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My Dillon brass tumbler gave up after 30+ years and am looking for suggestions as what to replace it with. I see some using stainless steel pins as a media, anyone have any experience with this?

Thanks,

Chris O.

I have a Frankford brass tumbler. It does a better job cleaning the brass than the media type and with out the dust. The only problems I see with it, if you can call them that, is trying to get the brass dry afterwards. I used the oven on low heat for awhile, but eventually bought a Franklin dryer that comes with several racks that can be stacked. The primer pockets are cleaner, but the steel rods do get stuck in the priming hole occasionally and across the case mouth if the right size caliber. Just got to watch for it. And you need a cleaning solution. I've used Lemi-Shine when I didn't have the Frankford solution for it and distilled water or you'll get spots on the cases.

If you get one I would suggest getting the magnet too to help pick up and separate the steel pins. I also use a media separator to help with the pin removal.

I don’t like the idea of dealing with drying out the cases, as moisture and gunpowder and primers don’t spell success.

I use the Cabelas dry media tumbler, which is a “Berry’s Tumbler” and love it... and no moisture to deal with.

You will get a lot of different opinions on this but I use a Lyman vibrating tumbler with corn cob media. This works for me and I have never found dust to be a problem.

That’s my exact set up also. I have had dust issues with walnut media but never with the corn cob.

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I manually de-prime. For 60-80 .308 cases I use an Old Thumlers tumbler, 1 Tbs. Dawn dish washing liquid, hot water, 5 lbs. stainless pins, 1/8 tsp. lemon juice (citric acid) and 2 quarts water.

Tumble for 1 hr. Rinse throughly 2X, Blow out with compressed air, then place bowl with pretty dry brass over hot air duct overnight during winter months or on picnic table during summer. I dry tumbled for years and think this is more work but I feel this yields better results and just too much dust dry tumbling (allergies)

Thumblers tumbler model b, plenty u tube videos on it.

I have used stainless pans Dawn soap let me assign hot hot water and the B Tumblr. I will never be without one. I do keep a standard type Tumblr and corn cob around for certain various reasons also the cleaning of these two Styles is in no comparison. The very best dry media and vibrating tumbler cannot hold a candle to a properly used SS pins and solution

I've got both types, SS wet tumblers and dry media type.

The wet tumblers clean much better. I have a Thumler Model B and a Rebel 17, both essentially the same design, the Rebel is more robust. Dawn, Lemi-shine, hot water and two hours tumbling time and the brass is very, very clean, including primer pockets. Takes about 4 hours in my dry media tumblers but you will not clean the inside or primer pockets.

Cleanliness has never really contributed other than my personal satisfaction, you really don't have to clean primer pockets or cases to like new. I like them clean, though. You'll have to decide if you care to go through the motions of brass/ss pin separation and drying, I don't care for the work but do like the results of this style of cleaning, so....... Just a Hunter has a very good suggestion for this task.

Both of my dry media tumblers are Thumlers, too, a model 10 and a Model 18. I now use them as a finish polish after loading several hundred 5.56 or .30-06 for the Garand to remove lube, about 25-30 minutes a batch. But, they will serve quite well as your primary tumbling system. The 18 is bigger than the 10, but both are very well built and long lasting. The 10 would be big enough if you load fifty to a hundred cases at a time

So, I'll say either method is sufficient, it'll boil down to personal preference.

I use a Frankford Arsenal vibratory tumbler with walnut media.
I'm cleaning brass, not making jewelry, and I don't want to deal with wet brass and stuck pins.

Stuck pins are not an issue if you get the ones sized at .047 X .255".

I had the earlier ones get stuck in primer holes, though.

I use the 1/8 stainless pellets in my wet tumbler. They work just as good as the pins and they are easier to handle when wet.

Wife came up with the best solution for drying brass after the clean rinse. She put them in a pair of her nylons and laid them on a stationary shell that installs in the cloths dryer, (for drying shoes or some such). Works perfect. She was the one that came up with a solution for the breakfast condiments. Instead of fooling around with a bunch of separate shakers. She bought some glass shakers with large holes in the lid like you see in all the Pizza parlors for the crushed peppers. But she'd mix 1/4 Black Pepper, 1/4 Crushed Red Pepper, !/4 Cayan Pepper, 1/4 Salt all mixed-up and in on shaker. I still use that on the table.

Phil

I use the Frakford Arsenal rotary tumbler with SS pins. They do a tremendous job of cleaning cases. A little but of work to collect the pins after tumbling, but I think it';s worth it. The only nitpick is that you have to be careful that no pins are left in the cases when you go to reload.