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I have started cleaning brass in preparation for getting started. I have at least 16,000 pieces of .45 brass before sorting out the damaged stuff so I want to make sure that I start out correctly. I have a Dillon CV 500 and I filled it about half way with walnut media and 3 capfulls of polish and then threw in about 500 cases. I ran it for over three hours and although the brass has a sort of dull shine to it, the insides are still filthy. Excuse my ignorance here but it should be pretty clean inside as well, right? I would imagine that any residue left inside could cause problems and abnormal pressures, is there anyhting else that I should be doing?

I ran a search and some people run the tumbler for up to 12 hours What's the norm?


Also, I am assuming that most of you seperate the media outside? I can't imagine that dust is very healthy.

I know that it's a newb question so I appreciate the patience and help in advance. Thanks.

It is hard to define "clean" so I will just say the inside will never be as clean as the outside but it should be cleaner than before you tumbled. Most of my brass will still have some dark spots inside but not crusty layers of residue.

3 hours is not a long time for me to tumble. I tumble in the garage and often run it for 4 to 6 hours per cycle. The media should cover the brass during the tumbling. The brass should barely be visible during the tumbling process, being seen only as it "rotates across the top" of the media.

If you do not have a media seperator I would get one. Dillon makes a good one. They take a lot of the mess out of seperating the media from the brass. At best it is a dusty process that needs to be done outside or in a garage. I have know of some that do it in the bathtub but they go to a lot of trouble to prevent the dust from geting into other parts of the house.

I typically tumble my brass over night in the garage. You don't have a tendency to sneak-a-peek that way. Also, don't overload the tumbler. Most of my experience is with rifle brass and I typically clean no more than 100 rounds at a time. Go easy on the polish. Walnut will clean brass nicely with very little polish. Too much and it tends to stick inside the cases.

Just curious. Do you deprime before or after you clean the brass? There are pros and cons to both but if you deprime before you polish, be sure the primer holes are clear of media before you reprime.

Have fun.

Houston1944 wrote:It is hard to define "clean" so I will just say the inside will never be as clean as the outside but it should be cleaner than before you tumbled. Most of my brass will still have some dark spots inside but not crusty layers of residue.

3 hours is not a long time for me to tumble. I tumble in the garage and often run it for 4 to 6 hours per cycle. The media should cover the brass during the tumbling. The brass should barely be visible during the tumbling process, being seen only as it "rotates across the top" of the media.

If you do not have a media seperator I would get one. Dillon makes a good one. They take a lot of the mess out of seperating the media from the brass. At best it is a dusty process that needs to be done outside or in a garage. I have know of some that do it in the bathtub but they go to a lot of trouble to prevent the dust from geting into other parts of the house.

This has been my experience also. I differ only in that I set my timer to tumble 4 hrs. and I almost never have to tumble any longer unless the brass was really bad before I started. I try to pick those out as I load the tumbler and put them in a separate can to tumble later for a longer period of time.

The inside will never look clean. If it does, check the case and I'll bet you have some Winchester Winn-Clean 45 ACP with small primers. Pick those out, turn to face toward Winchester's home office in East Alton, IL and throw the brass at 'um!!

The bottom line is this; if the outside of the brass is clean, then the inside is clean enough.
Chas.

Thank you gentleman. I do have a Dillon media seperator. I probably don't have enough media in my cleaner and will add some tonight. for the polish I followed the directions on the back [abbreviated profanity deleted] the bottle...it's Dillon polish and I didn't have any mud.

I don't deprime first, since I am using a 650 I'll let it do the work.

Charles L. Cotton wrote: This has been my experience also. I differ only in that I set my timer to tumble 4 hrs. .

Charles, are you using a regular outlet timer for your tumbler, like you would use on a lamp? I didn't think of that and it's a good idea.

Charles L. Cotton wrote: The inside will never look clean. If it does, check the case and I'll bet you have some Winchester Winn-Clean 45 ACP with small primers. Pick those out, turn to face toward Winchester's home office in East Alton, IL and throw the brass at 'um!!

Chas.

Yes, I'm using a regular 110 volt timer like you would use on a lamp. That way I can turn it on, go inside and not worry about it. Prior to getting the timer, I frequently forgot it and it ran 12 hrs or so until I left for work the next day. Now, that was some mighty shinny brass!

Chas.

Charles L. Cotton wrote:Yes, I'm using a regular 110 volt timer like you would use on a lamp. That way I can turn it on, go inside and not worry about it. Prior to getting the timer, I frequently forgot it and it ran 12 hrs or so until I left for work the next day. Now, that was some mighty shinny brass!

Chas.

I did that once when years ago when I was reloading. Was polishing .357 nickel plated cases in a tumbler. Forgot it was on in the shed and 2 days later had almost no nickel on the cases.

A cheap and effective brass dip for removing bad tarnish before tumbling can be made from 1 quart of white vinegar and 1 tablespoon of salt. Dissolve the salt in the vinegar and soak your brass for 15-20 minutes then rinse well with hot water allow to dry before tumbling. Be sure to use a plastic or glass container to soak your brass. This will safely remove a lot of the dark stains that is found on range brass that has lain out in the weather for a while.

On the cleaning note, are all the different tumblers/vibrators about the same or is there a notable standout. I want to get the best bang for my buck, but not completly break the bank.
I am setting up to start rolling my own pistol ammo so I can afford to shoot IDPA all the time.
Any suggestions would be really appreciated.
Jim

jpierce30 wrote:On the cleaning note, are all the different tumblers/vibrators about the same or is there a notable standout. I want to get the best bang for my buck, but not completly break the bank.
I am setting up to start rolling my own pistol ammo so I can afford to shoot IDPA all the time.
Any suggestions would be really appreciated.
Jim

My experience may be unique, but I went through 3 Franklins in a year and a half. None of them had a lot of hours on them. I now have the large Dillon, but I don't think their lifetime warranty applies. I've only had it about a year, so I can't give you any report on longevity, but it's sure great to have the large capacity.

Chas.

Thanks Charles,

I am going by Gander Mountain today and see what they have on hand. Depending on what they have instant gratification may take hold of my senses.

Call me cwazy but i use rice to clean my brass and it works good,it's also cheaper than corncob media

Someone here advised me to buy walnut media at PetCo/PetsMart. It is sold as lizard litter/bedding. Much cheaper. (And you can catch it on sale sometimes!)

I have the Lyman tumbler. I haven't had any trouble with it, but I haven't even had it a year.

Corn cobb media will give a higher polish to brass than walnut media. Walnut media is more abrasive and will remove heavy tarnish. I buy both from an industrial sandblasting supply house. Comes in 50# bags and is much cheaper than the stuff sold for reloaders. Store the excess in 5 gal buckets or share with a friend. The corn cobb media is specified as 14-20. and the walnut media is specificed as 20-30. I believe the numbers reflect the sieve size used to seprate the media.

I looked at the pet supply places before I found the industrial supply. It was much coarser than what is usually sold for reloading.

Keith

My favorite brass cleaning prior to tumbling recipe is:

5 gallons of water
1 cup white vinegar
1 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon dish washing detergent

If I have a bunch of brass, I throw it in a portable cement mixer with the liquid, otherwise I just throw it in the bucket. Leave it in the liquid for at least 1/2 hour then rinse until the soap is gone. Finally, spread the brass on a rag to dry.

I tumble the brass after it has dried overnight.