How long to tumble brass reloading

As far as finish polishing brass until it shines like a mirror 4 hours in corncob I just don't bother anymore. At least a hour but mostly just when I remember to turn it off. Two to three hours. I don't mind letting it run longer if I'm busy doing something else but I set two to three hours as a minimum.

For me it seems the more times brass gets shot the longer it takes to clean. Can get clean brass in as little as 2 hours but sometimes it takes 6 hours.

BTW, adding wax to the media will make it shine but it does not aid in cleaning the brass. So, even though it's not exactly what you want to hear, as long as it takes Two hours in a stainless steel pin Thumbler's tumbler and all my brass is not only clean, but shiny too! It's a wet method and not for everyone, but I like it a lot versus the dry dusty method. Just have to think ahead a little bit if you don't have a means of drying it quickly. Lyman Turbo Set on a timer. I do change my media often.

Use a Lyman that is about 35 years old and has run long enough that it had polished the inside of the bowl like a mirror years ago.

Use Walnut shell, rarely any additives. Dampen with a little Isopropyl Alcohol to keep dust and static down. Start it at night and turn off in the morning if I remember, otherwise when I get home from work.

So, hours. If I didn't want it bright I wouldn't polish brass at all, just like we used to do. Often, just to remove case lube when needed, is Corn cob for a couple of hours. Still use a little alcohol or Trichloroethane to help de-grease. One question I had from what was posted is what possible reason would anyone have for mixing Walnut and Corn? They have different purposes. I have my tumbler set on a digital timer for two hours. Just push the button and forget it.

Corn cob media and a bit of polish and they come out clean and shiny. Originally Posted by Alk I run mine for 4 hours with a shot of Nu Finish car polish. I have an outdoor light timer I bought at WalMart that I use, that way I can start the tumbler and forget it. I have often said that the tumbler is like a crock pot not a microwave.

I often run mine for hours. I was getting tired of how long the corn cob was taking so I added some walnut. When it's worn out I will go back to straight walnut but the combo cleans mirror bright in about an hour or 2. I never keep close track. Snapping Twig. Takes me 45 minutes to an hour, or just about the time my guns are clean and it's good to go.

I used to get quite a bit of range brass. Some of it was really dirty. Soaked in mineral spirits then acetone to get rid of the mineral spirits. Then tumble. I always tumble my brass cause its easier to check for split necks, that sort of thing.

I find that once the brass has a good shine then the next trip through the tumbler is usually less time. Basically just cleaning off the powder fouling. I clean my primer pockets with a cordless drill in batches. This way don't get the crud from the primer pockets in the tumbling media.

I also prime all my cases before using the dillon. Just insert case, charge, insert bullet,and seat. I think anything you do to the case prior to actual reloading leaves you able to load more rounds at a faster rate. I weigh every tenth charge as a check. Most the time I turn it on in the morning and turn it off at bed time, nice and shiny. What about the corcob bedding you get at wally world?? I haven't run it yet,but was going to put some cleaner in there also. I started out running it for hours, then 2 and noticed no difference.

I'm now down to 1. I add a dash of mineral spirits, let it run for a few minutes, throw in the brass and run for an hour. Gets it clean enough. Two hours unless I fall asleep on the couch. Then it's longer I used to let it run all day using corn cob and frank-ford polish. My casings were clean but looked to be a tad tarnished. Not shiny new looking brass but sort of dull.. Now I use walnut and do it for about 90 minutes.. Originally Posted by jnyav8r. The corn cob bedding used for pets is usually the big coarse stuff.

It does not work. This place is great. Nick B. Originally Posted by Rule3. Last edited by Eagl1; at AM. Reason: added link. I use Lyman Tufnut. Due to the offset weight installed on the motor shaft, the hopper shall vibrate in a circular motion when you turn on the tumbler motor. Both the bowl and the motor are secured to a stable base through a series of springs. Thanks to that, the unit should stay where you put it instead of walking all over the place.

For the media of dry tumbling, there are two media types. Dry tumbling processes mainly use corncob media and crushed walnut shells. The robust nature of a walnut shell permits an aggressive cleaning, therefore, a walnut shell can substantially shorten the tumbling operation. Dry tumbling media can last for approximately 10 — 20 uses, depending on the state and number of cases. A black or brownish color means you have to get a new batch of media.

Without the separator, you have to pick out the cases from the media manually which is quite a tedious task. Additives like Flitz Polish are capable of keeping the dust down while polishing the finish of the case. Pour a moderate amount of additives into the hopper and let the machine run for 10 minutes before you add the cases.

These cases should be cleaned after roughly 4 — 6 hours with the dry tumbler, but it might take more than that to achieve a shiny brass finish. Some people let the tumbler run through the night or an entire day in certain cases. If you have money to spare and want the finish the tumbling process quickly, you should consider going for the wet tumbling method. The cost of the wet tumbler and its media is more expensive compared to the dry tumbling gear.

However, wet tumbling is actually a cost-effective option in the long run. I toss the batch of solution when I'm done, reuse is silly. Same with vibratory tumbling in walnut. I tumble for 30 minutes to an hour, or a little more if I forget or I'm busy, and I don't use additives that cause the media to get clogged with crud. What I'm missing with wet tumbling is a method for separating brass and pins without letting pins bounce out of the strainer.

Guess I need a box to contain everything, and a cover for my rotary separator. I consider delube in a solution in a rotary tumbler to be silly and waste of time, especially if pins are used, too. I could possibly consider dumping the brass into a container with a soap solution, and then letting it soak a while when both tumblers are tied up, but that would be my last choice because the brass has to be rinsed and dried afterwards. I typically clean multiple batches once I break out the wet tumbler and only do it times a year, so there's usually another batch waiting to go in.

I keep the time short enough just to get the job done to my satisfaction just to keep the process moving along. Two hours. There's no scientific reason behind that number, it was just a number i tried and the brass came out shiny. After reading this thread I think i'll try shortening that time to 90 minutes next time to see the results.

Full loads of filthy brass take longer to get clean than smaller loads of less dirty brass. Attached File Final cleaning before loading.. Attached File. With straight wall handgun cases, 2 hours with the primer still in, then 15 minutes in walnut to dry them. With bottle neck rifle case,. After decapping and resizing, 2 more hours wet and another 15 minutes in walnut to dry. I like bling. An hour, maybe an hour and a half max.

I built my tumbler out of 6" pvc and it agitates fairly well. Rinse and clean, hot water and synthetic wax and tumble for another min. Let the cases air dry no rinse after wax is added and reload. I set the timer for 2 hours on my FART and sometimes check after 1. I find that 90 to minutes gets my brass plenty clean. I deprime first and tumble with lemi shine, SS pins and armor all ultra car soap. Inside and outside is shinny and spotless. Oct 7, 1, 60 Louisiana. I always add an ounce or 2 of mineral spirits.

I use compressed air to remove any media that may get stuck in flash holes. With the fine corn cob, not many get stuck in the flash holes. I do a visual check of every case to make sure, and this gives me another chance to inspect for bad cases as well. I only use a little mineral spirits poured in the media and after running the tumbler a few minutes it is distributed throughout all the media and it is slightly darker in color and you can tell it's a bit damp. Greatly improves cleaning and zero dust.

May 31, Northwest Oregon. Rinse Dry Reload. This isn't too bad of a buy, but you can buy it without pail.

But the pail full of , or 45acp is cool as hell. I use Frankfurt Arsenal and Iosso polish. But Dillon makes a sweet batch also, I just rarely order from them. I'll concede that the ss method may be the best, I'm just not about to DRY brass. Last edited: Apr 1, Oct 8, 50 Glendale, AZ. Red walnut with a couple oz. I have been using the same media for a couple years. It still polishes great. I have heard some guys wash their media from time to time but I never have. Mar 29, 2, 83 Northern Colorado.

Zilla Walnut, can be found at Petco, is very fine and never sticks in flash holes. I've been dry-tumbling for years using various media and never once had the degree of cleaning I'm seeing with the Stainless.

The drying process consists of rolling the cases in a towel a few times and letting them sit for a day or so. In summer I just put them in the sun on the porch. Right now I think I'm stuck with dry tumbling. My process has been working just great for cleaning, but it doesn't yield polish. I think I'll try more corn cob media and less walnut media for the final tumble cycle. Keep them coming! If you keep one specific batch, heavily laden with polish, the final polish may only take 45 minutes.

Additive is your buddy! Jun 18, 18 Occupied Colorado.