Tumble or Vibrate?

[steveyacht]

I am getting ready to begin purchasing reloading equipment and thought I would start with a brass cleaner. Which is the preferred? The tumble or the vibration type?

Thanks

[G-ManBart]

I don't think anybody even offers the tumble type marketed for reloaders. The drum, tumble type are normally made for folks working with rocks etc. All the biggies like Lyman and Dillon seem to use vibratory systems. R,

[Steve J]

I don't think anybody even offers the tumble type marketed for reloaders. The drum, tumble type are normally made for folks working with rocks etc. All the biggies like Lyman and Dillon seem to use vibratory systems. R,

RCBS does, but it's 5 times as expensive as a vibrator cleaner. I imagine it's prefered by those selling used brass comercially. RCBS Case Tumbler 120-VAC

[downlow411]

Tumbler is slower but can be used to clean more than brass. Vibe is faster and with the new dump feature for the media is easier to use.

[G-ManBart]

I don't think anybody even offers the tumble type marketed for reloaders. The drum, tumble type are normally made for folks working with rocks etc. All the biggies like Lyman and Dillon seem to use vibratory systems. R,

RCBS does, but it's 5 times as expensive as a vibrator cleaner. I imagine it's prefered by those selling used brass comercially. RCBS Case Tumbler 120-VAC

Yep, I've seen that in catalogs before, but had totally forgotten about it....big, expensive sucker! I even saw a guy that bought a Harbor Freight small cement mixer and used that to clean cases....I'll stick with my lil' Lyman! R,

[ChuckS]

I seem to recall there was some discussion about the mouths of the cases getting peened after extended tumbling. One guy was complaining about FMJs getting shaved by misshaped brass from a rotary rig. YMMV

Later,

Chuck

ETA: I wasn't hallucinating: http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?...st&p=431554

Edited April 16, 2009 by ChuckS

[downlow411]

I have used a rotary tumbler for 30+ years and have not experienced case mouth peening Ever and have never heard of it or any other such thing.

YMMV

[Steve J]

Sounds like he wasn't flaring his cases enough before seating the bullets.

[MemphisMechanic]

I wash mine. No tumbling nor vibrating. And zero lead dust. But it can't be green or black, and rotting on the outdoor range for months. Indoor range brass, it works fine.

A local who burns through over 60K a year (he and his wife both shoot a LOT) uses a harbor freight cement mixer. The key is to have it filled with brass and media, and not to lay it way over on it's side. Brass is crazy bright faster than a vibratory unit, and it holds a ridiculous amount of pistol brass.

Edited April 16, 2009 by MemphisMechanic

[njl]

I wash mine. No tumbling nor vibrating. And zero lead dust. But it can't be green or black, and rotting on the outdoor range for months. Indoor range brass, it works fine.

A local who burns through over 60K a year (he and his wife both shoot a LOT) uses a harbor freight cement mixer. The key is to have it filled with brass and media, and not to lay it way over on it's side. Brass is crazy bright faster than a vibratory unit, and it holds a ridiculous amount of pistol brass.

How exactly do you wash it?

[mscott]

I borrowed a buddies rotary tumbler and was not impressed. It takes a long time to get not-as-good of results as a vibrating type. It is quieter, but 2 hrs vibrating seemed to equal 10-12 hrs in the Thumbler's Tumbler.

[cforcht]

I made a rotary tumbler using a 5 gal bucket. you can do whole lot of brass at one time in a 5 gal bucket. takes longer if you do small amounts. but if you have a bunch its much faster.

[Ken Kwiat]

C'mon -- I'm willing to bet that 90% of the folks in this sport use a vibratory tumbler.

The Dillon units (with their separators), corn cob, & Dillon polishing media work great. Not doubt, Franklin or RCBS or Hornady are good too.

It's just so easy. I know of .50 cal and mg guys that do the cement mixer thing but that's because of the volume.

Hey, I shoot 20-60K rounds/year, have two of the little Dillon tumblers, and it's just so much easier. I'm probably doing a few hundred cases at any given time.

Time efficiency in reloading is king. It's a means to an end...more shooting.

[MemphisMechanic]

How exactly do you wash it?

I was using Birchwood Casey's Brass Cartridge Cleaner. Then I thought to try Simple Green (industrial automotive degreaser) and it works just as well.

I use three 5-gallon buckets. The second of the three I drilled full of a ton of holes to make into a strainer.

I fill the first one with dirty 9mm brass, no other calibers. When it's 1/2 full, I fill it with hot water from the kitchen sink sprayer, and add about 1/4 gallon of simple green. Shake the bucket for a full minute or so by hand, then let it soak for a few hours. Usually overnight.

Dump it out into the strainer bucket, and rinse with a hose. Dump back into the first bucket, and fill with water to dilute the soap, then strain it again. I do this 2 or 3 times, until the water has no soapy bubbles - don't like the idea of soapy powder or primers. Then strain it, and lay it out on a couple of old towels for an hour or two in front of an old box fan. Then it goes into bucket numer 3, which is brass that's ready to load.

I've heard estimates on here that a 5 gallon bucket holds somewhere around 5-8K of 9mm brass. So I'm prepping 2,500-4,000 cases at a time, with no lead dust, and it takes about 10 minutes of actual hands-on time.

The only downside of this system is that it won't recondition severely corroded brass. It does a surprising job of shining-up brass that's been outdoors for a week or two, but after it gets noticeably dark, I won't touch it. 90% of my brass comes from our indoor matches anyway, and is mostly once-fired, which is why you need to keep luring new shooters to your matches. New guys usually don't reload.

Edited April 18, 2009 by MemphisMechanic

[njl]

How exactly do you wash it?

I was using Birchwood Casey's Brass Cartridge Cleaner. Then I thought to try Simple Green (industrial automotive degreaser) and it works just as well.

I use three 5-gallon buckets. The second of the three I drilled full of a ton of holes to make into a strainer.

I fill the first one with dirty 9mm brass, no other calibers. When it's 1/2 full, I fill it with hot water from the kitchen sink sprayer, and add about 1/4 gallon of simple green. Shake the bucket for a full minute or so by hand, then let it soak for a few hours. Usually overnight.

Dump it out into the strainer bucket, and rinse with a hose. Dump back into the first bucket, and fill with water to dilute the soap, then strain it again. I do this 2 or 3 times, until the water has no soapy bubbles - don't like the idea of soapy powder or primers. Then strain it, and lay it out on a couple of old towels for an hour or two in front of an old box fan. Then it goes into bucket numer 3, which is brass that's ready to load.

I've heard estimates on here that a 5 gallon bucket holds somewhere around 5-8K of 9mm brass. So I'm prepping 2,500-4,000 cases at a time, with no lead dust, and it takes about 10 minutes of actual hands-on time.

The only downside of this system is that it won't recondition severely corroded brass. It does a surprising job of shining-up brass that's been outdoors for a week or two, but after it gets noticeably dark, I won't touch it. 90% of my brass comes from our indoor matches anyway, and is mostly once-fired, which is why you need to keep luring new shooters to your matches. New guys usually don't reload.

You shake a 5G bucket full of 2500-4000 brass and several gallons of water? That must be one heavy bucket. The part that worries me the most about washing brass is making sure it's totally dry / how long the drying will take. I have considered it though...because even when it comes out of the tumbler really shiny, handling it gets my hands visibly dirty, so some kind of fine dust residue is sticking to the brass.

[MemphisMechanic]

Not much heavier than a bucket full of water. I'm also using cat litter buckets, actually, which are probably 3-4 gallons. And weight is the main reason I don't go over half full.

Even with washing, you still get some residue on your hands.

I just lay wet brass on a towel and aim a fan at it overnight, and it's all completely dry in the morning.