DRY TUMBLING VERSES WET TUMBLING

[markr6754]

They sell magnets for handling the pins which is well worth buying.

I was pretty happy to discover the Frankford Arsenal magnet...until I used it for the first time. Unbelievably, 1/3 of the pins aren't magnetic. I'd blame it on the magnet...except a magnet either is or isn't. Same with the pins...and a large quantity aren't. Doesn't matter now as I picked up the Hornady Media Separator. It works exceptionally well, and I can leave the pins in the bottom until they're dry.

My extended wet process:
Put in a crap ton of brass, add pins, add cleaning solution (now using the Hornady solution as my Frankford Arsenal quart is now empty).
Fill the drum with hot water
Tumble - FART is in the garage so I run it the full 3 hours
Open the drum, Install the FART mesh screen
Dump the dirty solution, refill with hot water, agitate, dump the still dirty water - repeat several times
Install second screen, flush through with warm water
Refill the drum with cold water, seal the drum, tumble for 5 minutes (or so)
Drain with screens back in place
Dump brass and pins into Hornady Media Separator...spin spin spin, reverse direction, spin spin spin, check that brass is free of pins
Dump brass onto extra large Orange Edward Jones Region 72 Summer Regional 2010 commemorative beach towel and dry the brass
Load semi-dry brass into Waring Pro, 5 tray food and herb dehydrator and set on Hi for 45 minutes...or until I remember it's running. Turn to Air Only for 5 minutes
Dump trays of brass into Sterilite 6qt locking bins (#1492) designated for the caliber, sort by headstamp or set aside to sort later
Place dry paper towel in pin container and cover with wet pins. Wring out paper towel multiple times, then leave pins to air dry - it helps to leave a corner of the towel exposed. Transfer to square peanut jar when dry.

 

[hk940]

I have not had a problem with the pins being non magnetic, only the magnet not picking up the stated weight (8#) it will pick up about a pound.
It does good at picking up the stray pin on the floor though.
I made my own media separator out of plywood and hardware cloth and some 3/4" cedar.

 

[Highland Lofts]

I use these magnets that I bought from Harbor Freight for around $10.


They always pick up.the stainless steel pins that came with the Frankford Arsenal Platinum tumbler.
I did buy the small Frankford magnet off of either ebay or Amazon and never took it out of the shipping box.

 

[gwpercle]

Gary, what is the right dry polishing media that you use?

The Treated Walnut Shell Brass Polishung Media sold by Midway USA , their store brand ...
Frankford Arsenal , product # 2124331177.
The shell is ground to the correct size , no clogging inside cases . The polishing agent (dry red rouge) is the correct kind and the media is not dusty or damp with too much liquid ...Damp media clumps and doesn't polish well ... it needs to be free flowing . Don't add any liquid to it ... use as is .
It will last a long time ... when it stops polishing well ... dump and change it ...adding liquid car wax and such is a waste of time and money .
Gary

 

[Blue68f100]

The pins need to be 400 series SS to be magnetic. So if you got some pins from a different source make sure they are 400 SS and not the 300 series ( non magnetic).

 

[lightman]

The pins need to be 400 series SS to be magnetic. So if you got some pins from a different source make sure they are 400 SS and not the 300 series ( non magnetic).

I thought it was the other way? Either way, mine are magnetic.

 

[CJ8281]

I have been using the same Midway 1292 tumbler since they replaced my first one because of a recall in the early '90s (the original did not have thermal protection, the replacement did. The original one never failed, was just recalled. They had a few fires from what I was told but anyway I digress). I recently bought the FART Lite because of an issue that I have. I have some brass that corrodes over time. I have tried dry tumbling it but it comes back. I have read that wet tumbling should clear this up.
1 question that I have is about the recipe for the cleaning solution of 2T dawn and 1/2t Lemishine, I believe this is for the Large FART. Is the Lite just half the size of the large one? One thing that leads me to believe this is in my instructions it lists using 2 cap full of Frankford Arsenal Cleaner and instructions on line for the large one list 4 cap fulls. I am going to try half the amounts of Dawn and Lemishine and see how it goes.
To answer someone else's question, my Lite did not come with pins but I have seen one that had a different part number that did come with 2 pounds of pins. Hope this helps.

 

[hk940]

I have always used Armor All Wash and wax 1 Tbs. 1/4 Tsp. Lemi Shine to 5# water 5# pins 5# brass. The Armor All leaves a thin wax coating that slows tarnish.

 

[Blue68f100]

I have been using the same Midway 1292 tumbler since they replaced my first one because of a recall in the early '90s (the original did not have thermal protection, the replacement did. The original one never failed, was just recalled. They had a few fires from what I was told but anyway I digress). I recently bought the FART Lite because of an issue that I have. I have some brass that corrodes over time. I have tried dry tumbling it but it comes back. I have read that wet tumbling should clear this up.
1 question that I have is about the recipe for the cleaning solution of 2T dawn and 1/2t Lemishine, I believe this is for the Large FART. Is the Lite just half the size of the large one? One thing that leads me to believe this is in my instructions it lists using 2 cap full of Frankford Arsenal Cleaner and instructions on line for the large one list 4 cap fulls. I am going to try half the amounts of Dawn and Lemishine and see how it goes.
To answer someone else's question, my Lite did not come with pins but I have seen one that had a different part number that did come with 2 pounds of pins. Hope this helps.

If your having trouble with brass tarnishing you need to apply some wax to protect it. This can be done 2 ways. With the dry tumbler add it to the media. With the wet use Armor-All or any auto wash & Wax product will work instead of Dawn.

 

[johnjohn]

I have the Midway 1292 dry tumbler. Unless it quits working before I do I'll stay with it. Too late in the game to change now.

 

[doubleh]

Are you not aware of the monumental problem with wet tumbling brass? How to dry it?

It's seldom a problem on the south plains. Throw it in a pan and set it outside. Half the year the hot sunshine makes quick work of it and high wind the rest of the year does the same. You just need to use your weather conditions.

 

[Pottimus]

I like the results I get from wet tumble/pins. Your mileage may vary.

 

[hk940]

After washing I toss them into my dehydrator.

 

[Highland Lofts]

I bought an extra five pounds of stainless steel pins a couple of years ago and never opened them.
Amazon had the Frankford Arsenal Lite tumbler on sale a few months back for $77 so i picked one up just to have.

I might use it if I start tumbling smaller loads of brass.

 

[Hikingman]

Two main categories, commercial and hobby. Sixty minutes in a Pro 1200 (hobby) works for me (small loads).

What possible advantage would I have in wet tumbling- faster, or more bling for the buck? Some people reload for their own use, solo, one individual, and that keeps the quantity way down compared to a family or club.

 

[hk940]

Two main categories, commercial and hobby. Sixty minutes in a Pro 1200 (hobby) works for me (small loads).

What possible advantage would I have in wet tumbling- faster, or more bling for the buck? Some people reload for their own use, solo, one individual, and that keeps the quantity way down compared to a family or club.

You are right if the cases are once fired and picked up the day fired then dry tumbled, most if not all will come out fine.
On the other hand badly tarnished cases will come out looking like new with wet tumbling.
I shot 1917 head stamped .45 APC in the 80's and they sat in an ammo can for almost forty years after wet tumbling with SS pins they looked like new.
At one time I had four dry tumblers, I was never happy with the results. I now only wet tumble. All of my empty cases (.221 FB- 45-70) have been wet tumbled and in zip-lock plastic bags.
Granted startup cost is higher with wet tumbling, and drying is a concern but I already had a dehydrator so that took care of that problem.

 

[King Medallion]

I do both, dry tumble to get the crap off before sizing/depriming, then wet tumble, cuz I like shinny brass. It's work, but it's my hobby and I enjoy doing it.

 

[doubleh]

Two main categories, commercial and hobby. Sixty minutes in a Pro 1200 (hobby) works for me (small loads).

What possible advantage would I have in wet tumbling- faster, or more bling for the buck? Some people reload for their own use, solo, one individual, and that keeps the quantity way down compared to a family or club.

I don't wet tumble and don't intend to. Most of my loading is in small batches and most of the time I give them a lemon water soak for a couple of hours to get them clean. Really shiny I don't care about and the old walnut hull containing annoying noise maker stays on the shelf. We throw our loose change in a large coffee can and I run the change in the tumbler for awhile before taking it to the bank to clean any dirty coins that the automated counting machine will reject.

 

[Yankee1986]

I start with this stuff:


Usually about an hour, the dirtier the brass the longer the time.
To get shiny, I use a 2nd tumbler with fine corncob for an hour or two.
I don't seem to get the "dust" everyone mentions. I've let mine run without the lid on and still didn't get any noticeable "dust".

My 25yr old Hornady tumbler just took a dump about 2 months ago.
What I have found is the bowl shape on the new Hornady ones sucks. The media moves much faster in the old bowl.

OLD:


NEW:


I don't have any videos nor done any extensive testing but from casual observation, it's pretty obvious something is going on and bowl shape is the only difference. Same vibratory base is used for both bowls.

 

[GBExpat]

Are you not aware of the monumental problem with wet tumbling brass? How to dry it?

I have a couple (several, actually) of big, old towels. After rinsing and spin-pre-drying in a regular RCBS Dry Media Separator I put the cases in towel #1, agitate them for a short period, then pour them into towel#2, repeat, then pour them out into what I call corrugated cardboard flats and place them in front of the basement "air-movement" fan that I keep running in the basement for ~24 hours.

O'course, I am careful during the Spin-Drying portion of the program because the Separator is designed to deal with much lighter loads.

 

[AJC1]

Wet tumbling is the full length resizing of the loading world. Sure you can neck size (dry tumble) but your a shrinking minority.

 

[peeplwtchr]

Ive been loading for about 3-4 years, and have always wet tumbled over dry, for many reasons. However I just bought my first dry tumbler yesterday. Although dry doesn't clean as well, I bought it to lessen my time outside during the 4 months it is 100 - 120 degrees here. The wet process adds about 5 steps, all of which take me outside. I'll try it this summer, and switch back to wet once it cools down, likely october.

The bulk of my cleaning is pistol cases, I don't think dirty primer pockets will matter, as I don't use go/no go checkers on thier pockets. This will get me through the summer, then I can get the pockets clean again when I return to wet tumbling.

My logic is that I can keep the tumbler on the patio, walk out and dump my brass in, come back however many hours later, sift and bring inside.

 

[Dudedog]

Well soon it will be summer where I am at, no problems drying brass,
just put it outside in the sun where it's 105 it dries quick and to hot to touch!

I have done both but prefer wet.
It is a little more work, not much, and yes you have to dry the brass.

Do nice shiny cases with clean primer pockets make my reloads shoot better, probably not but they make me smile and that counts for something.

Using car wash and wax seems to prevent the "to clean brass" issue when load it, and also keeps the brass from tarnishing.
I use whatever wash and wax the car is getting for brass, usually Turtle wax because that's what seems to be on sale, a dab of citric acid (why people use lemi shine)I prefer the acid because I can buy 5lbs cheap on
Amazon and 5lbs lasts a longgggg time.

 

[GeoDudeFlorida]

Wet tumbling is the full length resizing of the loading world. Sure you can neck size (dry tumble) but your a shrinking minority.

Were I the last person on Earth to hold an opinion based on experience which was in opposition to popular opinion of the day, it would change me naught.

 

[AJC1]

Were I the last person on Earth to hold an opinion based on experience which was in opposition to popular opinion of the day, it would change me naught.

You know a poke when you see one.