Steel Media

[tomjerry1]

Has anyone noticed that there is a difference in pushing cases through a press after using steel media? I have noticed a big difference after starting the use of steel media, I use a Dillon 550, and while lowering the ram, it seems harder to release the case from the powder funnel. There is also more debris on the shell plate during the process. I have talked with Dillon, and agree, that the brass is peened during the cleaning, making it harder, and it is probably cleaner(dryer, stickier) than normal with a dry media. Just wondering?????

[jcameron996]

I noticed it too. I started drying my cases in a old food dehydrator to cut down on water spots and spraying my cases with one shot before they go into the case feeder and the problem went away.

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[mayassa]

I use one shot too, on 38 super it mostly stopped tossing power out of the case. It's really smooth and I tried that ebay crap bearing too and took it out.

[Open1215]

Use a bit of one shot. I had the exact same issue u mention. Ram sticking on the down stroke after stainless tumbleing. I got some spray lube and it fixed the issue 100%e

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[gordonm1]

I don't have a wet tumbler but cases I have had that were wet cleaned and squeaky clean quickly built up brass in the powder through expander die on my 550B. Lubing the cases stopped that.

I'll stick with my dry tumbling with polish and odorless mineral spirits until my tumbler breaks or I run out of media. Maybe then it will be more obvious what's a better way to go next.

[Erick85]

I started using Armor All Wash and Wax, instead of Dawn liquid soap, when I clean my brass. It does make a difference. The wax leaves enough residue on the case to lubricate it. Give it a try.

[blaster113]

Just started wet tumbling with stainless media and I noticed the exact same thing. No issues loading 9mm with a regular Dillon size die, but .40 with the EGW U-die is a pain. Started using case lube (for the first time with .40 ever) and now it runs perfectly. I'll never go back to dry media now, even though wet tumbling is a little more involved.

[tomjerry1]

Wow, I am supprised that I haven't heard of this sooner. I took a while thinking about steel media, read about it, I didn't see anything like this. Seems like a common issue with this method of cleaning, has anyone experienced something like this with the ultrasonic method of cleaning?

[TDA]

It's a self induced problem.

The brass does not need to be perfectly clean and spotless for function properly.

Dry tumbled brass works just fine without all of the headaches of wet tumbling. (tarnishing, water spotting, sticking powder funnel, etc.)

Just my .02...

[jrswanson1]

It's a self induced problem.

The brass does not need to be perfectly clean and spotless for function properly.

Dry tumbled brass works just fine without all of the headaches of wet tumbling. (tarnishing, water spotting, sticking powder funnel, etc.)

Just my .02...

Yes, I'm not seeing a real need for this with smokeless powder. BP rounds? Sure.

[jcameron996]

I agree that dry tumbled brass works just fine. For me the biggest benefit of wet tumbling is the ability to clean around 1500 cases at a time as opposed to a couple hundred in my old vibratory tumbler. I don't even use the pins on pistol brass anymore. I just run them in hot water with a capful of the hornady ultrasonic cleaning solution, rinse and right into the dehydrator.

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[kevin c]

I've been told that one reason new brass tends to stick in the powder/flare die is that there isn't much lubricity between the steel die and the clean brass (galling, I think it's called). Fired brass usually has a coating of carbon and/or other firing residue coating the interior that acts as a lubricant. Pin cleaned brass might be so clean that the effect is lost. If you add enough lube maybe some of it ends up on the case mouth or on the powder die so it gets around the problem.

I'd never thought about peening from the pins causing the case to harden - would that lead to more case mouth splits? Anybody seen that?

[Erick85]

I wet tumble to keep the dust down so as to not exacerbate my 2 kids asthma issues. Is it a little more involved? Sure, but the benefit outweighs the hassle IMHO.

[BFG9000]

This is a known problem with stainless-tumbled rifle brass. Not only is it too clean but there can be a small ridge peened over on the inside of the neck, and the solution is to debur the necks afterwards and possibly dip it in something like Imperial Dry Neck Lube, as everyone wants to size only clean brass to avoid scratching their dies.

For pistol carbide dies, the obvious solution is to decap and size before tumbling which provides the added bonus of letting the pins clean out the primer pockets too. The dirt, carbon and lead salts help lubricate the die and you could even spray an oil as case lube for those tougher to resize 9mm tapered cases--it'll get washed off in the tumble. I even bell the cases before tumbling to fit jacketed (if I need to load cast I'll bell them more later with an M-die) on the same trip through the progressive.

[tomjerry1]

Think I'll stick with the media for now, a little One Shot, and things run through the press great.

[lefty o]

wet tumbling without ss pins works very well also. primer pockets may not be perfectly clean, but still works great.