Tumbling trending to wet?

[FROGO207]

salpal48
I have the Thumlers low speed wet tumbler and have used it with 45-70 for over 10 cleanings and do not see any orange peel effect on my brass yet. I also have done a run of 124 (150 to start) 30-06 and a couple hundred 45 Colt (fired with black powder) through at least as many cleanings with no signs of problems. Might be the speed/time in unit or the amount of citric acid used but I am happy with my results. YMMV

 

[Blue68f100]

It really sounds like he is using too much citric acid. I only use 1/2 tsp for the county water that I'm on. Before connecting to it I was on well water and only need to use 1/4 tsp. I always fill mine up with water to the neck. This just gives the soap more area to suspend the dirt. I've also started adding maybe 1 tsp of Simple Green. I find this is better at cutting carbon than the Wash & Wax. I've also do not load it down heavily either. I try to run around 1/2-5/8 full with the 5# of pins. If you have more pins then filling it up would work. But my experience with it is when over full it does not clean very well at all and takes a lot longer. Some times on real filthy brass I will run a 30 lion cycle with just Simple Green. Then flush out the dirty water and add the citric acid and W&W.

The way I flush mine is probably different than most. I just remove the top and use a garden hose on full flow stuffed in to the brass. I try to work it so it gets flow to the bottom, all the dirt flows out the top. Way faster than any thing else I've tried. I use a separator when its time to separate the pins. Still I only remove 1 end and never use the strainer provided.

 

[GW Staar]

After tumbling the same Brass over and Over again. Your Brass will have an Orange Peel effect . these are Micro Dents that give the effect. After firing Those tiny dents Pop out and Your brass looks Frosted.. after That they will not size well and will be NG

You know this by experience or hear-say? My experience says that any brass, tumbled or not, if reloaded "over and Over again," will become brittle and "not size well" and become "NG"..............unless you anneal of course.......

I've seen "frosted" brass that's been out in the weather for a month or two, but of course the tumbling fixes that. I suppose the area below what you anneal can get hardened.....but won't that happen anyway? peened or not peened? Where's the metal experts when you need them!

 

[1976B.L.Johns.]

There is no Rime Or reason.. Most Loader Including Myself use the same Brass over and Over again. The peening happen I believe from the first time. and then gets worst as you continue. with the same brass.. This happen to me On 45/70 starline brass. It was new brass. and I shoot a Lot of 45/70 . The roughness started around the 5th time I loaded that lot.. After that it got worst and would not go away even after resizing.. Then dumped them. Never uses pins again.
A friend Of mine who a machinist said The hardness Of the pins Pound the soft Brass everytime you use them..
This is just My experiance

Thanks for your input.
B.L.

 

[Dudedog]

After tumbling the same Brass over and Over again. Your Brass will have an Orange Peel effect . these are Micro Dents that give the effect. After firing Those tiny dents Pop out and Your brass looks Frosted.. after That they will not size well and will be NG

Sounds like something is not right, maybe you need smaller pins, more soap, more water, less acid,....something.

I have 9mm brass some of which are on at least the 5 or 6 pass and I don't see any frosting, brass seems to size fine, case neck tension is good.

 

[Powder296]

two questions, OMS was mentioned as an additive for dry media, what's OMS? and are the rotary tumblers any quieter that the vibratory ones?

 

[Blue68f100]

Mines not, very noisy (FART). But I never have to listen to mine run for It's in another building.

 

[drband]

two questions, OMS was mentioned as an additive for dry media, what's OMS? and are the rotary tumblers any quieter that the vibratory ones?

Odorless mineral spirits

 

[Demi-human]

WHAT?! TRY IT?! Sure you should try it! But it is a little LOUD! You may want some hearing protection! YES! I like grapes too! No! Close the door! It keeps the noise down!

 

[ray15]

... and are the rotary tumblers any quieter that the vibratory ones?

I've got two wet tumblers, a Thumbler's Model B knock-off and a FART. The Thumbler's-style unit is much quieter. The FART is pretty noisy, but gets high marks for drum capacity, rotational speed and the timer. I use the FART more because it better accommodates the large batches or range brass I process and the noise difference isn't a deal-breaker - from at least two rooms away.

 

[DRAINSMITH]

two questions, OMS was mentioned as an additive for dry media, what's OMS? and are the rotary tumblers any quieter that the vibratory ones?

About three years ago I was in the reloading room with my 3-year-old grandson and he was being a pain in the butt. So I was about to run my FART so I put a styrofoam cooler bottom on top of it and told him he had to sit on it so it wouldn't get away. I found that with that on top of the FART you couldn't even hear it. So now I put the cooler on it with 2 boxes of bullets on top.

 

[Reeferman]

Wet Tumbling with Pins have been around For Years In the commercial and Metal finishing. . Wet tumbling and Reloading is now all the rage But will pass. When Most find That There constant tumbled Brass. has been Ruined by peening.
Metal finisher Tumble once and sell the product.
After tumbling the same Brass over and Over again. Your Brass will have an Orange Peel effect . these are Micro Dents that give the effect. After firing Those tiny dents Pop out and Your brass looks Frosted.. after That they will not size well and will be NG

Well can’t comment on rifle brass such as 45/70 but I have 9mm, 38, 357, 44 special and 44 mag brass that have been wet tumbled with pins for several years and I’ve lost count how many times they have been and I haven’t seen anything such as this.

 

[Demi-human]

You're a good Papa, @DRAINSMITH !

 

[RussellC]

in the beginning, I cleaned pistol brass (all I reloaded back then) in a 5 gallon bucket with dawn and lemishine,
letting them set, stirring with a large wood dowel, and drying. Then I bought the F.A. wet tumbler and pins. Wash and wax with lemishine. Only way I will ever do it!

To each, their own, but for me, no other way. 1 hr with just wash and wax, dry, decapp, 3 hrs with pins, Wash and Wax and a smidge of Lemishine. Like new, primer pockets and all. easy to size, I suspect the wax helps. East to prime correctly. No dusty mess. For me, cant be beat.

Russellc