Testing Wet Tumble With Only Water And SS Pins 

Thanks for mentioning my question in your video, I've been reloading for years but still learn a lot from your videos!!! Another Great Video!!!

I tumble dry mine with a 1/4" finishing nails and primer pockets come out shinning 😊 shorter time and cleaner mix with corn media too! 😊

I always enjoy these vids testing different processes and showing the results.

Another awesome detailed vid Fortune mate! Thanks for taking the time buddy!

Here's what I've stumbled across, literally accidentally: I tumble my small primer pocket .45 auto brass separately from the large, I then use the usual ss pins and dish soap, but use a very tiny amount of lemi shine in the batch. The brass comes out with a darker appearance, making it easy to distinguish from the large pocket brass. This technique gives the brass an almost "color case hardened" appearance. I derive three benefits from this: 1) I can quickly and readily distinguish my small from large primer brass. 2) I can spot the fired brass on the ground considerabily easier. 3) Small pistol primers are more readily available locally than large. Your mileage, of course may vary...

I wet tumble dirty fired brass gets the brass 80% clean. When the case is dry (but the primer pocket is still damp/wet) I deprime/resize. Having a wet/damp primped pocket minimizes lead dust. Lots of bad stuff in the fired primer pocket area. When it’s wet, it minimizes airborne lead and other chemicals. 😊

I love the rumble vids where freedom still rings!!

I really enjoyed your videos throughout the years and learned helpful reloading tips along the way. I also noticed your a SF bay area local ( Awesome to see a local doing this ) If you ever want to do informational vids or testing with long distance let me know I have access to the Avenal private range.

I tumble my 45Colt BP cases first in (hot)water only, then rinse them and tumble them again with pins, Dawn (called Dreft here in the Netherlands..) and a little bit of Lemi shine. Works great

Thanks Steve very good video and Information.

Amazing the amount of dirt and crud that came out with just water. My recipe is water hot as hot gets from the tap, 2 small squirts of Dawn or now I'm using Turtle wax car wash soap, 1/8th teaspoon of Lemme shine and no SS pins. 45-90 mins in the tumbler at the most. Drain and rinse. Comes out shiny and clean enough for me. When I process pistol or rifle brass I run each case through my Lyman prep center after wet tumbling, inspecting each case along the way and clean and uniform the primer pockets. I feel if I'm going to do that anyway why go through the hassle of the pins IMO. Used to run my brass for 2+ hours but didn't see that much of a difference in cleanliness so reduced to 45-90 mins. Going to try the vinegar method as well. Great video FC.

Nice vid FC!! I’m slowly getting back into the Hot-Lead / reloading game. I may have to have one of these though😍

SUPER VIDEO! I rarely compliment You-Tubers on their videos, so a HUGE good job from me! I don't load .45 ACP anymore, but 10mm and .357 (BRASS CASES, they don't crack at the mouth like plated cases do) and .22 Hornet for my Contender, all will play the same in my P/W progressive, and my tons of .308 NATO Frankfort plated small rifle pocketed match ammo I got dirt cheap. (Less than the scrap-price!) Crimped primer pockets and I like CCI small magnum rifle primers, as they are clean and light-up Ball C-2 effectively. Thick, strong cases that I can reload 20+ times for a semi-auto rifle. My new SIG M-P320 spits out the spents pretty hard at the indoor range, so my mostly Fiocchi brass does get dinged-up. I went crazy and got the titanium carbide sizing dies; twice the money, but easier to re-size. I use Castrol Super Clean in my tumbler. Even the insides of the cases come out shiny. As you CLEARLY show, there are a lot of ways to get good clean cases. Seeing your "water only" test shows me EXACTLY what I had wondered about. I'm pestering Alliant Powders for some more "loads" with different powders for 10mm. I can't duplicate factory load velocities with the 160 gr. HP-close, but no cigar. Again, thanks!

When I saw those small primers in new American Eagle and Speer 45acp cartridges I was sick. Wait until you see the newest powder prices. Good vid on the cleaning. Dawn is made in the alkaline Ph spectrum, so when you use it with acid you cancel that out. Lemi-shine is citric acid with detergent added. Regular Ajax with a little Lemi Shine works good like Dawn and Vinegar. Just be careful as you start leeching the copper out of the brass if it sits in a strong cleaning mix too long.

Liking small primers or large primers seems mostly dependent on which primers you have more of in stock.

I like having a supply of both large and small primers in my 10mm. I remember on of the primer droughts a few years back when all could find were small.

I have tried numerous ways of wet tumbling brass, i found the very best was Lemmie Shine in a very small amount, usually 1/2 teaspoon and about 3 tablespoons of Armour All Ultra Shine Car Was ans Wax. This puts a microscopic coat of wax on your brass and keeps your ammo looking like new stuff, does not hurt the brass, powder or effect the quality of the load when fired, easier cleanup the next time around. Try it, i think you will like it.

THANK YOU STEVE GREAT VIDIO THANKS FOR SHARING

That press is a sweet setup! I thik water is ok for a rinse, but not great for final processing.

I have done the same test and came up with the same results. But I did find after I tumbled in plain water I didn't have to tumble as long with Dawn dish soap and lemon juice or vinegar. What ever you like to use for a little acid.

I use a dedicated "dirty brass" hand crank media separator to do a pre-wash on the dirty brass using water and a small amount of dawn soap. Then I put the brass in the Frankford tumbler for 1.5 to 2 hours with dawn and lemishine. Then I remove the tumbler and change the water with fresh clean water after I rinse the brass and add a little more dawn and lemishine and put them back on to tumble for another 60-90 minutes. Doing that pre-wash and then changing the water and rinsing the brass 2/3 of the way through makes the brass come out extra extra clean and shiny. Give it a try and you'll notice the difference too.

I like to wet tumble mine with dawn dish soap and after they’ve dried I put them in my Dillon tumbler with some corncob media and Dillons rapid polishing liquid to get them super shiny and slick. I think it’s better on my dies and the polishing liquid gives them a nice protective coating. I’m some will say it’s too much work but it’s worth it to me.

Pins, Dawn, and acid give the satisfaction element to this chore. When we used to have to shine our boots and dress shoes in the Marine Corps, and it didn't work out so well during inspection, the Gunny would say" Did you use a Hersey bar to shine those boots"?

Thanks

I also use Dawn, but think most any other soap would probably work as well. When top executives at the Dawn company meet, do they talk about how their formulation is tailored to help clean spent brass? I think not.

I have found not to overdo the Lemi shine… less is better. A little more Dawn and/or vinegar sounds good. I haven’t used vinegar yet but have thought of it. We use vinegar to clean our home…no more Clorox or nasty chems for us.

Also subscribed on rumble too!!!

I do an initial tumble without pins before I deprime so I don’t get my cases and dies gunked up and scratched. Dawn, lemishine and hot water for 45-90 minutes does the trick and I’m able to start my mechanical process with relatively clean brass.

I use the FART for cleaning brass w/o the pins. NO pins. I did see the video where a guy pre-rinsed the brass and then washed it normally. I didn't notice a huge difference in cleaning process.

Steve where did you get those transparent plastic containers you had your dirty brass in?

I'll stick with the full meal deal, Dawn, Pins, Lemishine. Cleaner brass easier to inspect. Powder checks are also easier with clean brass in most pistol cases.

I just give the brass a quick wash with hot water and a squirt of Dawn to knock the lead dust off the brass before I handle it very much. It doesn't take long to do this. An hour is plenty. The brass dries pretty fast on a ventilated tray. Then I deprime and size it. I spray the depriming die with WD40 after usr in case there was any water left in the cases. Then I give the brass a proper washing with dawn and lemishine for appearance sake I had to ask what the can of 3n1 oil is doing front and center. In the video? Is there a subliminal message here? I like to spray some WD40 into my hands then run my hands through the bucket of brass before I deprime and size. I use carbide dies of course but the wd40 makes sizing the brass much easier. Thanks for all you do.

Well that’s ok if you like getting your sizing tool all dirty and full of grit . That’s why I use a hand de primer then clean the brass then run all my brass through my dillon press .

Does the shine of the brass matter? Is it not just a matter of pride?

I bought some 45acp brass from a pistol range and about 300 of the 500 were small pistol primers, and since those were the first to disappear, I do not have an abundance of them. Why does he keep putting the 3-in-1 oil in front of the brass?

Thanks p, FC…I like to use a dollop of car wash ‘n shine liquid soap, a tiny bit of Lemishine, and ss pins (which, btw, are about 10 years old). Brass still comes out factory shiny…and I don’t deprime/size beforehand. Also…what was the 3 in 1 oil? Maybe I missed it?

I recently wet-tumbled rifle with chips and detergent only, because my lemishine was gone (wife thinks it should be used for its intended purpose). The primer pockets got significantly less clean.

I use Dawn, Citric Acid with warm water in an ultrasonic vibrator. Never have used vinegar. I have read that the acid in vinegar can eat away on the brass over time and weaken the cases.

Hey Steve thanks for testing that out. How much vinegar is good for a full load of brass and steel pins ?

I have both 45auto and 10mm with both small and large primer pockets.

I found that separating out the tiny pins was my least favorite part of reloading. Fortunately, a capful of citric acid (lemishine substitute) with some dollar store dish soap and no pins works very well.

So when did manufacturer’s transition from large pistol to small pistol for 45 acp?

hello fc . i saw a lot of pins after the use of the separator , i use only a little dish washer liquide de rincage / spul glanz from a brand called SUN ,by unilever ,and the the come out shiny , no pins they will make trouble when loading progressiv , after that a little soda in the water to nutralize the accids. i stopped using a tumbler ,now a ultra sonic cleaner , just 20 min with the sun and they are clean

I have a dehumidifier in the reloading area and capture the water. Basically distilled water. No Lemi-shine. I wonder if a little vinegar in the water would be enough to shine them up? I use a little dawn just to help with slipping the pins out of the cases, then rinse. I generally clean when I think the brass is at the end of it's life. For thorough inspection. The primer pocket is the first to go almost exclusively. I anneal every firing and the ocw is generally chosen below max to extend the primer pocket life.

They make good 20ga slugs,fit right in a Winchester wad,fill them with lead,bad 230 gr bullet fit perfect.

That Lee press is pretty slick. No lube required? (No pun intended, lol.)

I use the Hornady cleaner with lemi shine and get good results.

Lets discuss the reasons for adding soap or acid to the water. Soap not only breaks down dirt, oil & grease it also suspends the particles in solution. The acid softens the water if it's hard, that is the real reason for using it. Yes acid also helps clean & polish brass but the reason you use it is so the soap is more effective in hard water. If your brass is very dirty or you let your tumbler sit for a while after tumbling, the dirt can make a grimy mess of your brass. A first quick tumble of very dirty brass for about 10 min then dumping & replacing the solution can greatly reduce this and also cut down on your over all cleaning time.

QUESTION - How do you all dispose of the dirty water? There are some nasty chemicals in there and I am still trying to decide the best way to get rid of the water. Any feedback?

Try without pins, 1 tsp of lemi shine granulate, and a small dollop of laundry detergent. It comes out great if tumbled for 20-30 mins. Hot water. 3/4 or less full of brass to allow brass as it’s own aggregate. The inside won’t be blinging but that doesn’t matter

Lemme say “lemmie shine, will let my brass shine and lemmie shine works everytime, use steel pins no dirt left behind, lemmie shine.” The two together are like peanut butter and jelly perfect. Who wants to show up to the range with unsightly brass.

I've had good luck using Lemi-Shine and no pins, just let the brass clean each other, ream out the primer pockets and bob's your uncle...

I'm curious if the shine would come back if you ran again with just your down and vinegar. Here's a lil tip. I got a couple small mesh bags with something I bought. I don't remember what it was though. But they have a drawstring and a sliding lock on the drawstring. I always hated doing my tumble after range day because I would have cases inside of cases. So now I can sort them first and put a caliber in each bag, So I can run 9mm 40, and 45 in one load and not have them nesting in other cases preventing them from getting cleaned. So if you happen to run across some small mesh bags you know what you can use them for. :)

Has anyone tried barkeepers friend cleaner in water and tumbled it for an hour or so?

I hate these .45 cases with small primer pockets. They keep getting mixed in with my large primer cases and choking my reloading with the Dillon. I have lots of large pistol primers, but virtually no small primers which makes things worse.

I wet tumble with only water and vinegar. The media I use is irregular shaped SS compared to SS pins. I get good results with shine. Have fun with it.

Small primers are coming in 10mm too. Its pretty annoying, wish it was 1 or the other.

45 minutes of tumbling with five drops of Dawn is all it takes... with a 15 minute hot water tumble rinse afterwards. Two... three hours and some people even four hours of tumbling... that's just ridiculous. We are shooting the ammo not framing it. I know of some individuals that tumble their brass longer than they go out shooting. Steve... try this method and see how it works for you. Cheers. Shoot lots and stay safe.

I won’t use any 45 with small primers period, nor do I pick spent cases from others

Personally I have noticed 0 different in accuracy. Between brass in the condition in this video and brass that’s been cleaned to perfection.

It could work but need longer time?

Count how many times he said "go ahead and..."

Actually prefer the small primer pocket ones that way don't have to keep all kinds of primers in stock I can just run small and everything

Has anyone ever used honey as a tumbler media with stainless steel pins?

Small primers are really used in small cases or when they are looking for a lighter ignition. They don't work equally to large primers. You can get hang fires with using small primers with certain loads in rifle cartridges that can be purchased with small or large primers. Too bad there is such a shortage in large rifle primers these days. Most of it is because of the man i the White house being weak and two wars going on. Nice video I think I may try the dawn and vinegar next time I wet tumble.

Brass doesn’t have to look like new. It’s nice but who cares.

That should be illegal.