Rotary tumbler

[Dosh]

For a stainless steel pin brass tumbler, I've been using a pricey additive to the water. I've heard Lemi-Shine and a dab of Dawn soap is the reasonable substitute, so I Googled it and there are quite a few types. Which one, liquid or powder Lemi-Shine? Which label?
I will appreciate any replies.

 

[SidecarFlip]

I started wet tumbling last year. I was going to go the Thumlers / STI route and then came along the Frankfort Arsenal complete package... Tumbler and pins for 160 bucks, so I went that route and the FA tumbler holds 1.5 times as many cases as the Thumlers.... No brainer far as I was concerned.

I got the FA retrieval magnet and a cheap Cabelas rotary seperator and all is good.

However, I use the liquid Lemi-Shine (about 1/2 teaspoon to a load) and Dawn don't have to be used, any liquid dish soap works, I even tried Simple Green with good results. About a teaspoon per load, not too much to make too much suds, the pins do the work.

Hot water works best, gets them clean faster and add a plain asprin tablet to the mix. The asprin helps the Lemi-shine keep the tarnish off....

'Borrow. your wife's dehydrator to dry them or on a cookie sheet in the oven on warm only.

Just my 2 cents.

I gave my cob tumbler to a guide friend who is just starting out reloading.

 

[Dosh]

Flip, thanks, guess the powder is out. I also have the Frankfort tumbler and thought it was a better purchase since 5# of pins came with it and reviews indicate Battenfield stands behind it well. Will hit Wally World tomorrow for the Lemi-Shine and give it a tumble. Thanks for the aspirin trick I'll try it also.

 

[Barrelnut]

I started wet tumbling last year. I was going to go the Thumlers / STI route and then came along the Frankfort Arsenal complete package... Tumbler and pins for 160 bucks, so I went that route and the FA tumbler holds 1.5 times as many cases as the Thumlers.... No brainer far as I was concerned.

I got the FA retrieval magnet and a cheap Cabelas rotary seperator and all is good.

However, I use the liquid Lemi-Shine (about 1/2 teaspoon to a load) and Dawn don't have to be used, any liquid dish soap works, I even tried Simple Green with good results. About a teaspoon per load, not too much to make too much suds, the pins do the work.

Hot water works best, gets them clean faster and add a plain asprin tablet to the mix. The asprin helps the Lemi-shine keep the tarnish off....

'Borrow. your wife's dehydrator to dry them or on a cookie sheet in the oven on warm only.

Just my 2 cents

I gave my cob tumbler to a guide friend who is just starting out reloading.

Flip, how many cases do you tumble at a time and for how long? I keep my cases in groups of 50 and will size, sonic clean, trim, and load them as a group.

 

[MachV]

I use a sprinkle of powder Lemshine and a couple drops of dish soap. No nickel cases and don't overdue the Lemshine or it coppers the brass.

 

[SidecarFlip]

Flip, thanks, guess the powder is out. I also have the Frankfort tumbler and thought it was a better purchase since 5# of pins came with it and reviews indicate Battenfield stands behind it well. Will hit Wally World tomorrow for the Lemi-Shine and give it a tumble. Thanks for the aspirin trick I'll try it also.

Dosh..... The powder works too. Just a pop bottle capfull....

 

[SidecarFlip]

Flip, how many cases do you tumble at a time and for how long? I keep my cases in groups of 50 and will size, sonic clean, trim, and load them as a group.

Case quantity don't really matter (I segregated and tumbled 40 300 WM Nosler cases), I just reduced the water / dishwash soap and Lemi-shine a bit. I've done well over 200 223 cases in one session too, filling the tumbler (with pins already in, I keep the pins in the tumbler all the time) almost to the top. There are a couple You-Tube vids on the FA tumbler that are pretty informative.....

Wet tumbling has eliminated (for me at least) the primer pocket drudgery...cleaning sooty pockets and flash holes and the necks and inside the case are as clean as the outside.... a big plus when seating pills. No more neck lube brushes because no more powder residue to cause the pills to bind in the necks. It's like loading new brass..... I can 'feel' the difference between loading fired cases cleaned the 'cob' way and wet tumbled. Big difference.

I use a sprinkle of powder Lemshine and a couple drops of dish soap. No nickel cases and don't overdue the Lemshine or it coppers the brass.

The problem with using a container like you have there is, you need the angled inside space to help agitate the pins to keep the cleaning cycle reasonable.....

For some reason (don't know about chemistry) but the asprin offsets using too much Lemishine, I'm sure it has something to do with PH or somesuch.

We have well water here with quite a bit of calcium in it so my final rinse before drying is with bottled water. Only takes about 1/2 gallon once the cases rinse clean with our well water.....

Don't want no white spots on the cases.....lol

 

[drumi]

What I use for a final rinse and to help with drying is methanol. I rinse the cases well with tap water, drain out, then drop them in a bucket with the methanol. I save the methanol and use it a few times. Put the cases on a towel and they will be dry in no time.

 

[J E Custom]

Another trick that I use for better results, rinsing is very important after using the lemi shine to prevent spotting so I first use tap water to rinse and then for the final rinse I use distilled water
(Like your wife uses in her iron). this gives you time to dry with hot air and will not spot.

Like Barrelnut, I like to load in 50 or 100 case lots so after wiping the clean cases off with a clean rag, or blowing them with air, I place them in a loading block and finish drying them with a hot air gun. (Looks like a hair dryer bur puts out more heat).

Works for me.

J E CUSTOM

 

[Lefty Lucas]

I know the pins are SS 304 but do the pins turn rusty in time? They have more carbon in them or they would not be magnetic.

Thanks
Lefty Lucas

 

[SidecarFlip]

I know the pins are SS 304 but do the pins turn rusty in time? They have more carbon in them or they would not be magnetic.

Thanks
Lefty Lucas

If you soaked them in a hot saline solution for a time, maybe. I machine 304L everyday in my shop for custom motorcycle parts that are exposed to weather and corrosion is never an issue.... and won't be with the pins either.

All stainless has carbon it it. 304 has more sulfur that the other grades and 304 is 'marginally magnetic' not like ferrous steel.

 

[Varmint Hunter]

I use an estimated 1/4 teaspoon of powder LemShine and haven't noticed any spotting. I rinse the pins & brass out together while still in the barrel. I normally use 2 cold rinses followed by one hot rinse which leaves the brass hot after removing.

I normally just lay the brass out on a towel and have a fan blow across them. Brass is dry the next day. Obviously, I'm not in a hurry.

I leave the pins in the drum wet and leave the cover on loosely between uses which can be weeks apart. Pins look new every time I open the top.

 

[Daveinjax]

I use the dash of Dawn and a dash of Lemishine mix. I rinse in cold water and then drop them in a bowl of water treated with a little Lemishine and I don't get spots or tarnish. I heat them in the oven on a baking sheet to dry.
Someone mentioned not needing to lube the necks but I have found the opposite. The clean necks are sticky and cause uneven seating. I'm using the Redding dry graphite lube with the tiny ceramic balls to apply. That and the hBN coated bullets have cut my ES in half. SD is now in single digits.

 

[SidecarFlip]

I use the dash of Dawn and a dash of Lemishine mix. I rinse in cold water and then drop them in a bowl of water treated with a little Lemishine and I don't get spots or tarnish. I heat them in the oven on a baking sheet to dry.
Someone mentioned not needing to lube the necks but I have found the opposite. The clean necks are sticky and cause uneven seating. I'm using the Redding dry graphite lube with the tiny ceramic balls to apply. That and the hBN coated bullets have cut my ES in half. SD is now in single digits.

I did. No insertion issues with Berger VLD hunters for me. I torque wrench seat and I get very consistent prevailing torque readings all the time....

When you dry them (in the oven) (with the wife's permission of course...), set your oven at low (175 degrees (f). You don't want them to get hot. The crystaline grain structure of brass begins the change slightly above 350 (f).

My loads shoot sub moa at 200 consistently, thats good enough for my uses.

I'm thinking that your 'sticky' necks might be a result of left behind soap residue..... or it could be that out well water has a different makeup than your water....