I now this has been beat to death but here I go again. My old media tumbler is dying a slow death and going to need replaced before long. I've pieced it together so many times I'm out of parts. Many of you still use the old vibrator and media tumblers, me included, and some are using the SS pin cleaner. I know they work good or so I'm told. What about the ultra sonic cleaners? I watched a video and the guy was impressed with the way it worked. We all know everything works great when you see it on the internet. Any hands on and what's your opinions???

I run without pins. Hot water, jungle Jake cleaner and some lemon juice. Hr and clean, no pins to check for. Brass stays shiny. That's for dirty range brass(from ground). Sometimes just water, I really don't want the inside case necks clean. They are with the cleaner used.

A guy I know son uses SS but instead of soap he uses some type of acid and gets his water almost boiling before starting to clean. Sounds dangerous. Says it takes about 2 hours. The ultra sonic only took about 30 minutes. Sounds to good to be true.

I inherited a Hornady sonic cleaner from my dad after he passed. I paid up and bought the Hornady solution and all. Yet.... I have still not used it.

I was thinking it would be handy for cleaning brass that was shot suppressed through an AR.

I have been putting a couple caps of mineral spirits, and a couple used laundry sheets/fabric softeners into the corn/walnut in my vibratory tumbler lately. I really have been liking life with no dust!!

Well, I managed one more repair on my media tumbler and now its working fine. Other than having to dump media from the polished hulls its never been an issue and the hulls look like a new penny. I know the stainless is a lot faster but I just wonder if this is the direction I want to go. The ultra sonic looked like it might be a little easier but still uses water. Just having a hard time with the thought that water and gun powder and primers aren't a good mix. My media is dry but takes longer. But again, one thing I do have is plenty of time.

Why bother, I haven't ever put a hull in a cleaner even though I've had a number of rock polishers here at the house that could double as a shell polisher. When the black on the neck doesn't come off with my thumb a green scrubby works. They may not be pretty but they are trimmed, inside of the necks brushed every loading, and annealed as needed. They shoot little groups and kill things.

I've been told more than once that I'm to anal about my brass but I do like shiny things. LOL

Pardon for the hijack...

AWS,

How do you anneal? With a torch and a spinning platform, or a machine?

I anneal using torch/drill. Not every firing. Brass I neck down for 20p and range brass gets done in small batches,50 and less usually. My brass for my custom barreled 17 Rem and 22-250 every other firing. Will probably go thru last summer's pd brass this winter. Bushing and mandrel is helping reduce work hardening.

You and me both.
Anymore I anneal every other time. Buddy bought an an Annealeze, I have done several K on it.
Clean brass = happy dies. There is way more going on pressure wise inside die than most imagine.
I still have two thumbless tumbler vibe type polishers. I got a deal on 50lb bag of corncob a few years ago. I use a squirt of Nu Finish every once in a while. A couple of caps full of mineral spirits every time, gets the carbon off.

I size and seat by as much feel as anything.

The mineral spirits volatize off and nothing left. Never had an issue ever in past 30 years

Two torches and a deep socket of the appropriate size and drop on to d damp towel to suck the heat out

I use Mother's wheel polish in mine. Shiny shiny!!

Frankfor Arsenal SS wet tumbler is what I use. It does take a little longer to go through the whole process so I wait until I have a good amount of brass before doing it. Results are great and I would not go back to dry media tumbling.

If you want ultra clean brass, inside, outside, and even in the primer pockets, that makes your brass look so good about the only way you can tell it from new brass is it's actually shinier than new, SS pins and wet tumbling is the way to go.

Like WyoBull said, wet tumbling with SS pins is a little more time consuming but certainly no big deal and once you're all set up to wet tumble it's about the most simple process you can imagine.

I bought a Thumler Tumbler and a bag of SS pins from a guy that was selling them and promoting the idea of wet tumbling w/SS pins back I think it was 2008 and I'm still using the same bag of SS pins and the same Thumler Tumbler. I got setup to do wet tumbling w/SS pins a little before they came out with the kits like they have now. The all in one kits like Frankford Arsenal sells is the way to go if you're wanting to get in to wet tumbling. Nothing against the Thumler Tumbler's like I have but unless you're doing really large amounts of brass on a regular basis those other all in one kits are a lot more cost affective.

Not sure about others but I use distilled water in mine with a squirt of Dawn and just a very tiny amount of Lemi Shine. The Lemi Shine will make the brass really shiny but it's weird stuff and less definitely works better than using more. If you use to much your brass won't be shiny at all and instead will come out very dull. This is something I learned the hard way. Our tap water has a lot of minerals in it and was leaving water spots on my brass. Switched to using distilled water to wash as well as rinse and no more water spots. Distilled water is cheap and easy to get at any grocery store so it's an easy choice for me.

like b23.. i was an early adopter of wet tumbling with ss pins. well before any of the kits hit the market. picked up my thumblers in the bargain cave as shipping box damaged (but new and flawless).

i'm glad i switched and i've never looked back. the results are spectacular - especially inside the case and primer pockets. i *hate* cleaning primer pockets so double win there lololol

0.5cc (lee powder) scoop of lemi shine, 2 quarts of water and a healthy squirt of Dawn and you'll be stunned at the color of the sludge you pour off your cases when theyre done. yuck!

i just use my (softened) well water. which is still pretty darn hard and iron-ish, but the lemishine does quite fine.

word to note about lemi-shine - less is more! you'll have to test out for how much you need for your water conditions .. but you'll be surprised how little you can use. i used to use about 1tsp (it was the going amount in the early days for a thumbler sized batch) but kept getting water spotting even after a heavy rinse. i started reducing by half until my results got poor, and then just went back to the last successful measurement. 0.5cc = 1/10th of a tsp. or roughly a little more than a half full 380 case.

From a 600/1000 yard Benchrest perspective, I don't ever touch the inside of the case necks, let alone get them squeaky clean.

I'm with AWS, I keep it pretty simple, my favorite is steel wool. A fresh pad of 000 wool cleans up dirty cases quick.

My buddy had a vibrator we wore out and those shiny cases sure looked good but after cleaning, handling, loading and storage I could hardly ever tell a difference in the long run.

I've got some Lyman primer pocket uniformers that also clean the primer pockets with a twist if I'm being picky.

Anneal simple as well, I hold the case heads with a pliers and hand twist it in a propane flame then sometimes dip the neck in water quick to cool.

I once tried the ultra sonic route with very, very limited success.
Then went to Harbor Freight and got a rotary rock tumbler, then
ordered stainless pins. It cleaned the brass very well, but the lids
were an aggravation to get on and off. Finally broke down and got
the Frankford Arsenal rotary tumbler 7L. Reviews are BAD for the
smaller model. Pins were a pain to remove from bottle neck casings, so
I then got the RCBS Rotary Media separator. It gets the water out as
well as most of the pins, then open the separator sit while open,
allow the brass to completely dry, spin a few more times which allows
all the pins to drop (still check each case, though).

Our water is very hard and I use distilled water as well. The brass
comes out looking newer than new and MOST primer pockets are cleaned.
The pins do not get into small rifle pockets very well. I understand
there is a smaller stainless media out there which does clean them,
but I have yet to find it.

rock knocker you are the only one i have ever heard about doing the 000 wool i have done that for yrs

the difference i can tell... is the hand cramps lol

i can dump 5 lbs of brass into my tumbler and its done in one process.


if i have to handle and hand polish the same 5 lbs... i'd feel like hanson from scary movie by the time i was done lol

What is this "cleaning brass" you all speak of? My method is the easiest of them all. I just don't.

- DAA

I use a Dillon CV-500, have since 1992

But some years back I bought an US cleaner for cleaning scuba regulator parts so I could service my own regs. Since I had it, I experimented with it for brass, using some really tarnished 30-06

This cleaner uses a SS basket to hold parts. I found that this left discoloration on the brass where it touched the backet but otherwise it worked really well. I used a mix involving Dawn & Lemishine. Primer pockets were clean. Insides of cases were clean. Brass was clean & shiny.

I then tossed it all in my dry cleaner & the corn cob did remove the discoloration, brass looked great.

But old habit die hard & I still just toss it all in the Dillon & let it run for a while.

Good point Plant One, I would usually only get hand cramps individually trimming cases but I trim horse hooves for a living and have developed a grip.

Heck, why wouldnt steel wool in a rotary tumbler not work? It could be worth an expirament, the wool pads would probably have to be separated and tore up a bit but it might not need the water that SS pins need.

What Stu just said reminded me when I first started loading I picked up a jug of the liquid Iosso brass cleaner for extra dirty range cases I collected long before I started reloading. Iosso worked great but it didnt leave a polish at all.

My buddy had a bit of a scary time when he first started using a vibration tumbler and corn cob. He was polishing and loading 454 casull, poured a bag of brass into the vibrator with media then he poured a little hornady brass polish on top of the cases before turning it on. What happened was some of the polish got poured inside the case and it worked as glue for the corn cob and the stuff didnt tumble out. The cases came out looking great but there was bits of corn cob glued inside and they got loaded up that way with a few causing problems or acting weird... we looked everything over and found the gunk inside some unloaded cases.

unfortunatly my issue is nerve related to a upper back injury from getting rear ended. essentially *REAALLY* bad whiplash. several months of PT etc. during recovery, by the end of a working day i couldnt even hold onto a screwdriver and some nights would drive home with my hands stuck thru the steering wheel like stumps.

thankfully way past that stage, but repeated motions that involve lots of grip power on small stuff is still recipie for not fun. dang drunk drivers



ya.... i cemented up a bunch of cases like that too back when i was first getting started.... found out you need to add the nufinish to the media, let the tumbler run for ~20-30 mins and *then* add brass.

thankfully i caught mine in the post tumble inspection stage and was able to separate the oopsies out, and it was only about a dozen cases out of 5lbs worth of 300blk.

I decided to just keep using the media tumbler. I got mine repaired again and its doing fine. A lot slower than SS but it still makes clean shiny brass.

There is some chatter on using the SS pins, some say it works like shot peening the brass.
The wet tumble, I just see more time involved with drying?
Years ago when I was dropping cases in a pan of water, there would be water caught up in the inside for a number of days. More so the smaller the caliber. I would put them mouth down in front of a fan or heat register. Even then a tap on the bench on paper towel would show some moisture. I never did use an oven as heat source.

I have enough CC media along with some walnut to last me a long time. Besides I take the media when it’s dirty and mix it with old melted candles and form into bars for fire starters.

For years I've been using just a blow dryer and a metal strainer. Run the blower on high, dump the brass in the strainer, and flip, swirl, and shake the brass till they're too hot to handle, and they're dry in five minutes or less. Then on to full length sizing....

My US cleaner does a great job on the brass, but it's more work. I have to mix the solution (which is reusable), set it all up, run it, dry it out.

My Dillon, I just dump a lot of brass in it & that amount is a lot more than my US cleaner can hold, turn it on & leave it for a while. Dump it in the separator & give it a few spins, done.

Talking to a friend and we both are retired. He ask me what was the hurry? What do you have better to do? I guess I have to agree. I put my brass in the tumbler today and take it out the next. Probably a lot longer than it needs but doesn't matter. Not like I have to have it right now. I buy a really fine media and usually put some type of metal polish in it. It shines like a new penny when its done. Been using the same process for many years, guess no reason to change now.

I need a vibrating tumbler for HBN coating bullets, my system for that is a pain also. Right now I put BBs and bullets in an empty water jug with HBN and set them on my wood stove when it's cool enough to not melt plastic instantly, then I shake that up by hand here and there until it's too hot to handle then keep shaking, I go through that cycle once or twice.

The shot peening is debatable. i'd have to imagine getting shaken around in a vibratory tumbler does at least as much shot peening as does rolling around with stainless pins.

ive been wet tumbling since well before any of these modern kits were available and havent notice any adverse effects.


as for time - how long are youvibratory tumbling for? i know a lot of folks are well into 4+ hours, often overnight kinda thing.

i typically wash my brass for a 90 min wet cycle, spend about 15-20 mins rinsing/pin separating, do a quick pat dry with an old bath towel, and then about 2h in my dehydrator to get them 100% dried out.

so its all passive time anyway. its not like you need to sit there and actively watch/assist the drying process.

i got my dehydrator at a yard sale for $5. they said they used it once and never touched it again.

they're totally not hard to find for under $20 all over marketplace if you dont wanna play the spring yard sale lottery. ppl in high end neighborhoods get rid of this kinda stuff all the freaking time for peanuts.

my cousin got a cabelas commercial model for $25 a couple years ago, it was basically brand new they said they used it twice and its been taking up space in their storage room since.

I think the folks that use SS pins will more than likely have arguments about how good it works and those that use media will argue about how good it works. Moral of the story...use what makes you happy. As long as you get the end results your looking for then keep doing it. I thought I was going to have to replace my equipment and thought I might try the SS pin route, but I repaired my tumbler so I will keep using media until I can't repair it. I'll review my options then. There may be a later and greater way by then...if I'm still alive.

That's a big part of it. I've been curious about US cleaning & the wet tumbling with SS media, but the reality is that I have a vibratory cleaner that's built like a tank & working perfectly. So I'd have to spend money to replace something that really doesn't need to be replaced yet.

that pretty much kills the deal, though it this thing ever craps out, anything is on the table.

My buddy had an ultra sonic cleaner and he absolutely hated it. We had a couple of tables at the Wanamaker show and it and a big jug of the liquid was on the table. He said one way or another the machine was not coming home with him. I think he got $20 for it and was thrilled just to have it gone.

You and me both.
Anymore I anneal every other time. Buddy bought an an Annealeze, I have done several K on it.
Clean brass = happy dies. There is way more going on pressure wise inside die than most imagine.
I still have two thumbless tumbler vibe type polishers. I got a deal on 50lb bag of corncob a few years ago. I use a squirt of Nu Finish every once in a while. A couple of caps full of mineral spirits every time, gets the carbon off.

(Clean brass = happy dies) Did you anneal some brass with carbon on the necks and scratch the die? If so did you leave scratches on the case necks?

i love my ultrasonic - but for cleaning gun parts. ar bcg's and casette triggers come clean in minutes. same for pistol uppers.

field strip the bcg even days after a hard range session, drop it in the tray, add water and a scoop of powder, 20 mins later everything wipes off with a light brush and patch. hose everything down with brake clean to dry it out, coat it in hornady one shot and put it all back together for next time. way way easier than using one of those scraper tools