My new tumbler - a follow up....

[Project355]

Based on previous ownership of the "original" Lyman Turbo Tumbler, ca. "late 1980's", I opted for another.

Well... they don't make 'em like they used to. I ended up with the Turbo 1200 Pro. Smaller bowl, quite flimsy, and the lid... jeez what were they thinking? The old one had a nice solid, heavy, textured HDPE bowl and lid. The bottom of the lid was neoprene covered and the machine was pretty silent.

Why don't we just cut holes in the bag of the upright vacuum cleaner and spew dust about the abode? That's about what this one does.... I'm making a new lid for it, pronto. The bowl and lid are flimsy at best, quite bendable. The old one... totally solid and unflexing.

The new one actually weeps a bit. ***? Yah, I'm getting water build up under the spokes of the lid. Dunno but I think its the heat from the motor after I ran it three hours on its maiden voyage.

Unhappy? No. Just wondering where the quality went with things as simple as this. It does clean and polish brass though. And the fist run is always the worst until you get the polish all mixed into the media and stuff. Harbor Freight "fine" walnut is my brand du jour.

So, I guess its worth $56, and will hopefully last a while. Really didn't want to spend a ton on a tumbler, so I s'pose its worth the price paid.

 

[Typetwelve]

The lid on that thing is just awful, I have the same one. It is extremely loud and often messy...and again, that lid flat out sucks.

 

[Project355]

I can see plywood and neoprene in my future....

And mo' loadin' too, as I got 2000 lg pistol CCI primers and 2lbs of 231

 

[Highland Lofts]

Go with a Frankford wet tumbler and stop crying.
Nice clean cases and NO DUST.
Pay once/Cry once.

 

[Cokeman]

I used my wet tumbler for the first time tonight and it worked beautifully.

 

[Project355]

Not crying, just saying quality ain't what it used to be. Ran it a bit tonight, cleaned up 38sp brass nicely. Was interesting to see media go from light to dark as things started to get mixed and started cutting crud.

 

[Highland Lofts]

That crud is one reason I like wet tumbleing. All of the bad stuff is gone. With dry tumbleing 99& of it remains in the dry media and some of it gets in the air. The dryer sheets help a little to remove some of dust.
I know a couple of guys who do not tumble thier brass at all. It's all good one way or another. We each have our own way of doing things that work for us.

 

[DukeConnor]

You get what you pay for. zthese will not disappoint:

http://thumlerstumbler.com/vibratory.html

 

[Project355]

Five loads, about 2000 cases.... No complaints on performance. Water must have been vapor in the media. Its Its gone, after 2nd run.

New lid in yhe works too!

 

[Highland Lofts]

I got the rest of the 9mm brass tumbled today.
When seperating all that range brass I have been setting the really bad dented 223/5.56 brass a side.
I see where a guy took five really bad dented cases and loaded them.
Shot them at a hundred yards and they shot just fine.
I have around 70 pretty dented up cases and 30 or so not to bad.
I tumbled them today in just water, armorall wash & wax & a little dawn dish soap.
I will resize then tonight or tomorrow and I have to order some bullets before load them.

Before tumbleing


After tumbleing

 

[Cokeman]

They all have the same dent. What is making it?

 

[tightgroup tiger]

He shoots in a rock quarry, I expect people are stepping on them on the rocks. But I have to admit, some look like lube dents, a couple look like they were stove piped on ejection and most of them were walked on.

I see where a guy took five really bad dented cases and loaded them.
Shot them at a hundred yards and they shot just fine.

I would have to be extremely bored to mess with any of those. Myself? I can't think of a single good or bad reason I would even want to try to fix those unless I have no cases to work with at all. A small soft lube dent will pop right back out after firing, but those have sharp kinks in them, They would go in my scrap bucket.

 

[kerreckt]

I have had a Lyman PRO 1200 tumbler for about 7-8 years. It has held up well. I put a large steel washer (against lid) with a neoprene plumbing washer on top then the provided closing screw. This solved the problem of it vibrating unscewed. I put a 5 gallon bucket over the entire tumbler. Makes it quieter and cleaner. It has had heavy use and I am satisfied with it. Best wishes

 

[BBarn]

I throw cases so dented into the scrap box. I would consider myself irresponsible if I reloaded them.

 

[lordpaxman]

First thing, nice clean up job on that brass!
Second thing, some of those dents are so deep I’d start to worry about case volume. They will fire form, obviously, but you may get more than you expected! I’d spend money on once fired .223 before using them. Good luck!

 

[Highland Lofts]

Before I bought a Frankford wet tumbler I had bought a Harbor Frieght dry tumbler. I still have it but the lid wore out.
I then bought a used Lyman dry tumbler with two tubs. That one out performed the Harbor Frieght tumbler by leaps & bounds.
I was tumbleling some brass up in my gun room one day and after about an hour I went upstairs and the motor quit working and stunk like burning rubber.
That was the last tumbleing inside for me. After that all.my tumbleling is done outside on a piece of plywood on a set of saw horses.
My next dry tumbler was a used buy only used twice Cabelas tumbler. I didn't like it at all. It just didn't have the right action to get the cases clean so I moved on to the frankford wet tumbler and have been useing that exclusivley for tumbleing.
I bought some primers from a guy on a local gun forum and he had a extra Lyman dry tumbler for $30 so I picked it uo just to have on hand incase I ever want to use a dry tumbler again some day.
When I was dry tumbleing I had the plastic pan with the slots that fits over a five gallon bucket that you dump the brass in and sift the media out.
It looks like a gold panning pan. I will take a picture of it later and edit and add it to this post.
When tumbleling there is no bad way of tumbleing, just the matter of personal choice and wants & needs.
There are a few guys who never tumble thier brass and probably never will.

 

[tightgroup tiger]

There are a few guys who never tumble thier brass and probably never will.

That's a fact, what ever floats their boat. I like mine clean like yours, just a lot less dents. LOL! Just kidding!
I have a rotary tumbler that I could use steel pins in but I've never made the jump past my Ultrasonic cleaner.
After 12 years of not having problems cleaning brass, I doubt I ever will make the jump now.
Don't matter how someone cleans their brass as long as they clean it.

 

[Highland Lofts]

Even if they don't clean thier brass that's ok too.

Every one gets enjoyment from reloading and shooting one way or another.

It's all good untill guys start to go off the deep end over somebodies different projects.

 

[RainDodger]

Regarding your moisture in the media comment.... back in some decade or other when I used a vibratory tumbler (before the advent of stainless steel pins with wet tumbling...) I found that "Lizard Litter" available from pet stores, and also Amazon, at some dirt-cheap price, works GREAT. It's crushed walnut shells and it not only makes lizards happy, but reloaders too.

 

[Project355]

I'm using Harbor Freight walnut - cheapest stuff I could find, and it does ok too.

UPDATE: Ordered (1) 10" x 1/2" baltic birch plywood "circle" from Amazon, along with a pad of self adhesive neoprene to make a cover from. Amazon send a package of (3) 11" x 1/4" baltic birgh plywood circles.... so we have another short wait to get the new lid made.