Tumbling Brass?

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  • Wabatuckian

    Smith-Sights.com
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    May 9, 2008
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    Hello,

    I want your opinion on this, if I may get it:

    Some folks advocate tumbling used brass no matter what.

    Others say that if it's clean, it doesn't have to be tumbled. One method seems to be to throw the brass in some sort of laundry sack and run it through the washer!

    Since this is just practice ammo and I'm trying to do this cheaply, I'd like to keep from doing anything unnecessary. If I don't need a tumbler, I don't want to buy one.

    I don't care how pretty the brass looks, as long as it functions.

    What are your thoughts?

    Thanks,

    Josh <><
     

    in812

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    Apr 3, 2008
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    never heard of throwing it through the washer !

    I have used a ultrasonic cleaner for real dirty or stained brass
    and still tumble it after that to shine it up

    I tumble everything before I reload it
     

    Wabatuckian

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    I'm running about 250(?) pieces through the washer right now to experiment (I have well over 1000 pieces, more than I thought). They need cleaned anyway as these particular pieces have some dried mud on/in them.

    We'll see how it turns out.

    I can understand for rifle brass, but low pressure pistol brass..?

    We'll see what it looks like. I decapped them first (maybe not the best idea, hard on the die, but hopefully the pockets will clean out too).

    As long as it doesn't blow me up, I'll experiment. :)

    Thanks,

    Josh <><
     

    Jack Ryan

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    Nov 2, 2008
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    Clean brass goes through the dies better. Dirty, rough, tarnished brass will stick in the die, scratch it, be a general PIA. Then it get's stuck in the gun chamber too.

    Put it in a paint can with some media and let it roll around in the trunk of the car for a few days. All it's really got to do is vibrate.

    A washer is a mighty expensive brass tumbler for some one trying to save money. If you have one of those old rock polisher kits laying around they will work too. You see those all the time at garage sales for a dollar or two that have barely been used more than once.
     

    Wabatuckian

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    I'm gonna look for a rock tumbler. In fact, I think I know where to get a brass tumbler cheap, if they still have them.

    Paint can and a car trunk? Never thought of that... I've heard of rice being used as media. Do you know anything about this?

    Thanks,

    Josh <><
     

    Wabatuckian

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    Well, it came out clean. Doesn't look polished of course, but looks just about like the recent stained Blazer stuff that's been selling at Walmart.

    My only concern is gunk on the inside - would a tumbler get rid of that?

    It's actually kinda' cheap for me to do it this way because I do not have a water bill, just a well.

    Thanks,

    Josh <><
     

    Slow Hand

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    Aug 27, 2008
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    I've used plain white rice in my vibratory cleaner for a few years now. it's cheap and works well. When it gets dirty enough, just toss it out and get another bag. As to cleaning all of your cases, I'm kind of hit or miss when it comes to smokeless loads. I've not noticed any difference in shooting and I'm still on my first set of carbide .45 acp dies after thousands of rounds loaded both clean & dirty!

    Doug K
     

    Jack Ryan

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    I'm gonna look for a rock tumbler. In fact, I think I know where to get a brass tumbler cheap, if they still have them.

    Paint can and a car trunk? Never thought of that... I've heard of rice being used as media. Do you know anything about this?

    Thanks,

    Josh <><

    No, but media is cheap.
     

    Jack Ryan

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    Nov 2, 2008
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    Well, it came out clean. Doesn't look polished of course, but looks just about like the recent stained Blazer stuff that's been selling at Walmart.

    My only concern is gunk on the inside - would a tumbler get rid of that?

    It's actually kinda' cheap for me to do it this way because I do not have a water bill, just a well.

    Thanks,

    Josh <><

    Washer's don't last forever and they cost a lot more than about the best brass polisher. A washer would have to cost more to run.
     

    Jack Ryan

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    I've used plain white rice in my vibratory cleaner for a few years now. it's cheap and works well. When it gets dirty enough, just toss it out and get another bag. As to cleaning all of your cases, I'm kind of hit or miss when it comes to smokeless loads. I've not noticed any difference in shooting and I'm still on my first set of carbide .45 acp dies after thousands of rounds loaded both clean & dirty!

    Doug K

    "carbide" is the key word here.
     

    m_deaner

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    "carbide" is the key word here.

    I haven't seen a carbide die set with more than the resizing ring of the resizing die made of carbide. The other dies are plain steel.

    You can get a Lyman tumbler from Midway for about $50.

    Walnut media is available from Petsmart for $20 for a huge bag. Dump a capful of nufinish car wax in a tumbler full of it and you have tumbling media.

    Non-vibratory tumblers (i.e. rock tumblers) have been known to dent case mouths. IMO you should get a real vibratory tumbler. You might make do with these other methods, but you risk scratching your dies up and/or your chamber.

    Edit: I wouldn't put brass in my washer. Most primers contain a combination of the metals and chemicals barium (Ba) nitrate, lead (Pb) styphnate, and antimony (Sb) sulfide. Primer residue sticks to anything - in fact, that's what police actually test for when making the determination of whether a suspect recently fired a gun. Lead styphnate is toxic - I wouldn't want it in my clothing.
     
    Last edited:

    in812

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    tubling will not clean primer pocket IMO if you want perfectly clean brass use a ultrasonic cleaner with 50/50 solution vinegar/water then with a 1tbls/gal baking soda/water that will take 99% fouling out of the inside and primer pocket and even clean stained brass then tumble it to shine it up
    you will have to look real hard to tell it's not new brass
     

    VUPDblue

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    Mar 20, 2008
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    I tumble my rifle brass twice. Once with walnut shell media, then I de-prime, then again with corn cob. I'm just anal like that and I want my brass clean. With pistol brass, I run it through the tumbler with walnut shell media just to knock the big chunks off...
     

    mospeada

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    Sep 5, 2008
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    Do NOT put your brass in your washer unless you're ok with you and anyone else you do laundry for having all the nasty bad for you stuff that is on dirty cases in their clothing (for that matter, don't wash range clothes with normal clothes).

    In the grand scheme of gun ownership, a vibratory tumbler and media is cheap, damn cheap and the wear and tear you'll put on your press, dies and firearms is not worth saving a few bucks. Suck it up and buy a tumbler or wash them by hand (NOT IN THE KITCHEN SINK!), but you should clean your cases.

    I continually hear of people trying to save money in ridiculous ways while reloading so that they can shoot their expensive guns more, the logic is seriously flawed. If you reload, you need to be serious about it or leave it to those that are.

    Sorry if that sounds harsh, but there it is.

    PS $53 buys a tumbler from midway $8 buys some media You'll find both at the next 1500 as well.
     

    BE Mike

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    Many moons ago when I first started reloading, I used a concoction that I got from an NRA article. IIRC, I put warm water, vinegar, and salt in an old big pickle jar and shook the brass around a while. I would probably add some diswashing liquid to it today. I rinsed with hot water and I then put the brass on an old cookie sheet and dryed in the oven at a low temperature. It worked ok. You need to decap before you do this so the primer pockets get clean.

    If I knew then, what I know now, I'd get a dedicated tumbler and use crushed walnut with a little liquid Flitz or Dillon Polish. It is a lot better and less labor intensive.
     

    obijohn

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    Mar 24, 2008
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    clean brass is protects your reloading equipment. some of us like really shiny brass, but that's nor really needed. the whole process goes smoother with clean brass. i don't use walnut media much any more, i just stick the brass in with the corn cob and let it go for awhile.
     

    Lawguns

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    Jan 19, 2009
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    Find a used tumbler. Corn cob is cheap and dies do wear out faster if the brass is dirty. YES DIES WEAR OUT.
     
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