Wet tumbling for a Tightwad?

[Panfisher]

I have convinced myself to jump into wet tumbling, but being me I want to do it tightwad style. Think I am going to purchase one of the Harbor Freight dual tumblers and buy the stainless media refresh kit from Stainless Tumbling Media. Watch some videos and read some review on the Harbor Freight tumblers. I am sort of a hilbilly mechanic so assembly, adjusting belt/pully etc. has no concerns to me, nor does oiling bushings etc. However I do have a few question on some other issues that go along with the process.

Universal decapping die, are they universal and work on everything from .223 to 7 Mag., or do I need a couple different ones.

As for drying I will probably just put them on a cookie sheet and set it on top of my propane heat stove in the winter and let them dry in the heat a low humidity environment there, shouldn't take long I wouldn't think.

Anyone have any suggestions on things to do or not do with the el-cheapo system. Heck even replacing the dual drum with a homemade drum doesn't worry me, I can find something to make a single long drum with I bet.

[mikld]

I believe stainless steel pins are used to prevent corrosion so the media last longer. I think any small pins/pieces of metal, the same size as the SS pins will work as well as SS. I "cheaped out" and used some small SS hardware for an experiment (#4, #6 short screws, washers, nuts, cotter pins). Worked fine unless one wants clean/pristine primer pockets (my "media" didn't fit into the pockets readily, so the pockets weren't polished, but clean). I would also try the process with brass or regular steel hardware, but the steel will corrode quickly. If I found wet tumbling with metal media to my liking I would experiment more, but I didn't go for all the extra; mixing solutions, washing/tumbling, rinsing, drying...

I made a single drum for my HF dual drum tumbler out of 4" PVC pipe a cap on one end and an expandable plug for the other end.

[hartcreek]

If you have dry laundry soap try that first. I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

[Panfisher]

Dry laundry soap in place of the Dawn?, or in place of the Lemishine or both.

[Nick_C_S]

Panfisher said: "Think I am going to purchase one of the Harbor Freight dual tumblers and buy the stainless media refresh kit from Stainless Tumbling Media."

I too wanted to try SS pin tumbling without making a major investment. So I got the Harbor Freight tumbler too - except, I got the single unit, not the dual. And I also got the media refresh kit from SSTM. So I've walked virtually the same path you're about to go down.

I was pleased. It's a good little unit and does its job well. The only problem is that it is little. You can only tumble 1lb of brass at a time (about 100 38 Special rounds). But it was enough to tell me that SS tumbling is the way to go.

I have since purchased a Frankford Arsenal unit to better suit my needs.

[Panfisher]

Awesome Nick, thank you. Another question, anyone tred TV umbling bullets. I have some old Nosler Ballistic Tips that are slightly discolored , tried tossing them in the Lyman vibrat or but they were too heavy to move around and get clean. Contemplating giving them a run through the wet system when I get it just see what it does.

[Magnum Wheel Man]

for "chemicals" I use cheap dish soap, & I had granular citric acid available at work... it takes very little I bought 2 lbs & have been tumbling heavy, for a couple years, & only used about half... I'd bet the Citric from E-bay or Amazon would be cheaper than Lemishine for a per dose use...

I've never tried laundry soap, but any soap that is designed to hold dirt / soil in suspension, rather than redepositing on the dishes or clothes should work well in the tumbler... I think my dollar store dish soap may be cheaper than the dollar store laundry soap, but I've never checked the per ounce price...

for drying, I put mine in a plastic sieve in front of a small space heater during the winter, or in front of my dehumidifier during the summer...

[Emerson Biggies]

You should have my troubles! I need a tumbler that can handle at least 25 .50BMG cases. My Lyman 1200 is way out classed by this brass. I need something cheap and big! Any ideas??

[hartcreek]

Only 25 BMG my vibe machine would handle that easy. I tumble 1000 9mm at a time and still have extra room.

[Tex S]

The Lee Universal Decapping Die will do everything you need.

[oley55]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/5-Pounds-Sta...-/181306798331

these pins seem reasonably priced. for me the purchase of pins was by far the single most expensive purchase for my home built.

keep in mind the pins are tiny and easily float with and/or cling to the soap bubbles. accordingly, I do not rinse or clean in a sink. I rinse on the concrete pad in front of the garage/shop and then recover any pins with a magnet.

surface tension of the water will also cause the pins to cling to the inside of the brass. I found that tumble rinsing while immersed in water allows the pins to drop free. I use a Dillon media separator which comes with a nice tub. I fill the tub to over-flowing with water, leave the hose running, and turn the crank slowly to allow the pins to drop to the bottom. works best with small batches so that the brass is staying in the water. once I have clear clean water in the tub while still turning the separator, I turn the water off and slowly pour the water out so I can tumble the brass in the air to loose as much water as possible.

I pour my brass onto a large beach towel so that I can twist the ends shut into something like a hammock. that way I can slosh the brass back and force and jar loose most of the water and usually find a couple more pins. then I spread them out on a dark colored towel and let them cook outside in the Florida sun for several hours.

of course all this works for me being in warm weather Florida. I would have to find another method for rinsing and drying in a colder climate. although we did have some light snow flurries yesterday.

[mikld]

You should have my troubles! I need a tumbler that can handle at least 25 .50BMG cases. My Lyman 1200 is way out classed by this brass. I need something cheap and big! Any ideas??

http://www.harborfreight.com/power-t...xer-91907.html Cheaper than some dedicated "Reloading Brass Tumblers"...

BTW; $36.00 will buy me a couple years worth of corn cob blast media...

[axismatt]

Steer clear of the Harbor Freight tumblers. For a few reasons.

1st, the insides of the drums are smooth and round, and for brass, you need to churn the materials more, hence the need for flat facets inside the drum.

2nd, the motors are quite weak. I tried to make my own larger drum and found that the motor didn't have the poop to turn more weight.

Advice: Look in the rock tumbling world for better, bigger, cheaper and/or used tumblers. You'll likely find a used big rock tumbler for just a few dollars more than the HF cheapo.

There's a few threads here showing some home built tumblers that look really great. If you enjoy building things yourself and want to do it on the cheap, take a look at some of the designs posted around here.

Lemme shine comes with the STI stainless kit, and works wonders. The trick is to use very little, and if used sparingly, it will last for years!

[axismatt]

Here is a quick example of what you can find on craigslist used. This is a $300 tumbler if purchased new, and perfect for anything up to and including 50BMG.

http://inlandempire.craigslist.org/for/4839591001.html

[jaguarxk120]

I know everyone use's the term "soap" universally, but with the citric acid detergent must be used to clean the brass.

Any Soap will neutralize the citric acid and the cleaning process will stop, plus pressure will build up inside the tumbler drum.

[Panfisher]

If I was going to do a LOT of brass heck I would build one, even something as silly sounding as a small cement mixer cleaned up with ss pins, dawn, and lemon shine would likely work. Might have to down size the flutes inside it, and or change pulleys to slow it down. In my hillbilly engineer mind the possibilities are endless. I suspect I will end up with a single or double HF model to play with.

[axismatt]

I know everyone use's the term "soap" universally, but with the citric acid detergent must be used to clean the brass.

Any Soap will neutralize the citric acid and the cleaning process will stop, plus pressure will build up inside the tumbler drum.

This isn't quite accurate. The citric acid softens the water and works well to dissolve hard scale. The soap also softens the water some, breaking the surface tension so it is able to wash even the tiniest crevice... and it helps the filth stay suspended in the water rather than clinging to what's just been cleaned.

The trick with cleaning brass is to use both soap AND lemi shine very sparingly. A table spoon of any dish soap or liquid hand soap is more than adequate, and some shavings of bar soap work fine too. If bar soap polishes rocks, it will work for brass as well. There's just enough there to keep the dirt dissolved and suspended in the water. The stainless media does the real work.

AS for pressure... if you don't introduce additional air to the drum as it tumbles, it has no way of expanding... at least not to the point that it makes a mess.

In the end, stainless media is the very best way to clean your fired brass quickly and completely. The only drawback is the initial expense of the tumbler.

[oley55]

ref: "AS for pressure..." I wondered about that too. I do get a little pressure build up in mine but I think that is more from heat than anything else.

whether it's because my motor sits below the drum or the friction of the cases n pins tumbling for three hours, my batch of brass will always come out a little warm and burp out some suds when I crack the drum open.

[serf 'rett]

On the cheap for me was using kid's leftover Thumler A-R1 three pound tumbler. 30K+pieces of brass later and the machine is still going strong.

[axismatt]

Yeah, you might get a little foam. Using less soap, detergent, etc. will reduce that, and your brass will get just as clean.

The Thumbler tumblers are great tumblers, and not all that cheap these days.