tumble or not to tumble?

landlord · May 14, 2013, 01:18 PM

Can you clean your brass by hand or do you have to have a tumbler?

serf 'rett · May 14, 2013, 01:33 PM

Quote:

Can you clean your brass by hand

Yes, I could clean my brass by hand.

Quote:

or do you have to have a tumbler?

Yes, I have a tumbler because I'm basically to lazy to clean my brass by hand.

praetorian97 · May 14, 2013, 01:36 PM

What kind of quantities are you inquiring about?

BumbleBug · May 14, 2013, 01:40 PM

You chuck in a drill & spin your cases. You can uses steel wool to polish or paper towel to remove grease. Use a cordless drill on low speed.

http://leeprecision.com/case-spinner-stud.html

...bug

landlord · May 14, 2013, 02:35 PM

I was thinking small amounts, under a hundred rounds.

M1ke10191 · May 15, 2013, 12:09 PM

A tumbler is worth it. I have a Frankford Arsenal for around $40. For me, that's enough to justify not hand cleaning each piece of brass.

ballardw · May 18, 2013, 06:02 AM

My grandfather and father both reloaded for years basically only using rags and wiping down brass. The brass won't be as shiny but as long as you don't have actual corrosion usually no problems.

My dad really did appreciate the introduction of carbide dies so the pistol cartridges didn't need lube and removed the step of removing case lube.

thump_rrr · May 18, 2013, 07:38 AM

In reality brass does not need to be cleaned to be reloaded.

By cleaning the brass you can more easily spot the flaws.
It also shows a certain amount of pride in what you do.
Cleaning by hand is tedious and time consuming.
Your time can be better spent reloading or shooting.

I began cleaning my brass using a vibratory tumbler with ground english walnut shells, then polished in corn cob media with Nufinish.
The results were somewhat pleasing but the dust and vibration was unacceptable to me.
I also went through $80.00 of ground walnut and corncob in the first year alone.

I then tried the ultrasonic method but it was too slow and gave mixed results.

In my opinion the best way to clean brass is with a rotary tumbler and stainless steel media. The stainless steel media will last a lifetime and only a little soap and Lemishine is required.
The rotary tumbler is much quieter then the vibratory and produces no dust since the tumbling is done in water.
It also cleans the brass inside and out including the flash holes and primer pockets.

The stainless steel pins can be had for around $45.00 and you can probably make your own tumbler out of an old motor and a well sealing plastic bucket.
I spent the $170.00 on the Thumler model B and will purchase another one down the road.

Misssissippi Dave · May 18, 2013, 08:02 AM

Quote:

Quote:
Can you clean your brass by hand
Yes, I could clean my brass by hand.

Quote:
or do you have to have a tumbler?
Yes, I have a tumbler because I'm basically to lazy to clean my brass by hand.

1+

g.willikers · May 18, 2013, 08:22 AM

Using a tumbler isn't being lazy.
That takes work - having suitable cleaning media on hand, finding the extension cord, adding media, then cleaning up all that missed the tumbler, removing and separating media afterward, 'etc.
Really lazy folks just dump the cases in a mesh bag and toss them in the washing machine.

mikld · May 18, 2013, 12:13 PM

I reloaded successfully for 12 years before I got a tumbler. I would just wipe each case, as I inspected it, with a rag dampened in mineral spirits. My dies didn't wear out any faster and I could easily spot defects. Today I shoot outdoors and my only "need" is for my semi-auto brass to be shiny to find them on the ground, in the dirt/grass. I'm the only one to see or shoot my ammo, so I will only tumble now and then...

KCRaider21 · May 18, 2013, 01:51 PM

I used a tumbler but have recently starting cleaning them through the following process.

Deprime and resize casings
Clean each primer pocket with a primer pocket cleaner
Soak (30 min to 1 hour) in cleaning solution of 1qt hot water, 1 cup vinegar, 1 tablespoon salt and 1 tablespoon dawn soap (shake them around every 10-15 min)
Rinse with hot water
Let air dry

This has worked just as well as a tumbler without the dust and mess.

cookie5 · May 18, 2013, 05:26 PM

You can clean the cases by hand but a tumbler or vibrator is the way to go! There is no dust if you use a proper polishing compound.

BumbleBug · May 18, 2013, 05:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KCRaider21

...Soak (30 min to 1 hour) in cleaning solution of 1qt hot water, 1 cup vinegar, 1 tablespoon salt and 1 tablespoon dawn soap (shake them around every 10-15 min)...

INTERESTING...gotta give that a try! The only thing that doesn't appeal to me is the "salt" part.

Thanks for posting....

...bug

boondocker385 · May 18, 2013, 07:41 PM

I tumble....less work and cleaner hands

May 14, 2013, 01:18 PM	#1
landlord Member Join Date: February 4, 2012 Posts: 71	tumble or not to tumble? Can you clean your brass by hand or do you have to have a tumbler?

May 14, 2013, 01:40 PM	#4
BumbleBug Senior Member Join Date: March 11, 2013 Location: Near Heart of Texas Posts: 870	Lee has a gadget for spinning cases for cleaning... You chuck in a drill & spin your cases. You can uses steel wool to polish or paper towel to remove grease. Use a cordless drill on low speed. http://leeprecision.com/case-spinner-stud.html ...bug

May 15, 2013, 12:09 PM	#6
M1ke10191 Senior Member Join Date: May 25, 2012 Location: Upstate New York Posts: 122	tumble or not to tumble? A tumbler is worth it. I have a Frankford Arsenal for around $40. For me, that's enough to justify not hand cleaning each piece of brass.

May 18, 2013, 06:02 AM	#7
ballardw Senior Member Join Date: September 19, 2008 Posts: 1,411	My grandfather and father both reloaded for years basically only using rags and wiping down brass. The brass won't be as shiny but as long as you don't have actual corrosion usually no problems. My dad really did appreciate the introduction of carbide dies so the pistol cartridges didn't need lube and removed the step of removing case lube. __________________ -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ All data is flawed, some just less so.

May 18, 2013, 07:38 AM	#8
thump_rrr Senior Member Join Date: October 12, 2010 Posts: 403	In reality brass does not need to be cleaned to be reloaded. By cleaning the brass you can more easily spot the flaws. It also shows a certain amount of pride in what you do. Cleaning by hand is tedious and time consuming. Your time can be better spent reloading or shooting. I began cleaning my brass using a vibratory tumbler with ground english walnut shells, then polished in corn cob media with Nufinish. The results were somewhat pleasing but the dust and vibration was unacceptable to me. I also went through $80.00 of ground walnut and corncob in the first year alone. I then tried the ultrasonic method but it was too slow and gave mixed results. In my opinion the best way to clean brass is with a rotary tumbler and stainless steel media. The stainless steel media will last a lifetime and only a little soap and Lemishine is required. The rotary tumbler is much quieter then the vibratory and produces no dust since the tumbling is done in water. It also cleans the brass inside and out including the flash holes and primer pockets. The stainless steel pins can be had for around $45.00 and you can probably make your own tumbler out of an old motor and a well sealing plastic bucket. I spent the $170.00 on the Thumler model B and will purchase another one down the road. Last edited by thump_rrr; May 18, 2013 at 08:08 AM.

May 14, 2013, 01:36 PM	#3
praetorian97 Senior Member Join Date: May 9, 2011 Location: Boise, ID Posts: 455	What kind of quantities are you inquiring about?

May 14, 2013, 02:35 PM	#5
landlord Member Join Date: February 4, 2012 Posts: 71	I was thinking small amounts, under a hundred rounds.

May 18, 2013, 08:22 AM	#10
g.willikers Senior Member Join Date: September 28, 2008 Posts: 10,442	Using a tumbler isn't being lazy. That takes work - having suitable cleaning media on hand, finding the extension cord, adding media, then cleaning up all that missed the tumbler, removing and separating media afterward, 'etc. Really lazy folks just dump the cases in a mesh bag and toss them in the washing machine. __________________ Walt Kelly, alias Pogo, sez: “Don't take life so serious, son, it ain't nohow permanent.”

May 18, 2013, 12:13 PM	#11
mikld Senior Member Join Date: February 7, 2009 Location: Southern Oregon! Posts: 2,891	I reloaded successfully for 12 years before I got a tumbler. I would just wipe each case, as I inspected it, with a rag dampened in mineral spirits. My dies didn't wear out any faster and I could easily spot defects. Today I shoot outdoors and my only "need" is for my semi-auto brass to be shiny to find them on the ground, in the dirt/grass. I'm the only one to see or shoot my ammo, so I will only tumble now and then... __________________ My Anchor is holding fast! I've learned how to stand on my own two knees...

May 18, 2013, 01:51 PM	#12
KCRaider21 Member Join Date: March 21, 2013 Posts: 78	I used a tumbler but have recently starting cleaning them through the following process. Deprime and resize casings Clean each primer pocket with a primer pocket cleaner Soak (30 min to 1 hour) in cleaning solution of 1qt hot water, 1 cup vinegar, 1 tablespoon salt and 1 tablespoon dawn soap (shake them around every 10-15 min) Rinse with hot water Let air dry This has worked just as well as a tumbler without the dust and mess.

May 18, 2013, 05:26 PM	#13
cookie5 Senior Member Join Date: September 1, 2011 Posts: 217	You can clean the cases by hand but a tumbler or vibrator is the way to go! There is no dust if you use a proper polishing compound.

May 18, 2013, 07:41 PM	#15
boondocker385 Senior Member Join Date: March 6, 2013 Posts: 640	I tumble....less work and cleaner hands