Tumbling Brass - A Basic Overview for Beginners New to Reloading
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- Опубликовано: 26 авг 2024
- This video will give you a basic overview of how to turn "found in the dirt" brass casings into loadable brass (or at least clean brass). I go over sizing, trimming, and other reloading "things" in other videos. I am very far from an expert reloader. My hope is that the videos give you a basic idea of the process, and then you can research more with other videos and reloading books.
I like 2x2 inch squares of dryer sheets. They pick up fouling and dust particles. I throw them away after 2-3 uses.
Plus, they reduce static...
I started reloading in the 90s . I got away from it for a while , but I and a friend are building a reloading shop in a disused print shop . I broke out my old Lee tumbler . It was seized up and we had no media . My friend used some penetrating fluid to get it running . With no media at hand we used some dry grits as we live in a Southern state . The grits worked well at cleaning and polishing some 5.56 brass . There was some discoloration on the case necks where they had been annealed . Grits seem to be somewhere between corncob media and walnut hull media in terms of aggressiveness . Edit . When I was in the navy I used ' bug juice ' , military grade Cool Aid packets without sugar to clean brass and bronze . If left too long in bug juice the brightwork would take on a pinkish tinge which was Unsat by Navy standards , and required some extra buffing . Claer silicon grease was used to protect brass and bronze from salt water .
Credit to you and your resourcefulness!!! I would have thought the grits would be too soft - good to hear they worked. Check the primer pocket and hole to make sure no grits get stuck in there. Now you just need to find powder and primers (bullets are fairly available). Try powder valley if you don't already have.
@@forseeit I live in South Carolina . Grits are a common food here and similar to Italian polenta . I often shop at C&C Ammo in Boiling Springs and sometimes shop at Palmetto State Armory in Greenville . By the way , you should try grits with salt , black pepper , butter , and bacon bits . Maybe add some cheese and eggs .
@@victorwaddell6530 spent my first few years out of school working down south. I've had grits at least 10 ways and like them all (except shrimp and grits - thought that was a waste of food grits and food shrimp 😁). Grits with butter and eggs over easy - THAT'S a breakfast.
Lots of good tips here. Thanks! I use the small Harbor Freight tumbler, too. I've had the lid fly off because I didn't tighten it enough. Now I place a lock washer between the flat metal washer and the wing nut, and then tighten it all the way. Since then I've had no problems.
I’m so thankful for this. Thank you for guiding me through a tried and tested process :)
Glad it is helpful. Many have moved on to wet tumbling; but dry still has the appeal of being relatively inexpensive.
Very interesting indeed 👏👏👏
Looks good, I use the Frankford rotary tumbler and stainless pins with a pod of their cleaner and no matter how dirty they are they come out looking great. Then I de-prime them and throw them in my vibrating tumbler with the fine grit walnut shells no additives for about 3 hours and they look new inside and out with a clean primer hole and are ready to trim, and re-prime or I put them into my vacuum sealer and pack 102 cases per bag because I always find one or two when reloading that I don't like how tight the primer seats or are out of spec.
Thanks for the video! Very helpful.
You're welcome!
Prewashing the cases in a "MILD" solution of Phosphoric Acid (ICE MACHINE CLEANER) will remove the heavy oxidation and turns the cases pink in color, but the pink comes off when you tumble them in corn cob media and polish. If you add about on ounce to a bucket of about 2 to 3 gallons of warm water and wear neoprene gloves (to keep the acid from drying your skin) while stirring the brass, then wash them again with any cheep laundry soap and then water. They will look like new cases. I've been using this method for over 20 years and have always had good results. "By the way, Phosphoric Acid is added to most colas to give then their kick."
Great video and wonderful information
Glad you enjoyed it
Great video. Exactly what I needed to learn.
Glad it was helpful!
Thanks for the video.
Throw a dryer sheet in with media when tumbling, cleans up media.
bucsfan116 , I tried dryer sheets. Ripped them into strips and put about 10 strips (about two sheets) in with media and brass. Did not notice any real difference. Scrips cam out dusty and shredded, but I didn't notice a real change in the amount of dust. I'm lazy, so I concluded not worth the effort. That said, I have heard of others using the dryer sheets with success.
I use Brasso in my first tumble . Then just Walnut for the second .Works good for me . Nice video .
I have to give that a try
@@forseeit so what did you think?
Brasso has AMMONIA: Use at your own risk on cartridge brass!
i just got the 18lb HF tumbler......you can clean a car muffler in it! shoulda got the small one. lol.
very interesting product choices
One shot is awesome and it doesn't affect my powder or primers.
Since this video I have switched to One Shot - works very well.
Baking Soda neutralizes the acid in the vinegar. So you can use a wash after the initial cleaning.
so will a wash water. Powdered citric acid is readily available and much cheaper than the Lemu shine
couldn't you use baking soda in stead of barkeepers friend as they are both abrasive? and why do you do a second go around in the vibrator? Just don't use the lanolin and then you don't need to vibrate aftterwards.
the reason they turn pink is brass is made from coper and zinc, if you use acid it disolves some of the sinc layer and the pink you are seeing is the copper colour...
I considered that, but it seemed unlikely much material was being removed. Focused more on some type of oxidation, but I expected green, but thought I had to research oxidation options for brass and copper.
Nice overview, and some good tips sprinkled in along the way. Thanks!
Glad you enjoyed it!
whether you tumble or sonic clean each process has it's + -
if you can't make noise and you can't let dust fly around as with wet or dry tumbling then sonic cleaning is the only other method.
bottom line there is no quick fast clean quiet way to clean brass.
add a touch of baking soda to your rinse water and it will neutralize the vinegar and prevent pink.
Which defeats the purpose of the vinegar?
@@gettingpast4391 during the rinse it neutralizes the vinegar so if you don’t get it all off it won’t affect the brass.
@@AgrippaKCsGunTime Sorry I missed the part about it being in the RINSE water. Yes that's a good idea.
I use rice it works great
Grits work well .
just for fun I made a 3 gallon bucket rolling tumbler. Will fill it with the pet store walnut shells, almost a powder sized grain and compare it to some fine aluminum oxide I use to sand blast firearm parts prior to coating.
Should work quicker than walnut shells alone. Will try a combination of both too.
Any advice out there.
Run a test with just a handful. I have gotten overly ambitious with the media I try and end up with cases that have a very brushed finish (work fine, just look ugly)
@@forseeit OK greatly appreciate time saving info.
Never thought I’d meet someone as cheap as myself
How long do you tumble them?
It depends on how dirty they are. You cna't tumble them too much (though the noise may drive you crazy). Start with two hours and give them a peek. The more cases you put in, the longer it will take. For me 3-4 hrs did the trick most of the time. I would empty them out, remove all teh media with an old fryer strainer, and then pick out any that were still a bit dirty and throw them in with the next batch.
Gotcha just did my 300. Win mag for 4.5 hours they look tip top Magoo.
I bought the dillon quick polish additive and added it to corn cob, after 2 hours of tumbling and separating media, the cases look like they have a layer of fine dust on them. Any insight why they dont come out clean?
Not sure. Maybe try something simple like adding a few cutup dryer sheets to the tumbling media to suck up the dust?
Being a cheap S.O.B myself, I'm looking into getting the Frankford Arsenal vibratory cleaner & ground walnut (i use a lot of range brass) but I was wondering if you or anyone else has thought of bridging the gap between wet & dry. I'm a mechanic by trade & have access to a LOT of lathe shaving from cutting brake rotors, they're way smaller than stainless pins & I was wondering if I could supplement the ground walnut with maybe 1/2 lb of the shavings to get into the nooks & crannies. Any idea if it would be TOO aggressive on the brass? I.E lots of scratching. I don't mind being the guinea pig but I don't have the tumbler yet & I can't be the test subject, at the moment at least
Steel (even stainless steel) is way harder than brass, so it's going to tear them up a bit. I would be very hesitant to use metal shavings, since you end up having to root about a bit in the bix to get out the cases and clean them up (media gets inside and in primer pocket). I can't get within 6 feet of a metal chip without getting something in my hand or finger. The stainless pins they use in wet tumbling are way to large to get into skin, so they are fine. Shavings and chips, not so much... That said, if you ever get around to trying it, make a video (or at least let me know how it went). Good luck!
Old eye glass cleaning wipes turn that brass into mirrors. Just try it.
Will try next time I tumble.
🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
how many times can you use the medium before needing to replace? also...... when/ if reusing corn cob mixture do you add more Nufinsh each use or just when the mixture us fresh and unused?
I keep using it till it turns dark/dirty. I put the NuFinish in each time (I tried skimping, but no good)
Use it until it gets grimy and takes longer to polish your brass.
Buy lizard litter at PetSmart. Cheaper than commercial crushed walnut.
Mix a 50/50 solution of Nu Finish car polish/mineral spirits into a squeeze bottle with a marble in it. Squirt a little in the tumbler while it's running for about a minute(to disperse) before tossing your brass in.
Rip up a used dryer sheet into approx 2 inch squares. Throw 4 or 5 pieces into your tumbler when running it. They will act like a grime magnet. Discard after each use.
Happy reloading.
DO you recommend this tumbler??? I Am looking at buying one this week thanks...
It still runs fine, but to do it again, I would go with stainless steel wet tumbling - seems to be what everyone is moving to. I have not tumbled in a while (low ammo costs mean I just hoard brass).
Also, if you are going to dry tumble, harbor freight has a new larger tumbler. The one I have still runs fine, but bigger is always better...
thanksfor the reply .. I was just at harbor freight and with a coupon i got it for 42 bucks so I bought it... they also have 25 pounds of walnut media fine fir 20 or 25??? is that a good price on walnut media?? I am new to reloading but not with firearms.. I just want to mess around with fine tuning some 223 loads for my different barrel twist rates I have.. thanks man
I paid $15 for 10 pounds so $20 for 25# is a decent price. But, you don't go through it that quickly, so 25 pounds is a bit (you can reuse tumbling media for a while before it get's "used up"). A REALLY good idem to get is a timer for the outlet - On Amazon they call it the "Woods 8-Hour Countdown Plug-In Timer For Indoors, 1 Grounded Outlet" - it's like $11. It lets you choose 1-8 hours of "on time" so you can turn on your tumbler and walk away. ***make sure the nut is on tight, or you will come back to an open top dust mess***
avoid Harbor freight tumblers unless you buy the warranty. they have a weight that hangs off the motor shaft that will destroy the motor in a month or so. a Lyman tumbler has a complete different motor design.
How much of the nu finish wud u put in on that batch of let's say 100 cartridges. To make them nice and shiny. Approximately. ????
Not much at all - like a teaspoon, maybe less. If you put too much, it tends to make the media clump up, and some of it opts to clump up inside the cases - annoying to remove (with a paperclip or long probe)
Ok thanx bud
Please the new finish in first run the tumbler for a half HR. It will already be mixed in the media then just throw in your cases
how loud is that tumbler?
Ehhhh...It's not quite. If I run it outside, no one complains. If I run it inside, you can hear it on that floor, but if you go up one floor, it's just a slight noise you have to listen to hear for. That said, I can't run it at night - no one in the house would be able to sleep.
So after you use the walnut shell media can you load bullets right after that? or does the brass need to be smooth because it will effect the action
You are mainly tumbling them to clean them up and get rid of debris inside the cases (assuming you have dug up some of these cases from the ground).
Once you tumble them and then shake media off them, you can reload them. I deprime them before tumbling and then size them, and then tumble again to get lube off them) and then you are all set to prime, put powder into the case and then put bullet and then crimp)
forseeit no these are farely clean brass just factory loads that i have shot. But the walnut media seems to clean the cartridge but dulls the shine of clean brass. i was just wondering if that had any affect on the action since it looks like mirco abrasions
El Pescador Fishing Channel
No, the micro abrasions will have no effect. If they are clean, then just deprime, make sure the primer pocket and flash hole are clean, and then just reload.
awesome! thanks man
Brass is 80 percent copper and 20 percent zinc that's why they turn pinkish
won't compressed air get rid of the dust and or traces of other debris?
If you have to use q tips you may as well by prepped brass esp. in 223. Hard to justify. Of course considering the demonrats are out to make owning anything related to a firearm impossibly expensive, like ammo. prepping for the future like saving your brass is a good idea.
Soon I can see reloading equipment, no matter how small, will require a background check.
I have not tried compressed air - might work.
I think you mean to say crushed walnut shells
I tell people "Crushed walnuts" as a test. If they do no research on realoading at all, and go out and buy walnuts and then crush them up and tumble them with brass, it fills the brass and prevents them from reloading it. Keeps everyone safer. ;)
-forseeit: Appreciate your effort, *_BUT_* ...
Video quality, specifically FOCUS, is simply terrible! Might want to get anew camera, or get the current one repaired or upgraded?
LOL. That video was made in 2013 with a cell phone that was at least three years old at the time. The goal was to convey information. At the time there was a decent shortage of guns and ammo. Was just giving people some ideas on some of the basic steps of reloading. Focus, framing, lighting, etc. were not a huge focus (yep, I did that) when I made the video.
I've had more than a few people comment on how I clean brass - that they do it differntly (and they seem to get angry that I am not doing it like them). You ae the first person to comment on the focus. I have since changed cell phones - so hopefully any vid I make in the future wil be in focus.
I hope you just broke down and bought a wet tumbler lol. Dude... you could cut out alllllllll this and de prime them and then tumble them for a few hours. If you want them to be perfect. Decap only first, then wet tumble for. I like to do two cycles with dawn/lemi shine, then a rinse cycle with 1/4 tsp of lemi shine. Dry it then resize, trim, whatever your brass prep looks like then tumble again to get a completely spotless, super shiny case. One thing I plan on doing that I haven’t tried yet, is after it’s prepped, running it in a dry tumbler with some type of polish like NuFinish. The reason I want to dry tumble with a polish after everything is because when the brass is completely clean, simply touching it will leave the natural oils and whatever else is on your hands tarnish, you’ll see your fingerprints stained into the brass. I always wondered why factory loaded ammo or remanufactured ammo didn’t do this. Of course they probably use some type of polish or coating to protect it
When I made this video, wet tumbling was not yet popular. I'm sure SOMEONE was doing it; bu it was FAR from common. Materials - specifically the stainless steel pins - were VERY pricey. I know it can be hard to imageine a time when something WASN't there. I tell people stories of breaking down in the middle of the night on a snowy road, and they ask, "Why didn't you call someone?" and I explain the nearest payphone was two exists back. They can't imagine a time of no cell phones.
Imagine a time when the only wet tumbling was of rocks.
@@forseeit lol that’s funny bc I actually work at a gun shop, that was founded in 1967 because the man who started it, noticed there was a need for quality hunting ammunition and he started reloading out of his Garage. It’s now one of the biggest independent firearms & outdoors stores in South Louisiana. Well that man has since passed away and his son is the owner of the company, and I purchased one of those Frankfort Arsenal Platinum wet tumblers. The real big one. Well I didn’t realize how loud it was in my old apartment so I really couldn’t use it at home so I brought it to work and tumble big batches of brass there. The owner of the store and I are the only two people who work there that reload. Well he asked me about the tumbler, he didn’t understand, he said “you tumble it with those stainless steel pins in there?” Yes sir I’ve got a bunch of them “do you put water in it?” This mans father started an extremely successful business by reloading out of his garage and he didn’t even know much about wet tumbling. So no I cannot imagine not having wet tumbling, but I do understand that it’s only within the last decade that it has really gained popularity. I wasn’t being hateful. I was just saying I hope you’ve gotten a wet tumbler since this video was made several years ago and I know that wet tumbling has only really become prominent in the last few years.
@@Traderjoe337 Ah, interesting. Wet tumbling definitly works (ironically, I assumed it was fairly quite).
It's all good - I didn't assume anyting hateful - I'm old enough that I only assume you're being hateful if your spitting at me or shooting at me.
Now, as for you being in South Louisiana, there is some envy in my soul. I like to eat and I dislike snow. Not sure why I didn't move down there years ago.
@@forseeit well don’t be too envious, we’ve had freezing rain for the past few days and everything is iced over lol. It’ll be back in the 70s in a few days though :) and I’ll be back at the range.
throw the steel cases away and you want lanolin oil not cream the degradation of you powder and primers is harsh with cream as it might say 100% lanolin but only 7% of the product is lanolin the rest is petroleum and water†
Did you really call these casings? They are cases, despite what you hear in movies and on TV.
Words evolve. Used to call them cases, now 50/50 call them casings. Just like many people call empty shotgun cases "shells", when they were originally called "hulls".
Now, if you want to point out the error of "clip" being used in place of "magazine" I would agree.
You are correct, words (and word pronunciations) evolve and it is usually people who don't have a good grasp of the correct words and pronunciations who cause this. IOW, the ignorant cause the language to change unnecessarily (not talking about you here). That's a shame.
I hang out on gun, hunting, shooting, and reloading forums, read hunting books, have reloading manuals, etc. and all these are holding firm with "case" instead of "casing" so I ain't changing.
So you use the word casings instead of cases?
@@robertbrandywine I call mine tree stumps and they shoot fine