WARNING...

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Paul R Zartman

Paul R Zartman

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Feb 16, 2020
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Location
Redington Shores Fl
If you have any OCD tendencies and have half decent eye sight, DO NOT USE STAINLESS STEEL PIN MEDIA!!!
Oh my...they are everywhere in my shop.
I found them on the counter...
...in the chair
...on the couch
...in my cigar ashtray
...in 5 different drawers
...on top the gun cabinet
...in my humidor
...in the expansion crack in the cement
...in my Goldschlager bottle:what:
...in the toilet:uhoh::uhoh::uhoh:
...in my armpit hair
...I blew my nose & 1 showed up:cuss:
...23 in the sink drain trap...i'm OCD...don't ask
THESE DARN THINGS ARE EVERYWHERE... HELP
 
First things...STOP sniffing your highly polished brass!

I use a fine mesh strainer at the utility sink drain. The strainer is actually half of a tea leaf strainer. It fits just about perfectly over the 1.5" utility sink drain. For added security, I also place a couple of small rare earth magnets at strainer to attract and hold onto loose pins.

This is what I use (small size)

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Bescita-...r-Leaf-with-Lid-Chain/598575873?selected=true
 
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When I tumble with the pins I knock out the primers before tumbleing. Then put them on my drying rscks and hit them with the air hose. That generally gets all of the pins out of the cases.
 
I decap bottleneck cases prior to tumbling to ease in pin removal. (Helps to promote rapid 'flushing')
Do not remove all the soap from the cases before heading to the separator. (Helps break surface tension)
I add water to my RCBS separator up to about 1/2 inch or so inside the drum prior to spinning.
Spin about 2-3X more than what you might feel is 'done'
Drain water from separator / rinse cases while still in the separator cage.
Spin Spin Spin again. (Water level below cage)

While not 'perfect', this has greatly reduced/dang near eliminated pins traveling beyond the separator.

As always, YMMV
 
If you don't want to get a media separator, another option is sifting pans(like for separating rocks based on size).

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B008B0T5Z2/

I use a 1/4" mesh stacked on top of a 1/30" mesh. Just uncap your tumbler, flip the drum over with the open end down on the trays, and slowly lift up on the drum. All the water runs out the bottom, and then the pins fall through to the bottom tray. Give it a good quick shake to get most of the pins into the bottom, and then take it inside so you can rinse any soapy water/residue off the cases in the sink. You will still probably lose a pin every now and again, but this works excellent for rinsing the brass, and if you grab the brass by hand, you can shake out the pins and not have to worry about any being stuck after the rinse part.
 
Sometimes it's the magnet helping them get everywhere. On more than a few occasions I've seen pins getting drawn toward the magnet slingshot past it. Seems to be when two or more are lined up just right they'll chain together. As the closest to the magnet changes direction, it acts a bit like cracking a whip, flinging the trailing pins off in random directions
 
I have pretty much stopped using the pins. I just use car wash and citric. brass looks great.
if you want shiny primer pockets you gotta use pins.
 
I put a magnet in the sink drain before I dump the water. It always has a few pins attached to it even if I did not see them escape. And I always find a few on the towel that I dump the brass out on. But I can't say that I have found them in some of the places that you mentioned. :)
 
I lose a few down my toilet, and I’ve knocked the pail over a few times and spilled them across the shop floor, but I can’t say I ever find them in unexpected places. I’m pretty persnickety about managing media, whether it’s cobs, rice, chips, pins, or chemicals, so I don’t let them stray very far from their designated areas.
 
Ya'll fellers have at it........I'll stick with tried and true dry vibratory tumbler with media and a cap full of Nu-Shine car polish. When they come out of the tumbler they go straight to the loading press.
 
I have pins on the floor of the basement area where I use them and clean up. I have one of the magnetic nut and bolt floor scanners and it gets most of them the small removal magnet doesn't get.

None of the used areas have carpet. I'm guessing that would be a nightmare. I have found none in my whisky, aftershave or armpit hair. But I'm warned. I'll be watching.
 
I've been SS wet tumbling for about 9 years now. My technique has been refined pretty darn good. I rarely have more than a couple escapees from any given batch. Those few wind up on the cement floor of the garage and are easily visible for pick-up. As the angle of the sunlight changes, any pins on the cement glisten like spotlights revealing them! They don't remain escapees for long!

Bayou52
 
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