Tumble or Ultrasonic that is the question
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A regular vibratory cleaner and corn or walnut has been used for years and years. The others cost more, are more work but of course get your brass ready for "surgery"
My brass in a Thumlers vibrator unit cleans brass in 2 hours and pretty close to liquid and stainless pins. (it is expensive but much less noise and all made in the USA.Depend on how OCD you are about brass. You want clean or so bright you need shades
This one: I also have a larger Lymans Turbo but do not use it much anymore. The difference is amazing.
Thumler's Tumbler Ultra-Vibe Case Tumbler 110 Volt
My brass in a Thumlers vibrator unit cleans brass in 2 hours and pretty close to liquid and stainless pins. (it is expensive but much less noise and all made in the USA.Depend on how OCD you are about brass. You want clean or so bright you need shades
This one: I also have a larger Lymans Turbo but do not use it much anymore. The difference is amazing.
Thumler's Tumbler Ultra-Vibe Case Tumbler 110 Volt
Frankford Arsenal wet tumbler.
I have used all the rest.
It takes me 30 minutes to clean brass, no longer than an hour.
It is simply the best, and most efficient.
I will not use an ultrasonic. I got some mix for one, and put it in my wet tumbler by mistake.
If that is what it used, no thanks.
I have used all the rest.
It takes me 30 minutes to clean brass, no longer than an hour.
It is simply the best, and most efficient.
I will not use an ultrasonic. I got some mix for one, and put it in my wet tumbler by mistake.
If that is what it used, no thanks.
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WhitleyStu
Member
I use a Crest ultrasonic cleaner (heated) for approximately 10 minutes followed by 10-15 minutes in a vibratory tumbler with Lyman TuffNut media. In the ultrasonic cleaner I use Ottosonic cleaning solution from Jules Borel.
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I have done both, but have settled on using a vibratory bowl with corncob and polishing agent (cerium oxide).
The bowl cleans the brass and brings it to an high polish. The inside is also cleaned, but not as well. I leave the primers in for this operation, to keep medium from clogging the primer hole. I've never found enough residue in the primer pocket to bother about.
Ultrasonic cleaning is very thorough, inside and out. You must deprime prior to cleaning, to minimize air pockets. The brass is left somewhat dull, and will stain badly if left in the tank overnight due to extraction of zinc. Cases must be thoroughly rinsed and dried before proceeding. The best method I've found is putting them in a mesh washing bag and hanging the bag in front of a floor fan overnight.
Tumbling the cases in a bowl afterwards will also dry them, at some risk of having clumps of medium lodged inside. Chemically clean cases tend to stick on the expander/funnel of my Dillon 550B.
The bowl cleans the brass and brings it to an high polish. The inside is also cleaned, but not as well. I leave the primers in for this operation, to keep medium from clogging the primer hole. I've never found enough residue in the primer pocket to bother about.
Ultrasonic cleaning is very thorough, inside and out. You must deprime prior to cleaning, to minimize air pockets. The brass is left somewhat dull, and will stain badly if left in the tank overnight due to extraction of zinc. Cases must be thoroughly rinsed and dried before proceeding. The best method I've found is putting them in a mesh washing bag and hanging the bag in front of a floor fan overnight.
Tumbling the cases in a bowl afterwards will also dry them, at some risk of having clumps of medium lodged inside. Chemically clean cases tend to stick on the expander/funnel of my Dillon 550B.
fredj338
Member
If I was going to bother wet cleaning, might as well go all the way to ss pins.
I've quit using dry media cleaners. Have a Hornady ultrasonic that does a fine job. One reason is less airborne lead. The dust from the walnut shell or corncob media has high concentrations of lead oxides. And I always seemed to be downwind.
Another reason is that depriming beforehand has proven to be a good time to sort brass. Did multi thousands of 9mm and .45 ACP cases over the winter.
Another reason is that depriming beforehand has proven to be a good time to sort brass. Did multi thousands of 9mm and .45 ACP cases over the winter.
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For someone starting out I'd now recommend using the wet tumbling system with stainless steel pins. After just recently seeing one of by friends wet tumbling set ups and his brand new LOOKING Brass, I think it's the way to go. I am actually contemplating switching over to it myself. Currently I use a Dillon vibratory tumbler and Lyman Green treated corn cob media. It does a very good job but not nearly as perfect as the stainless pins do. I guess at this point it's just a matter of looks, because even though the current system I am using does not clean as thoroughly as wet tumbling, I have not had any problems in the 35 years I have been reloading, so I think it just comes down to a matter of preference and pride. The great things I will say about the wet tumbling is that dust is eliminated - not a bad thing and the wet tumbler is quieter than the conventional vibratory ones are. All in all a very good system and around the same price as a conventional system sells for.
kbm6893
Member
I use both. The tumbling with a cap full of Nu Finish car polish makes the brass shine like new, but the walnut doesn't do much for the inside. I then deprime and resize, then use the sonic cleaner. Cleans the inside and the primer pocket really well. I rinse the brass well and spread the brass on a towel for a couple of days.
I throw a towel over the tumbler as I tumble to keep any dust contained, but the towel never looks dirty when it's done so I don't know how much dust is being spread.
Wet tumbling is great, but you gotta make sure every pin is out of the brass. Some guys use magnets.
I throw a towel over the tumbler as I tumble to keep any dust contained, but the towel never looks dirty when it's done so I don't know how much dust is being spread.
Wet tumbling is great, but you gotta make sure every pin is out of the brass. Some guys use magnets.
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Bkreutz
US Veteran
I use SS pin wet cleaning primarily due to volume. I've used vibrating cleaners with factory media, lizard litter, and various polishes. I used ultrasonic with brass solution. They both did great jobs, just took a lot of time when I figured out the volume that I shot. Here's a link to a thread from a year ago after I had been using ss pins for a short while. http://smith-wessonforum.com/reloading/372991-ss-pin-tumbling.html I'm still using the same pins, my shooting has slowed down due to the winter and my recent injury to around 4-500 rounds a week, so I clean brass every 4 weeks instead of every 2, but it's still a huge time saver. My recovery is progressing and my round count will most likely increase as I shoot more matches (and more practice sessions).
edit: nothing has gone to waste, I've donated all my vibratory stuff to new shooters, and the ultrasonic cleaner is used to clean gun parts. It does a great job on magazine followers, they go in black from the carbon blowback and come out looking like new.
edit: nothing has gone to waste, I've donated all my vibratory stuff to new shooters, and the ultrasonic cleaner is used to clean gun parts. It does a great job on magazine followers, they go in black from the carbon blowback and come out looking like new.
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Depends on how much you shoot and how much time is on your hands. I'd never spend that much time to wet ss pin clean them. To me, unnecessary. My Berry's vibratory with corn cob media and polish makes the outside look like new - literally better actually. I don't care what the inside looks like. To each their own - good luck!
happy1
US Veteran
I use both dry and ultra sonic corn cob in the tumbler in the Sonic I just cleaning vinegar cleans like new.
Paul
Paul
Walnut for cleaning and corn cob treated with nu finish and a little mineral spirits makes my brass look better than new, also use a little flitz. Sometimes I put some strips of dryer sheets in to clean up the dust that accumulates in the media. Been reloading for 40 years and have not found a better way. Bought a RCBS tumbler years ago and has turned out to be a great investment.
