Cleaning brass: Vibratory vs Rotary vs Ultrasonic

dr. mordo

dr. mordo

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Good evening. I have been researching this all night and can't quite find the answer I need.

I've been reloading for about 5 months, and have done ~1200 rounds of .327/.38/.44 so far on a Hornady LnL.

I don't have much time to reload (or shoot!), so I need the least labor intensive way to clean brass. From what I've read, some people don't clean brass at all, but I think a basic cleaning is necessary to prevent mess and more easily spot problems.

I had a ultrasonic cleaner before I started reloading, so it was natural to start using it. I can process 200 rounds per batch, but having to run it and rinse multiple times eats up time I don't really have.

It seems to me like a rotary tumbler will be less work than ultrasonic, though I'll still have to rinse due to the use of liquid products in the drum. That said, instead of 3-4 short sessions in the cleaner, the tumbler will be one long session, then the rinse. Correct?

So it seems like a vibratory tumbler with a dry mix will be the simplest solution. If I understand the process, I just vibrate for a while then separate out the media from the brass, which I understand most folks do with a spin in a manual tumbler.

Does anyone just use dry media in a rotary tumbler so they can simplify the post-tumbling process? If so, does the rotary tumbler clean better than the vibratory with just dry media?

My question is, for those of you who have tried them all, what's the least labor intensive way to achieve a base level of cleanliness?
 
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Ultrasonic would take forever if processing any serious amount brass.
The vibratory creates terrible dust. I always used mine with a lid - tried the dryer sheets , the brasso, etc. Still dust especially when transferring sifting. That dust is full of everything you just polished off of the brass. Not good stuff to breathe at all.
I tried wet stainless pin tumbling
No dust at all and the brass is clean as new.
There is a slight learning curve and it's a little more work. However I think it's worth it.
 
There is a slight learning curve and it's a little more work. However I think it's worth it.
Click to expand...
Ditto this! I only wish I had made the switch long ago! I agree with the ‘little more work’ but I believe what little it is FAR outweighs the hassle and mess with vibratory tumbling.
 
The simplest method of brass cleaning, dry tumbling, also has the virtue of requiring the least "enforced attention" on your part.

You dump the brass in the vibrator loaded with media, set a $10 outlet timer to 1/2/4/8 hours, turn it on. Whenever you come back - could be days later - dump the brass/media mix into a media separator, spin a dozen turns, and the brass is ready while the media gets dumped back into the tumbler ready to go again.

The cons? Dust, very little primer pocket cleaning even if you decap before tumbling, and less "bling" then wet tumbling with SS Pins. If you can tumble outside, the dust is a total non-issue.

You already know the issues with ultrasonic.

Wet tumbling with SS pins produces the cleanest, shiniest brass and will clean primer pockets if you decap before tumbling. You pretty much want to be there when the tumbling is finished, because leaving brass in a chemically active solution for long periods has caused some concern/grief for some folks. Separating the pins is more difficult than dry tumbling, and any caught in the flash hole (wrong size) should be discarded. Finally, you have to dry the brass, another procedure that will at least take some time, if not your attention, regardless of how it's done.

ETA: AFAIK, the only benefit to using rotating rather than vibratory tumblers with dry media are POTENTIALLY noise reduction, capacity, and longevity.
 
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I have Dillon everything to clean brass since the 80s. All you need is a Midway vibrator with a clear top--some corncob media--and a hand tumbler to separate the brass and media. Takes about 5 min work. Dump your brass and let clean 1 hour. Dump into the separator and turn 10 sec. Dump the brass out. Less than 10 min work and you have clean brass. Simple-it works-and you can thank me later.:D The only dust is when you separate the brass and media. I have never cleaned a primer pocket but I do have a Dillon new in the box since the 80s.
 
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I think a vibrating tumbler is the simplest. I recently bought a Dillon CV-750 to replace my Lyman 1200. The Lyman has a vented cover while the Dillon's does not, but I used to put a small piece of damp towel on the Lyman to catch it's dust, plus I tumble in the garage.

If you go the tumbler route then you have to decide if you want to tumble before you size/deprime or after.

Afterwards cleans the primer pockets & any case lube off but then you have to inspect the pockets for any media stuck in the flash holes, which doesn't take real long.

Doing it before means case lube must be wiped off later & you have dirty pockets. (Lee says TC sizing sooty cases is preferred to clean cases.)

PS: My CV750's motor & base get noticeably hot after tumbling. I saw others had this complaint too after I got mine. It's worse in the summer heat but less of an issue in a cold winter's garage. Just an FYI.

.
 
Vibratory would be the quickest method. I still have/use my Lyman 3200 for rifle brass. Handgun brass is deprimed and then wet tumbled with SS pins. Then dried in a food dehydrator I bought at Menards, specifically for this. 30-45 mins and completely dry. Wet tumbling takes more time/effort; but the results are worth it for me. Frankfort Arsenal sells a complete vibratory kit w/separator for about $70.
 
dr. mordo said:
............................

My question is, for those of you who have tried them all, what's the least labor intensive way to achieve a base level of cleanliness?
Click to expand...

Bowl type vibratory tumbler, dry media, and the additive of your choice. Run for 1 hour for clean, run 3 hours for polished. Additive can be mineral spirits, NuFinish car polish, Dillon or Midway media polish, Brasso -- just use a tablespoon or less.

Thumler Tumbler from MidwayUSA:
Thumler's Tumbler Ultra-Vibe 10 Case Tumbler 110 Volt
will do the job for you. I have the 10# model and the it is best thing I bought for reloading except a Dillon press and carbide pistol dies.
 
Dry vibratory or tumbler simplest method I personally do not want to deal with wet brass.
I use an old Lyman with a plug on the side to remove media works great if it burns out I ma going back to Thumlers tumbler
 
Another convert here to wet tumbling w/pins. Not having to clean lube off brass (not a consideration with straight-walled pistol calibers, of course, but certainly so with rifle) is very convenient. But not having to clean primer pockets - a task I otherwise religiously perform - is the real benefit. Getting that fresh primer properly seated absolves a surprising number of handloading woes.

You don't have to bulk clean brass at all, of course. I didn't for years. Tarnished (but otherwise clean) brass shoots just fine.

But clean-like-new brass is a beautiful thing. Like cleavage, you never get tired of looking at it.
 
For me the dry vibrating Lymon 1200 works fine. Dump in the brass, add a little NuCar finish to some corn or walnut media, throw in a used dryer sheet and walk away for a couple hours. Dump in a tumbler and separate. Total amount of my time spent is maybe 10 minutes.
 
I have never had pins sticking in flash holes or otherwise. However with dry I always had it stuck in flash holes and was a pain in the ***.
 
I use a very old vibrating cleaner: essentially a Tupperware bucket filled with walnut hull and a bit of polishing compound attached to a small electric motor.

Throw the brass in, put the top on and turn it on.

A few hours later, turn it off, pour contents through a colander, return media to the vibrator bucket and dump cleaned brass into a plastic bag.

No fuss, no mess.

I can’t imagine going to the trouble some folks describe involving liquids, pins, tumblers, sonic tanks, drying brass and other fussyness.

Folks: we aren’t sterilizing surgical equipment here!!

Get a grip, relax, give the OCD a rest.
 
I have time issues as well. I use a vibratory with corn cob media plugged into a timer. Dump in a few hundred, set timer based on how old media is and forget. I have added polish in the past but now just use raw media. Next time I have a few minutes I dump in my rotary media separator, separate and ready to go again. What helped me the most is picking up a bunch of brass at gun shows and online when deals pop up. Have around 10k .38 brass which I shoot the most. That way if I get behind on cleaning I still have plenty of cases to load. I probably overkill on tumbling time. I run mine at least 2 hrs with new media and sometimes up to 4 hrs when it gets older. I’m sure I waste some electricity but it’s always real clean and I don’t waste time with redo’s.
 
The OP asked:
"What's the least labor intensive way to achieve a base level of cleanliness?"

I would argue there is only one answer to this question: Vibratory tumbling.

Yes, wet/SS cleaning does a better cleaning job, but the labor is greater. However (I've done both) in my opinion vibratory cleaning is more than adequate for meeting the base objective of getting brass clean to keep dirt out of the dies.

I'm a huge advocate of wet tumbling and I won't go back to vibratory. But if time is tight dry vibratory is simpler and effective enough.
 
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