Flogging a Deceased Equine - wet tumbling

[Hondo 60]

As someone recently called it.
(Beatin a dead horse)

I bit the bullet & ordered a dbl drum wet tumbler.
Got a 25% off coupon at Harbor Freight today only.
That made the dbl drum tumbler cheaper than the single drum

I ordered a pound of stainless pins
So how much brass at a time in each drum?
Like 100pcs???

Am I right in thinking just a drop or two of Dawn?
Or is it more? How much?

Is this the right Lemishine stuff? How much do I use?
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Lemi-Shine-Super-Concentrated-Dishwasher-Detergent-Additive-12-oz/15724190

 

[rondog]

Without knowing the size of the tumbler itself, it's tough to advise on quantities. But it's not rocket science and you won't break or ruin any brass, so experiment! Probably a teaspoon or two of the Dawn, start with a 9mm case full of the Lemishine. That's the right stuff BTW, the granules.

Tain't no thang.... hell, I use a cement mixer! Sometimes I wish I had a smaller setup though, like what you're putting together.

 

[Captaingyro]

First, I'm assuming this is the tumbler:

http://www.harborfreight.com/dual-drum-rotary-rock-tumbler-67632.html

If that's the one, it says each drum holds 3 lbs, which means about a quart and a half. Thats not ideal; a single big drum would be better that two small ones, for reasons that you'll find out after you start tumbling. For comparison, the Thumlers that a lot of folks use takes over a gallon.

The formula for a one gallon drum (which you can scale down for your drums) is

1. either two tablespoons of Armor All Ultra Shine Wash & Wax or one tablespoon of Dawn
2. a quarter teaspoon of Lemi Shine
2. five pounds of pins
3. enough brass to fill up about a quarter to a third of the drum
4. enough water to almost fill the drum

As you can see, you're not going to get a lot of brass done with those small drums. If I had to guess, to start out (in a single drum) I'd try:

* two teaspoons of the Wash & Wax or one teaspoon of Dawn
* just a small pinch of Lemi Shine
* a pound of pins
* about a hundred pieces of 9mm brass or about forty .223
* the rest water

And yes, that is the correct Lemi Shine.

 

[Analogkid]

I use one of them and I Love it.


I fill both of mine up with 9mm cases about 1"-1.5" lower than the lip. Then I fill with water up to the cases. Add 2 or 3 drops of dawn then a pinch or so of lemi shine.

I don't use but maybe 4 tsp of pins in each barrel. Then I let it rock and roll for 2-3 hours. They come out fantastic. No dirty pockets or cases.

I do everything the same for .45acp, 38 and 357 but I let it run for 3 hours or so. 9mm seems to clean much faster.

 

[Da Yooper]

I have the same tumbler & what I did was weigh a cartridge I wanted to tumble in grns & then divide 7,000 by that number with 1 pound of pins & 1 pound of water you can tumble

9mm...... 127 cart

380acp .....155

45acp .......73

38 sp .......127

.223 .......70

30-06 .....35

all number are approximate & allow some wiggle room for the brass to tumble.

take the 380 above I have tumbled 135 & they came out like new brass.

good luck & YMMV. Hope you ordered spare belts I emailed Harbor freight about getting some spare parts & was told none are available even though the owners manual that comes with it leads you to believe other wise.

It is a throw away tool. When it breaks unless you have another to scavenge parts off of you throw it away.

 

[DudeRick]

And when it comes to the Dawn and Lemi Shine, take it from one who can never get this through his head. More is not better...

 

[dredd]

I can't speak for your case capacity, but here's what I have used with GREAT success in my full size tumbler.
It will work with any tumbler.

Take a 1 gallon jug and add 1 Table Spoon of Soap and a max of 1/4 teaspoon of Lemi Shine.

Fill your containers with media, shells & juice.

Regardless of container size, you will have a correct mixture of cleaner.

As stated above, more is NOT better, especially when it comes to the Lemi Shine.

 

[AV8TOR]

As someone recently called it.
(Beatin a dead horse)

I bit the bullet & ordered a dbl drum wet tumbler.
Got a 25% off coupon at Harbor Freight today only.
That made the dbl drum tumbler cheaper than the single drum

Double drum $54.99 with 25% discount $41.24
Single drum $42.99 with 25% discount $32.24

Are you using some common core math there or are you not applying the discount to the single drum?

You will love it. Oh and by the way I use a 3cc dipper that came with my Lee 9mm dies for the Lemishine.

 

[Hondo 60]

OK - I guess I should've said that with the discount the dbl is cheaper than the single at full price.

dredd - that sounds like the perfect way to go.
I'll make up a gallon jug of solution.