View Single Post
 
Old 07-05-2013, 10:14 PM
jbouwens's Avatar
jbouwens jbouwens is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Georgia
Posts: 470
Likes: 1
Liked 14 Times in 9 Posts
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by elpac3 View Post
I have used a number of case cleaning methods over the years. Just got a Thumler Tumbler and 5 pounds of SS pins. Add water, 1/4 tsp. lemi-shine and dish soap and brass comes out better than new. Clean inside and out. Primer pockets are surgically clean.

I have had some range brass that looked absolutely terrible, tarnished, oxidized and it came out like factory new. I have found it takes 2 hours for .38 / .357 / .44 / .45 cases and 4 hours for my .270 . If you have nickle plated cases, do not run them much longer then 90 minutes or the pins will start chipping off the nickel plate.

Will never go back to the vibrator and cobbs or walnet shells. Have a magnet handy though because some of the pins will get away and end up in the bottom of the sink.

Amen brother. I bought my Tumblers tumbler 6 monthes ago. I have prossessed almost 20,000 pieces of various calibers. Nothing will beat the results that this thing turns out. I deprime, sort out non brass, throw them in the tumbler for 4 hours, dump them out onto a towel and roll them around a bit, let them dry for 3 hours, inspect for pins in the flash holes (1 to 2 % will have an issue with stuck pins), throw them into my vibrating tumbler with corn cob media laced with Nu Finish for 15 minutes to put a protecting layer on them to keep them from tarishing (stainless pin method gets them so clean they will tarish just by looking at them swear... I think the pins open the pores in the metel like sandblasted metal). Once all of that is done, I feel I have handled each piece of bass enough times to determine structual integrity, condition, what not. In the past I went through tremendous amounts of media and Nu finish to get the brass cleaned and never inspected to this detail so the price of the stainless setup, the lemon shine (it lasts for 15,000 cases), and a large bottle of dawn is the expendable supplies now as the corn cobb and nu finish lasts forever with 15 minute cycles just to put the wax barrier on them. As long as the electricity and water holds out, I will be cleaning with the stainless method. Oh, I would mention that I spend a few months prepping cases and a month or two loading per year. I wouldmt say I would do all of this for a couple k of case per year
Reply With Quote