Avoiding lead when tumbling brass

[rajbcpa]

Apparently, spent primers contain lots of lead and this can create dangerous fumes when tumbling brass. I reload and tumble in my basement which has little ventilation.

I usually tumble without removing the spent primers but I am now rethinking this.

I assume if I remove the primers before tumbling that this will reduce the potential lead exposure during the tumble. Can any corn or walnut media that is stuck in the flash holes after tumbling be removed in a press with a de-capping/sizing die?

I may tumble outside and not in the basement but this would be a pain.

 

[Walkalong]

Dust, but not fumes. Keep things covered (Keep the lid on), use some polish or even add a few drops of water to keep things from getting to dry (More apt to go airborne), be careful when removing used media, wash up good after tumbling, and you'll be fine.

 

[TenDriver]

I've been de-capping, tumbling, then washing with a little dish soap to get the dust out. After that I've been using my air compressor and blow gun to dislodge the media and blow out the water. Seems to work good and dries out the case after a second or two.

My blow gun works good on .30 cal, but wouldn't get much of a seal on a .223 or the like. Your mileage may vary.

 

[GLOOB]

I may tumble outside and not in the basement but this would be a pain.

Well, if you tumble with the lid on, it's not that bad. But it's definitely preferable to go outside to separate the cases from the media. Even if you have one of those enclosed separators, you still have to pour the cases in it. And after you're done you have to pour the media back in the tumbler. While doing these steps, you're stirring up dust. So you might as well tumble outdoors, too.

 

[Rule3]

Especially if your tumbler has a slotted lid which is the dumbest design. I have a Lyman Turbo that came with that lid, I duct taped it. Then ordered a solid top.

I tumble in the garage and empty outside on the lawn with a closed turn the handle thingy

Change your media often, never understood folks who claim they use it for a year or more?? It is the cheapest part of reloading and the media holds all the toxins plus it does not clean as well.

Washing brass in soap and water and rinsing well is probably a lot safer but not a shinny.

Mr Lee was ahead of the times when he wrote about lead poisoning from tumbling in Modern Reloading.

 

[Jesse Heywood]

Can any corn or walnut media that is stuck in the flash wholes after tumbling be removed in a press with a de-capping/sizing die?

The answer to that part is yes.

There are also some here who don't worry about a piece of cob or hull in the primer hole, saying the primer blast takes care of it. That depends on what you are loading for. For plinking rounds I have done both.

 

[dagger dog]

Put some used fabric softener dryer sheets cut in 1/4's into the media, it will help on dust too.

 

[Captaingyro]

Most of the dust you see when you open a tumbler is pulverized corncob, not powdered lead.

I used to worry about all that grey dust in my tumbler. Then I switched to wet tumbling with stainless steel pins, decapping first. Whatever lead residue remains on my cases after depriming goes down the drain with the dirty water. The cases are absolutely pristine, with no lead or carbon whatsoever.

After sizing, I still tumble the cases to remove the lube, and guess what? Almost the same amount of powdery residue results. Since perfectly clean cases went into the tumbler, there is no possible way for the powder to contain lead.

Lead is not plutonium. Mere contact with your skin is harmless; it must be ingested to do any damage. (People used to drink wine out of pewter goblets for years before any harmful effects were seen). Use reasonable precautions, don't inhale the dust, and wash your hands. You'll be fine.

If you decide to deprime before tumbling, small particles trapped in the flash holes are of no consequence. You can shoot a pretty nasty rubber bullet load with a primer alone; if a projectile that size can't contain a primer shot, a flake of ground corncob is a non-issue.

Oh, and switch to wet tumbling.

 

[ranger335v]

There's only a minute amount of "lead" in a primer. Most of that gets blown down the barrel so there is virtually none left to get into a tumbler.

Unless we put our faces into the tumbler bowl and breathe the dust for a few hours at a time we'll never breathe enough to be a hazard. Cob and nut dust is harmless; polish dust I don't know but there's no reason to think it's harmful if we don't eat it or lick our fingers clean.

The 'gray' on used media is dried metal polish, not lead. Most of the dust comes from excessive polish that gets added far more than it needs to be. Dried polish can be sorta reactivated by adding an ounce or so of mineral spirits instead of more polish.

Any small squares of a loose weave fabric or paper will entangle the dusty polish so it can be tossed out.

It's difficult to "wear out" tumbling media; all it does is rub the brass clean, not grind it. Use the loose fabric to trap dust and mineral spirits to soften the dried stuff and media well work nearly forever.

 

[Arkansas Paul]

I too think the problem of lead in the tumbler is a little over stated.
Don't get me wrong, there's probably some in there. You should take basic precautions like ventilation if possible and washing your hands before eating.
Just don't eat your Cheerios out of your tumbler and I think you'll be okay.

 

[Fishslayer]

I give my brass a soak in Lemi Shine for an hour or so. Then dry before tumbling. Reduces tumbling time & the media stays cleaner.

I went to the thrift store and bought a few flat pans just for baking brass. That was so SWMBO doesn't go on the warpath.

 

[OilyPablo]

I got all worried* about my blood Pb level. 1.5 ug/dl and that was the highest ever for me. Really low!

I say if you are worried, get it check every coupled years.

*shooting/ammo, working with and handling plastic and such from China for years, Sn/Pb soldering for years, plus being in electronics manufacturing Sn/Pb and HgCdTe for my real job - I do a heavy metal panel every so often.

 

[rfwobbly]

I tumble outside, usually with the lid off, only replacing the lid to bring the tumbler back inside. The slight breeze we get in our location takes most of the dust away.

I highly suggest you tumble, sort and sift outdoors if you can. Even if your deck or patio has no electrical outlet you can always buy a cheap outdoor electrical cord and make do.

 

[USSR]

I had a deal with a guy who sold me once-fired M118 LR brass off of a Marine range that I cleaned and resold. In two years I tumbled well over 100,000 cases in my unventilated basement. I also cast lead bullets in my basement. Had my blood level checked for lead, and if I remember correctly, my lead level was 2.3 in which a level of 25.0 calls for medical intervention. Keep your fingers out of your mouth and nose, and don't shoot at indoor ranges, and it's really hard to run into lead level problems. Just MHO.

Don

 

[mdi]

There's only a minute amount of "lead" in a primer. Most of that gets blown down the barrel so there is virtually none left to get into a tumbler.

Unless we put our faces into the tumbler bowl and breathe the dust for a few hours at a time we'll never breathe enough to be a hazard. Cob and nut dust is harmless; polish dust I don't know but there's no reason to think it's harmful if we don't eat it or lick our fingers clean.

The 'gray' on used media is dried metal polish, not lead. Most of the dust comes from excessive polish that gets added far more than it needs to be. Dried polish can be sorta reactivated by adding an ounce or so of mineral spirits instead of more polish.

Any small squares of a loose weave fabric or paper will entangle the dusty polish so it can be tossed out.

It's difficult to "wear out" tumbling media; all it does is rub the brass clean, not grind it. Use the loose fabric to trap dust and mineral spirits to soften the dried stuff and media well work nearly forever.

I agree with ranger, he just beat me to it. I have a tendency to put this topic in my "Chicken Little" file, no offence to the OP. In theory, if you stood over the tumbler/vibrator for a couple hours per day, you may be affected by the dust, eventually, but I don't think it would be from lead. Odds are way against it though. No harm in asking..

 

[bigdaa]

I never tumble with primers in. They are either out, or do not get tumbled.
Problem never existed.

 

[gamestalker]

I don't worry about lead in the media dust. I'm always careful to wash up after separating, or doing anything that puts me in contact with those elements. But as others here have said, as long as you aren't foolishly inhaling the dust your not going to ingest enough to have any ill effects. The real danger is when lead is heated up and begins to produce fumes, those fumes are deadly.
As for the media that gets stuck in the flash holes, I just use a small finishing nail to push them out, no big deal at all.

GS

 

[orionengnr]

I shoot exclusively at an indoor range. I handload in the house, and I tumble the brass in my garage. There is a load of .38Spl brass running right now.

I started getting my blood lead level checked as part of my annual physical when I started handloading (and consequently, shooting a lot more). Highest reading was the first year, at a 4. "Normal" is 0-19, anything at 20 or above is cause for some assessment.

After that I started taking the tumbler outside to dump, sift and separate. When I think of it, I put on a set of nitrile gloves when handling spent cases.

When I am handloading, I try to put on a nitrile glove with the hand that is seating a bullet.

After shooting, and after a loading session, I wash up.

Year two, my level was at 2.

Year three, and every year since, I am at 2 or 1.

This year was a 1.

I consider that a negligible risk.

 

[homatok]

With respect to the level of lead residue to be found in tumbling media I believe primer in or primer out makes NO difference. Once the primer fires any lead is blown forward and any residue is much more likely to be inside the fired case than in the now fired primer cup. Indoor ranges with poor venting are much more likely to give you increased lead blood levels from the lead styphanate released into the air from the firing of the primer. Taking reasonable hygenic precautions when working with used tumbling media and/or raw lead (scrap or bullets) will be sufficient protection.

 

[OilyPablo]

Indoor ranges with poor venting...

I'm glad you clarified that. Not all indoor ranges are lead bombs. I just came off the indoor season when I had my blood level checked.

 

[ConstantStudent]

I too am concerned about lead dust. I prewash all my rounds(water, vinegar, soap and salt solution).

Might be overkill, but allows me to sleep at night.

 

[OilyPablo]

I prewash all my rounds(water, vinegar, soap and salt solution).

Why salt?

 

[roadcoder]

Why salt?

That's what I was wondering too. Why not Pepper?

 

[roadcoder]

Seriously I got a ultrasonic cleaner a while back and I use that first. I still tumble to put a good shine on. There might be something to add to the ultrasonic cleaner to help with lead abatement.

I buy my lead-removing soap from a site that sells materials for making or restoring stained glass. Those folks have a lot of history with lead handling, so maybe I'll look and see if they have something that might make sense for tumblers or ultrasonics.

(For now the question is what do I do with the waste water from the ultrasonic? For now I've been selling it to New York street vendors to make their hot dogs in, but eventually I need to figure out something better. )

 

[dmazur]

IMO, it's not just the primers, but the entire inside of the case with primer residue with that causes potential lead problems when tumbling.

I tumble with the lid on, in the garage, and then do the media separation outdoors. I wear disposable gloves.

No elevated blood levels, yet...