slavex Posted October 26, 2015 Share Posted October 26, 2015 Ego, um,yeah no, it's about not wasting stuff when one doesn't need to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TacticalJesus Posted October 26, 2015 Share Posted October 26, 2015 gonna have to give the no pins a try. sounds a lot easier to get the brass out and rinse and go. Getting a magnet helps a lot with the pins tho. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Absocold Posted October 26, 2015 Share Posted October 26, 2015 Pins are for getting the inside of the case squeaky clean, especially the primer pocket and flash hole. If you don't use pins (and/or you don't de-prime first), you may as well just use a vibratory and save yourself a lot of trouble. If you're not using pins, not sure why you'd use a rotary at all unless that's all you have. If dust is an issue you can use the lid that came with your vibratory and run the media slightly moist or throw a couple dryer sheets in there. As to running a rotary dry with no media and just letting the cases rub against each other, I don't know if there are any drawbacks (other than not cleaning the inside of the cases at all), but I wonder if all that brass crashing around in there might work harden it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bwxmas Posted October 26, 2015 Share Posted October 26, 2015 Ego, um,yeah no, it's about not wasting stuff when one doesn't need to. Really? an extra squirt of each is less than a penny..Did'nt know soap was in short supply. Did the cartels stop drilling for it? Go cheap, and do it twice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Absocold Posted October 26, 2015 Share Posted October 26, 2015 It's not the soap that's a concern, Dish and car soap won't hurt brass. Just make sure there's no ammonia or bleach in it and you're fine. Drown your brass in it if it floats your boat. It's the Lemishine that's a problem. The effects of long term and/or high concentrations of the salt and acid in Lemishine aren't well documented. We know even a small amount will leach the zinc out of the brass over time (usually overnight) causing a color shift from yellow to a pinkish color. Cartridge brass is yellow because it's 70% copper and 30% zinc, once it starts shifting towards red (copper color) as dezincification occurs, it becomes very brittle. This pink brass is unsafe to use in a firearm. If a little bit of Lemishine used for a short period works perfectly, why waste money and risk damaging your brass by using more of it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RDA Posted October 26, 2015 Share Posted October 26, 2015 I am thinking of going with straight soap and eliminating water since I found this: (/sarcasm) The more soap I use, the harder it is to rinse. The more Lemishine I use, I find it discolors the brass. I find 1 TBSP of Dawn and 1/2 TSP of Lemishine works well for my purposes (FA tumbler and my well water) resulting in perfectly clean and shiny brass. YMMV. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lefty o Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 you people are a bad influence. i found myself the other day once again disliking the taste of lead dust and corncob in my mouth, so i had to order one of these wet tumblers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Absocold Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 One of us! One of us! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mickd1 Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 lol you will not look back its the best thing i did Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mickd1 Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 you people are a bad influence. i found myself the other day once again disliking the taste of lead dust and corncob in my mouth, so i had to order one of these wet tumblers! One of us! One of us! lol you will not look back its the best thing i did Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slavex Posted October 28, 2015 Share Posted October 28, 2015 The reason I use laundry detergent instead of dish detergent is I found it easier and quicker to rinse. I don't find it takes much time to sort the pins out and like that they remove the crap inside the case, I mean dirt and debris that gets in there from the mud and crap on the ranges. As for dryer sheets yeah used to use those when I tumbled dry, dust still got everywhere. Wet is, for me, the only way to go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom S. Posted October 28, 2015 Share Posted October 28, 2015 The reason I use laundry detergent instead of dish detergent is I found it easier and quicker to rinse. I don't find it takes much time to sort the pins out and like that they remove the crap inside the case, I mean dirt and debris that gets in there from the mud and crap on the ranges. As for dryer sheets yeah used to use those when I tumbled dry, dust still got everywhere. Wet is, for me, the only way to go. Laundry soap: liquid or powder? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve RA Posted October 28, 2015 Share Posted October 28, 2015 I'd vote for liquid, but, since I only use Dawn that is just a wild guess ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slavex Posted October 29, 2015 Share Posted October 29, 2015 liquid laundry soap, I just bought some cheap Costco stuff and it works great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Foxbat Posted October 30, 2015 Share Posted October 30, 2015 Same here... just ordered the machine... after 35 years of dry tumbling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PiratePast40 Posted October 31, 2015 Share Posted October 31, 2015 (edited) Cabelas has the Frankford Arsenal tumbler on sale and also has a $20 off special. http://www.cabelas.com/product/shooting/reloading/case-cleaning%7C/pc/104792580/c/104761080/sc/104661180/frankford-arsenal-platinum-series-rotary-tumbler/1811194.uts?destination=%2Fcatalog%2Fbrowse%2Fcase-cleaning%2F_%2FN-1100197%2FNs-CATEGORY_SEQ_104661180 Just ordered one for Mrs Pirate to put under the xmas tree. I had plans printed and was just about ready to start ordering bearings, shafts, motor and pipe for the drum when I saw this on sale. No way I can build one for that price. Edited October 31, 2015 by PiratePast40 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobT Posted October 31, 2015 Share Posted October 31, 2015 Cabelas has the Frankford Arsenal tumbler on sale and also has a $20 off special. http://www.cabelas.com/product/shooting/reloading/case-cleaning%7C/pc/104792580/c/104761080/sc/104661180/frankford-arsenal-platinum-series-rotary-tumbler/1811194.uts?destination=%2Fcatalog%2Fbrowse%2Fcase-cleaning%2F_%2FN-1100197%2FNs-CATEGORY_SEQ_104661180 Just ordered one for Mrs Pirate to put under the xmas tree. Yes...found that myself this morning and ordered one. Plus, I had it sent to my local store, so no shipping. Still had to pay sales tax, so it ended up around $143. Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Foxbat Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 Guys, my first experiences with this are less than spectacular. First, I used the detergent that comes with the machine. The cases became clean, but dark, not even nearly as bright and shiny as the ones from the regular tumbler. I then tried the derergent with Lemi Shine, for three hours. The cases came out brighter, but still not nearly as nice as from the traditional tumbler. Now, maybe I put in too many cases? It was .45 brass, filling up about 70-80% of the drum volume - is that too much? No pins. How to make the brass brighter? More Lemi Shine? Less brass per load? Longer times? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PiratePast40 Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 (edited) Sounds like way too much brass, and you won't get nearly the abrasive effect without pins. When I use my smaller tumbler from Harbor Freight, I go with 1 lb each of pins, brass, and water. I would assume that a similar ratio would be best for the larger tumbler, although you will most likely only go with 5# of pins. When I get my Frankford tumbler running, am planning on limiting it to 10 lbs of brass per run until I see how it comes out. Using my current tumbler, the brass comes out very clean and shiny, but I wouldn't say that it has a polished finish. Edited November 10, 2015 by PiratePast40 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RDA Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 Guys, my first experiences with this are less than spectacular. First, I used the detergent that comes with the machine. The cases became clean, but dark, not even nearly as bright and shiny as the ones from the regular tumbler. I then tried the derergent with Lemi Shine, for three hours. The cases came out brighter, but still not nearly as nice as from the traditional tumbler. Now, maybe I put in too many cases? It was .45 brass, filling up about 70-80% of the drum volume - is that too much? No pins. How to make the brass brighter? More Lemi Shine? Less brass per load? Longer times? How much detergent did you use? How much Lemishine? The FA solution and Lemishine are basically the same thing, I'd use a true detergent (like Dawn) with one of those two. Did you have lube on your brass? It shouldn't take longer, your brass can be pretty shiny after 60-90 minutes in my experience if you get the solution correct. I typically will fill the drum 80%-90% with brass and pins (although admittedly it does a little better if filled a little less) before adding water up to 95% (and the detergent and Lemishine). My recommendation, fill the drum 75% with brass then fill with hot water and your ingredients (I'd try 1 tbsp of Dawn, 1/2 tsp of the FA detergent or 1/2 tsp of Lemishine) and run it for 90 minutes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Foxbat Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 I see some people mention Dawn - is there something special about it? I used what I had on hands - Arms and Hammer - is that not good enough? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RDA Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 I see some people mention Dawn - is there something special about it? I used what I had on hands - Arms and Hammer - is that not good enough? Dish washing soap of nearly any type would be good (Dawn, Ivory, etc.). What Arm and Hammer? Baking soda, laundry detergent, do they make a dish detergent? My recommendation, fill the drum 75% with brass then fill with hot water and your ingredients (I'd try 1 tbsp of Dawn, 1/2 tsp of the FA detergent or 1/2 tsp of Lemishine) and run it for 90 minutes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Foxbat Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 Arm and Hammer is laundry detergent. I will definitely try Dawn too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve RA Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 Also, use the pins. I've found that a 50/50 mix of pins and brass works best (by weight, not volume). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ano Posted November 11, 2015 Share Posted November 11, 2015 (edited) NEVER use hot water.. use COLD 1000 pieces of 45 brass is about the limit of what the tumbler will get perfect in 3 hours, which is about 1300-1400 .40S&W and a ton of 9. Edited November 11, 2015 by ano Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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