I've been following a couple of forums on cleaning brass with Stainless Steel media for a couple of months now, and after seeing consistent (and overwhelming) results, I decided to try it myself.

There are a few things that make this process unique:
1) the media is very small pieces of stainless steel pins
2) dish soap and water are the primary cleaning ingredients
3) the brass actually comes out CLEAN.

The stainless steel media is quite expensive, but it reportedly never wears out.

I bought 5 pounds from these guys for $50 plus a few dollars in shipping.
http://www.stainlesstumblingmedia.com/

A tumbler – like the old Thumbler’s Tumbler is needed. I didn’t have one, but they are available for about $150.

Step 1:
Dump the 5 pounds of ss media into your Thumbler’s Tumbler


Step 2:
Add a gallon of water, 2 tablespoons of dish soap (I used Dawn.)
Add ¼ tablespoon of Lemishine (this seems to be the key ingredient in getting the brass shiney.)

Step 3:
Dump in your brass and let the tumbler run for a few hours.

Step 4:
Take the brass out of the Tumbler. The water is black, and the brass looks better than new.


The inside of the case is 100% clean and free of powder residue.


The primer pockets are 99.9% clean.


The third one from the left still has a little burnt primer compound, but overall this process is very impressive.

I’ve used the vibratory cleaners for years and even the new ultrasonics for the past few, but neither comes anywhere close to getting brass this clean.

Those are impressive! The stumbling block for most of us is going to be the start-up costs for equipment. I can dig that tumbling media never wearing out. Makes me wonder if it couldn't be cut even smaller by the manufacturer to then be used in a vibratory tumbler. Any idea what the volume of ten pounds of the media is?

There is a bit of cost, but the benefits are pretty clear.

Based on the size of the 5 pound bag of media I received, I would guess that your vibratory cleaner would hold about 40-pounds / 8 (or more) of the little bags I received.

That looks very impressive.

So what is the procedure for separating cases from media??

And what is the procedure (and time) to dry cases after they come out of the tumbler??

Any (web) pointers to a tumbler??

How do you separate the tumbling media from the (after tumbling) dirty water?

- mike

quote:

Originally posted by mho:

That looks very impressive.

So what is the procedure for separating cases from media??

And what is the procedure (and time) to dry cases after they come out of the tumbler??

Any (web) pointers to a tumbler??

How do you separate the tumbling media from the (after tumbling) dirty water?

- mike

The link provides several videos. They went and bought the media separator that Midway sells. I have been separating my walnut hulls with one of those "prospector pans" for years. I shake it over a bucket and it comes out pretty well. The hulls tend to bridge in the casemouths, and that leads to spillage. I'm thinking these stainless needles will not do that. You could get all the needles out by thrashing the cases around in the tumbler. Seems to me the primary advantage with the stainless is that beyond its superior cleaning ability, it never wears out and the cleaning solution is very inexpensive.

I wonder: If .050-inch stainless beads were available, would they clean as well as these needles? Do you think they could be used in a vibratory tumbler just like crushed walnut hulls? I'm thinking they'd go right through the flash hole and not bridge inside the case because they are spherical.

quote:

Originally posted by mho:
That looks very impressive.

So what is the procedure for separating cases from media??

I just pull the cases out of the tumbler by hand, and pour the media out of the case back into the water.

quote:

And what is the procedure (and time) to dry cases after they come out of the tumbler??

I give them a rinse in the sink to make sure all of the soapy water is out of and off of them, wipe them off with towell and set them in the in that colander to dry in the sun.

quote:

Any (web) pointers to a tumbler??

No, as I indicated, I bought the wrong model... you want the 140 "high speed"... mine is "regular speed."

quote:

How do you separate the tumbling media from the (after tumbling) dirty water?

I pour the empty water out through a tea-strainer. That catches the media.

Super pretty ! roger

Looks pretty nifty. I have sent e-mails to both Thumler and the media provider to ask if they make a 220 volt/50 cycle motor model of the tumbler for Euro use and will keep you posted on the replies.

Reading this thread I became very curious and was finally willing to buy a full set consisting of the tumbler, separator and media.

Shortly after placing the online order I was informed that the shipping cost to Europe should by $299 via UPS!!!!

I'm not familiar with the UPS shipping charges but I have order stuff from the US before and never encountered such horrendous and prohibitive costs.

I'm a little puzzeled about who might be unwilling to do business with Europe here ...

Maybe adding a single 4 to 5 lb bag of this SS media to your regular corncob or walnut media would work. Just a little slower but faster than without the SS media added.

Show us a picture to of an individual SS pin of this media. What are it's dimensions?

I remember some year ago reading about small ceramic cylinder shapes being use as tumbling case cleaning media. Haven't seen or heard of it in a long time maybe it had long term issues?

Now the sharp sand you buy for buggie bird cages would probably work too, it might distroy cases I don't know.

quote:

Originally posted by greenjoy:


I remember some year ago reading about small ceramic cylinder shapes being use as tumbling case cleaning media. Haven't seen or heard of it in a long time maybe it had long term issues?

Do a google search of 'raschid rings.' They're the only ones I know of. They were designed for distill column packing, which is what I used them for...never for tumbling brass.

You can ask about the ceramic media (or search for old posts) on the SASS forum. It's become very popular there for cleaning brass shot with black powder. Various sizes of rod and triangle shaped ceramic bits that also does a very good job in tumbling type machines. RCBS also makes a machine they call the Sidewinder in this style, but it might be cheaper to pay the $299 shipping charges for a Thumbler.

No question that's the only good way to restore cases to like-new clean. I just can't help but wonder how much it affects accuracy tho. ??

My 30 year old Lyman 1200 vib tumbler still gets my cases as clean as they need to be.

quote:

Reading this thread I became very curious and was finally willing to buy a full set consisting of the tumbler, separator and media.

Shortly after placing the online order I was informed that the shipping cost to Europe should by $299 via UPS!!!!

I'm not familiar with the UPS shipping charges but I have order stuff from the US before and never encountered such horrendous and prohibitive costs.

I'm a little puzzeled about who might be unwilling to do business with Europe here

United Parcel Service (UPS) is, in my experience, the biggest rip off artist in the shipping industry, at least if you live outside the USA!! There must be another, more honest company that will ship overseas, or you may have someone in the US that could recieve the goods and re-ship to you. I live in Canada and last year I had the misfortune to use UPS, it almost doubled the cost of the merchandise I recieved. From now on if a company in the US cant find a different shipping company I simply will not order from them!

quote:

Originally posted by McFox:
Reading this thread I became very curious and was finally willing to buy a full set consisting of the tumbler, separator and media.

Shortly after placing the online order I was informed that the shipping cost to Europe should by $299 via UPS!!!!

I'm not familiar with the UPS shipping charges but I have order stuff from the US before and never encountered such horrendous and prohibitive costs.

I'm a little puzzeled about who might be unwilling to do business with Europe here ...

Based on the cost of packages I send to Germany regularly, I'm not so sure the US postal system would be too much better (depending on the service you request.)

If you want it there in a reasonable amount of time (@ 5-days with tracking number), I would guess the shipping to be about $150-$200.

I'm sure you could send it on their "slow boat" (a couple of weeks), but there has to be some peace of mind in knowing that it will actually get there.

My vibratory tumbler died last week with over 600 pieces of 45ACP brass to tumble, so I decided to give this system a shot. My media and Thumler Tumbler are on the way, I'm excited to try this out.

And we are excited to hear about how it works for you.

quote:

Originally posted by brandoninaz:
My vibratory tumbler died last week with over 600 pieces of 45ACP brass to tumble, so I decided to give this system a shot. My media and Thumler Tumbler are on the way, I'm excited to try this out.

You won't be disappointed, but do remember to pick up some of the lemi-shine. It's important to restoring the shine on the cases.



It should be on the dishwashing detergent aisle at your local walmart or target.

AR-15 shooters have been doing the Lemi-Shine soak for years. They also thoroughly rinse with water. It does wonders for range pick up/tarnished brass, but as effective it is, you have to wonder if it affects the brass strength?

Ammonia is a big no-no on brass. I am reasonably sure that citric acid is the main component of Lemi-Shine. What effect does citric acid have on brass.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/index.php
For information on the use of citric acid to clean brass (and much much more)log onto the above site and read the sticky" under the "Shooters" heading!

Medium for polishing varies some are better than others ! Brass is soft metal and therefore is subject to

excessive wear when not using proper medium grit and polishing compound types .

Some people are bedazzled by bling sparkle an brilliance ; Personally I'm more impressed with accuracy

than that of Jewelry finishes on cartridge cases !.

I shall impart wise words upon the lot of you from a former professor of mine ;

As in life to much of anything is counter productive !.

Application in this particular scenario ; Polishing anything to an excess will be detrimental to the

longevity of of said object or finish !. Personally I prefer building loads an shooting them to waste time

making them sparkle !!!.


http://www.mikro1.com/supplies/vibra_finish.asp

http://www.rosler.us/north-ame...-grinding-media.html

http://agsco.thomasnet.com/vie...-minerals?&forward=1

http://www.kramerindustriesonl...m/tumbling-media.htm


I'm somewhat surprised no one has mentioned adding Baking Soda too their polishing media .

Give it a whirl it's available everywhere inexpensive and you may be surprised how well it works !.

Just because things are labeled blast media doesn't mean one must use it for blasting !!!.

http://www.armex.com/?gclid=CL...nvp6MCFSE1gwod1nLd4Q

http://www.surfacepreparation....fup6MCFQNigwodnHl-5A

ULTRASONIC CLEANING

http://www.6mmbr.com/ultrasonic.html

quote:

Originally posted by Doc224/375:
Medium for polishing varies some are better than others ! Brass is soft metal and therefore is subject to

excessive wear when not using proper medium grit and polishing compound types .

Some people are bedazzled by bling sparkle an brilliance ; Personally I'm more impressed with accuracy

than that of Jewelry finishes on cartridge cases !.

I shall impart wise words upon the lot of you from a former professor of mine ;

As in life to much of anything is counter productive !.

Application in this particular scenario ; Polishing anything to an excess will be detrimental to the

longevity of of said object or finish !. Personally I prefer building loads an shooting them to waste time

making them sparkle !!!.
I'm somewhat surprised no one has mentioned adding Baking Soda too their polishing media .

Give it a whirl it's available everywhere inexpensive and you may be surprised how well it works !.

x2, but they are pretty! roger

new_guy: Do you use regular tap water or distilled? I'm planning on trying this system out and have some distilled water. Was thinking that if I use it, I could exclude the Lemi Shine and still end up with clean cases but just not as shiney. What do you think about my plan? I might experiment with baking soda as well instead of Lemi Shine. I'm trying to stay away from any and all acids that might have a long term affect on the brass.

Not being a naturally gifted shooter, I like to try new stuff and I love gadgets--as long as I think there is some chance that they might improve my groups and they are not obvious rip offs. That being said................

1--Brass only needs to be clean enough to function smoothly and properly in the weapon. It does not need to be shined, polished, sandblasted, beat up, washed, or scalded to do that.

2-- Walnut media lasts and lasts and lasts if you don't gunk it up with a lot of unnecessary, useless crap. Walnut media is cheap. I have about 12 pounds of the 18 I bought over 10 years ago. I would have more than that but I wasted a couple of pounds by adding polishes and crap before I was wised up by another shooter.

3-- If you want a nice shiny case add some scouring powder to the media every now and then. How much and how often depends upon how much brass you clean and how dirty it is. Obviously, if you clean a lot of .223 brass fired from a direct gas impingement rifle, you'll need to add the powder more often than someone shooting a bolt gun all the time. The walnut media does break up a tiny bit and you'll need to get the dust out of it and add a cupful of media every now and then. If you use a media separator and it dumps into a 5 gallon bucket, the dust will fly away when you use it.

4-- I have a shooting buddy who uses ceramic media-- it does a nice job for him, there is no doubt about it, but his cases are no cleaner or better shooting than mine. His wife makes him use it in the garage, just as I do. In about 4 lifetimes, his ceramic will have cost him less per case than my next can of Bon Ami and 18# of walnut....maybe. Oh wait I have enough for that long already............

quote:

Originally posted by Wink:
Looks pretty nifty. I have sent e-mails to both Thumler and the media provider to ask if they make a 220 volt/50 cycle motor model of the tumbler for Euro use and will keep you posted on the replies.

Stainless tumbling media (STM) did reply, saying that they do not have any 220 Volt models, and don't know if Thumler makes them. A simple transformer will take care of the voltage problem, but a 60 cycle electric motor forced to run on 50 cycles for a long period of time may burn out.

There is a 220 Volt Thumler, here is a link;
http://www.buffaloarms.com/browse.cfm/4,8362.html

quote:

Originally posted by brandoninaz:
There is a 220 Volt Thumler, here is a link;
http://www.buffaloarms.com/browse.cfm/4,8362.html

Thanks for the lead. I love AR.

I received my tumbler and media in the mail over this last week and have been able to put them to use.

I love it! It is a huge improvement over the corn cob media and vibratory case cleaner. There is absolutely no powder residue left in the cases and the primer pockets are near spotless. I don't think anyone that tries this combo out will be disappointed.

I put the first 400 45ACP cases in for about three hours, the brass came out almost perfect. Unfortunately the little motor on the tumbler was getting pretty warm and I'd like to keep it alive as long as I can, so I put in the next 400 45ACP cases in for about 1.5 hours. The brass still came out spotless inside and out, but the primer pockets were a little dull. Clean, but dull. As long as the primer pocket is clean, I'm happy, so I think the 1.5 hour time limit is just about right for the tumbler I have (Thumler Tumbler Model B, high speed heavy duty).

So how much was the plunge to get into steel media?

quote:

Originally posted by Sam:
So how much was the plunge to get into steel media?

Including the tumbler and media, just over $200. Sounds a little steep, but considering that I was going to buy a Dillon vibratory cleaner before I saw this, it's not bad at all.

That's not terrible. To read posts on a nother site it sounded a lot more expensive and time consuming. I picked up the Harbor Freight sonic cleaner a couple of months ago on sale but haven't tried it yet. I'm thinking of adding it between sizing and priming instead of the second tumble.

sweet!! thanks for this thread. I'll be placing an order this next week.

new_guy
I have an old Thumbler (standard speed) 15 pound tumbler. Any idea if this will work (saves me from buying a new tumbler).
thanks rc

quote:

Originally posted by Sam:

That's not terrible. To read posts on another site, it sounded a lot more expensive and time consuming. I picked up the Harbor Freight sonic cleaner a couple of months ago on sale but haven't tried it yet. I'm thinking of adding it between sizing and priming instead of the second tumble.

I resize, then clean in my Harbor Freight sonic cleaner. That's it. No need to tumble before using the cleaner. I wash my brass in hot water and dish soap to get any loose and large chunks of dirt off, then dry it in my food dehydrator. Next day or whenever I get around to it I resize, then clean in the cleaner. I get clean-clean brass and cleaned-out primer pockets. I abhor cleaning primer pockets. So time-consuming. The sonic cleaner gets 'em in just a few cycles, like five or six. DO NOT run consecutive 480-second cycles. The little booklet says it overheats the transducer. You have been warned...

quote:

Originally posted by RCHOUSER:
new_guy
I have an old Thumbler (standard speed) 15 pound tumbler. Any idea if this will work (saves me from buying a new tumbler).
thanks rc

No problem. I had to buy a new tumbler, and I accidentally bought the regular speed (like yours.) It just takes twice as long as the high-speed model, but it will work just fine.

Or for @ $50 thumbler will sell you a high-speed motor. Everything else is the same.

quote:

Originally posted by brandoninaz:
I received my tumbler and media in the mail over this last week and have been able to put them to use.

I love it! It is a huge improvement over the corn cob media and vibratory case cleaner. There is absolutely no powder residue left in the cases and the primer pockets are near spotless. I don't think anyone that tries this combo out will be disappointed.

Pretty impressive, isn't it?

Oh, by the way, I've got a new RCBS vibratory cleaner here - has about 5 hours of run time on it... anyone want to buy it?

I wish someone would come up with a down side to this method or I'm going to end up with 200.00 less in my pocket!!

Fishin' Magician

quote:

Originally posted by Fishin' Magician:
I wish someone would come up with a down side to this method ...

These would be pure speculation because I've not tried what is being advocated.

1. The Steel Pins "might" tend to scratch the softer Brass.
2. The life of a Vibratory Style Tumbler will probably be shorter due to the Total Mass it is having to deal with. So, the Concrete Mixer Style Rotary Tumbler is probably a good thing to do - in this application.
3. Stainless has the potential to eventually Rust, but obviously slower than regular Steel. It would be a shame to let the Stainless Pins set for 6-9 months and come back to find they have surface Rust, or stuck together.

All of that is "pure speculation" and may be Full-of-Beans. I wish everyone the very best with the Stainless Pins.

Now, if they were Brass Pins, then it would be even more interesting to me.

surface rust did come to my mind as well.