Switched to wet tumbling

[Charles L. Cotton]

Rather than revive a four year old thread, I decided to post my conversion here. I copied one of my posts from the old threat to put this in context.

I'm starting to agree with Crossfire. We aren't making jewelry!!

I seriously looked into wet tumbling, but that's way too much work. Separating the stainless pins from the brass, then drying the brass are two operations I don't have to deal with with my current system.

I can run my Dillon vibratory cleaner for about 2 to 2 1/2 hrs using walnut hulls and car polish and the outside of the brass looks great. It doesn't clean the inside, but in 40+ years of reloading, that's never been a problem.

Thanks for the information folks, but added work is something I don't need.
Chas.

Well, I have made the switch to wet tumbling and I have to admit it is better in all respects. I don't use stainless pins and have no intention of doing so. I use hot water, Dawn and Lemi Shine in a Frankford Arsenal Platinum Rotary Tumbler and the results are excellent. In fact, I've tested tumble times ranging from 30 minutes to three hours and found that anything over an hour is a waste of time. It might be different if I used the SS pins, but the outside of the case is as clean as it's going to get in 30 minutes to an hour.

I bought a Presto food dehydrator for drying the brass and it works great. I can tumble 1,100 rds of 9mm brass at one time and it all fits in the dehydrator. Ninety minutes at 140 degrees drys them thoroughly. I've dryed .45ACP in one hour.

Chas.

[flechero]

I'm curious how your primer pockets look w/o pins? I've used SS pins from the start but I've thought about running it w.o them just to see. Or do you leave primers in for tumbling? I know some do.

[thatguy]

Do you de-cap the primers first?

[Charles L. Cotton]

I'm curious how your primer pockets look w/o pins? I've used SS pins from the start but I've thought about running it w.o them just to see. Or do you leave primers in for tumbling? I know some do.

I don't decap prior to tumbling. I use a Dillon XL650 and haven't felt the need to clean primer pockets.

Chas.

[thatguy]

I have tried a dryer, a Franklin Arsenal I think, but it would leave my cases somewhat tarnished vs just air drying, do you notice that or do you use something in the rinse process?

I have considered de-capping prior to reloading but it would seem to add quite a bit of time since I'd have to clean the brass before running it through the press and re-cleaning them after the primers where removed.

[Charles L. Cotton]

I have tried a dryer, a Franklin Arsenal I think, but it would leave my cases somewhat tarnished vs just air drying, do you notice that or do you use something in the rinse process?

I have considered de-capping prior to reloading but it would seem to add quite a bit of time since I'd have to clean the brass before running it through the press and re-cleaning them after the primers where removed.

I've read the same problem with the Franlford dryer. The Presto dehydrator doesn't leave spots. I've never had a misfire caused by a dirty primer pocket.

Chas.

[thatguy]

I was going to say that in almost 10 years with my 650 I have had virtually no issues with primer seating and I've never de-capped my cases. The seating process on the Dillon is so "tactile" that I usually know if there is a problem such as a crushed primer, not fully seated or even no primer etc..

Thanks for the info Mr. Charles.

[Grayling813]

I started doing wet tumbling with pins in a Lyman Cyclone. I decap first with a universal decapping die. Also got a Lyman brass dryer.
Makes for nice shiny brass!

[flechero]

I'm curious how your primer pockets look w/o pins? I've used SS pins from the start but I've thought about running it w.o them just to see. Or do you leave primers in for tumbling? I know some do.

I don't decap prior to tumbling. I use a Dillon XL650 and haven't felt the need to clean primer pockets.

Chas.

Gotcha. I decap prior just so I don't bring any spent primer debris into the house since I load in my home office.

[LTUME1978]

Charles,

You might want to deprime some of the brass after you have washed/dried it. When I started reloading again after Obama got elected, I would pick up brass off the ground at PSC. Some of that brass had been there a day or two or was in rain water on the ground. I would deprime the brass to clean the primer pocket and any brass that had gotten wet had some nasty looking primer pockets. I may be wasting my time depriming the brass before running them through the wet tumbler but I like clean primer pockets. I have wondered about how long I should run the wet tumbler and how many brass I can put in that thing and still have it work right/not overload the motor and shorten the life of the motor. I typically put the pins in and about 450 - 500 pieces of 45 ACP brass at one time. Seems to work well on cleaning except brass that had Winchester primers. Those primers are extremely dirty and the often don't come clean after wet tumbling. May try going up on the number of brass to see what happens. I run it for 3 hours as 1 hour or 3 hours does not add anything to my labor. May try going to a shorter run to see what happens there as well.

John