Drying brass after cleaning

elpac3

elpac3

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O.K. I am one of those who like shiny brass. I have been using a Thumler Tumbler and stainless steel pins for a while now. Granted the pins can be a P.I.A. but the cases come out REALLY clean.

After trying several methods of drying the brass I stumbled across the idea of using my boot dryer (was banned from the kitchen after my wife found about 200 cases in the oven on the good cookie sheets).

I put a gym sock inside the large tube and folded the top of the sock over the top edge of the dryer tube then filled the sock with damp brass. Turned the dryer on for two hours and came back to clean, dry brass.
 
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Clothes dryer works

I throw a bunch of old rags and towels after they are washed and spin dried in the dryer, they make a little noise and the woman don't like it but it works as good as any other method I have seen
 
elpac3,

There is also the ALCOHOL BATH for those in an extreme hurry.

This REQUIRES ALCOHOL OF 90% or more purity.

Common drug store variety is 70%.

Alcohol bath alcohol will have to be replaced eventually as the alcohol is diluted by the water.
 
Some clothes dryers have a stationary rack for drying tennis shoes, mine does.

So that would work as it DOES NOT TUMBLE with the dryer drum.
 
HMMMM? Seems like a lot of busy work to me. :) I have a couple or so old baking trays, I just lay out a bar towel on them and let the brass air dry-- I am never in a hurry and keep well ahead of my needs. Just works for me. It may be just me, but the idea of heating the brass up just has never sit well with me. JMHO :)
 
I personally have BATCHES that get cycled around and don't have problems with RUSHING DRYING.

Folks in Texas and Arizona just lay em' in the SUN a bit and they're dry.

DIFFERENT STROKES FOR DIFFERENT FOLKS WORKS!:)
 
Mine just go out in the sun on a sheet of newsprint on the driveway pad. Come back an hour later and they've totally dried.
 
I had thought of making a drying box. Just a wooden box with a light fixture and a heat lamp screwed in and a timer. Maybe a small vent on one end and a fan on the other to draw air through it to remove the moisture. Not a fast fan, something like those in an old computer power supply, just enough to move some air. Now that I'm starting to reload 223 brass I have plenty to do.
 
If you are really in a hurry to get wet brass dry to reload, an old metal tray and a big hair dryer will dry a batch in 5 min. Don't burn your fingers!
 
Years ago when I had a two speed styling hair dryer, I learned that it would shut off if it got too hot.

Now I just put the wet brass in a pasta strainer, shake off most of the "Liquid" and toss the brass into the vibrator for two hours.

Apple cider works great for the 9mm brass in a plastic container, shook 2-3 times in the time span. Never saved it, just incase the wife used it by mistake !!
 
In the winter I use an old bath towel, if I want it to dry a little faster I let a floor fan blow across it.
In the summer I scrounged up some old 2x4 and some wire screen and made a box.
 
Maybe I'm too careful but I never put anything in the dishwasher or clothes washer or dryer or oven that has lead or automotive chemicals or anything that might be toxic. Guys talk about cleaning gun parts in the dishwasher or clothes washer. This wouldn't go over at all with my wife and for good reason. You do wash your hands after handling lead bullets don't you? You don't wash them in the jug of ice water in the refrigerator do you? I don't usually wet tumble my brass but when I do, I spread them out on a towel on the picnic table outside in the sun.
 
I've gotten ahead enough with my brass that I generally don't need it for a while after cleaning.

For that reason, I just spread it out on a towel for a few days, and let it dry at its own pace.
 
I just throw them in a towel & roll around for a few minutes then take the air hose & blow out the insides. Good to go in about 5 minutes.


BW
 
I have used a stationary rack in the clothes dryer.

In the summer I throw them in an old pillow case and leave them in the sun on the driveway or on the hood of my black pickup.

This winter I have been putting them in the old pillow case and hanging them next to the wood burning stove.
 
Geno44 said:
Maybe I'm too careful but I never put anything in the dishwasher or clothes washer or dryer or oven that has lead or automotive chemicals or anything that might be toxic. Guys talk about cleaning gun parts in the dishwasher or clothes washer. This wouldn't go over at all with my wife and for good reason. You do wash your hands after handling lead bullets don't you? You don't wash them in the jug of ice water in the refrigerator do you? I don't usually wet tumble my brass but when I do, I spread them out on a towel on the picnic table outside in the sun.
Click to expand...

Geno-- now here is something??? Could be an old wives tale, I cannot say--- VERY many years ago when I would help my Dad on the weekends, who was a carpenter, he always told me NEVER to leave a hand saw laying in the sun- said it would take the temper out of it. True?? I don't know because I just never did that. :eek:;) I DO know if you put one of these tupper-ware type bowels that has been stained with chili or tomato sauce out in the sun for a day, the stain will be gone. Two days if really bad. I have done that. -- :)
 
I wonder how a food dehydrator would work on drying brass. It would remove the moisture for sure. Has plenty of trays in most models.
 
I used to use a cookie sheet and the oven set to 250 but I got tired of that routine. Now I just spread the cases out on a towel that's laid over a mechanics roll around table that has a 3/4" lip around the edges. I pick up the ends of the towel and "roll" the towel back and forth a few times, then dump the brass onto another towel that was underneath the first one. After a couple of days they're dry. They don't stay shiny bright as the stainless pins take all the surface contaminants off and they tarnish to a gold color in the 2 days. If I want shiny, I have to tumble them in media with polish and that's too much trouble so I don't. Hasn't seemed to affect the accuracy any. I process around 1500 cases at a time and usually have twice that much dried brass in a bucket by my press so I don't have any kind rush needs for the brass. I've attached a picture of my tumbler and drying tray.
 

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