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The media separator will go underneath the cement mixer, but mounted on support arms off the ground. The idea is to put it in the sweet spot so it is above whatever tray I use to catch the water or walnut media, but under the mouth of the mixer when pointed fully downward.

Here's a photo. The temporary setup was just the dowel resting on the storage totes, which wasn't high enough to clear the tray as-is. That's about 1/2 of a 5 gallon bucket of 5.56mm brass in there. So, in terms of volume it would handle 10 gallons of brass at once, with room for it all to move around and allow the media to fall out.

2013-10-21 21.02.25 by OnceFiredLakeCityBrass, on Flickr

Okay, I finally have a good update here. I got into our rental house about 3 weeks ago, and the past two weekends after recovering from the act of MOVING, I got industrious again and got a few things done.

Got my first batch of citric acid in the mixer without other media - that worked nicely. About one 5 gallon bucket of brass, another 5 gallons of water, and not a lot of time elapsed. Maybe 30 minutes. I think I spent more time on rinsing than the initial acid bath & agitation, in fact.

I didn't have a great way of separating the brass from the water at this point. I originally did so by running them several more rounds in the mixer - each just for a handful of revolutions. But I don't like doing that - it makes me have to hand-cull more brass out due to dings from hitting steel.

So, in the spirit of having enough space now (just in my garage, not a separate shop yet!) I decided to have some fun and I am building my dedicated home made media separator.

I used 2x4's, 1/4" hardware cloth, 1-3/4" circular saw drill attachment, a 4 foot 1-1/2" wooden dowel, brass hinges and brass catches, a whole mess of 1" roof nails, and a handful of 3" deck screws. And a scrap piece of plywood because I ran out of hardware cloth. I of course already had the bottom portion of my tray built from previous efforts, so now I could focus on making the whole thing far more functional.

Here's a photo in progress
2013-10-19 21.29.47 by OnceFiredLakeCityBrass, on Flickr

One showing the back hinges with no top yet
2013-10-19 21.29.12 by OnceFiredLakeCityBrass, on Flickr

And the front
2013-10-19 21.28.52 by OnceFiredLakeCityBrass, on Flickr

And finished
2013-10-20 16.18.09 by OnceFiredLakeCityBrass, on Flickr

It opens up 180 degrees, allows me to easily replace the dowel, functions as a pass-through sieve if needed, etc.

2013-10-20 16.17.56 by OnceFiredLakeCityBrass, on Flickr

All I have left to do now is build the support frame to hold the dowel. I hope to do this with 2x4's as well, and have a couple galvanized fence post type U-shaped braces to help it spin nicely. More to come.

Update: Fixed images from Flickr that weren't working.

Once Fired

I stumbled upon what might be a good solution for this situation. I was in the BBQ section of a sporting goods store when the idea hit me.

I have a bunch of these clamps...
http://www.homedepot.com/catalog/produc ... 9e_300.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

And I could buy 3-4 of these grill replacements
http://www.academy.com/webapp/wcs/store ... te&Ntk=All" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I think I can arrange all three grates for minimal pass-through hole sizes, thread the clamp rail through, then re-attach the clamp heads and secure to the mixer.

Not bad for $12 fix, and I won't have to drill into the mixer. Still a pain to use, though. And the multiple layers might get brass stuck in there, although they shouldn't bend or ding because the whole grate system would still be rotating with the mixer.

I appreciate all the thoughts put into this. Once I get my land bought and a shop built, many of these ideas will get implemented together in one spot. :)

I have now moved all my stuff up to be near where I live, instead of 40 miles south of me. I have my tools again and can start tinkering. I still can't build anything big, or anything that would require mounting to a wall, etc. I am still in a storage unit after all.

But, I think I will keep it simple for now. I'll add on 2x4's to triple the overall depth of the sifting tray I have currently, and make it a clam-shell style with a thick dowel through the center, using rotating window style locks to keep it together. That will let me rotate the whole thing around the long axis of the tray, and accommodate sifting 4000+ 5.56 cases at once easily. Tripling the volume of the sifter and keeping the brass count constant - that should allow for enough tumbling to empty out all the media nicely.

So, from the top down...

Mixer
Tray top (inverted version of existing bottom, with handle at one end)
Tray middle (frame for support only, drilled through center lengthwise for rotating axis)
Tray bottom (existing)
Tote
Blue tarp underneath it all

Using that set up, I can build a supporting frame like mini sawhorses that would be the same height as the totes I am using, My process would become:

1) Finish mixer cycle
2) Dump media through open-top tray (bottom 2 pieces already placed on tote)
3) Insert center pole
4) Secure top piece
5) Pull out the tote & tray resting on it from under the mixer
6) Place the mini sawhorses to sides of the tote
7) Insert center pole
8) Remove the tote
9) Spin the trays

I can then dump a single tray of clean brass into whatever large container I need. 4,000 brass is doable if the final container is right next to me.

This will be an improvement upon my current method, which requires me to empty the tray by hand back into the mixer at least 2x-3x for brass-only tumbling to remove media. Keep in mind, it is hard to dump the whole tray back into the mixer - lots more weight with the media that's still in there. This will also allow me to run multiple mixers simultaneously using a single tote & one pair of sawhorses. Cleanup will be straightforward & simple.

Once I have my shop, I would do a few things differently...

a) Raise the mixer approximately 2' on a strong platform
b) Allow for a taller sawhorse
c) Permit a broader / wider / deeper tote underneath

This way, I can work standing upright. Much better to not have my back hunched over, and I really do prefer not putting my face not smack in the middle of all the dust. Cleanup will be easier with a bigger tote, too.

This method would also work well for stainless steel media + water, once in the shop. If it has enough height under the tote itself, I could even empty the water right there to a floor drain or siphon / hose, avoiding the need to move a large & heavy volume of water manually.

Thoughts?
ZA

I have to move my stuff from storage up from about 40 miles south of here. I hope to have a solution before the end of the month, which is when I have to move the storage by. :) I'll keep you guys posted.

ZA

Thanks for the ideas, gents. I do appreciate the help.

Yeah, the can't build much permanent problem is the big sticking point right now. I am currently using a sheet metal storage shed to do this in - can't attach anything structural anywhere. I have now moved to the Springfield area, and am trying to get situated here. Once I land permanently somewhere (instead of in the RV park) then I will work toward a more permanent solution.

The wheel barrow idea is interesting. I would need to devise a method to secure the shaker box on top of it. The problem I see is that it won't really agitate the brass enough - no tumbling per se, just jostling. An improvement to be sure, but I think it wouldn't work great overall.

I did find a 16"x16" plastic modular pegboard at the local Home Depot. With a little effort, I could bolt that onto my cement mixer, perhaps even with a hinge, and turn it into the mixer door idea. The opening is 15.5" across, so with a few bolts & brackets, this would work, and also be easily replaced as it wears out from the weight put against it.

ZA

Learned something new again today. I had never considered washing either my corn cob or walnut media. Clearly washing corn cob works based on his statements in the video.

I'll have to try washing my walnut, too.

ZA

I was thinking about a vibrating table, angled downward as described. My problem is right now I can't build anything permanent. I need a shop before I do that.

The cover for the mixer is a good basic idea, but two problems crop up. One is that it makes the cement mixer custom from that point forward (not really watertight any more) and the other is that it's messy. I would have to periodically clean under the mixer instead of catching the vast majority of the media in a tote under it.

ZA

Hi guys

I'm asking this on a few forums to get as many ideas as possible.

I have a cement mixer I now use to tumble. Currently using walnut, and need to separate a lot of media from a lot of brass at once. I have a 27-gallon tote, and a 2x4 hardware cloth screen that I dump through.

The problem is that the 4,500 5.56mm cases that the cement mixer barely notices completely fills the tray. I need to find something that can handle a LOT of media separation in one shot, and still be manageable underneath the mixer. 4,500 doesn't shake well, and is HEAVY.


080 by ZombieApoc, on Flickr

I have thought about building a door on the mixer. Something removable & easily replaced - but secure and capable of handling the weight without scratching the brass. I am thinking about using the mixer as my rotary separator, and if I put a bit of hardware cloth (sprayed with bed liner material, and properly mounted/secured) that would allow me to run the mixer, pour out the media, and continue to tumble the brass until it all comes out into the tote waiting eagerly below.

Mixer mouth is 15.5" across, and the lip of it is not big enough to really clamp anything on there very well. Adding a plastic sheet is no problem. Supporting weight is, so I'd have to drill the mixer, or weld something on. Drilling is preferable, so I am seeing some brackets in my future.

Thoughts?

ZA