Wet Tumbling with SS Pins and Black Powder

[Cemetery]

There's a few archived threads about wet tumbling with stainless steel pins and black powder from a few years ago where people started using this method.

 

Anybody have updated experiences to share?

 

Was thinking of giving the s.s. pins a try, and I'm tired of dealing with jammed up 25.20 brass filled with ceramic, and smaller ceramic gets stuck in the primer pockets.

 

Brass come out nice and clean after 2 or 3 hrs with the stainless steel pins?

[Kid Rich]

Yep. Just use 1/8 tsp of lemi shine 1 tsp of dawn and tumble 2-3 hours. Two hours if the fouling is fresh and three hours if they are stained  They will look like new. They should be rinsed with hot water and dawn before tumbling or they will come out stained. There are lot of different methods, some complicated, that work. KISS 

kR

[Too Tall Bob]

51 minutes ago, Kid Rich said:

Yep. Just use 1/8 tsp of lemi shine 1 tsp of dawn and tumble 2-3 hours. Two hours if the fouling is fresh and three hours if they are stained  They will look like new. They should be rinsed with hot water and dawn before tumbling or they will come out stained. There are lot of different methods, some complicated, that work. KISS 

kR

Are you still making Shirttail buff each case?

[Sedalia Dave]

Just don't let them set around wet after you take them out of the tumbler. Spread them out on a screen or towel and let them air dry in the sun.  Occasionally the primer pockets corrode and the primer sticks.

[Yusta B.]

Didn't know .25-20 was legal for SASS. I see now that it is an exception along with 56-50.

[Major BS Walker Regulator]

I have a cheap dehydrator from Walmart I used to make jerky with. Now I throw my wet tumbled brass on it with one of those lamp timer dials set for one hour and walk away.Come back at my own leisure and remove

[Sixgun Seamus]

There are two sizes of pins IIRC. Can't remember the exact dimensions right now, but if you get the bigger size pins, they won't stick in the primer hole. I use eighth tsp of Lemishine and just couple drops of Dawn. Even blackened brass comes out shiney. I deprime all my brass before tumbling. It really isn't necessary but if you don't, make sure the inside of the pockets are completely dry before reload. I heard of a situation where a wife was at an annual and had a bunch of BP shells not go boom. Seems the husband loaded some at the last minute and pockets weren't dry. Wife not happy. Don't ask me how I know this.

[Nevada Jim]

I have now idea how Kid Rich gets Shirttail to clean and load her own brass.

He must be some kinda genius...

~ nj

[Shorty Jack Hammer]

How much black powder do you guys use with the SS pins?  I just tried this method and it just made a huge mess? I used about 1/4 cup of black powder. Should I use more or less? I may have ruined my tumbler.

[Shorty Jack Hammer]

Kidding kidding....

[TN Mongo, SASS #61450]

I also use Dawn and Lemi-Shine, but a number of us in this area have added 1/4 TSP of Strat-O-Sheen jeweler's polish powder and a squirt of Scrubbing Bubbles.

[Kid Rich]

I think those 2 cups of coffee she gets before she gets out of bed in the morning is what gets her buffing my case(s) later on TTB.

Drying them off before leaving them out in the sun to dry is how I usually dry them.

kR

[Cheatin' Chamberlin]

The SS pins work very well. You will occasionally get a couple of of pins stuck together in the flash hole. But other than that no troubles.

 

I received some ceramic to try in my wet tumbler. But just haven't got the chance to try it yet.

 

Cheatin'

[Jabez Cowboy,SASS # 50129]

No need to ADD Black Powder

Sorry couldn't help it ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, When I read your heading  it made me laugh...

 

 

Jabez Cowboy

[Sedalia Dave]

9 hours ago, Shorty Jack Hammer said:

How much black powder do you guys use with the SS pins?  I just tried this method and it just made a huge mess? I used about 1/4 cup of black powder. Should I use more or less? I may have ruined my tumbler.

 

Depends on if you hold your mouth just right or not.  Most people lack the strength needed in their facial muscles to add more than a pinch of black powder.   

[Texas Lizard]

1 hour ago, Kid Rich said:

I think those 2 cups of coffee she gets before she gets out of bed in the morning is what gets her buffing my case(s) later on TTB.

Drying them off before leaving them out in the sun to dry is how I usually dry them.

kR

I'm sure glad I read this twice...Because my mind went way south for a second...

[Buck D. Law, SASS #62183]

13 hours ago, Shorty Jack Hammer said:

How much black powder do you guys use with the SS pins?  I just tried this method and it just made a huge mess? I used about 1/4 cup of black powder. Should I use more or less? I may have ruined my tumbler.

You wouldn't try to strip a piece of furniture with a teaspoon of solvent. You need to add more powder, a LOT more. And make sure you've got the lid on tight. I almost forgot. . .some flint and a piece of steel. Adding a few matches will speed up the whole process.  

[Lost Trail]

Here's my method when shooting my .40-65 BP:

 

1) Take to the range with me: 1 gallon jug of soapy water, few drop of Dawn does it; 1 gallon jug of fresh water.

2) After I'm done shooting I put the spent cases in the jug of soapy water, shake a bit then let it sit while I clean the rifle.

3) When rifle is cleaned and put away, pour out the now black, gunky, soap water.

4) Pour 1/2 gal of fresh water into the jug with cases, shake, pour out. Pour remaining clean water in jug with cases, cap, shake, leave until I get home.

5) When I get home pour out water, roll cases on dry towel, decap cases.

6) Put cases in tumbler with SS pins, 1/8tsp Lemishine, 1-2 drops of Dawn and hot water.

7) Run tumbler for 1-2 hours.

8) Drain as much gunky, funky as possible from tumbler barrel, rinse with clean water.

9) Dump cases and media into RCBS media separator, fill basin with water until 3/4"-1" above case cage.

10) Close the lid and rotate cage 8-10 times each direction, 2-3 times.

 

Cases come out looking new.