Drying brass

[KY DAN]

So normally I have time to wait for my brass to dry laying in front of fan in my basement on a towel.

But..... I need it quicker so I popped this batch in the oven on a pizza tray lined with paper towels at 250 degrees for 30 mins door closed and let them cool in the oven and retrieveed this morning.

They feel dry but are they?

 

[ilbob]

I used to put mine in a sock, tie off the ends, and run it through the washing machine and then the dryer. Came out clean and dry. Not pretty, but clean.

 

[doubleh]

I can't think of a reason why they wouldn't be. The inside of the case is what you need to check. Stuff a piece of paper towel in a case, twist it around a few times, and then check for any dampness of the towel if you are really worried they are still wet.. Do several to put your mind at ease.

 

[Demi-human]

They feel dry but are they?

Yes.

 

[reddog81]

Yes.

Yes x 2

 

[KY DAN]

Yes.

I feel like your saying they need a hour in the self cleaning cycle. ....

 

[IALoder]

I'll bet on yes! I use an old food dehydrator to dry my brass and it's dry in less than an hour. It gets nowhere near 250°

 

[HowieG]

So normally I have time to wait for my brass to dry laying in front of fan in my basement on a towel.

But..... I need it quicker so I popped this batch in the oven on a pizza tray lined with paper towels at 250 degrees for 30 mins door closed and let them cool in the oven and retrieveed this morning.

They feel dry but are they?

So, why is your brass getting wet in the first place??

 

[KY DAN]

So, why is your brass getting wet in the first place??

I wet tumble to clean and debur trimmed brass

 

[whughett]

No primer yes, old primer still in the pocket maybe maybe not.

 

[WeekendReloader]

After heating the oven and brass is up to temperature, crack the door open on the oven to let the moisture out. It will dry much faster.

I usually just shake the rinse water of and set the brass next to the furnace vent on the floor overnight. It's all dry by the next day. (wet tumbled, de-primed pistol brass)

 

[HowieG]

I wet tumble to clean and debur trimmed brass

Steel pin media?

 

[Demi-human]

I feel like your saying they need a hour in the self cleaning cycle. ....

Mine are dirty to washed to dry in an hour. Yours should be great!
I Use 170° and they are dry in twenty minutes.

 

[Skgreen]

On unprimed 223, I'm down to 20 minutes @ 200 degrees. I let 'em cool down spread out over a bath towel for about 30, place them in an open box in front of a fan. (I batch tumble in a climate controlled environment. YMMV)

 

[dcloco]

dehydrator is wonderful for drying brass

 

[HowieG]

So, I'll bite. Why not just vibe your brass in dry media and skip the brass drying all together. Is there a big advantage to this wet thing??

 

[WeekendReloader]

So, I'll bite. Why not just vibe your brass in dry media and skip the brass drying all together. Is there a big advantage to this wet thing??

Wet tumbling (with stainless steel pins) is easy and gets the brass really clean, inside and out. All the dirt, carbon, lead dust, etc is captured in the soapy water and goes down the drain. It is a very clean operation.
I de-prime before, but others leave the old primer in the brass and de-prime on press.

 

[HowieG]

Wet tumbling (with stainless steel pins) is easy and gets the brass really clean, inside and out. All the dirt, carbon, lead dust, etc is captured in the soapy water and goes down the drain. It is a very clean operation.
I de-prime before, but others leave the old primer in the brass and de-prime on press.

I can see how it keeps the house clean, but the lead dust goes into the water system? And after that, you still have to dry the brass. I am still not seeing it, but each to his/her own.

 

[AJC1]

I can see how it keeps the house clean, but the lead dust goes into the water system? And after that, you still have to dry the brass. I am still not seeing it, but each to his/her own.

It's a major advantage to people that dont like dealing with ppe. If you use the proper mask each time and wash your hands after then they can be considered a draw. I dont like dealing with the mask.
The media is effectively permanent as well.

 

[Phantom 309]

For what it's worth I use a cheap salad spinner to get the excess water off/out of my brass before air drying and it works pretty well. It was actually my lovely wife's idea.

 

[rfwobbly]

I popped this batch in the oven on a pizza tray lined with paper towels....

Paper in the oven. Not a good combination.

I use an old 1200W hairdryer mounted in a std 5 gal utility bucket. Wet brass rests is a 1/4" mesh sieve (Amazon), atop the bucket.

 

[HowieG]

It's a major advantage to people that dont like dealing with ppe. If you use the proper mask each time and wash your hands after then they can be considered a draw. I dont like dealing with the mask.
The media is effectively permanent as well.

As far as dumping it down the drain, two words come to mind. Flint, Michigan.

 

[AJC1]

As far as dumping it down the drain, two words come to mind. Flint, Michigan.

I guess that depends on your sewage situation. Most coastal cities discharge to sea. That's my situation. Your point is well taken but I'm more worried about the birth control in the tap water.

 

[WeekendReloader]

As far as dumping it down the drain, two words come to mind. Flint, Michigan.

Flint is an example of an acidic water source leaching lead from supply lines into the consumers' water supply. Not an inability of the waste water processing facility to clean the waste and contaminants from flushing toilets.


With wet cleaning, it is all captured in the water and goes down the drain. Municipal water stations can clean it out of the water before releasing it into the environment. This option i consider the best.

If you are on a septic system, then it all goes into the dirt at your house. Also, if you clean and rinse outdoors, it all goes into the dirt, too. Then, leaches down into the groundwater supply. These options I consider bad.

Dry tumbling puts the lead into the media. Some media dust will, over time, migrate to the areas around where the the vibratory tumbler is operated. This dust can spread around the house or garage. Then, when you change out the media, it all goes to the land fill. Landfills have some mitigation to prevent leaching into the ground water supply.

YMMV or in other words... Pick your poison, I guess. However you choose to clean your brass, the lead residue ends up somewhere.

 

[HowieG]

Flint is an example of an acidic water source leaching lead from supply lines into the consumers' water supply. Not an inability of the waste water processing facility to clean the waste and contaminants from flushing toilets.


With wet cleaning, it is all captured in the water and goes down the drain. Municipal water stations can clean it out of the water before releasing it into the environment. This option i consider the best.

If you are on a septic system, then it all goes into the dirt at your house. Also, if you clean and rinse outdoors, it all goes into the dirt, too. Then, leaches down into the groundwater supply. These options I consider bad.

Dry tumbling puts the lead into the media. Some media dust will, over time, migrate to the areas around where the the vibratory tumbler is operated. This dust can spread around the house or garage. Then, when you change out the media, it all goes to the land fill. Landfills have some mitigation to prevent leaching into the ground water supply.

YMMV or in other words... Pick your poison, I guess. However you choose to clean your brass, the lead residue ends up somewhere.

You have more faith in treatment plants than I do. Run by the government and built by the lowest bidder. I guess how much lead residue depends on what you are shooting. I certainly don't think it's a great idea to pour any hazmat down the drain though. Local laws may vary, but it may be illegal as well.