and Lemishine. I use Hornady Unique for lube, and just wipe off the cases with a towel after sizing. If I have extra cruddy brass, I may resort to the stainless steel pins, but they are a pain to deal with during rinsing and then having to dry them as well as the brass. My bet is once you try it, you will only resort to the pins occasionally.

I don't understand this approach, but I know we're all different. If I'm going to have to go through all the steps wet tumbling demands, adding pins every time is a no brainer. It just is not that much more work to separate and dry the pins. And the results are SO much better with pins.

If I'm going to not use pins, I just break out the old dry tumbler. I let them vibrate in there for several hours, sometimes overnight. The outsides look as good as wet tumbling with pins, without the hassle of having to dry them.

 

[2ndtimer]

I don't understand this approach, but I know we're all different. If I'm going to have to go through all the steps wet tumbling demands, adding pins every time is a no brainer. It just is not that much more work to separate and dry the pins. And the results are SO much better with pins.

If I'm going to not use pins, I just break out the old dry tumbler. I let them vibrate in there for several hours, sometimes overnight. The outsides look as good as wet tumbling with pins, without the hassle of having to dry them.

You be you, and I’ll be me, and we can agree to disagree. I have to rinse in the kitchen sink and stainless steel pins aren’t a garbage disposal’s best friend. As for the hassle of drying the cases, the food dehydrator works great in the winter. And, in the summer, it takes very little time to spread them out on a towel in the sun when high temperatures are rarely below 90 and frequently above 100 here. And I rarely use the dry tumbler, since even anti static drying cloths can’t catch all of the dust generated, and I try to limit my lead intake indoors.

 

[DukeConnor]

Pins are hateful evol things.
I reload in the garage and would find pins in the living room carpet.. Brass comes out clean (not as brilliant) without them.

 

[JKP]

I use the Southern Shine stainless chips when I wet tumble. The FA wet separator works amazingly well and fast to get the chips out even in .223 cases. With 9mm I still lube with lanolin/alcohol for smoother sailing on sizing. Since I prime at the same time I just throw the cases in the dry tumbler for about 90 minutes to get the lube off.