Surprised by wet tumbling results

[DMTJAGER]

After learning of all the health issues associated with dry media tumbling decided to give wet tumbling with SS pins a try.

Went the economy route and bought a Chicago electric tumbler from HF. I decided to try a batch of about 300 of my own 1x fired 9mm brass that had just spent 4 hours in my Lyman 2500 with crushed untreated walnut husk. I then removed  the brass separated it from the media washed and rinsed very thoroughly and dried in oven for 180* for 90 minutes.  After two hours in the SS pins Dawn DS and LS I was nothing short of astonished at the amount of walnut media that was in the waist water.

I line my strainer with paper towels to catch all my SS pins and it works flawlessly. But it also caught a very large amount of crushed walnut media as well.

As all the brass was not sized or deprimed all the media had to have bern in the flash holes and was dislodged by the SS pins. 

My brass also looked brand new 

I will be using wet tumbling from now on.

I'm pretty sure when I resized and deprimed my brass the stuck media would've likely been safely removed but now I know it will be gone before the brass ever gets to any of my presses.

I just never thought THAT much media could get caught in a sm hg primer FH, but obvious it does.

 

[4n2t0]

FYI...you only need about 20 minutes in the oven.

[ck1]

IMO wet tumbling is the way to go, agreed... but I'd say break down and just buy a $50 case dryer (food dehydrator) for drying the brass. Not really having to worry about getting any ringers because there was some moisture left over that got missed is worth it and seems guys have mixed results (or piss off their partners eventually lol) using the oven method. I usually leave 1000-1500 9mm cases in for an hour to dry (rotating/swapping the bottom trays to the top at 30mins) and it's probably overkill, but cases come out bone dry and I don't have to sweat it.

 

Also, and this might just be my experience, but I've scrounged, tumbled, and then dried some downright icky brass that had seen maybe a week or so of rain and then sat in the mud and hot sun for maybe a week more... stuff that others' passed on (including me usually), but after a long 3hr tumble with Dawn + Lemon Shine came out good as new, no ringers.

 

FWIW, out of all my reloading kit, this is probably the best ~$20 I've spent: https://www.lymanproducts.com/reloading/case-cleaning/lyman-dual-sifter-system easily allows me to shake the crap out of the brass so all the pins make it out of the cases, and I get all my pins back.

[Joe4d]

Nut media has always been dusty and messy. Not sure why folks even bother using it. Corncob works much better. Dirty brass takes a bit longer but you dont get the dusty residue like pecan or walnut leaves behind. Plus no extra drying steps.

[rhowell309]

I used to use Dawn, but switched to Armor All Ultra Shine Wash and Wax about 3 years ago. Prevents the cases from oxidizing. Brass processed 3 years ago still looks outstanding.

[Boomstick303]

19 minutes ago, rhowell309 said:

I used to use Dawn, but switched to Armor All Ultra Shine Wash and Wax about 3 years ago. Prevents the cases from oxidizing. Brass processed 3 years ago still looks outstanding.

 

How much are  you using?  I used the Armor All and thought the results were not all that great.  I thought I was seeing better results with Dawn.

[rhowell309]

 
How much are  you using?  I used the Armor All and thought the results were not all that great.  I thought I was seeing better results with Dawn.

1/4 cup in my Rebel 17 tumbler. It usually has about 4.5-5 quarts of water in it. At first I wax using it only as a final cleaning after rollsizing, Storting, final inspection, etc. But later changed over to only using it. Foams less and rinses easier among with one less bottle sitting on the sink to get knocked off.

[Tampa-XD45]

49 minutes ago, rhowell309 said:

I used to use Dawn, but switched to Armor All Ultra Shine Wash and Wax about 3 years ago. Prevents the cases from oxidizing. Brass processed 3 years ago still looks outstanding.

Same exact experience.  In fact, when I used Dawn for the wet tumble, I had to dry tumble for 2 hours to remove the oxidation.  Armor All Ultra Shine is all I use now.

[Boomstick303]

I will have to give the Armor all another try.  Maybe I was not using enough. Is that all you guys are using in the Wet tumble or are you also using the Armor all with Lemi Shine?

[rhowell309]

I will have to give the Armor all another try.  Maybe I was not using enough. Is that all you guys are using in the Wet tumble or are you also using the Armor all with Lemi Shine?

1/4 cup Armor All and ~1/8 tspn of Lemi Shine is what I’m using.

 

 

Edit

 

This is the exact Armor All car wash product that I am using. I’ve tried two other brands that did not work as well. Blue Coral was one.

 

[Boomstick303]

5 minutes ago, rhowell309 said:

1/4 cup Armor All and ~1/8 tspn of Lemi Shine is what I’m using.

 

Thanks.  I am fairly certain, that is exactly what I used.  I will say I was having some issues with a couple of different products when I tried it so, maybe it wasn't the Armor All that was the issue.  I will give it a go again.  My brass oxidizes about half the time when using Dawn and Lemi Shine.  

[Ken6PPC]

21 minutes ago, Boomstick303 said:

 

My brass oxidizes about half the time when using Dawn and Lemi Shine.  

 

You are probably using too much Lemi Shine.  Mine come out best when I use no more than a 45 ACP case full.  

 

I also try to be sure I rinse the brass well before exposing it to air.  

 

Edited August 13, 2020 by Ken6PPC

[rhowell309]

 
Thanks.  I am fairly certain, that is exactly what I used.  I will say I was having some issues with a couple of different products when I tried it so, maybe it wasn't the Armor All that was the issue.  I will give it a go again.  My brass oxidizes about half the time when using Dawn and Lemi Shine.  

The Dawn Platinum formula cause me a few issues. It may be the combination of an extra additive in it and the Lemi Shine. I’m not sure.


This is some really dirty brass that had also been wet. I ran this first just to clean it up a bit to keep from killing the value of the rest of my scrap brass. Then I took it in as a project. Decapped it and cleaned it again. It’s about the worse I have tumbled.


I missed an aluminum case on the first run. (I wonder how!) But after the first run, I figured I could use some of it. Saved about 90+% of it. Some was corroded enough it left marks which led me to scrap it.

[Ken6PPC]

Oh yeah... Be sure no nickled cases are in with your brass.  Nickle seems to react to the Lemi Shine.  

[Boomstick303]

7 minutes ago, Ken6PPC said:

Oh yeah... Be sure no nickled cases are in with your brass.  Nickle seems to react to the Lemi Shine.  

 

It has once or twice and sometimes it has not.  The last two batches I had Nickle in with them, and I did not have issues.  I will say the end product stayed shiny enough for my needs, but not like what you have pictured.  My OCD would prefer what you have pictured, lmao.

[rhowell309]

Oh yeah... Be sure no nickled cases are in with your brass.  Nickle seems to react to the Lemi Shine.  

I run nickeled cases separately without issues. But yes it can cause issues together with brass cases. 1 in a 80-1000, not really. Throw 40-50 in there and you regret it.

[Steve RA]

I assume it was an aluminum case in his picture.

[4n2t0]

I've had success using Dawn and a smidgen of Lemi Shine. I always run a full FART for 1.5 hrs with 10 case fulls of Dawn and 1 case full of Lemi Shine (no pins, pistol brass only). The Canadian summers are hot enough to completely dry brass within a few hours. In the winter I dry them in the stove for 20 minutes (and there's no way they're still wet after that time, if you don't believe me pick up a handful right after they come out of the oven, lol).

 

Edited August 13, 2020 by 4n2t0

[johnmyster]

Haven't experimented with LemiShine.  A squirt of dawn and a shake of citric acid in my Lortone rock polisher with steel pins does just fine.  Never had issue with nickel cases mixed in.  

 

I shake the cases out using a $1 strainer from walmart over a dish pan, all under running water.  Dish pan catches the pins.  Rinse everything off, shake everything off, recover pins, repeat.

Edited August 14, 2020 by johnmyster

[Sigarmsp226]

A small amount of Simply Green will cut all of the carbon. I use it with the Armor All wash and wax Shown above and a small amount of Lemi-Shine. Cannot remember the amount of each because I clean my brass in a concrete mixer I bought at Harbor Freight.....

Edited August 14, 2020 by Sigarmsp226

[4n2t0]

47 minutes ago, johnmyster said:

Haven't experimented with LemiShine.  A squirt of dawn and a shake of citric acid in my Lortone rock polisher with steel pins does just fine. 

 

Lemi Shine is just prepackaged (expensive) citric acid.

[Steve RA]

Try using vinegar instead, that is what I have always used.  I've never tried LemiShine.

[NETim]

I wet tumble 30 minutes using that Brass Juice stuff.   I think it works great.   

 

Then I dry my brass out on the driveway in one of those big white plastic pans meant to be installed under a washing machine.   Doesn't take long to dry a bunch of brass in that on a sunny day.   

[TONY BARONE]

Tumble with Frankford Arsenal Brass Cleaning Solution no pins and dry with Frankford Arsenal Dryer. Done deal perfectly clean.