Brass cleaning.

[Lowdown Larry]

I'm not sure if this has been asked before. I've been dry tumbling brass with corn cob for 30 years, thinking about changing to wet tumbling or ultrasonic cleaning, would like to know what you guys are using and pros or cons of each. And how good are the results. Thanks, Lowdown Larry #108564

[Old Man Graybeard]

I went from corncob to ultra sonic to wet tumbling. I like the wet tumbling best. But after I wet tumble and dry...I do run them through corn cob with some polish...just because they go through the dies easier

 

[Jack Spade]

If you will use armorall car wash and wax for your soap when wet tumbling you can eliminate that dry tumble with car wax step.  I use 1 tablespoon of wash and wax and 1/8 tsp of lemishine in my Frankford arsenal wet tumbler then dry in a Jerky dehydrator.  Pistol brass goes through the loader like it is lubed.  

[Badlands Bob #61228]

I changed over to wet tumbling several years ago to try and reduce my lead levels.  It seems to be working.  I use the Frankford Arsenal wet tumbler with Dawn and lemonshine.  Brass comes out clean and shiny and my lead levels are still coming down.  

[Frontier Lone Rider]

I also have used the dry tumbler for years with corn cob and lizard bedding media and that worked.  I have started shooting black and noticed the dry tumbling was not getting the inside of the brass as clean as I wanted, so I bought the Frankford Arsenal Wet Tumbler and pins.  I don't have any brass to clean yet until I start shooting again this Summer.  But, I am hoping for the same reported results that others have said they experienced.

[Garrison Joe, SASS #60708]

Yawn, still dry vibrating.   Takes me very little labor, and I don't need to compete for "brightest bling" for brass.  Just removing the fouling and ground dirt.

 

good luck, GJ

[Eyesa Horg]

I've only used my wet tumbler once. I did use the pins and deprimed. They came out spic & span clean, but with a yellow tint like brass that's been sitting around in the air a while. Not bright shiny like I got with corn cob and polish. However the insides are as clean as the outside. One Pard here indicated the yellow may have been from having a couple nickel cases in there with the Lemi Shine. Even the 45-70 BP brass was nice and clean.

[Colorado Coffinmaker]

 

Well, shucks.  I tote my fired brass home, wash it in Vinegar Water, Dry it, toss in the vibratory tumbler for half hour > Done.  Bright, shiny brass does not tickle my fancy.  KISS

[Griff]

3 hours ago, Lowdown Larry said:

I'm not sure if this has been asked before. I've been dry tumbling brass with corn cob for 30 years, thinking about changing to wet tumbling or ultrasonic cleaning, would like to know what you guys are using and pros or cons of each. And how good are the results. Thanks, Lowdown Larry #108564

Yes, it's been asked before.  See:  Wet Tumbling, Brass Tumbling Question, or Wet Tumbling?  I've been using dry vibratory cleaners for over 40 years, and just started wet tumbling, mainly to get primer pockets on my rifle brass clean of primer residue.  That involves the extra step of depriming my brass before tumbling, but... so be it...  There are a couple of older threads on the subject, but... do your own searching...   There is always the benefit that supposedly, it can lower your lead exposure.  Hint... keep your hands out of the dirty water when done!  I feel it works best when you use a media separator to separate pins/water from the brass.  I use the same one I used when using my dry vibratory cleaners.

[John Kloehr]

8 hours ago, Badlands Bob #61228 said:

I changed over to wet tumbling several years ago to try and reduce my lead levels.

This. Wet tumbling reduces airborne lead dust.

[Gateway Kid SASS# 70038 Life]

I have been dry tumbling since I started reloading in 1982, using walnut media and a little of the red rouge occasionally. Threads like this one come up all the time and proponents of both methods have irrefutable facts to support their positions. So this is the Wire and I figured I would chime in. 
I know many that either switched to wet tumbling or even started with it but I have not seen that it has been worth the extra effort. I see no shooting advantage to having spotless case interiors at the load levels we use. To date I have not cleaned the primer pockets on any of my main match ammo in nearly 15 years and some of my brass is what I started with way back then. Long range stuff is a different story but that is not what we are talking about here. 
It is not a competition to see whose brass is the cleanest it is only necessary to not have any stuff on the outside (or grunge on the inside) to preserve your reloading dies, and facilitate inspection for cracks or splits. As far as finding your rifle brass I expect to lose one piece every string and as I use TiteGroup most of the time the brass is pretty sooty so it doesn’t really matter how clean it was to start with. I don’t know how much wet reduces your lead levels but I just got my latest results and they were nearly identical to what they were five years ago. 
Guess the bottom line is whatever floats your boat go for it. 
Regards

    

Gateway Kid

[watab kid]

im dry vibrate with walnut - in the garage , unoccupied and have no issues with my results , not going to add extra work at this point in life , im all for those that wet tumble and the use of pins for those that want the extra clean brass - to each his own , im happy with how my brass turns out or i run it a little longer , its not all that shiny new but its clean and it works fine for me , 

 

with all the threads ive read over the years ive never found the need for my brass to be cleaner than it turns out for me - it loads fine and lasts long , thats the nice part of our sport it does not over tax our brass , i inspect and sort as i go - i throw [recycle] what is bad , but i have very little waste , i do have thousands of cases that i cycle thru , accumulation of years of this shooting and friends at local range so even the average 19% loss at matches doesnt really affect me but if you are not in that situation i would encourage you to try whatever you think might be beneficial to your circumstances ,

 

i never push what i do - i learned from old reloaders that taught me well in what they knew in a long ago era , most are now dead or dying , my loads work fine for me and my equipment [that is a long way from new] i got from them , still working great and i suspect will till the end of my life , those that inherit it may appreciate or may not , it will work for them if they choose to use it , rgeir choice entirely 

 

i came back to repeat - im not suggesting anyone change their ways or not try new ideas , im a long white haired bearded hippy from the 60s , im simply saying the old ways are not all bad , so do what suites you best  , enjoy what you do , keep an open mind to all new ideas but dont dump what works 

[Irish Dan O'Shootem]

On 2/4/2023 at 8:30 AM, Old Man Graybeard said:

I went from corncob to ultra sonic to wet tumbling. I like the wet tumbling best. But after I wet tumble and dry...I do run them through corn cob with some polish...just because they go through the dies easier

 

I add a little car wash & wax, for the brass to go through the dies easier.

[The Original Lumpy Gritz]

Been wet tumbling for over 12 years now.

Use ceramic media. 

Will never go back to 'dry'.

[Texas Maverick]

On 2/4/2023 at 7:30 AM, Old Man Graybeard said:

I went from corncob to ultra sonic to wet tumbling. I like the wet tumbling best. But after I wet tumble and dry...I do run them through corn cob with some polish...just because they go through the dies easier

 

I did the same as Graybeard, went from dry tumbling to sonic and now wet tumble. I don't do the final step he is doing but do bag around a 100 rounds in a gallon zip lock bag and spray with One Shot Lube a few times and then swish them around. This helps them go through the reloader with ease.

 

I use Frankford Arsenal Wet Tumbler and add an ounce of a wash and wax along with a 9mm case worth of citrus acid to my tumbling mix. I use the sliver type pins, not the round ones. They come out easier from the brass. 

 

TM

[Captain Bill Burt]

On 2/4/2023 at 9:32 AM, Badlands Bob #61228 said:

I changed over to wet tumbling several years ago to try and reduce my lead levels.  It seems to be working.  I use the Frankford Arsenal wet tumbler with Dawn and lemonshine.  Brass comes out clean and shiny and my lead levels are still coming down.  

Same here.  I don't use media, just the brass, water, lemishine and Armorall wash and wax. I tumble for two hours, drain through the media sorter I bought back when I was using crushed walnut shells, then rinse and repeat twice.  Throw it in a cardboard box and sit it in the sun until it's dry.

20 hours ago, John Kloehr said:

This. Wet tumbling reduces airborne lead dust.

My lead peaked at 36 a while back.  I switched to wet tumble and paid more attention to washing my hands.  Last spring I tested at 14, six months of so after making that change.

17 hours ago, Gateway Kid SASS# 70038 Life said:

I have been dry tumbling since I started reloading in 1982, using walnut media and a little of the red rouge occasionally. Threads like this one come up all the time and proponents of both methods have irrefutable facts to support their positions. So this is the Wire and I figured I would chime in. 
I know many that either switched to wet tumbling or even started with it but I have not seen that it has been worth the extra effort. I see no shooting advantage to having spotless case interiors at the load levels we use. To date I have not cleaned the primer pockets on any of my main match ammo in nearly 15 years and some of my brass is what I started with way back then. Long range stuff is a different story but that is not what we are talking about here. 
It is not a competition to see whose brass is the cleanest it is only necessary to not have any stuff on the outside (or grunge on the inside) to preserve your reloading dies, and facilitate inspection for cracks or splits. As far as finding your rifle brass I expect to lose one piece every string and as I use TiteGroup most of the time the brass is pretty sooty so it doesn’t really matter how clean it was to start with. I don’t know how much wet reduces your lead levels but I just got my latest results and they were nearly identical to what they were five years ago. 
Guess the bottom line is whatever floats your boat go for it. 
Regards

    

Gateway Kid

I can't argue with that!  You are probably using better equipment than I was.  Like you I don't much care what it looks like.  I just want ease of reloading, ease of cleaning and low lead.

[Eyesa Horg]

Before my recent change to wet, I used to agitate them first in a 50/50 mix of simple green for about half an hour to remove the Marlin 45 blowby. Then dry in a dehydrated for an hour. Then into the corn cob with polish with a used dryer sheet cut in quarters for an hour. Never noticed any dust when poured into the separator. Not including the insides the brass came out sparkling shiny like it had polished with Flitz. Not even close to as shiny with wet tumbling for 3 hours! But after the expense to go wet, I will stick with it at least for a while. It did do much better with my BP brass, no tarnish, just satin looking instead of glossy.

[Gateway Kid SASS# 70038 Life]

Just to add on, my lead levels in 2018 were 4.5, latest test was 4.2.

A typical load in my tumbler is 400 - 500 cases, either one or two live fire practice sessions or 4 matches whichever comes first. 

1. I use the lid on the tumbler every time. 
2. I throw in a new dryer sheet (cut into quarters) every three months or so. 
3. when it is warm enough I go outside to transfer from tumbler to separator, if it is too cold I do that in the man cave, slowly pouring one to another then very slowly turning the separator until I recover the media.
4. I dispose of the walnut media when it starts taking longer than two hours to reach my acceptable level of clean. (Usually every ten months or so).

Like most things YMMV

Regards

    

Gateway Kid

PS…. NO eating or drinking in the man cave. 
PPS…. Every time I leave my cave I wash hands thoroughly in cold water and lots of soap. 
PPS …. If I am transferring media from one device to another the door is closed. 

[Hells Comin]

23 hours ago, Gateway Kid SASS# 70038 Life said:

I have been dry tumbling since I started reloading in 1982, using walnut media and a little of the red rouge occasionally. Threads like this one come up all the time and proponents of both methods have irrefutable facts to support their positions. So this is the Wire and I figured I would chime in. 
I know many that either switched to wet tumbling or even started with it but I have not seen that it has been worth the extra effort. I see no shooting advantage to having spotless case interiors at the load levels we use. To date I have not cleaned the primer pockets on any of my main match ammo in nearly 15 years and some of my brass is what I started with way back then. Long range stuff is a different story but that is not what we are talking about here. 
It is not a competition to see whose brass is the cleanest it is only necessary to not have any stuff on the outside (or grunge on the inside) to preserve your reloading dies, and facilitate inspection for cracks or splits. As far as finding your rifle brass I expect to lose one piece every string and as I use TiteGroup most of the time the brass is pretty sooty so it doesn’t really matter how clean it was to start with. I don’t know how much wet reduces your lead levels but I just got my latest results and they were nearly identical to what they were five years ago. 
Guess the bottom line is whatever floats your boat go for it. whatever floats your boat go for it. whatever floats your boat go for it. 
Regards

    

Gateway Kid

Don't u know " whatever floats your boat" is now "whatever floats your balloon"

[Cypress Sun]

 

For those that wet tumble, please don't dispose of the used water into storm drains/street gutter or city/county sewer drains. Storm drains/street gutter (eventually) flow into streams, lakes, oceans, etc. Many sewer treatment facilities "reclaim" the treated water for lawn and other uses.

 

If you pour it in your yard, be aware that the dust created by lawn equipment when in that area will create the same kind of dust that your dry tumbler used to create. 

 

For me personally, wet tumbling isn't worth the work involved in mixing the water, rinsing the brass and drying it. I wear a good mask with filters when separating the media from brass and wash my hands/arms thoroughly afterward. Same thing when reloading before doing any other activity.

 

 

[Ranger Dan]

Very recently switched from dry to wet tumbling. Bought a large tumbler which makes the time factor equal or better than dry because it holds 3-4 times more brass. My dry tumbler holds 100 44-40 or similiar cases and takes 1 hour with walnut to clean and 1 hour with corncob to polish. Wet tumbling I can clean and polish 500 cases in 2 hours then 2 hours in a drier. So far this has worked out very well. I am way ahead of my brass cleaning and polishing with less effort than I ever was with the dry tumbler.

[Lowdown Larry]

Would like to say thanks to everyone for your answers. Took a blood test to see where my lead level is. Then I'll make a decision on what path to take.