Good info thanks.The FA solution works well. I think it has a lot of citric acid in it, and find I can duplicate its performance if my acid concentration is high enough. I agree that unless you are tumbling a huge amount of brass the cost of the FA product isn't unreasonable, but at the same time I'm unsure if it's doing anything more than enforcing the choice of a stronger mix than many employ when concocting their own.
I'll admit, I was a 'bit timid' with my use of the Lemi as I read posts about folk using 'too much' and discoloring their brass. Perhaps more Lemi / Citric Acid would have been beneficial, but in all honesty, I didn't see a HUGE / NIGHT AND DAY difference between my Lemi/Dawn 'dash and a squirt' method and other cleaners. (FA and another from a SS pin manufacture who's name eludes me at this moment) Just a small difference combined with the ease of use is what sold me. (One component + a dedicated shot glass. Fill to mark, dump, done.)
Although I've not tried it, I suspect you'd get excellent results with the FA solution even without the pins.
Tumbling w/o pins. That's another good point that doesn't come up a lot. With the HF Dual Drum, before I got my pins, I tumbled some with Lemi/Dawn solution only and it did a pretty darn nice job on the outsides that way. Not 'bad' on the insides, but not as clean as the outsides. Perhaps a stronger mix may have been better.
Should I buy a ss pin case cleaner or just my sonic?
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Good info thanks.
You have been the most help during this, thanks again.
Yes I deprime, always do, & run them thru the rcbs case prep which just about cleans theDid you deprime them first?
You get nice clean primer pockets that way.
Glad it seems to be working well for you.
I am still surprised how dirty the water comes out when doing a batch of what looks like pretty clean brass to start with.
For me not so much a cost issue for special cleaner as availability.
Wash+Wax and Citric acid at the grocery store, so nothing to order. The wash and wax helps prevent water spots, and seem to help prevent the brass from tarnishing.
Depending on water PH maybe a 9mm case of citric acid and 2 oz of wash and wax. (I don't measure wash and wax just put in a dollop from the jug)
I would say more wash and wax, a TB might be enough but it's cheap and within reason more seems to be better. If you want to measure maybe 4 TB.
I have never tried to find the minimum amount of wash and wax that will work,
I just dump some in form the jug and say ok good to go.
A tsp or two of citric sounds about right.
Err on the side of extra wash and wax and less acid.
If you use enough wash and wax you just need to rinse off the pins and they stay clean. Not enough and they will get dirty.
I won't worry about distilled water. I suppose "pure" water might result in less spotting but I don't have any spotting issue with wash and wax.
If I have any really really dirty brass (range pickups) I will do 2 passes.
1 for about 1/2 hour then dump the dirty water and do a quick flush with the hose then 1 more for an hour. Seldom required but if the brass is really dirty it helps.
Thought I would be clever and add some car wax (paste kind) to one batch for extra shine.
BAD BAD BAD idea! Everything covered with gray slime that was hard to remove, lots of 409 to clean up the brass, pins and drum-major PITA (almost just tossed the brass)
(Sort of have to laugh, I was expecting super shiny brass with the extra wax, opened it up when done a I was looking at a grey mess. Thinking what the bleep, tried washing it of with the hose, no luck more bleeps)
If you don't believe me that it's a BAD idea try it but don't say I didn't warn you.
I have never had an issue with to much wash and wax but I am sure it is possible.
I dump the brass in to the Lyman media tray (one has slots and one has a mesh screen to catch the pins, spray it with the hose, move the brass around with my hand so most pins fall onto the mesh tray then dump it into my Frankford rotary separator to get the rst of the pins out.
Dump on old towel, roll around and place out of the way someplace in the house to dry in the winter, outside in the sunshine when it's warm.
If it's safe in a plastic sonic cleaner one would think it would be ok in the plastic FART drum.
Since you have it I would give it a try.
Probably detergent and citric acid (what does the label say is in it?)
pocket real good to start with. The pockets came out better than new.
On the sonic one shot, it is used in the Hornady wet tumbler so I assume it will work
in the FA. I just have to find out how much to use.
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That is what we all need to have in our reloading supplies = really REALLY clean cases.
Thanks for the pic.
lightman
Member
Another thing that I do is that I use an old towel that my Wife sewed up to resemble a pillow case to dry my freshly tumbled cases in. I dump them in and give them a good shake, rattle and roll. Then into the oven for 30-45 minutes at 200º. During the Summer the Sun does the duty of the oven.
ray15
Member
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- 946
Ahh, good idea. I use large bath towel but didn't think to sew it up.
GBExpat
Member
That does sound like a good idea!
I have been centering 2 old standard-size bath towels on an old, large baking pan, pouring in the spun-"dry" cases, grabbing the 4 (8, actually) towel corners and lifting the load ... I then agitate (and poke & prod) the mass for awhile prior to pouring them out into the various flats. There are always a few that try to stage escapes during the agitation phase.
I think that I will ask my sister about sewing one of the old, now-utility-grade, big-ass (technical term) towels into a sack for easier use.
I have been centering 2 old standard-size bath towels on an old, large baking pan, pouring in the spun-"dry" cases, grabbing the 4 (8, actually) towel corners and lifting the load ... I then agitate (and poke & prod) the mass for awhile prior to pouring them out into the various flats. There are always a few that try to stage escapes during the agitation phase.
I think that I will ask my sister about sewing one of the old, now-utility-grade, big-ass (technical term) towels into a sack for easier use.
Stew0576
Addicted
Boiling idea did not work out, cases are cleaner but my tumbler will do just as good if not better, so FART still in my to get list
sparkyv
Member
I use a sonicator, it works well, but I should have gone with the SS pin tumbler.
That does sound like a good idea!
I have been centering 2 old standard-size bath towels on an old, large baking pan, pouring in the spun-"dry" cases, grabbing the 4 (8, actually) towel corners and lifting the load ... I then agitate (and poke & prod) the mass for awhile prior to pouring them out into the various flats. There are always a few that try to stage escapes during the agitation phase.
I think that I will ask my sister about sewing one of the old, now-utility-grade, big-ass (technical term) towels into a sack for easier use.
That's how I do it.
I can't see where I replied to the Hornady Sonic One Shot I used to let you know how it worked.
It did as good as the solution they sent with the FA.
They were clean as new on the inside & pockets as well as the outside.
Used 3 ounces on my 2'nd try & they were just as good as the first ones.
Both were 30-06 cases.
Dudedog
Contributing Member
So maybe we all told the truth for once in our lives and wet tumbling really does work.
I don't think I could go back now, spoiled by like new looking brass.
It may not shoot any better but it looks better and that gives that nice warm fuzzy feeling
Glad the Sonic One Shot worked out.
I don't think I could go back now, spoiled by like new looking brass.
It may not shoot any better but it looks better and that gives that nice warm fuzzy feeling
Glad the Sonic One Shot worked out.
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ray15
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Good deal. It probably has citric acid in it too. I'm sure you're glad to be able to use what you already have.
GBExpat
Member
Either that or phosphoric acid which also does an excellent job of brightening cases.
So maybe we all told the truth for once in our lives an wet tumbling really does work.
I don't think I could go back now, spoiled by like new looking brass.
It may not shoot any better but it looks better and that gives that nice warm fuzzy feeling
Glad the Sonic One Shot worked out.
Yes there is iron in your words, as Ten Bears would say, you may go in peace.
-Or something like that.-
A question???? I have already done about 2000 cases & they are perfect but the
only thing I can complain about is the separating of the SS PINS from water.
I use the RCBS media separator to remove them from the cases easy enough.
But is there any tricks to the trade on getting the SS PINS strained from the water?
They go right thru a sifter or anything else we have tried. I may just be trying to get
it even easier than it can be. I just hate to do it the hard way for several loads then
end up with a better way near the end. I don't have the Magnet they show for the
F.A.R.T. I just use big ones & small ones we have.
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I should mention, they should advertise this FA as Wife Friendly!
My wife like the way the cases look when they come out & is helping me go back
& do all my already done cases over again & make them what she calls "slick looking."
There is something about clean that makes wives happy.
She even want's to try all the recipes you guys posted here, & you know how they
are about recipes!!!
1976B.L.Johns.
Member
Use an old steel screen colander, the one I use is from the days of old when kitchen utensils were not made of plastic.
DRAINSMITH
Member
Go to a body shop and buy a paint strainer. They normally come in packs of 12 at the min. but you will only need 1.
A paint supply place will sell them in packs but a body shop might even give you 1.
A paint supply place will sell them in packs but a body shop might even give you 1.
Blue68f100
Member
Just use a media separator, the pins end up in the bottom of the bucket. I then use the magnet to transfer them back.
Dudedog
Contributing Member
oooohhh Big unmentioned + (and I'm a single guy)
By the already done ones I assume you mean ones done some other way.
My Lyman came with one tray with a fairly fine mesh screen on the bottom, water goes thru pins don't. (about fabric window screen size mesh)
It catches most of the pins before the cases go into the media separator.
SS PINS strained from the water?
The ones they make for pins have a release handle to drop the pins once you have them picked up. That way you don't have to pull them off. Probably worth getting one, couple different ones out there $7-$15. Probably all made the same place in China.
https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias=amazon-devices&field-keywords=media+transfer+magnet
(search media transfer magnet if you look other places)
But don't take your wife's without asking
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Cardinal Puff
Member
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- May 1, 2018
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- 2
I have used the hornady sonic cleaner, and the Franklin Aresenal wet tumbler with the stainless steel media, and was a former dry tumbler. Using a similar liquid solution in each the Hornady sonic cleaner and Franklin, (water, mildly acid agent like lemi-shine or citric acid and dawn blue dish soap) both systems get the same level of bright and shiny. The main difference I found between the two is batch size and speed. The Hornady only does smaller volumes of brass, but it works much quicker (15 min). The Franklin does larger volumes, but takes longer (2 hrs). After running around 1000 cases through both systems, the Hornady sonic broke, the franklin is still running. My vote would be wet tumbling with the stainless steel pins if nothing else, for the longevity of the system. Either system beats the dry tumbling.
DRAINSMITH
Member
What size of sonic cleaner do you have? I have the 9 liters and it holds a crapload of brass.
CryptKeeper5
Member
Here's my method to the madness;
First I toss my fired dirty brass into my dry tumbler(walnut) for 30 min or so just so I don't introduce fouling into my die. After that, I de-prime/size. After it's sized, I will then wet tumble it in my dual HFT wet tumbler w/SS pins in order to shine and clean primer pockets. I fill them 3/4 of the way with brass, add a couple drops of Dawn and a little "Lemmishine". I then empty/strain it over a magnetic tray to catch any wayward pins. I'll then usually let them dry but I've also tossed them in wet again into my dry tumbler for a finishing polish with a little "Nu-Finish" mixed in. Keeps the brass from picking up fingerprints so easily.
Sounds like a lot of work but in all actuality it's really pretty easy and keeps everything clean and shined...
I'll then prime it all and store it or load it depending on what the schedule looks like.
First I toss my fired dirty brass into my dry tumbler(walnut) for 30 min or so just so I don't introduce fouling into my die. After that, I de-prime/size. After it's sized, I will then wet tumble it in my dual HFT wet tumbler w/SS pins in order to shine and clean primer pockets. I fill them 3/4 of the way with brass, add a couple drops of Dawn and a little "Lemmishine". I then empty/strain it over a magnetic tray to catch any wayward pins. I'll then usually let them dry but I've also tossed them in wet again into my dry tumbler for a finishing polish with a little "Nu-Finish" mixed in. Keeps the brass from picking up fingerprints so easily.
Sounds like a lot of work but in all actuality it's really pretty easy and keeps everything clean and shined...
I'll then prime it all and store it or load it depending on what the schedule looks like.
scarletfire
Member
pick up a couple of the paint strainer bags at Lowe's (home depot probably has them too)
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Blue-Hawk-...trainers-Fits-Container-Size-5-Gallon/1008387
they are made to fit over 5 gallon buckets. you can pull them out of the dirty water and rinse them.
i let them in the bag, in the sun and they dry quickly.
a magnet in a plastic bag works well for picking up the escapee pins and then are easy to remove
for getting pins out of the wet cases,some one here (can't remember who) suggested dumping the cases in a large bowl filled with water.
then turn the cases upside down, under water. the pins fall right out.
slightly labor intensive but works quite well.
hope that helps
bob
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Blue-Hawk-...trainers-Fits-Container-Size-5-Gallon/1008387
they are made to fit over 5 gallon buckets. you can pull them out of the dirty water and rinse them.
i let them in the bag, in the sun and they dry quickly.
a magnet in a plastic bag works well for picking up the escapee pins and then are easy to remove
for getting pins out of the wet cases,some one here (can't remember who) suggested dumping the cases in a large bowl filled with water.
then turn the cases upside down, under water. the pins fall right out.
slightly labor intensive but works quite well.
hope that helps
bob
oooohhh Big unmentioned + (and I'm a single guy)
By the already done ones I assume you mean ones done some other way.
My Lyman came with one tray with a fairly fine mesh screen on the bottom, water goes thru pins don't. (about fabric window screen size mesh)
It catches most of the pins before the cases go into the media separator.
SS PINS strained from the water?
The ones they make for pins have a release handle to drop the pins once you have them picked up. That way you don't have to pull them off. Probably worth getting one, couple different ones out there $7-$15. Probably all made the same place in China.
https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias=amazon-devices&field-keywords=media+transfer+magnet
(search media transfer magnet if you look other places)
But don't take your wife's without asking
I will probably go with the Franklin Magnet, it can pick up from my rcbs tumbler. Thanks for info.
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