Wet Tumbling Brass
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#1: Wet Tumbling Brass Author: hunterjoe21, Location: Miles City, Montana PostPosted: Sat Apr 24, 2021 10:22 pm
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Has anyone here tried it yet?
I'm pretty impressed with the results I'm getting.
#2: Re: Wet Tumbling Brass Author: Elvis, Location: south island New Zealand PostPosted: Sun Apr 25, 2021 2:24 am
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I inherited a Lyman tumbler...have tried walnut shells,steel shot...and wasnt really impressed at all....reckon a bit of poly pad while its still in cordless drill shell holder does better job
#3: Re: Wet Tumbling Brass Author: Aloysius, Location: B., Belgium PostPosted: Sun Apr 25, 2021 4:16 am
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Elvis, add a product to clean copper to the walnut and you'll be amazed.


I clean brass used with blackpowder with very hot water and oxyclean (washing-powder). Dirt simply 'boils' out of the cases...
#4: Re: Wet Tumbling Brass Author: RePete, Location: Gods Country PostPosted: Sun Apr 25, 2021 6:47 am
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I use Lyman tumblers with a 60/40 mix of corn blast and Lyman treated corn cob with 4 used Bounce dryer sheets. The sheets are change after every tumbling and it keeps the media cleaner longer.
#5: Re: Wet Tumbling Brass Author: Bushmaster, Location: Ava, Missouri PostPosted: Sun Apr 25, 2021 8:42 am
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I use a 35 year old Lyman turbo 1200 with very fine ground corncob and a cap full of Nu-finish every once in a while. Couldn't be happier.
#6: Re: Wet Tumbling Brass Author: RePete, Location: Gods Country PostPosted: Sun Apr 25, 2021 9:51 am
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I had a Turbo 1200 for about 35 years before it croaked. I now use 2 x Magnum 2500's and a 2200.

Great machines.

Last edited by RePete on Sun Apr 25, 2021 2:55 pm; edited 1 time in total
#7: Re: Wet Tumbling Brass Author: Vince, Location: Brisbane AUSTRALIA PostPosted: Sun Apr 25, 2021 2:51 pm
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hunterjoe21 wrote:
Has anyone here tried it yet?
I'm pretty impressed with the results I'm getting.

When you say “wet tumbling”, what does this actually entail mate?


I have a Lyman tumbler and use the Lyman media (got it nice and cheap) and it does an amazing job on the outside of the cases. Takes about 2 hours, or more depending on the condition of the cases, but it is great. I put strips of a robust hand towel that I spray with plain water into the media and they come out dirty, keeps the media much cleaner.

Notice I said “outside”...the only case cleaner I am aware of that apparently cleans the inside as well is the tumbler that uses stainless steel pins as the cleaning agent.
#8: Re: Wet Tumbling Brass Author: English Mike, Location: Whitehaven, Cumbria, UK PostPosted: Sun Apr 25, 2021 3:02 pm
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I've run maybe 40-50,000 cases through my Frankford wet tumbler.
Started off with 5lb of stainless steel media & have lost less than an ounce.
Cases come out of the tumbler clean inside & out, including primer pockets being near spotless, which traditional tumblers can't do.
I give a full load a full 3 hour run using a good squirt of Dawn dish soap & half a teaspoon of Lemishine , then drain, three rinses & into a large bucket to separate out the media using a small fryer basket in the case of straight wall cases. Bottleneck cases take a different technique.
I've heard running a Lyman media separator filled half way up the lower half of the basket does a good job of getting the SS pins out of all cases.
After that, it's out in the NM sun to dry on some clean, old towels for a stain free finish.
I've done everything from 9x19 up to 45-70, including some .17 Remington cases which, along with 5.56x45 are the only ones which take a little more time in getting the pins out.
Mostly it's been .45 ACP, .38spl/357mag & 7,62x51(Indian brass is great once trimmed).
Stuck back here in the UK, I use an ultrasonic cleaner for my hunting brass, as even with foxing & checking sights it only adds up to maybe 50 cases a year. Load development brass gets run in my old RCBS vibratory tumbler with walnut media for an hour to take the dirt off & that's it. Can't justify a wet tumbler for the amount of shooting I do in the UK compared to when in the US.
#9: Re: Wet Tumbling Brass Author: Pumpkinslinger, Location: NC foothills PostPosted: Sun Apr 25, 2021 8:58 pm
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I'm still using my Lyman 1200 too. Crushed walnut with some Flitz tumbler additive. Run cases for about 2 hours.

I've also got a Hornady ultrasonic but don't use it much. By the time you've cleaned, rinsed and dried the brass I don't think you save any time.
#10: Re: Wet Tumbling Brass Author: hunterjoe21, Location: Miles City, Montana PostPosted: Sun Apr 25, 2021 9:00 pm
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Vince wrote:
hunterjoe21 wrote:
Has anyone here tried it yet?
I'm pretty impressed with the results I'm getting.

When you say “wet tumbling”, what does this actually entail mate?


I have a Lyman tumbler and use the Lyman media (got it nice and cheap) and it does an amazing job on the outside of the cases. Takes about 2 hours, or more depending on the condition of the cases, but it is great. I put strips of a robust hand towel that I spray with plain water into the media and they come out dirty, keeps the media much cleaner.

Notice I said “outside”...the only case cleaner I am aware of that apparently cleans the inside as well is the tumbler that uses stainless steel pins as the cleaning agent.

Please see English Mike's response. He covered it very well.
#11: Re: Wet Tumbling Brass Author: hunterjoe21, Location: Miles City, Montana PostPosted: Sun Apr 25, 2021 9:11 pm
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From my experience so far. The SS pins are very effective, but I've had issues with them sticking inside the necks of bottle neck cartridges. No issues whatsoever with anything else.

I'm considering trying SS chips for my rifle brass. Should eliminate anything getting stuck in the neck
#12: Re: Wet Tumbling Brass Author: hunterjoe21, Location: Miles City, Montana PostPosted: Sun Apr 25, 2021 9:17 pm
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accubrass.com/products...blingmedia
#13: Re: Wet Tumbling Brass Author: hunterjoe21, Location: Miles City, Montana PostPosted: Sun Apr 25, 2021 9:18 pm
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That's the kit I purchased
#14: Re: Wet Tumbling Brass Author: PaulS, Location: South-Eastern Washington - the State PostPosted: Mon Apr 26, 2021 11:37 pm
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I bought a Frankford Arsenal tumbler and quickly sold the steel pins. I use 80 grit walnut blasting media and it takes an hour to make them shine well enough to reload. I use a cap full of brasso paste with new media and use it until it stops working. When that happens I will wash it in soapy water and rinse it in hot water and once more with alcohol if I want it to dry fast otherwise I'll just dry in the sun.

I never intended to use the wet cleaning method. I bought the tumbler because it was the right size at the right price. I got the platinum series for $125 shipping paid.
#15: Re: Wet Tumbling Brass Author: se3388, Location: SEMO PostPosted: Thu Sep 23, 2021 2:07 pm
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I had an old motor and gear box from a Supermarket checkout conveyor lying around for about 35 years and decided to make my own wet tumbler. I added stainless steel pins, Dawn and Lemi Shine and cases come out looking like new or better even the primer pockets. I use a Midway/Frankford media separator that sits on the top of a five gallon bucket and any left over pins from the tumbling process come out there. Am I happy with this method, 100% so, I will never go back to the Walnut shell method.

Steve.........
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