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This certainly belongs on the reloading forum, but given what we as double rifle shooters invest in our brass, I thought this would be of particular interest here as well. 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. | ||
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New Guy, I use exactly the same method and tumbler but with porcelain beads. I swear by it, as it is far and away better than anything else I've ever tried and the beads never wear out. I shoot a lot of BP cartridge guns and love how it throughly cleans all of the residue from deep inside the case. Bob DRSS "If we're not supposed to eat animals, why are they made out of meat?" "PS. To add a bit of Pappasonian philosophy: this single barrel stuff is just a passing fad. Bolt actions and single shots will fade away as did disco, the hula hoop, and bell-bottomed pants. Doubles will rule the world!" | |||
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Wow, those are clean cases. May have to look into this ... There is hope, even when your brain tells you there isn’t. – John Green, author | |||
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Where do you get the porcelain beads, Bob? My experience is obviously limited... do you think one offers and advantage over the other (ss vs. porcelain?) | |||
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I should also add that Thumbler's Tumbler makes two different speed motors for the model 140 tumbler. I didn't know this, and I got the slow motor. The "fast" motor runs at twice the speed and - presumably - produces the same results quicker. There's only about $10 difference between the two, and it's an easy mistake to make if you're shopping online for the tubler. | |||
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I get the porcelin media from sage outfitters. It comes in 2 sizes for .40 and smaller and larger than .40. I do not know how it compares to ss though. http://www.sageoutfitters.com/.../7209324/7459408.htm NRA CRPA DRSS | |||
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I was assume a typical vibratory tumbler won't work because of the weight of the media? Also it appears you mark your case head I would assume for the times fired? What do you mark it with? I thought of this before and used an engraver but it was a little time consuming..... Mac Mac | |||
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Hey, Mac. Apparently it doesn't work in a typical vibratory type tumbler. You're right - weight, and I suspect because there isn't as much agitation. Yes, I mark my cases heads with a file everytime I shoot / resize them. I use a "needle file." They usually come in little kits of 4 or 5 different shapes, and it only takes a couple of seconds to make the mark. I've had mine forever, but don't remember where I got them... they should be availalbe at your local hardware store. | |||
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Maybe small batches in a vibrating tumbler? How much/if any, metal might be removed over time? Is there a way to clean primed brass in any lot size, other than polishing one at a time by hand? | |||
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New Guy, I bought my porcelian beads from an ad in the back of Rifle Magazine many years ago. They've lasted at least 8-10 years, so I've forgotten the company! I want to try the stainless steel after seeing your pictures. I'd imagine that they could get up in the primer pockets more easily since they're so small. Bob DRSS "If we're not supposed to eat animals, why are they made out of meat?" "PS. To add a bit of Pappasonian philosophy: this single barrel stuff is just a passing fad. Bolt actions and single shots will fade away as did disco, the hula hoop, and bell-bottomed pants. Doubles will rule the world!" | |||
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I like the results you show in the pictures! Do you just rinse the SS media with water to clean it? ND Stephen Grant 500BPE Joseph Harkom 450BPE | |||
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Oh shit, now I gotta spend more money on some new crap, lol Do any of the ss pins get stuck in the flash holes? My biggest fear is when I die my wife will sell my guns for what I told her they cost. | |||
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Chris, Don't ever let your wife know that your such a good cleaner, your done for. "An individual with experience is never at the mercies of an individual with an argument" | |||
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Yes, I pour out as much of the black water as possible without losing any of the media. Then I run fresh water back into the tumbler (with the media) and drain it again. I repeat that a few times until all the soap bubbles are gone from the water. Lastly, I drain the the final bit of water through a tea strainer to ensure that no media goes down the sink. Then I let the media dry in the tumbler in the sun. It was 103 in Dallas yesterday... drying in the sun it pretty fast here. By the way, the media is magnetic, so if you do spill it in a confined place, it's easy to collect with a magnet.
Yes, it is possible, but much less likely than walnut media in my experience. I've cleaned probably 500 pieces so far, and I've had 5 cases with media stuck in the flash hole. In those cases, two pieces of media can get wedged in the flash hole (one by itself slides right through). This is easily idendifiable at a glance. With a pair of tweezers, you can extract them. | |||
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Does this all mean I can't get into heaven if : I just wipe my cases off with an alcohol soaked rag trim\chamfer if need be and reload.  Do I have to go out and buy more stuff??My ammo isn't very pretty but it always seems to shoot well. | |||
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Those big beautiful shiny cases now make me want a 450-400  What was that line from the original Planet of the Apes ... "Danm you! Damn you all to Hell!" NRA Lifer; DSC Lifer; SCI member; DRSS; AR member since November 9 2003 Don't Save the best for last, the smile for later or the "Thanks" for tomorow | |||
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I believe there is a hidden message in this thread 450-400 Heym 88, 450-400 Heym 88, 450-400 Heym 88. | |||
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God Bless you Els! Of course you can! However you will still want to buy new stuff all the time!  Rusty We Band of Brothers! DRSS, NRA & SCI Life Member "I am rejoiced at my fate. Do not be uneasy about me, for I am with my friends." ----- David Crockett in his last letter (to his children), January 9th, 1836 "I will never forsake Texas and her cause. I am her son." ----- Jose Antonio Navarro, from Mexican Prison in 1841 "for I have sworn upon the altar of god eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man." Thomas Jefferson Declaration of Arbroath April 6, 1320-“. . .It is not for glory, nor riches, nor honours that we are fighting, but for freedom - for that alone, which no honest man gives up but with life itself.” | |||
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You cannot go wrong with a Heym in 450/400. DOUBLE RIFLE SHOOTERS SOCIETY | |||
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The times I've tried any "wet" method of tumbling I ended up with worse water spots than the original tarnish. Is there an EASY and QUICK way to dry them and have them stay that clean??? If you tell me its done with cloth or something equally as time consuming I'm going to keep SINNING and shooting slightly tarnished brass. | |||
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You all have issues... I bet you guys don't even drink milk from the carton Mike Never under estimate the internet community's ability to reply to your post with their personal rant about their tangentially related, single occurrence issue.  What I have learned on AR, since 2001: 1. The proper answer to: Where is the best place in town to get a steak dinner? is…You should go to Mel's Diner and get the fried chicken. 2. Big game animals can tell the difference between .015 of an inch in diameter, 15 grains of bullet weight, and 150 fps. 3. There is a difference in the performance of two identical projectiles launched at the same velocity if they came from different cartridges. 4. While a double rifle is the perfect DGR, every 375HH bolt gun needs to be modified to carry at least 5 down. 5. While a floor plate and detachable box magazine both use a mechanical latch, only the floor plate latch is reliable. Disregard the fact that every modern military rifle uses a detachable box magazine. 6. The Remington 700 is unreliable regardless of the fact it is the basis of the USMC M40 sniper rifle for 40+ years with no changes to the receiver or extractor and is the choice of more military and law enforcement sniper units than any other rifle. 7. PF actions are not suitable for a DGR and it is irrelevant that the M1, M14, M16, & AK47 which were designed for hunting men that can shoot back are all PF actions. 8. 95 deg F in Africa is different than 95 deg F in TX or CA and that is why you must worry about ammunition temperature in Africa (even though most safaris take place in winter) but not in TX or in CA. 9. The size of a ding in a gun's finish doesn't matter, what matters is whether it’s a safe ding or not. 10. 1 in a row is a trend, 2 in a row is statistically significant, and 3 in a row is an irrefutable fact. 11. Never buy a WSM or RCM cartridge for a safari rifle or your go to rifle in the USA because if they lose your ammo you can't find replacement ammo but don't worry 280 Rem, 338-06, 35 Whelen, and all Weatherby cartridges abound in Africa and back country stores. 12. A well hit animal can run 75 yds. in the open and suddenly drop with no initial blood trail, but the one I shot from 200 yds. away that ran 10 yds. and disappeared into a thicket and was not found was lost because the bullet penciled thru. I am 100% certain of this even though I have no physical evidence. 13. A 300 Win Mag is a 500 yard elk cartridge but a 308 Win is not a 300 yard elk cartridge even though the same bullet is travelling at the same velocity at those respective distances. | |||
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Put them in the oven at just above 100 deegre celsius, in a pan with some paper in the bottom. Let it bake for about one hour. I use newspaper, but then you can get some stains on the brass from print, but the texture on old newspaper is fine to soak up water. EDIT: I forgot that most other countries have gas-ovens, this is strictly for electric ovens! STIG  | |||
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Has anyone tried this without the liquid - that is just using the stainless steel media? | |||
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Hey! I do! Every time my wife isn't watching! Did I mention that since Peggy retired, I'm 'Well supervised" at home?  Rusty We Band of Brothers! DRSS, NRA & SCI Life Member "I am rejoiced at my fate. Do not be uneasy about me, for I am with my friends." ----- David Crockett in his last letter (to his children), January 9th, 1836 "I will never forsake Texas and her cause. I am her son." ----- Jose Antonio Navarro, from Mexican Prison in 1841 "for I have sworn upon the altar of god eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man." Thomas Jefferson Declaration of Arbroath April 6, 1320-“. . .It is not for glory, nor riches, nor honours that we are fighting, but for freedom - for that alone, which no honest man gives up but with life itself.” | |||
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I use my wifes hair dryer, doesn't take too long either a few minutes and they are ready to go. "An individual with experience is never at the mercies of an individual with an argument" | |||
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As far as drying them and keeping them clean, I used to take my blackpowder cases after I boiled them and while they were still wet, put them in a vibrating tumbler with corn cob media in it and walk off for a while. The corn cob absorbed the water and put the shine back on them. They looked a lot like the ones shown with the SS media. Bought corn cob media in 50 pound bag and it last me for years. | |||
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