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Brass dryers/dehydrators for wet tumbling?


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I want to buy a brass dryer/dehydrator for after wet tumbling and am wondering if I should buy a cheap dehydrator or one marketed specifically for brass drying? I would want to be able to dry aleasr 1,000 .223 brass at one time. A timer would also be nice

Frankford Arsenal $60

http://www.amazon.com/Frankford-Arsenal-Platinum-Series-Brass/dp/B00RPABBG0

Edited by Smeeg
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Just FYI, the Harbor Freight model doesn't use a fan to circulate the warm air to dry the cases. It uses a heating element to heat up but there is no air movement, just natural heat air convection.

My buddy saw how I was drying my brass in the winter (in the garage on a towel for a few days) and got me a Presto 06300 from Amazon for Christmas. It doesn't have a shut-off timer but it does have a fan that helps circulate the heated air which aides in drying time. You can upgrade to a more expensive model with a built in timer and all and even control the temp, but I am planning on getting a GE MyTouchsmart Indoor Plug-In Digital Timer that offers a minute/hour countdown timer that will shut the dehydrator off after a preset amount of minutes.

I typically run mine for about 30 minutes and all the cases come out dry For 9mm or smaller cases, you will want to get the mesh screens since the built in tray's mesh is large enough to let 9mm and 380 cases fall through.

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Suggestion: box fan, 2 cheap-o fiber HVAC filters from store, some leftover plastic window screen; put screen over one filter, brass, second filter, fan under first filter, milk crate under fan. Fan pushing up, the second filter over the brass sitting on the screen; helps circulate air around and eventually push out. I almost bought a FA dehydrator until I figured I figured it was one more gimmick, I had parts at home, my fun area is already a mess, I can't spend more money, etc.

If primers are already removed, dry brass in under an hour. If primers intact, I let fan run overnight. Very few spots on brass, even if I don't move the brass around by hand. Quite a few pieces can be completed at one time via this method.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Have thought about this and have been watching got cheap dehydrators. But right now during the summer I just put them out in the sun, During the winter I put it over a air vent in a seldom used room in the house.

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Mine is solar powered, can dry 2000-3000 cases in 2.5 beers.

IMG_20130727_144639_090_zpsd9095290.jpg

This one can be complicated by adding an

  • agitator to the screen to roll the brass around while it sun dries.
  • oscillating fan under it blowing upwards.
  • operator breathalyzer
  • catalytic converter
  • instrument to measure the carbon footprint
Edited by Hammer1
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Have thought about this and have been watching got cheap dehydrators. But right now during the summer I just put them out in the sun, During the winter I put it over a air vent in a seldom used room in the house.

I have the Frankford dryer and am thinking about returning it. Even at lowest temperature setting it tarnishes brass.

I found it best just to do what others have done - spread the cases on a towel on the floor, with a fan running across. Takes a little longer, but they are ready next day.

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I bought the Harbor Freight model. The best things I can say about it is it was cheap and it does work. Beyond that, it's extremely cheaply made and as mentioned, it has no fan. The worst part is there are fairly large holes in the center of each layer that brass will drop through as you put the brass on the layer or add a layer, and the brass ends up in the bottom with the heating element. :angry2: Some day, I'll fix that by gluing some plastic around each hole to make a ledge, but with summer approaching, I'll probably go with the solar method.

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In the winter time (New England), I shake the crap out of them in an old pillow case then toss them in a foil pan and put them in the oven for about 20 minutes at 180 degrees...dry as a bone. In the nicer weather I'll just put them outside in the same foil pan.

Edited by clw42
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If as gifted a builder of useful gadgets and devices as JMorris uses sunshine, that's good enough for me.

'course, there are times when there ain't no sunshine. Then a towel of brass in front of a small fan driven heater works fine.

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Have thought about this and have been watching got cheap dehydrators. But right now during the summer I just put them out in the sun, During the winter I put it over a air vent in a seldom used room in the house.

I have the Frankford dryer and am thinking about returning it. Even at lowest temperature setting it tarnishes brass.

Interesting....Mine doesn't. I run at 120º generally, for about 60 minutes. Bright and shiny.....

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I use the 4 towel system

2 rounds of 1 towel (small) inside the separator

spread em around on towel 3 (large on floor), let em stay there for around 15 mins, pour them over to towel 4 (large on floor)

than hang 1 2 3 up for dry as they are wet, wet, and wetish.

takes around 2-3 minutes of work, scales up to around 2-3 rounds of the aresenal so 2-3-4k 9mm :P

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Do these dehydrate machines, especially the ones with a heater and fan, heat up your rooms if you run them indoors?

Sent from my GT-N7105 using Tapatalk

not too much, only running the dehydrator for 30-45min.

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Waste of time and money IMHO. I either just air dry outside on a screen if its warm, or on the floor on a towel with a fan its cold. If Im in a hurry, 20 minutes in the oven at the lowest temp, let cool, and load.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I bought a brass dryer from DAA... wound up at Cabelas on a monthly shopping trip... looked in the dehydrator department... the dryer I bought for $70 is the same one Cabelas sells for $39 .. but has Cabelas name on it.. it does have a fan ... 4 different heat settings...

by the way... the dryer/dehydrator I bought works great... it has 5 stackable trays... easy to dry 1000 - .223 brass at a time..

Edited by cecil
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