Frankford Arsenal Rotary Tumbler
- Thread starter JO JO
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I am thinking the exact same thing!anyone have a Frankford Arsenal Rotary Tumbler am thinking of putting on under the tree from me to me
anyway any good or bad input ?
Thanks again
Russellc
I got one for black Friday and have run about 2k PCs of 223/40sw
It works great! Dawn and lemishine and they are brilliant.
I did do.an experiment with about 500pcs of 223 brass, not filthy but once fired. I ran them without the ss pins for an hour. . . they are plenty clean to resize. No need (right now) to decap prior to cleaning. I will resize them, trim as needed and then run them through again with the pins for that brilliant clean.
I did get the rcbs media separator, and a magnet. The magnet is very helpful, have not used the media separator yet
It works great! Dawn and lemishine and they are brilliant.
I did do.an experiment with about 500pcs of 223 brass, not filthy but once fired. I ran them without the ss pins for an hour. . . they are plenty clean to resize. No need (right now) to decap prior to cleaning. I will resize them, trim as needed and then run them through again with the pins for that brilliant clean.
I did get the rcbs media separator, and a magnet. The magnet is very helpful, have not used the media separator yet
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sevt_chevelle
Member
I bought one probably a month or two ago, its awesome. Mine hasn't shut off since and cleaned around 15k worth of brass.
Got some 223 brass in the mail 6k worth, filled the container about 3/4 full of brass and the included SS pins filled the rest with water some dish soap and citric acid. Run the tumbler for 30 mins, dumped the water in a 2 gal bucket, filled the container up again with clean water gave it some good shakes and then dumped the water out.
I use this, fill the lower half about half full with clean water, then dump the brass it. Washes the brass and helps remove any SS pins.
http://www.berrysmfg.com/product-i14629-c47-g8-b0-p0-Double_Action_Rotary_Sifter.aspx
On a 30 min cycle I got the brass clean enough to size, I just use my Dillon 650 to deprime, then tumble again.
I did all 6 k worth of brass using the same water solution. Once I got all the brass deprimed I did mix up a new batch of water solution for the final wash which I do for about 1.5 hours.
Got some 223 brass in the mail 6k worth, filled the container about 3/4 full of brass and the included SS pins filled the rest with water some dish soap and citric acid. Run the tumbler for 30 mins, dumped the water in a 2 gal bucket, filled the container up again with clean water gave it some good shakes and then dumped the water out.
I use this, fill the lower half about half full with clean water, then dump the brass it. Washes the brass and helps remove any SS pins.
http://www.berrysmfg.com/product-i14629-c47-g8-b0-p0-Double_Action_Rotary_Sifter.aspx
On a 30 min cycle I got the brass clean enough to size, I just use my Dillon 650 to deprime, then tumble again.
I did all 6 k worth of brass using the same water solution. Once I got all the brass deprimed I did mix up a new batch of water solution for the final wash which I do for about 1.5 hours.
earlthegoat2
Member
I bought a rotary tumbler from McMaster Carr for putting a dull finish on aluminum parts that I make as a side job. It also works awesome for case tumbling. It is industrial grade and seems a heck of a lot more solid than any of the tumblers marketed by the reloading companies.
They are priced similarly too.
They are priced similarly too.
Toprudder
Member
^^^^ +1
I'm just getting started with rifle brass, but I did just what you described with some 308 and 223 brass. I tumbled without the pins for 30 minutes, lubed, resized and decapped, then back into the tumbler for 2 hours with the pins. A little more work, but worth it.
For pistol brass, I can take the nastiest range pickup brass and throw it in there for 3 hours, it comes out bright and shiny.
I have run as much as 1000 40s&w casings and probably 1200 9mm casings at a time. Large batches take the same overhead (rinsing, separating media, etc) as a small batch, so I try to save up for large batches.
So far I have been using Dawn and Lemishine, but the next batch I am going to try Armorall Wash and Wax (tip from someone here on THR). It cleans but also leaves a protective film. Some brass has been darkening after a few days, never had that happen with dry media and Nufinish. The film is supposed to be carnuba wax, should make the pistol brass run through resizing/expander dies a little easier.
larryh1108
Member
I've had the Harbor Freight version for 2+ years and love it.
It is the smaller, dual drum one.
http://www.harborfreight.com/dual-drum-rotary-rock-tumbler-67632.html
Here's the larger drum:
http://www.harborfreight.com/3-lb-rotary-rock-tumbler-67631.html
It's great for keeping the sizes separate.
3 hours in the Dawn/Lemishine mixture and they look brand new.
I deprime after I clean them.
I find that if you toss them into the drums after a range session
the grit comes off easier and better.
Well worth the money and they are pretty cheap.
It is the smaller, dual drum one.
http://www.harborfreight.com/dual-drum-rotary-rock-tumbler-67632.html
Here's the larger drum:
http://www.harborfreight.com/3-lb-rotary-rock-tumbler-67631.html
It's great for keeping the sizes separate.
3 hours in the Dawn/Lemishine mixture and they look brand new.
I deprime after I clean them.
I find that if you toss them into the drums after a range session
the grit comes off easier and better.
Well worth the money and they are pretty cheap.
Rangemaster
Member
I have both, go with the frankford. The lortone is very limited with the weight.
Both work good, but I would stick with frankford.
karnaaj
Member
I've had mine for two weeks and I'm still kicking myself for not getting one sooner. Definitely get a media separator and a magnet. Only downside is that it is pretty noisy.
I never try to store dirty brass, I have a few thousand PCs I have picked up in my various calibers and I always clean them after an day at the range. Since I got my rotary tumbler i am working through my stash recleaning everything because they are not clean enough. It has no impact to performance, but they are so shiny
GBExpat
Member
I ordered a Franklin Rotary from Amazon last week ... came this morning.
I have a few thousands of 556 brass (for now) that I want to process & reload (most of it has been sitting around for decades). So far, I am on my 2nd batch thru a pre-cleaning cycle (water+Dawn+tablespoon of citric acid).
This thing does a dandy job of pre-cleaning brass ... but it is a good thing that I had a large-enough strap wrench to tighten the bands so they did not leak.
For now, I am simply going to pre-clean all of this brass and lay it out in front of my circulation fan in the basement. I don't plan on processing it any further for at least a month.
FYI
I have a few thousands of 556 brass (for now) that I want to process & reload (most of it has been sitting around for decades). So far, I am on my 2nd batch thru a pre-cleaning cycle (water+Dawn+tablespoon of citric acid).
This thing does a dandy job of pre-cleaning brass ... but it is a good thing that I had a large-enough strap wrench to tighten the bands so they did not leak.
For now, I am simply going to pre-clean all of this brass and lay it out in front of my circulation fan in the basement. I don't plan on processing it any further for at least a month.
FYI
GBExpat
Member
I ran 2 batches (~500rd 5.56 & ~1150rd .45ACP) thru with the same recipe I listed above ... and added the s/s pins as a trial with small & big loads.
Those s/s pins sure do make for some clean, new-looking brass, but they are a PITA to separate.
I will probably shelve them until I can find the right kind of colander to use with a 5gal or 7gal bucket for separation. And, no, I have no interest in buying & messing with the specialized separator that they sell.
Quite frankly, the Dawn & citric acid do an adequate job for my purposes, so the s/s pins will probably get little use.
Those s/s pins sure do make for some clean, new-looking brass, but they are a PITA to separate.
I will probably shelve them until I can find the right kind of colander to use with a 5gal or 7gal bucket for separation. And, no, I have no interest in buying & messing with the specialized separator that they sell.
Quite frankly, the Dawn & citric acid do an adequate job for my purposes, so the s/s pins will probably get little use.
Toprudder
Member
I will probably shelve them until I can find the right kind of colander to use with a 5gal or 7gal bucket for separation. And, no, I have no interest in buying & messing with the specialized separator that they sell.
I use the RCBS media separator. It is a little flimsy, but works well enough. It is a clamshell tub which works very well for keeping dust down when separating dry media, but the bottom half by itself works great for separating the SS pins. Just fill it with water and insert the basket and dump in the brass. Crank for about 1-2 minutes and all the pins will be in the bottom.
RCBS media separator
Like I said, it is a little flimsy. When/if it breaks, I will probably consider getting the Dillon large separator, it is a similar design but looks much more robust.
natgas
Member
delete
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GBExpat
Member
Thanks, Toprudder.Toprudder said:
I already have one of the linked RCBS Media Separators. I haven't tried it because it is so very flimsy ... the water weight may quickly kill it. I am used to treating it very carefully already, though, especially those horribly-designed, tiny green plastic hinges.If the colander thing doesn't work out my plan is to see if the Media Separator fits sideways in one of my bathtubs.
deerstalkert
Member
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I have had a frankford now for 3 months and love it. I used a Lyman 1200 for close to 40 years and it finally started to die.(at least that is what I told momma!)
the only thing I can add is avoid mixing bottle neck and straight wall cases. they mate and won't get clean.
love not having to clean primer pockets.
I also found that I was seating primers better and accuracy improved measurably .
the only thing I can add is avoid mixing bottle neck and straight wall cases. they mate and won't get clean.
love not having to clean primer pockets.
I also found that I was seating primers better and accuracy improved measurably .
Toprudder
Member
To tell you the truth, I never tried it. Still have the sample they sent. I was more interested in using something inexpensive that I could buy locally (or borrow from the wife
).
Rottweiler
Member
I used the sample packet of Frankford cleaning solution. I'd give it a meh at best. Dawn and Lemishine work FAR better.
GBExpat
Member
I have never come across Lemishine, but I strongly suspect that it is the same as the citric acid powder that I use ... which, along with Dawn, produces stunning results.
Toprudder:
I have been using my RCBS Media Separator (carefully, carefully, carefully) to handle the s/s pins and rinse cycle.
I found that it fits in the rear of my basement tub (just barely in one orientation) and if I never allow myself to get in a rush or get stupid (no sudden movements on the handles and ALWAYS use BOTH handles to slowly turn the basket) this may represent a longterm solution. Thanks for the encouragement!
Toprudder:
I have been using my RCBS Media Separator (carefully, carefully, carefully) to handle the s/s pins and rinse cycle.
I found that it fits in the rear of my basement tub (just barely in one orientation) and if I never allow myself to get in a rush or get stupid (no sudden movements on the handles and ALWAYS use BOTH handles to slowly turn the basket) this may represent a longterm solution. Thanks for the encouragement!
Toprudder
Member
So I finally had the opportunity to run a couple of loads using Armor All Wash and Wax instead of Dawn. I'm sold.
Both do a great job of cleaning, can't really tell a difference there. The W-n-W apparently does leave a protective film, probably not unlike using NuFinish with corncob media. The test was in running some 9mm brass through the press, one batch that was processed with Dawn, and another batch from W-n-W. The latter brass ran through the resizing die slightly, but noticeably, easier. The big difference was the expander die (powder funnel on the Dillon). The Dawn casings occasionally took much more force to extract than the W-n-W brass.
Not having any specific instructions for using the W-n-W, I started out with 2oz. The last load I did was with 1.5oz, and I still had plenty of suds, so I may try 1oz next time.
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