Brass tumbler

[Hunterbug]

I need a new brass tumbler. I have always used a vibrating tumbler with media but when I was looking at them tonight I saw a Lyman ultrasonic for the same price. Has anyone ever used one? How did you like it? What are the pros and cons?

[j0e_bl0ggs (deceased)]

Ultrasonics will clean the carbon off but you will not get shiny. You will also need to dry them!
I used US for years but now all my brass cleaning is done with a tumbler and stainless steel pins - shiny! Now the only reason for shiny is being able to see the brass colour change when I anneal.
So if you do not need 'shiny' go for it! (oh yeah the reason I no longer clean in a vibratory bowl is picking the media out of flash holes... :cens: )

All you need for the cleaner is some quality washing powder soap (pinch it off the missus) and a smidge of lemi-shine (citric acid). The acid, in such small quantities is there only to neutralise lime scale if you have 'hard' water.

[recoil junky]

NAW NAW NAW NAW!!! Yer gon boot 'i awwl wrong lad. Yuh dooh na ken 't problem!!!!

Those pesky kernels of media are best removed by the decapping pin and stainless steel pins might make for shiny brass make a din that will raise the dead. Sonic cleaners WILL get the carbon out of the flash hole, but they are a  royal pain in 't arse because of the mess you have to deal with. If I absolutely gotts 't needta clean out the flash hole, which I don't very often excpet with copious amounts of IMR7828 , I use a wee f;lat blade screw driver with the point ground to fit the bottom of the flash hole. Quicker that trying to dig the pesky kernal out of the flash hole with a pin or something.

If it was me HB, I'd get another Vibratory tumbler. If it's just the motor, they can be had if you know where to look or who to call. Frankfort Arsenal I think has replacement motors listed for theirs and they are all pretty much the same.

RJ

[j0e_bl0ggs (deceased)]

Run my stainless stuff outside....

[recoil junky]

But it's 28 below outside.



The racket would scare the elk I'm watching from my kitchen windowas I sip my coffee.

Go to Amazon.com. you can find one there as easy as going to where ever the tumbler was made.

RJ

[sakorick]

My Lyman tumbler is 50 years old and has cleaned a zillion cases. I never worry about a little FOD being trapped in the flash hole as I don't resize/deprime until the cleaning is done. Then I measure all the cases for proper length and trim if necessary. My Case Conditioner then cleans the primer pocket like new.

[Hunterbug]

The one that I have still works but it belongs to a friend. He bought all of my reloading stuff a long time ago. I didn't have a set up and he had money but no time. So he bought it and in return I loaded for him. Now he's retired and wants to load. I've since acquired everything I need except a brass tumbler.

[recoil junky]

There you go HB, problem solved. A new Lyman, a jug of pre-treated Lyman corn cob media and WALLAH, clean, shiny cases. The jug will last quite a while IF you don't tumble cases fired with ALOX lubed bullets. I keep separate buckets, one with media for rifle cases until it gets "dirty" then it gets put in the bucket with media that only sees .357/44 cases that shoot cast bullets lubed with ALOX. The latter cases still come out clean and shiny, it just takes a little longer.

RJ

[sakorick]

I have 100,000 cobs laying out there......soooo, what would I use to grind them up for media? I could provide a lifetime supply for every man woman and child on this forum!

[JaDub]

HB,
 
   I bought mine at Harbor freight. A bargain !!

[JaDub]

RJ,
   It`s probably a good thing I can`t see stuff like that out of my back window.  :undecided:

[recoil junky]

....soooo, what would I use to grind them up for media?

An old coffee grinder? Put a cordless drill on to run it?

Just thinking out loud . . . . . .

RJ

[farmboy]

If you go to a pet store to buy walnut shells or corn cobs ground up you will get a bargain. A little dusty compared to the brass cleaning media just put the lid on the tumbler but only ten percent of the cost.

[farmboy]

They use them for litter in bird cages most times fifty pounds for about ten dollars up here is the pet store cost.

[gitano]

If you go to a pet store to buy walnut shells or corn cobs ground up you will get a bargain. A little dusty compared to the brass cleaning media just put the lid on the tumbler but only ten percent of the cost.

'zactly...

Paul