Is Tumbling Brass Inside Safe?

[Model19man]

I use a wet FART tumbler on very dirty brass (not often). If the brass has been fired once with smokeless powder it gets tossed in my vibratory tumbler with pecan shells and a bit of Simichrome. I am 66 and have been reloading for maybe 40 years or a bit more. I shoot at an indoor range that does not require anything special. I have bloodwork done every year and all my cleaning has been in my garage. I have normal blood lead levels.

 

[Patrick L]

Numbers can change. Over the last 15 years, my numbers have vacillated from 9ish to 15ish. The health department had the results of all the tests I've done over the years.

A good buddy was at a 22, and 6 months of taking extra precautions dropped it to a 15.

 

[desi2358]

I've used a dry tumbler for at least 35 years now. I run it with the lid on, not too noisy and no dust escapes. If any media gets spilled when removing cases I clean it up with my small shop vac........... I don't think it's any more hazardous than my other hobbies I indulge in. My basement workshop has seen wood working (from raw wood to finished product), small parts welding, painting and a few other things. Keeping a neat and clean work area is important and neither I nor anyone else in the household has ever had any issue that can be traced back to my hobbies.

 

[ggibson511960]

After a few years without primers, I'm back in the reloading business with a big backlog of dirty cases. I broke out my vibratory cleaner and cleaned a bunch of brass with treated walnut media. The red dust got into everything when handling "cleaned" cases. What a mess. It took multiple passes through an ultrasonic cleaner to get the fine red goo out of the brass. I threw away the walnut media and bought corncob at the recommendation of my local reloading shop. They have a small ammunition reloading business in the back and use wet pin tumbling exclusively. When I use up the corn cob stuff, I'm switching. They showed me the results and I'm sold.