Drying after Wet Tumbling......

[rondog]

I dry mine on a COTTON blanket in the sun. Definitely cotton, to absorb water. Synthetics let the water puddle, causing stained brass.

But you also need to dry them first with a couple of large cotton towels, to blot off as much water as possible, to prevent spotting too.

I also recommend punching out the old primers first, clean pockets are nice!

After drying, you can run the brass in corncob with NuFinish if you wish. It'll make 'em even shinier, and the NuFinish polish helps prevent tarnishing. Wet tumbled brass looks awesome, but it's essentially naked and defenseless against tarnishing.

 

[Gravedigger56]

I dry mine on a COTTON blanket in the sun. Definitely cotton, to absorb water. Synthetics let the water puddle, causing stained brass.

But you also need to dry them first with a couple of large cotton towels, to blot off as much water as possible, to prevent spotting too.

I also recommend punching out the old primers first, clean pockets are nice!

After drying, you can run the brass in corncob with NuFinish if you wish. It'll make 'em even shinier, and the NuFinish polish helps prevent tarnishing. Wet tumbled brass looks awesome, but it's essentially naked and defenseless against tarnishing.

After hearing it's praises from other reloaders, I switched to using Armor-All Wash & Wax instead of Dawn in my wet tumbler. Since then I have never had a problem with water spotting and the AA gives the shine plus the protective coating to prevent tarnishing you desire. No need for dry tumbling. I just bag them up after drying for storage and have never had any tarnishing to date.

I have also found that since I started using the AA, my pistol brass works smoother in the dies which I think may be due to the protective coating it offers.

 

[JohnMc]

I went from very soft city water to very hard (calcium carbonate) well water last year and had water spot problems crop up. LemiShine helped. I haven't tried the Armor-All Wash & Wax, but if it helps brass water spot problems, it should help on the cars too.
I've found that they dry faster inside when they're decapped (I sonicate, not tumble). Could be watched pot syndrome, m'eh.
Putting them on a discard or dollar store cookie sheet in the oven will dry them very fast, but as has been stated by others, blot them on a cotton towel or similar first to prevent water spots. I put a few in the center of a towel, grab the corners of the towel, two corners in each hand, and "tumble" blot the brass dry enough to stop water spots by alternately pulling up on one side then the other.
I use 180 deg or so in the oven.

 

[Rottweiler]

An old blanket, the back patio, Texas sun. Need I say more?

 

[Gravedigger56]

I went from very soft city water to very hard (calcium carbonate) well water last year and had water spot problems crop up

I could see where that could create problems. I guess the treated soft water is one of the few advantages of being city locked. Well I guess if the AA didn't help, you could always use it on your vehicles.

 

[Horsemany]

I roll them around on a large bath towel to dry the outsides. Then I set that towel in front of a fan for several hours. After a day or two of sitting around on the towel I put them in plastic bins with a few desiccant packets.

 

[Rule3]

OMG!

Water Spots on your fine brass? What will the guests say??

 

[rondog]

I'll have to git me some o' that Armor All stuff, sounds good.

 

[Mac45]

I have an old media separator pan on a 5 gal bucket.
Generally just toss 'em on that and let 'em air dry for a day or so.
If I'm in a hurry, I'll give 'em a quick roll around in a towel, then toss 'em in the oven at 200 for an hour or so.

 

[rondog]

Oh ya, spread 'em on a blanket in the hot, hot sun.....

But cotton only, it absorbs water! The blue blanket at the bottom is synthetic, water just puddles up on it. That one's there for my knees, to kneel on.

 

[OilyPablo]

Winning.

 

[Gravedigger56]

Now that's a LOT of brass!

 

[baseball2013]

I just started using a Lyman 2500 Sonic cleaner. I was unable to find a brass dryer or reasonably priced food dehydrator but will keep looking. The first batch out looks great including the primer pockets.

 

[jmorris]

The sun this time of year in TX will have them not only dry but too hot to hold in your hand in 2.5 beers.

 

[2011redrider]

Dehydrator

I just started using a Lyman 2500 Sonic cleaner. I was unable to find a brass dryer or reasonably priced food dehydrator but will keep looking. The first batch out looks great including the primer pockets.

http://www.harborfreight.com/5-tier-food-dehydrator-66908.html

Here is the coupon if you need it:
http://images.harborfreight.com/hftweb/home-page2015/images061615/Fathers-day-coupon2015.jpg

Try Harbor Freight, looks like this one is on sale for 23.99, and goes down to 19.19 with a 20% coupon. Looks like they have 2 stores in Nebraska (Omaha and Lincoln). Just got one but haven't had time to unbox it, had to pack for a MC to Taos, NM.

I've done 5-6 loads of brass since I got the tumbler and used my Traeger with some cheap heating pellets. Took about 30 minutes at 225 setting.

 

[coach z]

I've been using a food dehydrator and it's awesome! Gets all the cases 100% dry in half an hour. I do a lot more shooting in the winter so drying them in the sun won't work and the basement is cool so drying is slow.

 

[mckey]

I've been thinking about trying the stainless steel media after everything I've read lately.......One question I have and haven't found the answer to is " how do you separate the stainless steel pins from the dirty wash water " ?

Some type of fine strainer that you pour the waste water into ?

 

[OilyPablo]

Media separator. Work like a champ.

 

[mckey]

I take it you have to buy a special media separator made just for stainless steel pins?

Theirs no way the RCBS media separator basket I have would be able to contain the skinny diameter steel pins with the large cut out slots in the molded plastic basket they'd drop through the slots as easily as the walnut cleaning media I use.........

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[OilyPablo]

Exactly. Brass in basket. Pins below. A thing of beauty.

 

[mckey]

I understand how a media separator basket works and the brass spins and the pins drop to the bottom of the container.

When you pour out the tumbler after finishing the brass wash you'll have dirty water that's also poured into the media separator along with the clean brass and pins. Still haven't answered my question.........How do you separate the pins from the dirty water in the bottom of the separator after you'll spun the basket to remove the brass from the pins.........

 

[OilyPablo]

Oh easy just pour the water only out of the tumbler rinse and repeat a couple times. The pins are relatively heavy. They don't pour out with the water. When I dump in the separator there is little free water.

 

[Gravedigger56]

How do you separate the pins from the dirty water in the bottom of the separator after you'll spun the basket to remove the brass from the pins.........

Best thing in the world for that. Fast, clean and less pin loss.

http://www.btibrands.com/product/media-transfer-magnet/

 

[vaalpens]

An old blanket, the back patio, Texas sun. Need I say more?

^^^^

The only difference is an old towel in the Phoenix sun for a quick dry, or leave it under the covered patio for a slower paced dry.

 

[mckey]

Ok thanks.......I'm still not 100 percent sold on the stainless media tumbler seems like trying to pickup those tiny diameter pins with my fat fingers would be a nightmare.....I like the transfer magnet option to pickup any loose or spilled pins that may end up on the floor.I guess I'll do some more research on the subject before I make up my mind. Thanks for all the help !