Wet or dry tumble
- Thread starter topazguy
- Start date
- Status
dwhite
Member
Wet tumbling.
Deprime before tumbling to get primer pockets clean. Get a universal decapping die.
Your cases will take time to dry.
No dust.
No pieces of corncob or walnut clogging flash holes.
Your cases will look better than new.
Stainless steel pins last forever, virtually.
Dry tumbling.
Will get your cases kind of clean.
Dust.
Reload when the tumbler stops. No need to dry.
Some people apparently wet tumble without depriming. I'd be worried about water in the primer pocket which could potentially kill a round.
I wet tumble. I'm patient.
All the Best,
D. White
Deprime before tumbling to get primer pockets clean. Get a universal decapping die.
Your cases will take time to dry.
No dust.
No pieces of corncob or walnut clogging flash holes.
Your cases will look better than new.
Stainless steel pins last forever, virtually.
Dry tumbling.
Will get your cases kind of clean.
Dust.
Reload when the tumbler stops. No need to dry.
Some people apparently wet tumble without depriming. I'd be worried about water in the primer pocket which could potentially kill a round.
I wet tumble. I'm patient.
All the Best,
D. White
bullethead
Member
I do both methods, but I prefer wet tumbling only because the cases look like new inside and out, when done tumbling. I have a Thumlers Tumbler model B. I use 5 lbs of pins, 2 lbs of brass, a gallon of water, one teaspoon of Lemi-Shine, and 3 tablespoons of liquid car wash/wax. Tumble for 4 hours. Rinse in cold water and dry cases with an old towel, then lay them out on a dry towel to finish drying for a day or so. The hardest part in my opinion is separating the pins from the wet brass. I can attest to the fact that pin tumbled cases don't shoot any better, but they sure look nice.
jmorris
Member
- Joined
- Sep 30, 2005
- Messages
- 24,224
Wet can cost you more to setup, give cases so clean even pistol can need lube before they size/expand as smooth as dry/polish brass and can take more work than dry tumbling methods.
I use both myself, like everything else in reloading, just depends....
I use both myself, like everything else in reloading, just depends....
AABEN
Member
I have the Lyman 2500 turbo sonic cleaner. It cleans in side and out primer pockets also If you will deprime your brass before cleaning. I put then in and let set for 30 min and then run it full time then take a stick move your brass then do it one more full time. Your brass will be clean but not as shine at dry cleaned BUT your brass is a lot cleaner. You can let your cleaner set then keep the upper and dump the black out and add a little more cleaner this will save you money.
NeuseRvrRat
Member
I'm setup for both. I only break out the wet tumbling for the really dirty stuff.
I got back into reloading after 15 years. I purchased the big Lyman turbo vibratory cleaner and started with that. I kept reading alot of positive remarks about wet tumbling vs dry. Well after a few months of changing out used-up walnut media and tired of all the dust left everywhere, and having to wear that damn dust mask, I decided to invest in the Thumblers Tumbler Model B. I use 5 lbs of stainless steel pins, 1 gal of water, 1/4 teaspoon of LemiShine powder, and 3 tablespoons of Armor All Wash n Wax, along with 2 lbs of brass. Of course, I'll use a universal deprimer first to punch out the primer so the primer pocket gets cleaned. If the cases are really dirty, as in once-fired military brass, I'll tumble for about 4 hours. If they are recently fired cases, I'll go for about 1 or 2 hours. To remove sizing lube, it'll be about 30 minutes. I bought a cheap new $35 dehydrator on eBay. It'll dry the brass in 20-30 minutes. A good investment. Plus, you can use it to make great snacks!
In a nut-shell, I don't ever plan on going back to dry cleaning.
In a nut-shell, I don't ever plan on going back to dry cleaning.
OilyPablo
Member
Wet tumble.
I just treat it totally separate from the reloading process (yeah weird, but it's what I do). Just deprime with my hand deprimer or my low cost universal deprimer and cheapie press. A few containers deprimed but dirty brass, then I start my wet tumbling. I use low cost car wash with wax in the soap (usually Armor All Brand car wash, but others work), small 1/4 tsp Lemishine (you don't need much at all), ss pins and water, 3 hours max, 2.5 pefect. Dump in separator after draining most water. Tumble in the separator. Dry in garage sale food dehydrator. Bag and tag bright brass. Ready to go when I want to reload, store bags in bins. Ready to rock with all the other components.
I just treat it totally separate from the reloading process (yeah weird, but it's what I do). Just deprime with my hand deprimer or my low cost universal deprimer and cheapie press. A few containers deprimed but dirty brass, then I start my wet tumbling. I use low cost car wash with wax in the soap (usually Armor All Brand car wash, but others work), small 1/4 tsp Lemishine (you don't need much at all), ss pins and water, 3 hours max, 2.5 pefect. Dump in separator after draining most water. Tumble in the separator. Dry in garage sale food dehydrator. Bag and tag bright brass. Ready to go when I want to reload, store bags in bins. Ready to rock with all the other components.
Last edited:
mahansm
Member
To separate pins from media, I've found this RCBS separator, filled most of the way with clean water, will allow the pins to drop out quite easily. The lid prevents splashing as you rotate the inner basket. The separator is all plastic, so corrosion from exposure to water is not an issue.
URL for separator: <http://www.midwayusa.com/product/176956/rcbs-rotary-case-and-media-separator>
The operation is still best done outdoors, as there will be water spillage. I decant most of the water from the tumbler and then just dump what's left into the separator. After getting the pins out a quick rinse with the hose before drying gets me nice clean brass.
Careful decanting from the separator container gets the liquid off the pins, which are then simply dumped back into the tumbler. They never actually get dry. I just dump the next batch of brass in, add water, Dawn, and LemiShine and go again.
URL for separator: <http://www.midwayusa.com/product/176956/rcbs-rotary-case-and-media-separator>
The operation is still best done outdoors, as there will be water spillage. I decant most of the water from the tumbler and then just dump what's left into the separator. After getting the pins out a quick rinse with the hose before drying gets me nice clean brass.
Careful decanting from the separator container gets the liquid off the pins, which are then simply dumped back into the tumbler. They never actually get dry. I just dump the next batch of brass in, add water, Dawn, and LemiShine and go again.
- Status
