Wet tumbling sans SS pins, with near SS pins results!

[GuanoLoco]

I'm a very experience precision (NRA highpower/NRA prone/PRS) rifle reloader and I can tell you for a fact that primer pocket cleanliness is extremely overblown. I don't worry about it and suggest you don't either.

I don't know what the "Lebowski" method is.

Here's what I do (rifle or pistol):

1. Fill tumbler with cases
2. Add dish soap and lemishine, amount not critical
3. Run tap till water is scalding hot
4. Fill tumbler drum till water is over the top of the cases
5. Put drum in tumbler and let it run while I do other things (usually 1 - 2 hrs)
6. Drain out dirty water with cases still in drum
7. Fill and drain the drum (with cases) a couple of times with tap water
8. Empty drum into media separator and tumble cases a few spins to drain out water
9. Line toaster oven bake tray with aluminum foil and spread cases out on it
10. Bake at 240 F for 30 min
11. Lay out to cool

Cases are spotlessly clean outside and relatively clean inside. Note: I don't care about cleaning the inside of them either. Then I deprime and move on with the rest of the process

Oh yeah, no SS pins/media involved. Completely unnecessary if all you want are clean cases. I don't care about shiny cases, only clean ones.

I'll repeat the tumble and dry cycle with rifle cases after resizing to remove the die lube. I use carbide dies for handgun cartridges so lube is not used.

I'd suggest that the hot water isn't required (I use a cement mixed and cold hose water).

I'd strongly suggest an early drain/refill cycle after 10 minutes or so. Tumbling in nasty water isn't very helpful and can be counter-productive. This is one of the biggest things I did that gives better and more consistent results - faster.

[Pepper]

Necroing this one again because I'm about to convert from dry to wet tumbling...

What is the best for laying the brass out to dry?

I'm considering spreading them out on some old rag towels and letting them air dry on the drive way, but I'm open to suggestions.

That's exactly what I do. Works great!

[Alpha Sierra]

I'd suggest that the hot water isn't required (I use a cement mixed and cold hose water).

I'd strongly suggest an early drain/refill cycle after 10 minutes or so. Tumbling in nasty water isn't very helpful and can be counter-productive. This is one of the biggest things I did that gives better and more consistent results - faster.

Appreciate the feedback. While in theory you may be right, my cases come out clean enough for my purposes without the extra effort.

[mmc45414]

I'm considering spreading them out on some old rag towels and letting them air dry on the drive way

That's exactly what I do. Works great!

I also just lay them out on towels but don't bother taking them outside. 99.9% of my loading is for pistols that I have plenty of brass for and I typically have enough that I can just lay them out in the basement, either on a table or even just on the floor. I usually leave them for days, before I start loading them I will punch out a couple of primers and look for any moisture to double check.

[chris11C]

Been following this and other threads on this subject as my time like everyone else's is important.

I have been pinless tumbling the last couple of times and I am a convert. The outsides are great, the insides are clean enough...clean enough to not have to f with pins again. I will have to try the 10min pre cleaning, but my method works really well for me.
-Pour two bottles of brass into tumbler ( I cut the very top off of a 2 liter. 2 of these is about 1600 cases)
-Take out 1 9mm case
-Add warm water to an inch or so above brass level
-Add a good 3 second squirt of blue dawn and use the dry 9mm case to add 1.5 9mm cases worth of lemishine
-Tumble 2 hours
-Rinse really well
-Pour cases in towel and "bowling ball" them back and forth
-Lay out cases on different towel on a table in back room
-Stir around a few hours later
-Cover with dry towel later some time to keep dust off cases
-Bag and store next to press after decaping a few and checking for moisture
This works well for me. The cases are 99% spot free, no weird colors, and really clean.

Thank you everyone for this thread!

[GuanoLoco]

I’m using a cement mixer so it’s relatively easy to drain and check results as I go.

Last session I cleaned about 4.5 5 gallon buckets filled to the brim. I find a 4 gallon batch works best for my setup with 2 x 1000 watt dehydrators.

I was shocked at what a 10 minute cycle with light soap (Wash-N-Wax) / citric acid, then drain/refill, then 20 minutes with lighter soap/citric acid did. After 30 minutes I literally could have declared ‘DONE!’ - but of course I went further. Drying is the long pole in the tent; it takes me a good 90 minutes to dry 4 gallons of well-drained, towel-dried brass. I just throw a towel in the mixer at the end.

[GNiner]

Since I changed to the 10 min pre-cycle that GL recommended, I have found that 15-20 min on the second cycle is all that is needed and my brass is cleaner than when I was just washing a solid 2 hrs from the start.

[GuanoLoco]

My theory on this is that the dirt eventually combines with the soap/wax (I use Armor All Wash-n-Wax) and re-deposits on the brass, which is then even harrder to clean.

Once the brass gets to the desired state of cleanliness (after ~30+ minutes) and I have 60 minutes to kill before the prior batch is dried I usually run a drain cycle, then refill with water, very light citric acid and almost no soap to keep it from tarnishing. The water poured off this final step is a pale green from the brass tarnish.

Too much acid and the brass turns pink from leaching out the zinc - no bueno.

I’m only using cold tap water from the hose, so warm/hot water isn’t required.

[chris11C]

Not to derail, but those who run the Wash and Wax, can you tell a difference when not using it? If using the Wash and Wax, does it stain the brass after a while sitting in bags? After reading this thread, I do recall the water in the tumbler being extremely dirty right away, shortening my cleaning time from 2hrs to half would be awesome. Thank you everyone again!

[LittleLebowski]

Not to derail, but those who run the Wash and Wax, can you tell a difference when not using it? If using the Wash and Wax, does it stain the brass after a while sitting in bags? After reading this thread, I do recall the water in the tumbler being extremely dirty right away, shortening my cleaning time from 2hrs to half would be awesome. Thank you everyone again!

Yes, lubricates cases for feeding into the reloader and bullet seating. No, not at all.