Need advice on wet FARTs. Who's had one?

[Totes Magoats]

No, not that kind!  I switched to Frontier Cartridge this year and decide to try a Frankfort Arsenal Rotary Tumbler (F.A.R.T.) for wet tumbling.  My question is if you shoot BP, do you typically put your brass in some soapy water at the match or do you just leave it as is until you decide to wet tumble it some time in the future?  Just curios if there is a downside to just letting it set as is after the match if I only tumble once a month or so.

 

Thanks!

Totes

[Sam Sackett]

They seem to clean better if they are placed in a soapy water solution as soon as they are fired. Not so critical with APP, but it still helps. Good habit to start. 
 

Sam Sackett 

[Cowtown Scout, SASS #53540 L]

When ever I am shooing smoky stuff (APP) I put the brass into a bottle with water with a little dawn mixed in at the gun cart after shooting each stage.  At home up to several days later I wash them out with clear water and lay them in a pan in the sun to dry.  Then I tumble them in dry media.

[Abilene, SASS # 27489]

You could wait until you get home to soak it, but I wouldn't wait any longer than that.

[The Rainmaker, SASS #11631]

After shooting real BP for BPCR, I always pop the primers and drop into a bottle with water and Dawn before taking them home to wet tumble.

[Colorado Coffinmaker]

Nah.  None of the above.  I just toss my brass in my cartridge bag and haul 'em home as is.  When I get home I toss the brass inna sink or small bucket with warm water and a GOODLY amount of 45% White Vinegar, rinse, dry and then dry tumble.

Edited August 20 by Colorado Coffinmaker
I hate OTTO

[Larsen E. Pettifogger, SASS #32933]

Make sure to get a FART wrench.  Makes life easier.

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/274891427753

[La Sombra]

15 minutes ago, Larsen E. Pettifogger, SASS #32933 said:

Make sure to get a FART wrench.  Makes life easier.

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/274891427753

There is also a FART funnel for pouring in your brass.

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/204788233754?_nkw=franklin+tumbler+funnel&itmmeta=01J5NJ7D3WFCCAGFY63TB4MHDP&hash=item2fae54761a:g:ECUAAOSwmOBmQg1H&itmprp=enc%3AAQAJAAAA8HoV3kP08IDx%2BKZ9MfhVJKk4PIuRCPIAqJimcteFBq8Gkfn5LFT3p1Im7XCETgoLycNj%2B6hx03UtCaQMkWb18d88JxgM%2FvjNd4fL%2FwWPtZwEdc7dzB3Qm0AIlLkiwTjz0Xf4vsk22wKQos%2FVMGawkLQ%2BsZgJUSN%2BMVMI6RRLX%2B1UAWDmjveBMKZc%2FexdBhUpUxNlGWecDcskuk5tj--QUBdX1vpxM2yZxW0MYcdpZF93oa58kij8bYB9FuDpEE2b9yAhf8N2wRapejJuqQs2Yukg2DW7xEK%2BxAAWzSThC%2BWhriO%2BwB4zTjYAqD63AxGV8A%3D%3D|tkp%3ABFBMhNKdsq1k

 

La Sombra

[Springfield Slim SASS #24733]

I put my BP brass in a plastic bottle with water and soap at the range, saves a rinse cycle in the wet tumbler. Just don't leave them in there overnight, tarnishes the brass.

[Bingo Montana]

During the match I put my brass into a container of water with a drop of Dawn dishwashing soup added.  I put the brass in after each stage, and if time allows, I pop the primers out with a Harvey deprimer before dropping them into the container of water.  Brass cleans up well with a couple of shakes.  When I get home, I rinse and let dry.  I do like extra clean brass, so when I have a gallon bucket filled up, brass goes into a FART with SS pins and drop of Dawn.  

[July Smith]

I leave my brass dry.  I usually try to get around to tumbling it within a few days of a match, but I have let some batches ferment a little longer.  A little dawn and about a teaspoon of citric acid and the brass comes out looking like new.  I do usually change the water out after the first hour and then tumble again for another hour or so.  I know a lot of guys say to deprime first, but I have been loading black powder for about 14 years and have never needed to do this.  As always though when it comes to black powder, YMMV.

[Sedalia Dave]

Drop into a bag at the match. When I get home, I pour onto a cookie sheet, remove any debris and sort by caliber. Then into the wet tumbler it goes. 

 

 

[Eyesa Horg]

1 hour ago, Springfield Slim SASS #24733 said:

I put my BP brass in a plastic bottle with water and soap at the range, saves a rinse cycle in the wet tumbler. Just don't leave them in there overnight, tarnishes the brass.

Mine seems to tarnish almost immediately in water with Dawn. Only in it for 5 minutes before rinsing and seems to go from brass color to dark tarnish!

[Todd Hayseed]

I wait until I get home.  A few hours will not make a difference.  But they are always in the wet tumbler before the end of the day.  They are never as shiny as new but they function perfectly and I have been using the same brass for literally years now.

 

In my case I also deprime them before they go into the water.  They clean better and dry faster

[Double Tap Taylor]

I use water and simply green at range, once home rinse to get clean water, then dry, in sun on towel. When I get time I deprime using universal primer, then wet tumble with a couple drops dawn and limshine (just a little), I don't use pins, but they do come out better using them. 

[Will Kane]

Hot water with some Dawn in an old protein powder jug inside the feed bag hanging from the gun cart. Drop the spent brass in the jug and the spent hulls in the feed bag after each stage. Rinse the spent brass when I get home and let it air dry. Next day, deprime the spent brass and add it to other deprimed brass awaiting tumbling in the FART with SS pins and more Dawn (or maybe some Meguiar's Gold Class Car Wash).

[Rattlesnake Slim]

At home: Wash, dry in the AZ sun, reload. Haven't used my tumbler (vibratory) in years, the wife stole it to polish jewelry.

[Griff]

I only began wet tumbling in the last year.  My 1st step is to dump my brass in my range bag for totin' home.  There, I deprime and begin the wet tumbling process.  I don't like to dump my brass in a jug at the range as that'll sometimes mean I put off tumbling for too long.  I've had primer cups that stick in the pocket and are a bit of a pain in the rear to get out.  So I deprime before wet tumbling.  I use the pins that came with the rotary tumbler then oven dry on a cookie sheet covered in paper towels @ 170ºF, let them air cool and store in my storage bins for reloading.  Over the years I've shot BP, I've tried dumping brass immediately after the stage in a solution of soapy water, plain water, & dumping dry in a range bag;  very little difference in how the brass come out of dry tumbler.  I've run brass thru a sonic cleaner, dry tumbler with corn or walnut media and now wet tumbled with the pins.

 

Leaving the brass in a soapy solution or plain water for too long and brass becomes darkly stained.  To the point that nearly no amount of dry tumbling, (even with car polish or "Brasso"), will remove the stains.  Attempting to remove said stains, I've used chemicals in the sonic cleaner with it on "heat" cycle and ended up with brass appearing as tho' the tin has been leached out, resulting in copper looking cases.

 

Regardless of how stained, or how long brass has sat around, either in a solution or dry, after being shot with BP or smokeless, I've found nothing that results in cleaner, brighter brass than wet tumbling.

 

After my last BP match & cleaning:

Although it may look it, there are no nickel cases in amongst those.

[Fordyce Beals]

42 minutes ago, Griff said:

.

 

Regardless of how stained, or how long brass has sat around, either in a solution or dry, after being shot with BP or smokeless, I've found nothing that results in cleaner, brighter brass than wet tumbling.

 

Shoot with 777 powder, put dry in bag, at home wet tumble with a dash of Lemi Shine and car wash soap for 2 hours, rinse twice then dry in sun.  Brass looks new every time.

 

Fordyce

[I. M. Crossdraw, SASS# 8321]

Throw them in a tote, take it home and throw them in the tumbler, dry them under the sun.  Don't really care if they are not shiny, they get tarnish again anyway.  

[Abilene, SASS # 27489]

As a brass picker I will remind y'all that if it is shiny you will likely get more back!  

[Griff]

19 minutes ago, Fordyce Beals said:

Shoot with 777 powder, put dry in bag, at home wet tumble with a dash of Lemi Shine and car wash soap for 2 hours, rinse twice then dry in sun.  Brass looks new every time.

 

Fordyce

No thanks, I'm very happy with Goex... Don't want or need the extra "ummph" of Triple 7. or the extra corrosiveness of Pyrodex... but do like the versatility of APP.  I'm sure your brass is much shinier than mine pictured above... but, my process floats my boat well above the waterline.  The kitchen is all mine, no one to answer to except me... car wash is kept in the garage for the cars & trucks in there & on the driveway, and lemi-shine isn't necessary for my purposes, so it isn't on my shopping list.  

[Chas B. Wolfson, SASS #11104]

 Well this will raise the hair on the back of neck of some.

I load using the real stuff, FFG, FFFG and FFFFG.  38spl and 357mag for the redhead.  44 Russian, 44WCF, 45 Colt, 32-40, 40-60, 45-70 and 12ga.

I wait until I fill a large blue brass bin Dillon sells as brass catchers for the larger presses before I rotary tumble.  Some fired brass might sit six months or more. No pre-soak.  The amount in the full bin fills the tumbler just right.

One tablespoon of Strat-o-Sheen, one tablespoon of car wash/wax and a teaspoon of Lemon shine.

Run for three hours, rinse and let dry either in the Arizona sun or a Hornady brass dryer.

Never have deprimed prior to cleaning.  Rebel 17 tumbler.

I treat the shotgun hulls the same way filling the tumbler drum 2/3 with hulls.

I have been shooting in FC categories since 2001.

No ill effects on the brass that I can tell.

Just my inflation impacted $.02 

Regards,

Chas B

 

 

[Painted Mohawk SASS 77785]

Shiney brass is like chrome......'over rated, after using real BP I stick 'em in a bag & might be up to 3 days before taken out , thrown in hot water with detergent powder & given a rough up, let sit for an hour, rinsed off, dried & then into a plastic container for when I get around to loading.

They are always clean with a tarnished black flavor...the way I like 'em.

[Silver Creek Jack]

Good advice above! I have found when you get ready to wet tumble the brass , take a little dawn or whatever dish soap is available and spread it all around on the rubber seal on the cap , you can tighten it by hand so easy and it won’t leak, also taking it off is so easy, no wrench needed!

[Totes Magoats]

Thanks all.  I'm looking for the lazy way.  Sounds like holding 'em as-is for a few weeks until I have a tumbler full won't have negative effects.

 

Totes

[Phantom, SASS #54973]

First, I love how folks make shooting BP such a chore!

 

Throw 'em in a bag. Take home...empty bag in a BIG A$$ bin. Wait...oh...months...whatever...then wet tumble.

 

Same as I did shooting smokeless.

 

Phantom

[Colorado Coffinmaker]

 

PHANTOM 

 

Ya gotta remember!!  Shooting BP is "Rocket Science" idnit??  Takes a slide rule and lots of secret hand shakes.  And don't forget, clean-up is horrible!!  Takes at least 10 er 15 minutes per gun!!  Horrible I tell ya 

[Todd Hayseed]

On 8/20/2024 at 9:47 AM, Totes Magoats said:

Thanks all.  I'm looking for the lazy way.  Sounds like holding 'em as-is for a few weeks until I have a tumbler full won't have negative effects.

 

Totes

I have the Frankfurt Arsenal Tumbler.  And the brass sorter.  Both still in the box.  Its too big.

 

I use the National Geographic rock tumbler they make for school projects.  Holds about 120 rounds of 38/357.  I use no media, just  about a quarter teaspoon of Dawn Dish soap.  Run it for a couple of hours, change the water, couple of hours more, dry in the sun.

 

And I do still use my dry tumbler.  I put complete rounds in it which takes off any excess lube or dirt and makes everything nice and shiny.  The used up dry media joins my used coffee grounds and becomes filler.

[Snakebite Dust SASS 75484]

I put mine in a ziplock bag after the match and put in a bottle with dawn when I get to it. Seems that it does not tarnish if it is in a dry sealed bag. Then wet tumble. I deprime before I wet tumble