Dirtchevy841 Posted June 19, 2019 Share Posted June 19, 2019 (edited) What is the best and cheapest way to tumble large amounts of brass. I know about the cement mixer but is there any other ideas out there. Edited June 19, 2019 by Dirtchevy841 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe4d Posted June 19, 2019 Share Posted June 19, 2019 just keep your regular tumbler running, add a new batch a few times a day. I have seen contraptions made with a truck tire and an electric motor but seemed like alot of work.. Building the contraption was probably more of the fun than actual using it. Id say a small cement mixer, probably cheapest and easier to get going. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve RA Posted June 19, 2019 Share Posted June 19, 2019 Small, inexpensive cement mixer like the ones at Harbor Freight. https://www.harborfreight.com/3-1-2-half-cubic-ft-cement-mixer-67536.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rancher5 Posted June 19, 2019 Share Posted June 19, 2019 Great Idea, anybody using a cement mixer.?Sent from my SM-T350 using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mwray Posted June 19, 2019 Share Posted June 19, 2019 Great Idea, anybody using a cement mixer.?Sent from my SM-T350 using TapatalkI’ve seen several people using the mixer. The best ever was a wet tumbler made from a 55 gallon drum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JRB Posted June 19, 2019 Share Posted June 19, 2019 Good afternoon Guys. A very long time ago I used a cement mixer to clean many thousands of .45acp brass, ( many ) It worked great. But the one thing to remember with all media tumblers is to ware a mask and gloves when emptying it, the dust will contain things you don't want in your lungs, and the gloves protect against the unknows entering your body through your skin. I hope this helps a bit. J. Russell Bryan Canadian shooter of what ever is fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirtchevy841 Posted June 19, 2019 Author Share Posted June 19, 2019 22 minutes ago, JRB said: Good afternoon Guys. A very long time ago I used a cement mixer to clean many thousands of .45acp brass, ( many ) It worked great. But the one thing to remember with all media tumblers is to ware a mask and gloves when emptying it, the dust will contain things you don't want in your lungs, and the gloves protect against the unknows entering your body through your skin. I hope this helps a bit. J. Russell Bryan Canadian shooter of what ever is fun. Thinking of going the way of small mixer. What media did you use to tumble the brass and how long. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirtchevy841 Posted June 19, 2019 Author Share Posted June 19, 2019 1 hour ago, Steve RA said: Small, inexpensive cement mixer like the ones at Harbor Freight. https://www.harborfreight.com/3-1-2-half-cubic-ft-cement-mixer-67536.html Yeah Steve I saw that one probably go with it if no new ideas pop up. Was seeing if someone had s better idea. I am wondering what people use for media and how long do the tumble when using a mixer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lastcat Posted June 19, 2019 Share Posted June 19, 2019 15 hours ago, Dirtchevy841 said: What is the best and cheapest way to tumble large amounts of brass. I know about the cement mixer but is there any other ideas out there. Wet or dry? I've used the Harbor Freight mini tumblers that are made of rubber containers, using SS Pins, wet. Then I made a container out of PVC. One thing that happens is the rubber/pvc wears down and actually will cause your brass to look dull/green/blackish. All that rubber/pvc attaches to the brass cases. At first it was always bright as can be, but after a year, they came out darker. As long as it was clean inside and out, I really didn't care. Sometimes I would tumble finished rounds with corn cob, just to get that shine back. Sometimes, I don't care. The Cement Mixer is a great idea. Get all the paint off the inside first. A bare metal SS container is probably my next build. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve RA Posted June 19, 2019 Share Posted June 19, 2019 You could do either, some just use water with some sort of acid and soap. Others us stainless pins. Or, I guess, you could use the normal dry materials. Personally, I'd stick to the wet method. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmckinle Posted June 19, 2019 Share Posted June 19, 2019 I’m currently running the STM 40lb rotary tumbler. Love how much brass it can clean but hate the weight of it. If the motor burns out or I need more capacity. I will buy a cement mixer to replace it. The amount of area/time to dry the brass, should be a limiting factor at some point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LuvDog Posted June 19, 2019 Share Posted June 19, 2019 (edited) I keep thinking a used front load washer would be good for this. Maybe it's time to search craigslist for someone giving one away for free. This would be tumbled without pins of course... Edited June 19, 2019 by LuvDog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lastcat Posted June 20, 2019 Share Posted June 20, 2019 4 hours ago, LuvDog said: I keep thinking a used front load washer would be good for this. Maybe it's time to search craigslist for someone giving one away for free. This would be tumbled without pins of course... They make 5 and 8 gallon steel drums, which wouldn't be a bad idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirtchevy841 Posted June 20, 2019 Author Share Posted June 20, 2019 8 hours ago, Lastcat said: Wet or dry? I've used the Harbor Freight mini tumblers that are made of rubber containers, using SS Pins, wet. Then I made a container out of PVC. One thing that happens is the rubber/pvc wears down and actually will cause your brass to look dull/green/blackish. All that rubber/pvc attaches to the brass cases. At first it was always bright as can be, but after a year, they came out darker. As long as it was clean inside and out, I really didn't care. Sometimes I would tumble finished rounds with corn cob, just to get that shine back. Sometimes, I don't care. The Cement Mixer is a great idea. Get all the paint off the inside first. A bare metal SS container is probably my next build. That’s a good idea never thought to strip the paint out first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smithcity Posted June 20, 2019 Share Posted June 20, 2019 Maybe not the cheapest, but I'm building one of these. Easy to expand it to 2, 3, 4, even 6 tumblers on a single motor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ocrrhbow Posted June 20, 2019 Share Posted June 20, 2019 I watched a video of Jerry Michelec using a cement mixer to wet tumble his brass. He dumped a full 5 gal bucket of brass in at a time. Tumbled for 2 hours with liquid soap. I looked at a cement mixer in Harbor Freight and it was close tot he same price as the FA tumbler. If I had more room that is the way I'd process my brass. I wet tumble now and it gets the brass perfectly clean. Lay them out on a towel to dry for a couple of days, spray with One Shot and pour into WalMart half gal plastic jugs for storage until needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rowdyb Posted June 20, 2019 Share Posted June 20, 2019 two places i worked at used the Hf cement mixer. they just added water, dish soap and a little white vinegar. air dried on an old screen door held off the ground by saw horses or whatever. you can easily clean a 5gallon bucket of brass at a time doing this. no pins, no dust just a lot of filthy water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Novagunner Posted June 21, 2019 Share Posted June 21, 2019 (edited) I bought the plastic drum kobalt cement mixer from Lowe’s. They are actually on sale for 300 right now. If you get a 10% off coupon and then buy discount gift cards and you might be able to use a credit card member mall for about 20% total. I like the plastic drum and also cover the blades with rubber hose. It is relatively quiet. I do a 5 gal bucket at a time and still have room Edited June 21, 2019 by Novagunner Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CPD7119 Posted June 22, 2019 Share Posted June 22, 2019 I found a used Kushlan 350 concrete mixer on Facebook or Craigslist for $50. I used rubber horse mat/ conveyer belt material and filled inthe gaps to agitate the brass. A little hot water, pinch of dan and a sprinkle of lemi shine and half a 5gal bucket of 9mm comes out looking brand new. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m700 Posted June 25, 2019 Share Posted June 25, 2019 I have that big dawg tumbler and it works great i have it with one of the mid size drums. I havent used it much lately. But i will be going back to it after I put a sink in my basement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maximis228 Posted June 25, 2019 Share Posted June 25, 2019 (edited) Picked up a Kobalt Cement mixer on sale for $200 a few years back from Lowes. Full bucket of 9mm at a time. I have a cap I use to keep dust, media, and brass in the unit when running normally. Edited June 25, 2019 by Maximis228 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenstone Posted June 26, 2019 Share Posted June 26, 2019 I read about using a cement mixer for wet tumbling on another forum/thread, could have even been here... Anyways, the guy was using 22LR cases rather than SS pins for media. Something free and literally laying around on the floor/ground at most ranges. The down side is they'll need to be separated after tumbling and the primer pockets won't be clean. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Novagunner Posted June 26, 2019 Share Posted June 26, 2019 On 6/25/2019 at 12:21 PM, Maximis228 said: Picked up a Kobalt Cement mixer on sale for $200 a few years back from Lowes. Full bucket of 9mm at a time. I have a cap I use to keep dust, media, and brass in the unit when running normally. What did you use for a cap on your Kobalt? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maximis228 Posted June 26, 2019 Share Posted June 26, 2019 42 minutes ago, Novagunner said: What did you use for a cap on your Kobalt? At first, A towel and 8 clamps to hold it on. Worked great. Then I built a cap with a screen and snap on lid. This is held from 4 locking points I drilling into the edge of the opening. I can tip the mixer forward and sift the majority of the media out before fine sifting the brass. Ill try to remember to post photos of that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gomar83 Posted August 21, 2019 Share Posted August 21, 2019 When tumbling the larger amounts of brass is better to dry tumble or wet tumble? If wet tumbling is better then where would be a good source for getting stainless steel pins? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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