Post tumble case clean-up.

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P95Carry

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Am catching up on some case cleaning .... amazing how they accumulate!

However ...... as always one of the most tedious aspects is emptying the damn things of media. Just tipped out a bundle of .45acp cases .. shake em around in the sieve ... and of course the bases being heavier tend to make em sit mouth upwards!

So ......... despite much stirring - in the end still seem to have to pick em out a few at a time and shake em properly empty.

I could be missing a trick here but ..... there has to be a quicker way!?

Is there?
 
I had the same problem. I would shake 'em around but almost every case still had some corn or walnut still in it. I had to take a small group and bang them together to get the stuff out. Tedious.

A couple of years ago I bought a revolving tumbler thingy from Midway. It sits in its own cradle over a bucket and you turn it with a handle. Seems to get all the media very well. No need to buy their bucket designed to go with it, almost any bucket which is large enough will do.

[Added]
Found it in their catalog. It's item #240531.
 
I have the dillon seperator and I couldnt imagine doing it with anything else. I used to use one of those sieve things but this is so damn easy. WEll worth the money.
 
Looks like the sifter that Harley just pointed to is an even better design than Midway's because it has two handles. The single handle on mine is the only gripe I have with it. The sifter will sometimes go lopsided with heavy loads since the rotational force (my arm) is all on one side.

The $25 "buy it now" price doesn't seem too bad.
 
Guys!! Thx ever so much .... my prayers answered!!

Harley ..... I have gone to look at that one you linked to ... and bought it!!! Gotta be way to go.

Just want it like NOW!! .... but will certainly make things easier.

Thx again.:)
 
That it exactly the same sifter that I have bought. It's all made from plastic and I have used it a lot! I cannot see how this thing would ever break under normal usage. I am sure you will like it and it will serve you well for a long time.

:cool:
 
I use a plastic collander and just shake it as if I was trying to flip a pancake in a skillet. The cases always turn over and the media falls out.
 
oscar .. yeah it does work .. pretty much partly what i have done today .. including also use of a deep frier basket too ..... but ...... usually find media gets thrown around a bit and also always seems those few cases that stubbornly refuse to give up all the media!!

I think thias tumbler deal will certainly make things easier and less messy!
 
Thirties ..... glad you seem fixed up too! So - Berries eh ... well whatever ...... if it does what Harley says we'll both be well pleased.

My last ''load'' of the day will soon finish .... batch of .308 and a few .223 cases ... gonna have to do it the hard way - just once more!

Incidentally (cuss!) yours was a smigeon cheaper than mine!:( But hey ... not gonna cry over a coupla Bux!!
 
Incidentally (cuss!) yours was a smigeon cheaper than mine! But hey ... not gonna cry over a coupla Bux!!

That's what is tricky with eBay. You really need to know what you are buying, or you can get a bit rooked. In your case, that's $5.01. I've seen lots of things get bid way too high on eBay -- fine when you're a seller.

I'm glad I bumped into this thread, otherwise I'd have bought an RCBS sifter for more money.
 
What about one of those Lyman AutoFlo tumblers. I see they sell a conversion kit to turn yer "plain old ordinary" tumbler into an auto-magical-self-empting-wonder. I do wonder if their system works as well as they say it does.
 
What about one of those Lyman AutoFlo tumblers. I see they sell a conversion kit to turn yer "plain old ordinary" tumbler into an auto-magical-self-empting-wonder. I do wonder if their system works as well as they say it does.

I have an AutoFlow tumbler, and it is a very bad design. The medium flows out at a very slow pace and the location of the hole is very awkward. Result is a messy floor, and you must hold a container carefully while on your knees (I keep mine on the concrete floor).

I wouldn't waste any extra money on this system. As it is, I'm having to buy a media separator, even though I have the Lyman AutoFlow.

Just my very humble opinion...
 
Yikes!! that doesn't sound good. I couldn't see how a hole in the tumbler bowl would make sure all the cases got emptied out properly. This news of messy floors is worse than I can imagine. I'll stick with my humble "old-school" tumbler.
 
My son and I use a system I thought up. We buy our laundry detergent in five gallon plastic buckets. I drilled 5/16" holes all over the bottom of one bucket. It is placed inside one without holes. The cases and media are poured into the top bucket and then the top bucket, while still mostly inside the bottom bucket, is shaken until the media is all in the bottom bucket. The cases are then poured into a container and the media is poured back into the tumbler.
 
I've got a Lyman AutoFlo conversion on my Midway tumber. Love it!! No muss, no fuss, and the entire process takes about 2 minutes.

Wonderful design...

Joe
 
Just be careful you don't have media stuck in the flash hole. I would estimate about 50% of my cases have walnut media stuck there, which I have to remove with a decapping stem.

I decap with a universal decapping die, then tumble, then size without the decapping stem. This is probably why they get stuck in the flash hole. If you clean then decap the decapping pin will clear the flash hole of the case.
 
Interesting and appropraite you mention that Dodge' .... cos for first time in ages (ever probably) I took what I felt was the lazy option .. and all cases . (9mm, .45acp, .308 and .223) went thru without decapping. Just one or two had media down in flash hole but overall ... better than other way around IMO .. and will stick to this method.

I also have been using some Lyman walnut media ... sorta red/brown stuff, which my dear wife got me. Way too expensive I thought for a 2 lb box ... but .. here's the plus ...... it is real coarse .. and so does not hang up easily in flash holes and ..... it cleans so quick!! A batch is all but done in an hour or so ..... whereas previously with my old (worn out more like!!) mix of finer granulation .. felt need to leave it all night!!!

I am eagerly anticipating getting my new tumbler/separator tho.
 
Thirties,

The 1st thing to watch for with the AutoFlo, is to not overtighten the wing nut. The bottom section needs room to move the media. You don't want to reduce that room by cranking the top section down too far. Just tight enought to keep the bowls from spinning.

Next, use clean media. I buy the crushed walnut "birdie litter" stuff from the pet store and replace it often, it's dirt cheap. I use my tumber weekly and replace the media 2 to 3 times per year.

Keep the bowls clean. If you allow "gunk" to build up on the inside of the bowls it will really slow down the movement of the media. Same for static. Toss a drier sheet in now and then.

I drain the media into the plastic pan than came with the kit, but any container would work. I emptied mine last night and timed it. Took almost exactly 2 minutes for the media to drain. With the tumbler stull running, I then stirred the brass by hand for about 30 seconds, to get the media left in the cases to empty out.

That 's it. Not a loose kernal anywhere and no need for a brass sifter/seperator. I share my small reloading bench with the washer and drier, in an already small room, so not having to store the bulkly sifters is really a plus for me.

Good Luck...

Joe
 
I have this sifter type thing from a deep fryer. It is made out of quarter-inch mesh and it works quite well. I just stick a bunch of brass in it and sort of flip it until all the media falls out. It works, and it is cheap. I use an old ice cream bucket to catch the media. As I said, cheap...
I don't deprime until after I tumble, so that takes care of anything that gets in the flash hole. My logic is that steel decapping pins are harder than tumbling media. I haven't broken one yet anyhow.
 
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