How Do I Use This Thing (FA Brass Tumbler)

DMW1116 said:
this was a gift I sort of have to use it
Click to expand...

My kids get me nice Christmas gifts from time to time for my loading bench. They do load on my equipment occasionally and see things that I don't. Sometimes it's not something that I thought I needed. Sometimes it is better though, and this is probably one of those times for you.

I've taken to using corn cob blast media, maybe a squirt of Dillon polish and some used dryer sheets. Rotary in a Thumler's tumbler. I got a 40 lb. bag of media on line which is close to a lifetime supply. Works great, and was way less expensive per pound than some other options.

I've also used those gallon jugs of Lyman treated media which you'll find at brick and mortar places. That worked well too, but I'm more comfortable with untreated stuff.
 
did you get a media/brass separator? for a vibrating tumbler, it makes collecting your brass from the media nice and easy. I put my brass in the tumbler for about an hour before I deprime and size, just to touch it up quick. Sometimes I tumble again after sizing depriming, sometimes I just wash the lube off with hot water and dish soap. The longer brass staysin the tumbler the shinier it will be, but that isn't really necessary. I tend to put a little cleaner, or mineral spirits in the media when it starts to stop cleaning as well.
 
I found some media (Lyman) and ran a batch of 357 Mag through the tumbler last night. I let it run for an hour. I'll have to find a better way to sift the media out. I spilled some so I think I need a bigger bucket to sift into.

High points:
There wasn't nearly as much dust as I thought there would be. There was some, but not the clouds I'd imagined.
The dryer sheets work pretty well. They seem to capture a lot of dirt and dust.
The blue heat oxides and some other discoloration came off. This type of thing isn't removed by my usual pickling method.
The primer pockets are clean. These had already been pickled, so the primers were removed.

Low points:
The media sticks tenaciously in the primer pockets. That must be why everyone leaves them in place, as I was told above.
The time seems long. My pickling solution cleaning is about 10 minutes. I ran it for an hour, and 2 hours would probably have been better. That seems like a long time. That said I don't have to dry them either.
There is a little dust on the cases. Its not much but just enough I'd like to roll them around on my shirt for a second before sizing. The question is whether this amount is enough to cause any problems.

I think this would be a good way to go if for some reason water supply were very limited or if disposal of the water were an issue. At this point I prefer my wet pickling method, but I want to try a few more times to see if it's just a familiarity bias.
 
DMW1116 said:
I found some media (Lyman) and ran a batch of 357 Mag through the tumbler last night. I let it run for an hour. I'll have to find a better way to sift the media out. I spilled some so I think I need a bigger bucket to sift into.

High points:
There wasn't nearly as much dust as I thought there would be. There was some, but not the clouds I'd imagined.
The dryer sheets work pretty well. They seem to capture a lot of dirt and dust.
The blue heat oxides and some other discoloration came off. This type of thing isn't removed by my usual pickling method.
The primer pockets are clean. These had already been pickled, so the primers were removed.

Low points:
The media sticks tenaciously in the primer pockets. That must be why everyone leaves them in place, as I was told above.
The time seems long. My pickling solution cleaning is about 10 minutes. I ran it for an hour, and 2 hours would probably have been better. That seems like a long time. That said I don't have to dry them either.
There is a little dust on the cases. Its not much but just enough I'd like to roll them around on my shirt for a second before sizing. The question is whether this amount is enough to cause any problems.

I think this would be a good way to go if for some reason water supply were very limited or if disposal of the water were an issue. At this point I prefer my wet pickling method, but I want to try a few more times to see if it's just a familiarity bias.
Click to expand...
If you leave the decaping pin in your sizing die that hole will be cleared. If your loading progressive then you might not want those bits floating around your mechanisms...
 
DMW1116 said:
The time seems long. My pickling solution cleaning is about 10 minutes. I ran it for an hour, and 2 hours would probably have been better. That seems like a long time. That said I don't have to dry them either.
Click to expand...
When I use fresh media thirty minutes will get them clean and shiny. After a few (maybe ten) runs I'll run them for about an hour, and they come out clean and shiny. When I have to run them for two hours I know it's time to change the media. Not as fast as wet cleaning, and maybe not as clean (especially the insides), but works well enough for me.

I do use a squirt of auto wax, I put it in about every fifth or six run, and run it for twenty or thirty minutes to mix it up and break up any clumps before running my brass. I also use used dryer sheets. I'll cut one into quarters, and throw two pieces in with each run. The wax coats the brass as well as helping keep the dust down, and the dryer sheets catch some (maybe a lot) of the dirt and dust.

DMW1116 said:
The media sticks tenaciously in the primer pockets. That must be why everyone leaves them in place, as I was told above.
Click to expand...
My process is to tumble them, then size and deprime. This gets any media out of the flash hole. The downside is that I do get a small amount of media on and around my press, but it is a very small amount. I reload on a single stage, so it's just a bit messy and doesn't gum anything up.

chris
 
JeffG said:
Click to expand...
Japle said:
I use cat litter or walnut bedding from the pet store. Much cheaper and the same stuff.
Click to expand...
While cat/pet bedding is made from same crushed walnut, they differ from blast media in following ways - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...-thing-fa-brass-tumbler.926192/#post-12790152
In comparison, Zilla Desert Blend linked costs more ($10.90/7.5 lbs = $1.45/lb) with possibility of containing dirt/sand/abrasive.

GRIZ22 said:
A use Brasso. Makes the brass shiny.
Click to expand...
Brasso ingredient lists: isopropyl alcohol 3–5%, ammonia 5–10%, silica (sand) powder 15–20% and oxalic acid 0–3% - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brasso

Brasso was formulated to remove tarnish by chemical reaction with copper and acid (Similar to adding Lemi Shine/lemon juice/citric acid to wet tumbling solution) with additional physical cleaning from fine silica/sand. While small amount of acid will just react with copper superficially, in larger amounts and over prolonged period of time, zinc could leach from copper enough to make brass brittle.

NuFinish "polymer" liquid polish is made from zinc cross-linking polymer emulsions and does not chemically remove tarnish (surface corrosion) from brass surface. And NuFinish does not contain wax that can be removed from brass surface rather create long-lasting polymer layer on brass surface that can help with resizing and prevent tarnishing for years (Why water beads on car paint surface even after several car washes or rain water on my car after a year) - https://nufinish.com/faq/

Also, Brasso and rouge contain fine abrasives (NuFinish liquid polish does not) and I would not want to scratch my die surfaces with any residual abrasives on brass - https://benchmarkabrasives.com/blogs/news/what-is-a-jewelers-rouge-and-color-chart

FYI, "... Best Way To Clean Brass?" article from Shooting Sports USA - https://www.ssusa.org/content/what-s-the-best-way-to-clean-brass/
 
Last edited:
DMW1116 said:
I’m headed to the LGS tomorrow to see what kind of media I can find. I have some 357 brass, about 200, that has already been pickled but the cases have some bluish oxidation that doesn’t come off in the acid solution. I’ll run them through and see how they look. If they turn out ok, I have a bunch of 223 range brass I might try without depriming to see how that works.
Click to expand...
Harbor Freight sells walnut media, both the fine and coarse type.

i use fine
 
LiveLife said:
DMW1116 said:
What kind of media is best?
Click to expand...
crushed walnut ... Harbor Freight ... 10-20% off coupon
Click to expand...
Harbor Freight is offering 25% off coupon (Expires Jan 1) - https://go.harborfreight.com/email/2023/12/save-25-off-any-single-item-182405/

Using 25% off brings fine grit walnut media down to $21/25 lbs ($0.84/lb) - https://www.harborfreight.com/25-lbs-fine-grade-walnut-shell-blast-media-92155.html

AFAIK, Home Depot currently sells walnut media at lowest price of $25.19/25 lbs ($1/lb) - https://www.homedepot.com/p/Agra-Gr...ing-Medium-Grit-25-lb-per-Box-BGM25/204068198
 
OOC: Which grit do folks find better for tumbling/vibration:
www.homedepot.com

Agra Grit Walnut Shell Blasting Fine-Grit (25 lb. per Box) BGF25 - The Home Depot

Walnut Shell blasting media is safe for you and the environment. It's silica free and reduces your risk of silicosis. Walnut Grit is softer than sand and when used properly maintains the integrity of underlying structure. Great for removing graffiti, cleaning engines and transmissions, soft...
www.homedepot.com
www.homedepot.com

Agra Grit Walnut Shell Sandblasting Medium Grit (25 lb. per Box) BGM25 - The Home Depot

Walnut Shell blasting media is safe for you and the environment. Silica free reduces your risk of Silicosis. Walnut Grit is softer than sand and when used properly maintains the integrity of underlying
www.homedepot.com
. . . or . . .
www.homedepot.com

Agra Grit Walnut Shell Sandblasting Coarse Grit (25 lb. per Box) BGC25 - The Home Depot

Walnut Shell blasting media is safe for you and the environment. Silica free reduces your risk of Silicosis. Walnut Grit is softer than sand and when used properly maintains the integrity of underlying
www.homedepot.com
- ? -
:thumbdown:
 
I'm kind of late to this party, but lots of good info shared above!

I both dry tumble and wet tumble. My dry tumbling is done in 2 of the larger Dillons using 20-40 grit Corncob blast media from Zoro with some liquid polish mixed in. I usually run them in 10 or 12 hour shifts. I'll add a dryer sheet to the mix if I think about it.

My wet tumbling is done using stainless pins, a 40 S&W case full of LemiShine and a cap full of ArmorAll liquid car polish. I run the wet tumbler for 2 hours. This makes all but the grubbiest looking brass look better than new. It removes stains, tarnish, corrosion, cleans the primer pocket and inside the case.

Both methods work. Its just up to you to use the one that works for you. There is a slight learning curve with the wet tumbling.
 
The silica abrasive found in the Dillion & brass polish is sold in hardware stores as diatomaceous earth, ( vrery inexpensive)
It is safe for humans ( it the whitening abrasive in tooth paste)
Add a teaspoon or two to recharge your
Media( way cheaper than buying polishing compounds for reloading)
Also look up diatomaceous earth on Wikipedia, it has a ton of other uses
 
I like a little mineral spirits in my walnut media.
Keeps it dust free, I can run it topless, and the cases come out with just a little slickness, ready for the press with no further steps.(handgun cases, leave the primer in)
Too much liquid of any kind will lock up a dry vibratory cleaner.
 
DMW1116 said:
My son and wife got me a Frankfort Arsenal brass tumbler and I have never used one before. I don’t have any media yet so I’ll grab some soon. I’ve used a wet tumble in the past without pins but this seems like it will hold more.

What kind of media is best? It says it will hold about 600 9mm or 350 5.56 cases. How much media do I use? Is media treated with some sort of abrasive or do I do that?

I normally deprime first and like wet tumbling for it’s dust free processing. Can I deprime and tumble? A lot of crud falls out of cases when I deprime and I’d rather not have that in my media.
Click to expand...
The dry media tumblers work well. Some of us use a 50-50 mix of Corncob and Lizard bedding, boosted with some sort of polish. The 1/4 used dryer sheet gathers an amazing amount of dirt, but I've never used Mineral Spirits in the mix. YMMV, but, I load my tumbler about a loose 2/3 with media.
 
LiveLife said:
While cat/pet bedding is made from same crushed walnut, they differ from blast media in following ways - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...-thing-fa-brass-tumbler.926192/#post-12790152
In comparison, Zilla Desert Blend linked costs more ($10.90/7.5 lbs = $1.45/lb) with possibility of containing dirt/sand/abrasive.


Brasso ingredient lists: isopropyl alcohol 3–5%, ammonia 5–10%, silica (sand) powder 15–20% and oxalic acid 0–3% - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brasso

Brasso was formulated to remove tarnish by chemical reaction with copper and acid (Similar to adding Lemi Shine/lemon juice/citric acid to wet tumbling solution) with additional physical cleaning from fine silica/sand. While small amount of acid will just react with copper superficially, in larger amounts and over prolonged period of time, zinc could leach from copper enough to make brass brittle.

NuFinish "polymer" liquid polish is made from zinc cross-linking polymer emulsions and does not chemically remove tarnish (surface corrosion) from brass surface. And NuFinish does not contain wax that can be removed from brass surface rather create long-lasting polymer layer on brass surface that can help with resizing and prevent tarnishing for years (Why water beads on car paint surface even after several car washes or rain water on my car after a year) - https://nufinish.com/faq/

Also, Brasso and rouge contain fine abrasives (NuFinish liquid polish does not) and I would not want to scratch my die surfaces with any residual abrasives on brass - https://benchmarkabrasives.com/blogs/news/what-is-a-jewelers-rouge-and-color-chart

FYI, "... Best Way To Clean Brass?" article from Shooting Sports USA - https://www.ssusa.org/content/what-s-the-best-way-to-clean-brass/
Click to expand...
braso & ammonia
the ammonia really never caused a problem for me. 9but if you add while tumbling it makes the media stick to the brass and causes
--- the way to solve this problem is to add brass to the media after you have finished tumbling ( putting it in with just the media and let it run for 5-10 minutes to break up the clumps) the alcohol & ammonia will evaporate over night and your media will be ready for the next round of cleaning , I also add ( diatomaceous earth found in hardware stores) it is celiac powder and I add 1-3 teaspoons to improve cleaning. it works well but I find that my brass dulls over tome ( unlike factory brass) and I would like to learn how to keep my reloads in bright shiny condition
 
No offense to the OP, but going to a dry tumbler from a wet tumbler seems like a step backwards? Most of us started out using dry tumblers, and some moved to a wet tumbler. I personally wont ever go back to dry tumbling as it doesn't clean as well, and takes longer to clean.
I wet tumble with ceramic pins, and last year I bought a 2nd wet tumbler when Midway had aa big sale on the Northern brand wet tumblers marked down from $125 to $49. It hold far more brass than my old tumbler and is rated at 1000 pcs. of .223 brass. I don't load any .223, but I load a lot of extremely large rifle brass and it easily hold 300 of my .44-100 cases, or .44-77 cases.
I kept my other smaller wet tumbler so I can have both going with different brass in each.
 
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