Off the wall question - how long do you tumble brass?

[lightman]

I run mine in 12 hour shifts in corncob with a splash of Mineral Spirits and a cap full of liquid car polish mixed in. You didn't ask about wet tumbling but I run my wet tumbler in 2 hour shifts. Occasionally I get a stubborn case that gets run another 2 hours mixed in with the next batch.

 

[375supermag]

Hi...
Mostly use walnut media...run handgun brass 3-4 hours.
When I run my big Dillon tumbler I usually run it about four hours with corn cob media.
Usually only run it with rifle brass.
I have tried cleaning brass with water, Dawn dishwashing liquid and Lemishine. Takes too long to dry the brass for me.

 

[Mark_Mark]

Clean is clean, shiny is something else. Do what appeals to you. You only need to please yourself.
I personally like to recondition my brass, so I like shiny, but they don't shoot any better then just clean does.

hell yeah! I like your perspective! I prefer cloudy dull brass. Walnut for 24 hours without polish

 

[frankmako]

no set time. i turn it on and walk away. it can go several hours or all night. either way they come out clean.

 

[griff383]

When I was younger and didn't know any better I had 2 tumblers, 1 with walnut for cleaning and 1 with corn for polishing. 4-8 hours was the norm unless I forgot about it or was reaching for something ultra shiny/quick clean.

Now, I only have 1 tumbler with walnut to clean parts. Can't stand the dust and moved on to 2 big drums, 1.7gal one with pins for polishing and one 3gal that's just for cleaning (no pins). The bigger one gets the grime off with just soap and lemishine, the smaller one gets pins, wash&wax, and lemishine. 1 hour and brass looks brand new, dries quickly if you work the water off with a towel or 2.

I do agree though the wet method takes some pre planning but all said and done its quicker, easier, and way cleaner. I just do it during the week when I think I may need it for a weekend loading. Plus I have brass that's almost 10 years old and still looks brand new from wet tumbling.

 

[1976B.L.Johns.]

I've been known to leave brass running for 3 weeks...

That defiantly beats Walkalong's previous posts "rookie" time!

 

[film495]

and hour or 2 before hitting a die, usually brightens it up pretty good, but maybe not factory new bright, then another hour after sizing and depriming .. usually those times run a little longer, just cause I forget about it, but - those are my targets. I've found dry tumbling works faster with some cleaner in the media, simple green, mineral spirits, whatever is on my bench. I'm sure the concoction in my tumbler is a moderate bio hazzard at this point, but it works.

 

[Charlie98]

That defiantly beats Walkalong's previous posts "rookie" time!

that was back when I was a truck driver... left out for 3 weeks. When I got back... I sure had some clean .45-70 brass!

 

[9mmepiphany]

My normal time is about two hours...up to three...in toasted buckwheat with added Nu Finish. If that doesn't get them shinny, they wait until I have enough for the wet tumbler.

 

[Mark_Mark]

that was back when I was a truck driver... left out for 3 weeks. When I got back... I sure had some clean .45-70 brass!

3 weeks of tumbling!!!!

that’s the funniest thing I hear all week

 

[Archie]

I clean brass for two primary reasons. One is the common answer to avoid damage or extra wear to my loading dies. The second and more important reason is to get the primer pockets as clean as they can be. I think that makes for a better final product. Now, before anyone tells me primer pockets are not that important, I am aware. I've even tested the matter with handgun ammunition. Uncleaned pockets are just as positive in ignition and the shots are consistent and accurate. I do it anyway.

So, when I used media and a 'dry' system, I'd leave them going for several hours, if not overnight. I would add a small bit of Hoppe's #9 to aid in removing the powder stains and crud in the primer pockets.

I recently (last year or two) switched to wet - pin cleaning. That does work better in both regards.

 

[GeoDudeFlorida]

Good day fellow bb loaders, was just wondering how long you tumble your brass in corn cob/walnut media? I usually do it for about 6-8 hours or until I feel they're clean enough. Any of you media guys or gals more (or less) demanding and want spot free brass? Or, am I just lazy and am prematurely pulling out (no pun intended) brass too soon?

——
Which tumble?
First I for an hour or so in old corn cob to get the soot and grit off. Then I pop the primers and tumble overnight in clean walnut before resize and sort. Before they get boxed, I give them a tumble for another hour or two in polish and walnut media so they shine real pretty. Total tumble depends but the range is probably 8-12 hours. I also have a tendency to kind of overload the tumbler so take that into account.
Hope that helps

 

[magyars4]

3-4 hrs, generally closer to 4with walnut media. I also throw in a used dryer sheet
Clean enough.

 

[bersaguy]

I like my brass to look as good or better than factory. Completely unnecessary, but thats what I like to do. 4 hrs in walnut with some Nushine and used dryer sheets typically gets me there. The used dryer sheet trick that I picked up here has been a godsend, keeps the dust to a minimum, and I usually add a little nothing to my media just before tumbling, that also keeps the dust down
Recently I had some brass that until this year I would never have picked up from the range. Not damaged, but very dull, had been on the ground at an outdoor range for at least a few days in the Florida elements. 8 hrs tumbling and they were shiny, wouldn't call them bright, looked similar to lacquered steel cases when I was done. Those all shot just fine

 

[cfullgraf]

Generally, I run the tumbler overnight but since I've been retired, it could be run during the day. Maybe at least 4 to 6 hours minimum.

I do not like leaving the cases in the tumbler with the media after stopping the tumbler, the media sometimes leaves spots on the cases. So I usually at least dump the tumbler in the media separator and separate most of the media after shutting down the tumbler. I then finish the media clean up, checking for plugged flash holes, etc. of the cases at later time.

 

[KandBA]

After years of experimenting I have settled on 3 hours in walnut with a few small drops of Turtle Wax All Metal Polish. Best results are achieved in small batches (100-150) using a minimum quantity of media. The waxed brass sizes without the need for lubricant.

 

[CQB45ACP]

I wet tumble w/pins for an hour (maybe two if it’s a big load).

Then, if if I want super shiny that’ll last indefinitely, one hour in corn cob with flitz or one shot.

my corncob media lasts a really, really long time because it only sees clean brass.

Im a bi partisan kind of tumbler.

 

[CQB45ACP]

Generally, I run the tumbler overnight but since I've been retired, it could be run during the day. Maybe at least 4 to 6 hours minimum.

I do not like leaving the cases in the tumbler with the media after stopping the tumbler, the media sometimes leaves spots on the cases. So I usually at least dump the tumbler in the media separator and separate most of the media after shutting down the tumbler. I then finish the media clean up, checking for plugged flash holes, etc. of the cases at later time.

Ah, nothing like the sound of brass tumbling as one drifts off to sleep...it’s the American lullaby.

 

[CQB45ACP]

I like my brass to look as good or better than factory. Completely unnecessary, but thats what I like to do. 4 hrs in walnut with some Nushine and used dryer sheets typically gets me there. The used dryer sheet trick that I picked up here has been a godsend, keeps the dust to a minimum, and I usually add a little nothing to my media just before tumbling, that also keeps the dust down
Recently I had some brass that until this year I would never have picked up from the range. Not damaged, but very dull, had been on the ground at an outdoor range for at least a few days in the Florida elements. 8 hrs tumbling and they were shiny, wouldn't call them bright, looked similar to lacquered steel cases when I was done. Those all shot just fine

Hey some great ideas here...the dryer sheets. I really dislike the static after my dry tumbling.

After I dry tumble with flitz, as part of checking for media in flash holes and general condition, I use an old T-shirt to polish each and every case. They look amazing! And darling don’t you know it’s better to look good than it is to feel goood?

 

[jmorris]

I think my timer on the vibratory tumblers is a 4 hour cycle. Wet with pins in a rotary is 30 min and 180 seconds in my ultrasonic.

 

[entropy]

4 hours in Zilla minimum, more than 6 is not necessary. (Lyman 3200)

 

[v8stang289]

Usually 4-6 hours. On occasion I have forgotten I turned it on and let it go for a day or 2...

 

[cfullgraf]

Ah, nothing like the sound of brass tumbling as one drifts off to sleep...it’s the American lullaby.

True, but my tumbler is the basement and I can stand on the first floor directly above the tumbler and still cannot hear the tumbler. A well built house.

 

[gonoles_1980]

I do a couple of hours with walnut before depriming and sizing, then a couple of hours with corncob and franklin polish after depriming and sizing. Probably overkill, but I like shiny brass.

 

[Harriw]

Pistol brass I wet tumble (SS pins, Woolite HE detergent, and lemishine) for 2-3 hours or so after removing the primers. They don't really need that long, but I like to give them as long as I can to get the primer pockets cleaned out. Any more than 4 hours or so and I start to see tarnishing.

Rifle Brass I wet tumble (same recipe) for an hour before processing, then for another hour when they're finished. I make the final tumble as short as I think I can get away with because I don't want the freshly trimmed/deburred necks getting peened over by the pins. An hour before and after seems to be my sweet spot in terms of "still shiny, and primer pockets clean-ish, but as little peening over of the necks as possible."