Should I Switch to a Wet Rotary Tumbler?

[MikeOBWan]

I have close to the same process. I like to do all my brass prep work first. Then the brass is as clean as can be when you load it, there isn't even any finger prints on it when I'm done loading. Although I am extremely anal retentive.

-I dry tumble first just for about an hour. Just to knock the majority of Carbon and dirt off the brass.
-Then sort by caliber
-Then I lubricate, resize, and pop the primer
-Then if Rifle cartridge I trim, chamfer, and debur
-Then if Military cartridge I Swage
-Then I Wet tumble for 4 hours using Thumblers Tumbler, with 5lbs of steal pins, one squirt of Dawn, warm water, and one .45 brass full of LemiShine
-Then I dump the Tumbler contents into an RCBS media separator, and rinse everything with a shower head for about 5 minutes or so using cold water(I stick the shower head in the separator)
-Dump media separator (clean brass) on a beach towel and roll the brass back and forth in the towel about 10 times (like a bowling ball).
-Then spread the brass out on the towel for 24 hours to dry or use a fan to cut the time down

And Presto Bingo, you have perfect like new brass. Out of the 10's of thousands of different caliber brass i have run through this process, I have found just a couple pins still stuck in the case or like 5 or 6 stuck in the primer hole of .223.

 

[lauderdale]

FROGO sorry missed it.

JUDGEDELTA learned something there! sort of like a used onion bag. And use my Dillion tumbler a bunch.

Russel C. That's how I clean my brass almost exactly w/F.A. w/s.s. pins I have old bakery cookie sheets that I use and leave aireation on(fan over knight). With a thick bath towel under the brass. Thanks Guyz!

 

[picker]

Man, some of you folks go all out on your brass cleaning, I like mine to sparkle but............All I do is throw a couple hundred in a dry tumbler with walnut, no polish and then throw them in another one with corn cob with polish.
If I have lotsa brass to do I have a wet tumbler I use you can flat load that thing up with brass, bout 3 hours in that thing and then rinse and put em in a well tied pillow case and then the clothes dryer...........Best/picker

Should I Switch to a Wet Rotary Tumbler?
yup, if you have a lot of brass you want clean in a short period of time

 

[jea1957]

I have used my Lyman 3200 for years, does a good job. For Christmas, my fiancé got me a new Frankford Arsenal wet tumbler w/SS pins. Also got me the Magnet, Lemi-Shine and large media separator.

There is NO comparison between the two! Wet cleaning w/SS pins wins hands down!

I use a Lee Universal Decapper and deprime before tumbling; this enables the tumbler to clean the primer pockets also. Once fired brass-1 hour to 90 minutes. Really dirty/stained range brass-2 to 3 hours (built in timer on tumbler). The brass comes out looking good as/better than new/never fired. No more dirty primer pockets and the inside of the case is as clean as the outside!

Yes, it does take a little more time, but is so worth the extra time/effort. After cleaning/separating brass & media, I lay on towel under ceiling fan overnight. Want to separate your brass? Use the open bottom trays factory ammo comes in and when dry, you're ready to load. (I separate all my brass by head stamp) and keep cleaned brass in plastic containers with current amount written down, so I know how much of each headstamp I have. I don't combine different calibers, unless they won't "nest" inside the other. 38/357/9mm, 44 spec/44 mag, 45acp/45 colt. I didn't combine calibers in the Lyman either.

 

[judgedelta]

Another tip. Wet tumbling leaves absolutely no lubricant on the brass; makes pistol brass kind of sticky in carbide dies. 30 minutes in a vibrator with a little nu-finish polish reduces the drag on the handle by about 50%.

 

[RussellC]

Another tip. Wet tumbling leaves absolutely no lubricant on the brass; makes pistol brass kind of sticky in carbide dies. 30 minutes in a vibrator with a little nu-finish polish reduces the drag on the handle by about 50%.

I use, as do many other wet tumblers here, Armour All Wash and Wax, or similar product to the tumble for a similar lubricating effect. Avoids the dust.