Brass wire tumbling media?

[UnSafe]

Rode up to OKC this morning and stopped in to H&H to browse. Saw baggies of small diameter brass rod/ wire sections, about 1/16" dia. and maybe 7/16" long for $14.xx/lb, and 2lb were needed for a typical sized rotating tumbler.

The guy at the reloading counter explained that when used with a tumbler (As opposed to a vibrating cleaner) add water, dish soap and cream of tartar (for the pH), it would clean brass like new in about 1-2 hr. He showed me deprimed brass that had been cleaned via the system and it was literally perfect.

I see a downside- The mess. Once done, I'd have to seperate the cases from brass media, then rinse and dry before storing. I'm pretty lazy with brass- I tumble pistol cases in corn cob media without depriming, but do deprime rifle brass (Without resizing) before cleaning.

So, to those that have used the brass wire, is it worth it to you and why?

 

[alank2]

Hi,

I've tried ceramic, but the results were ok but not perfect. I have heard that pins like this are better. I am interested if anyone else has tried these too.

Thanks,

Alan

 

[Shadowrider]

I think it would be worth the mess if and only if I could do at least 500 round batches like I do in my vibratory now. The kernels building up in the case feeder just drives me up the wall. This method would eliminate that and it would be faster.

 

[tyromeo55]

There was a pretty big discussion about it on arfcom using stainless pins because they lasted almost indefinitely. I guess they ended up with a pretty great system that would make the entire case look better then brand new (pocket, inside, and all) Downside was that the pins were like 100 bucks, It was time consuming, you had to have a rotary tumbler, and the batches were small. I'll see if I can find a link to the video.....

ETA: Youtube video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-6SOiWE8Hc

 

[Jerryinokc]

I bought a HD Thumbler Tumbler and have used the brass pins with the cocktail you're talking about. While I loved the results, buying some form of separater would be worth it, as separating the pins from the brass is a little tedious.

Other than that, the formula certainly did the trick. I like it because I don't have to worry about replacing the media. I'm sure there are other recipes out there other than the cream of tartar (a bit pricey, actually), so I'm looking forward to experimenting.

Good luck in your hunt for the best cleaner!

 

[alank2]

Hi Jerry,

Do you have the thumler rotary that looks like this?

[Broken External Image]

How many pounds on the brass rods did it take? How many cases (say 9mm) can you do at one time?

Have you tried one of those rotary separators that RCBS sells for seperating pins/cases?

Thanks,

Alan

 

[Jerryinokc]

Hi Jerry,

Do you have the thumler rotary that looks like this?

[Broken External Image]

How many pounds on the brass rods did it take? How many cases (say 9mm) can you do at one time?

Have you tried one of those rotary separators that RCBS sells for seperating pins/cases?

Thanks,

Alan

Hey, Alan. Yes, that's the model I bought (online…I usually always support my local shop, but the price difference was quite substantial). I believe there are two models, one "standard", and on "HD (heavy duty)". I went the HD route.

On cases, I load .45's and typically do about 250-300 with no problem. I used 3 packages of the pins (sorry, not sure how many/weight is in each package). I can tell you that you can get the brass rods and clip them yourself. Not sure about where or how to go about doing that (I was actually told that's what the guns shop does themselves), but Google is your friend on that one.

I haven't purchased a separator yet, but will, so I appreciate the lead on the RCBS. I've heard it's hugely beneficial to get one, not only for this purpose, but to separate casings of different caliber (I only load 45).

Hope this addresses your questions.

 

[UnSafe]

Thanks for the intel!
I'm mixed on effort/ cost vs. results on this. I like clean brass and so do my dies, but $160+ for the tumbler and 2 x $15/ lb for the pins/ wire, then the time it takes to seperate and dry the brass...

I've gotten to the point where I just dump my brass into my vibratory cleaner with corn or walnut media (Which ever is cheapest when I buy at the sandblaster supply place. $35/ 50 lb lasts a long time) and run it until I remember to turn it off. As long as I change out the media frequently enough and add a dab of car wax occasionally, it works pretty well. Yes, I have to deal with media in the primer pockets on deprimed brass (I deprime rifle brass first but don't bother with pistol brass) and stacking when mixing calibers (Like .41 Mag and 45ACP), but it doesn't take much time to sort it all out.

To the users- Is it worth the $200 or so cost? The guy from H&H seemed motivated to sell the setup, downplaying the mess and cost.

In edit- Shadowrider- Look up a sandblaster supply house or industrial supply and look at different sizes of media. It comes in fine- coarse. Go bigger or smaller to reduce sticking grains in the primer pockets.

 

[dennishoddy]

I wouldn't screw with it. Been doing the corn cob for about 25 years now and don't need the additional clean up.

 

[Osage48]

Harbor Freight carries the walnut hulls in a fine grit that is too small to get stuck in the primer pocket. I just add car polish and the media lasts a long time, especially if the brass is not extremely dirty.

I had a rotary tumbler for years, but I like the vibrator type much better. The tumbler was too small and took a lot of time to open and close. Dillon sells a really big vibrator that does really large batches.