Cleaning Tumbler and Pins

[morgaj1]

Every so often, I try to clean my tumbler and stainless pins. I just run it for about 90 minutes with water and dish soap, followed by another 90 minutes with plain water. I am always surprised at the dark water afterwards. Do you guys clean your pins and tumbler?

 

[Coyote Shadow Tracker]

Every so often, I try to clean my tumbler and stainless pins. I just run it for about 90 minutes with water and dish soap, followed by another 90 minutes with plain water. I am always surprised at the dark water afterwards. Do you guys clean your pins and tumbler?

When we finish a batch of brass we just change out the ends of our Tumbler to the "Screen" and put in a 5 gallon bucket of water then shake the hell out of it & run a hose with fresh water into one end of the tumbler. All the SS pins fall out and the brass cases stay in the tumbler. I then put the tumbler in a fresh bucket of water to rinse.
Do the same with the SS pins-fresh water in the bucket and pull out with a magnet.
The process is all done at the same time - clean brass-clean SS pins several times. Put brass to dry and SS pins back in the tumbler.

 

[morgaj1]

I do something similar Len. However, on a whim, I ran a batch with soap and then another with clean water. Was very surprised at the dark water that came out.

 

[Coyote Shadow Tracker]

I do something similar Len. However, on a whim, I ran a batch with soap and then another with clean water. Was very surprised at the dark water that came out.

O Yea cleans the inside of the cases for sure. We always get black water (carbon) from the burnt powder.

 

[LVJ76]

I rinse it twice with a bit if dish soap, tumble it for about 20 minutes or so, and one with just water. I only use distilled water.

 

[.30-06]

maybe for grungy range brass, but not for anything else.

 

[QuietTexan]

Do you guys clean your pins and tumbler?

No, I just run a lot of brass through it and as long as the brass comes out clean I leave it alone. I always leave my pins under water, usually just straight sink water after flushing out all the suds post-cleaning. They aren't rusting, seem perfectly fine. I run a 4-shape jeweler's mix/ pin mix and it packs pretty dense so I figure some carbon is settling under the pins and never really drains out. Water is always a little dark and a little soapy no matter how much I spray them off in the sifter.

 

[Varmint Hunter]

I rinse my brass and pins with very hot water at least 3X after dumping the dirty water out. I have never specifically cleaned my pins. Maybe I should. ??????

 

[Justice1327]

Yes, wash and rinse your pins after every brass cleaning. This will increase your FPS, reduce pressure, decrease your SD/ES and increase your accuracy GUARANTEED!

Never actually done this, but I do rinse them off before putting them back in the tumbler.

 

[.30-06]

I just walk up to my target a poke it with a pen to get the groups I want, take a picture and show all my friends.

 

[Korhil78]

I used to clean my brass with a tumbler and SS pins but now I don’t even bother. I use 0000 steel wool and rub down the case body, neck and shoulder. Use a nylon brush to get excess carbon out of the neck and call it good.

When I was using the tumbler and pins, I would clean it everytime.

 

[Termite I]

I've been tumbling brass for at least 10 years and only remember rinsing the media once. I've changed from pins to chips, they seem to do a better and faster job . I pour off most of the filthy water then separate the chips from the brass with a RCBS media separator. Triple rinse with water then soak brass in a bucket of Wash & Wax for about 5 minutes then triple rinse with water again. Without the Wash & Wax the brass would start to tarnish soon after tumbling. Mostly do range pickup or bulk purchased once fired brass after the primers are removed.

 

[Willys]

I would’t tumble for anything but range brass. Raises the SD. If you do timble dip neck in graphite spray. - I spray into a small jar / paint cap, tilt on angle so have 3/8” fluid a, dip and wipe outside sei in tray upside down

 

[zzchipster]

Been using pins for long time. Wouldn't go back. Use dillion case media seperator, fill up with water and let hose or sink run into it, turn handle and pins fall into tub and are then are thoroughly washed in crystal clean water as are brass.