Ammunition & Hand Loading > Cartridge and Shotshell reloading

Stainless steel wet tumbling

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unfy:
PS:  the original link to steel media is slightly fubar (it includes the period, which breaks the URL).  Correct one is:

http://www.buffaloarms.com/Detail.aspx?PROD=164066

unfy:
Looking at midway, reloading stylized tumblers for wet cleaning... aint cheap.  $150-$400, as opposed to a $50-$75 vibrating tumbler.

Harbor Freight appears to offer a double drum tumbler for $50:

http://www.harborfreight.com/dual-drum-rotary-rock-tumbler-67632.html

Rock tumblers seem to be over priced for what they actually are.  I wonder how difficult it'd be to just build one yourself heh.

Out of curiosity, what size drum(s) are you using ?

bkoenig:
That's what I have right now from Harbor Freight.  It's kind of a piece of junk, to be honest.  You can actually only run one drum at a time, otherwise it binds up.  I do think it would be really easy to build your own tumbler if you had a motor laying around.  Hmm....maybe a trip to the surplus center is in order.

This is the one I was looking at from Cabela's.  It has a 15lb drum, which they say holds 250 30-06 cases.

http://www.cabelas.com/tumblers-scales-thumlers-tumbler-model-b-rotary-tumbler-1.shtml. 

I'm interested to hear more about ultrasonic cleaning, too. 

wallace11bravo:
As a disclaimer: My handloading methods are probably far different from what most of you do.

I use a $40 Ultrasonic cleaner from harbor freight, distilled water, and hornady cleaning solution.

I decap and place in the cleaner, 50 rounds gets to about the half way mark. I fill with distilled water until cases are submerged, and add the cleaning solution (I guestimate the 40:1 ratio). Run for one 8 minute cycle, let sit, another 8, let sit, another 8. Usually over anywhere from 45 minutes to 6 hours, just depends what is going on in life. I pick em out one at a time and put them upside down in a RCBS reloading block with holes drilled in each of the detents, to allow water to drain. Before I drilled the holes, I would sometimes end up with some residue around the mouth.

*There are some homemade vinegar recipes that people swear by, I have not tried them.
*I have heard horror stories about corrosion of brass from tap water, I have never tried to use tap water, and at $0.69/gallon, distilled water will work just fine.
*I have heard of various drying methods, from paper towels to a 2x4s with trim nails.

I can do up to 100 peices of 308 brass at a time, but I work in 50 round lots, so it never sees more.

They're not super shiny like SS media, but they are clean inside and out and I know that I haven't beaten them to death nor scraped brass off the surface.

Images courtesy of "Gene Pool" from SH:

unfy:
Prices have changed it'd seem :(

http://www.harborfreight.com/ultrasonic-cleaner-3305.html

That's the $40 one.  Appears to have a 3 minute cut off. Overall size is 5.5 x 8 x 5 size.

http://www.harborfreight.com/25-liter-ultrasonic-cleaner-95563.html

Is an $75 or $100 option, does the 8 minute thing and optional heat.  Tank deminsions (not overall) is: 3 x 9.75 x 5.5.

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/811447/frankford-arsenal-ez-ultrasonic-case-cleaner-110-volt

Is a $45 cleaner.  Digging elsewhere, specs are:

Tank size of 5.8" x 4.8" x 1.9", Capacity of .75L. capable of cleaning approx. 125 pieces of .223 brass per batch. 30 watt unit at 42KHz

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/898794/frankford-arsenal-magnum-ultrasonic-case-cleaner-110-volt

Is a bigger version of the above.

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/225214/lyman-turbo-sonic-2500-cleaner-ultrasonic-case-cleaner-110-volt

These are $120ish, and are available locally.... I swear I've seen them at Cabela's and maybe Scheel / BPS.

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/825983/lyman-turbo-sonic-700-ultrasonic-small-parts-cleaner-110-volt

I think I've seen these locally.  Claims ~100 9mm brass capacity.  Think prices locally were $60-$75 ?


The frankford arsenal or harbor freight get your cheapest options.  Locally, the smaller ones are out there (I swear Cabela's has them).

The larger ones... Seems like you can go from $110 to $300 without much trouble.  Where the proper value at, I dunno.

I'd personally probably not have a problem running the $45 frankford.  I'm content with my vibrator, but if I do another big midway order, i'll pick up the $45 thing to try it out definitely.

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