wet tumbling nickel shells

[V-fib]

I recently picked up a F. A. R. T. tumbler and it came with 5lbs SS pins. When tumbling brass the shells come out like new, but when I did a small batch of nickel with the SS pins, they were clean but rather dull. Now I did do some searching prior to tumbling on the net pro/con using SS pins for this very problem, and some said don't use pins with nickel and others said no difference after tumbling. When I contacted Frankford Arsenal with the use pins don't use pins on nickel question they only responded with don't mix brass and nickel when tumbling.
So, those of you that wet tumble do you use the SS pins to tumble nickel or just tumble them without the pins? I'm going to try a small batch without the pins and see how it cleans esp primer pockets.

v-fib

 

[GBExpat]

I clean nickle cases mixed in with the brass in my FART w/pins along with a bit of citric acid and ArmorAllWash&Wax ... and they always come out bright & shiny.

 

[ray15]

... I did a small batch of nickel with the SS pins, they were clean but rather dull.

Most times when wet tumbling if the product is dull it is because it is not clean. Bear in mind that you must rinse out the pins as well as the cases. And even so, the pins will eventually get dirty enough that you need to run a cycle with no brass to clean them up.

BTW - I don't load the nickeled brass. It seems to impart a lubricity to the inside of the case that lowers pull resistance. Maybe it's just me, but I believe the bullet gets a firmer purchase on a plain-brass surface.

 

[D Rock]

I only get a few nickel cases but they come out shiny like the brass. I got a bottle of Frankford's Brass Cleaning Solution with my FART kit and use a couple of cap fulls with the pins.

Dave

 

[Toprudder]

I almost never separate the nickel from the brass cases. I tumble them together all the time, and have never had a problem with anything being discolored. I also have never had to wash the pins separately because of any type of buildup on them. Now that I think of it, I am not using the pins that came with the tumbler, I am using ones that are slightly larger in diameter, as I heard the smaller ones can sometimes jam up 2 at a time in primer holes.

I use Armorall Wash-n-Wax, about 1 oz per load (FART tumbler) along with a small amount of Lemishine (I have hard water). For the wash, I use hot water from the tap. For rinse I use cold water from the tap. Never had a problem. I have some brass I tumbled 2 years ago that are still bright.

 

[Blue68f100]

If your pins are getting dirty your not adding enough soap (W&W). It's always better to be a little over on the some since it suspends all the dirt.

 

[GBExpat]

I always add at least a dollop of AAW&W and a soupçon of citric acid.

 

[Dudedog]

Car wash and wax of your favorite flavor, couple oz be generous, citric acid (how much depends on your water PH)
I toss nickel and brass in together, all come out shiny.
Helps if you fill the drum with hot water.

 

[Toprudder]

If your pins are getting dirty your not adding enough soap (W&W). It's always better to be a little over on the some since it suspends all the dirt.

Maybe that is why I've never had the problem, I've always been generous with the soap. I always have a lot of suds come out when I open the drum.

 

[Erief0g]

I mix nickel and bread. Fill the tumbler with hot water. 1/4 to 1/2 tsp of lemishine. Take the dawn dishsoap bottle and give a light squeeze for the show count of four. Tumble usually two hours.

Dump the whole mix into a18 gallon tote that has a large laundry soap plastic container in it. The 18 gallon tote already has about a gallon of water in it. The laundry soap tote has the entire bottom and sides dries out so the pins can fall through. Once I pour the tumbler into it I simply agitate the laundry tote in the water and all the pins fall through. The brass nickel mix get rinsed and shaken out in a sieve. Then placed in a dedicated dehydrator. The pins in the water get poured into a five gallon bucket with at shirt clamped over it. I then take that and rinse the pins in a plastic bin in the sink filling the bin while swirling the pins and just pouring of the top water until no suds or discoloration appears. The t shirt gets a rinse and then I use it to line the seive. I pour the pins back in and let them sit a day or so. Sometimes I'll bake them to dry, sometimes just air dry.

Writing it all down seems like an excessive amount but really it's mostly a wait for each step. Generally I only get one or two pins that I find in my brass rinse stage. The only time it would change is if you have mixed brass where say a 9mm case slips into a 45 case and captures some pins. When I tumble I've already sorted to caliber size.

 

[V-fib]

well I did a batch today, doubled the powder and only did them for a 1/2 hour. (2lbs shells 2lbs ss pins 2 tblsp gun tap detergent 3 qts warm h20) they came out much shinier but the primer pockets weren't as clean as when I first washed the other batch. next time I think i'll up the time to 1 hour and it should be good.

v-fib

 

[Dudedog]

Cool, sound like you got it under control.
I sure it is possible to put in to much soap, but like I mentioned earlier I always give it a generous shot of wash and wax.
I don't really measure anything other than by eye.
Pins, fill barrel about 3/4 full of brass, about 1/2" of water over the top of the brass, dollop of was and wax, call it 2-3oz, and about a .45 case full of citric acid.
with plenty of soap the only thing that seems to be picky is the amount of citric acid.

 

[frankmako]

It all comes down to run time. I run the full 3 hours when I clean. I don't separate my brass. It all goes in the drum. I fill at or about 75% full of brass. Two hits of Dawn, two tea spoons of lemishine. Water all the way to the top of drum. You got to have a full drum of water to clean, think of washing a large load of clothes on small load setting. Don't work good. Then I run for 3 hours. I pour the brass/pins in a lyman brass-pin separator. Rinse well and dry brass in a beef jerky maker. Air dry pins on newspaper. All my brass comes out looking like new.

 

[Blue68f100]

well I did a batch today, doubled the powder and only did them for a 1/2 hour. (2lbs shells 2lbs ss pins 2 tblsp gun tap detergent 3 qts warm h20) they came out much shinier but the primer pockets weren't as clean as when I first washed the other batch. next time I think i'll up the time to 1 hour and it should be good.

v-fib

You should fill the drum all the way to the top (to neck) with water. Restricting water will limit the amount of dirt the soap can hold.

As far as procedures go. I use 1/2tsp of lime shine, generous on the W&W, and a touch of Simple green if the brass is real grungy. I use all the pins (5 lbs) no mater how much brass I have to clean. I've found to limit brass to a max of 3/4 full, this gives better agitation. I've tried may different ways to rinse and clean the pins. I have finally found a procedure that is quick and easy. I have a table outside by my faucet I set the drum on. I then put the garden hose on full and stuff it into the drum. I run this forcing the water stream to the bottom watching the black dirt and soap suds flow from the top. Once I'm getting clean water, no soap suds, I stop, drain the water and do 1 more quick rinse to confirm all the soap is gone. I then drain the water, not using the drum strainer (not worth the time to put on). If you pour it out slow enough, you want dump anything (pins/brass) out. If you did not get all the soap rinsed out it can carry a pin with the water. I then take the drum and dump the entire contents (brass, pins) into the separator/bucket. Pins and any left over water ends up in the bucket. I transfer the brass to the drier trays to dry. I then pour any water that was in the bucket out. Transfer pins back to the drum and ready for the next batch. I pour most of the pins back directly from the bucket, the remaining I use a magnet for transfer. I don't bother in drying the pins before putting them back. Once a day I will shake the drum to expose any pins that may still be wet. Since I have to run a dehumidifier in my shop it only takes a 2-3 days to dry the pins in the drum.

I anneal all my rifle brass. This allows me to confirm no pins are hidden in the brass. Then onto to the trimming station. If doing pistol brass I run the batch back through the separator.

 

[V-fib]

It's the Guntap soap!



As I was reloading the dull nickel shells that I had cleaned in the FART, (see OP and post # 12) I noticed as I handled them they would become shinier. It was like a dull film on the shells. I took a cotton cloth and was able to shine them up similar to what they would look like coming out of a loaded ammo box.

I also noticed that the SS pins looked dull and had a kinda greasy feel when dry. What I really noticed was that the inside of the FART drum there was a waxy/greasy feel.

One might say “you didn't rinse them enough” and yet I rinsed the heck out of them and my equipment.
It had to be Guntap soap residue that would not rinse away.


Today I rewashed all the nickel shells that I didn't reload from the OP and post # 12 and added another 3 lbs of dirty nickel shells. Instead of using the Guntap soap I went with the Dawn and Lemishine duo and SS pins with warm H2O. I tumbled them for 2 hours. The shells came out mirror like and very clean. No waxy film on any of the pins or the FART drum either. Case closed!

thanks for all the input!



V-fib

 

[ray15]

Today I rewashed all the nickel shells that I didn't reload from the OP and post # 12 and added another 3 lbs of dirty nickel shells. Instead of using the Guntap soap I went with the Dawn and Lemishine duo and SS pins with warm H2O. I tumbled them for 2 hours. The shells came out mirror like and very clean. No waxy film on any of the pins or the FART drum either. Case closed!

Just use the Guntap 'soap' like Lemishine (a tiny amount with wash and wax or Dawn). As far as I can tell it's mostly citric acid anyway.

 

[Dudedog]

Citric acid is usually available in the canning section of the supermarket, cheaper than Lemishine.
Wash and Wax seems to help keep the brass shiny of stored long.

Glad you got it figured out.

 

[Loader-Man]

I never use the pins they are a pain in my ass. My brass looks like new but more often than not the nickles are dull. I think it could be my well water idk. So now I just through the nickle in during the hour. I use a few drops of Dawn ultra and Lemi shine and run for 3 hours.
I am not sure if its my water or procedure but I get dull nickel as well.