Rotary case cleaners

[OLDVET]

It seems the prices for rotary case cleaners is coming down. I may buy one.
Most are advertised with metal cleaning media. I assume this type of case cleaner would work just as well with regular corn husk or walnut shell media. Is that true?

I know the metal media is supposed to work quicker and clean better. I am more comfortable using corn and walnut media. Thanks.

 

[Dawico]

Yes, they will work tumbling dry and you can always go with Stainless later if you choose to.

 

[Gummi Bear]

Once you embrace stainless pins, you’ll never look back at corn or walnut media.

I have been using it for several years now, don’t even have a vibratory tumbler anymore. I keep my ultrasonic just for parts cleaning. All brass goes in the F.A.R.T.

I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately...

Henry David Thoreau

 

[Deavis]

Once you wet clean, you'll probably never look back.

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[Rottweiler]

just like the last 2 posters said. Go with the wet tumbling to clean. Faster, Better results. These days I only use my old dry tumbler for a final polish if I want super shiny cases

 

[Army 1911]

Also, pins will clean the primer pockets if you deprime first.

 

[benenglish]

Also, pins will clean the primer pockets if you deprime first.

To be fair, so will walnut media if you just walk away and leave it for long enough.

 

[Gummi Bear]

To be fair, so will walnut media if you just walk away and leave it for long enough.

On a long enough timeline, I suppose so. I’m not patient enough to wait a week for that to happen.

Pins will do it in a couple hours.

I can go from dingy range brass, to clean and resize in a couple hours with pins, and my dehydrator as a dryer. That includes setup and putting all my stuff away.



I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately...

Henry David Thoreau

 

[benenglish]

I can go from dingy range brass, to clean and resize in a couple hours with pins...

I don't reload mass quantities of anything any more but a statement like this is enough to make me re-think my work process if I ever start doing so again.

Seriously, thanks for the info.

 

[vmax]

I have and use both vibratory and wet tumbler

I generally don't wet tumble pistol brass so I don't deprime it prior to cleaning
The deprime and prime are all on one stage on my 550 anyway

I mainly wet tumble rifle brass because I deprime before starting to process it
Then I can swage if needed and resize on single stage prior to trimming and loading

The wet tumbling with ss pins has its place but its slower because you have to thoroughly dry it and that can take hours to overnight , whereas with dry media you can shake it clean and load it immediately

 

[Gummi Bear]

The wet tumbling with ss pins has its place but its slower because you have to thoroughly dry it and that can take hours to overnight , whereas with dry media you can shake it clean and load it immediately

I use an inexpensive food dehydrator.

It cuts drying time down to 30 minutes or less.

This is what mine looks like: http://www.nesco.com/products/Dehyd...ehydrators/FD-37-Food-Dehydrator-Clear-Cover/. You can find them for quite a bit less with a little shopping.


Another tool, that speeds up the process, is my media separator. https://www.dillonprecision.com/cm-2000-case-media-separator_8_8_23662.html

I bought the big one. The construction of it is so much better than any of the 5gallon bucket models, it doesn’t even compare. The tub catches all my pins, and most of the water is shaken out of the brass at the same time.


It’s not unusual for me to do several hundred pieces of any given brass in a batch. I reload for myself, plus mom, dad and my brother. I help my daughter load her own.


I’m so sold on wet tumble, that I run all my rifle brass twice. I bring brass home, deprime. Wash. Dry. Perform case prep (flash hole, removal of military crimp, square primer pocket). Size. Wash again to remove lube, and final polish. Trim & debur.

Pistol brass just gets deprime and wash, then fed to the 550.



I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately...

Henry David Thoreau

 

[benenglish]

...wet tumbling...(i)s slower because you have to thoroughly dry it and that can take hours to overnight...

Which directly contradicts...er...

I guess I have to edit my previous post If I get back into volume reloading of any sort, I'm going to have to give every case cleaning method a try before I decide what I really like.

Sometimes it's nice to reload, say, .340 Wby where there's never many cases involved and I can just wipe 'em clean and be done with it.

 

[Gummi Bear]

Hi Ben -

The key, is drying.

Kinda like laundry. Takes all afternoon for it to dry on the line in the backyard, 45 minutes in the drying machine.

Using the dehydrator, when it is cram packed full of brass, it dries in 30 minutes.

Maybe takes 15-20 for a handful of pieces.




I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately...

Henry David Thoreau

 

[avvidclif]

I use an inexpensive food dehydrator.

It cuts drying time down to 30 minutes or less.

This is what mine looks like: http://www.nesco.com/products/Dehyd...ehydrators/FD-37-Food-Dehydrator-Clear-Cover/. You can find them for quite a bit less with a little shopping.



Henry David Thoreau

Hmmmm that be the twin to the Hornady Case dryer. Abt same price.

 

[Gummi Bear]

Yup!

I bought mine on Amazon for quite a bit less. Keep an eye out, they do go on sale.



I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately...

Henry David Thoreau

 

[Deavis]

Yup!

I bought mine on Amazon for quite a bit less. Keep an eye out, they do go on sale.



I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately...

Henry David Thoreau

Throw you wet brass into your regular vibe bowl with some csmall grit corn cob and a dab of kerosene. Dry in 15m, less energy than a dehydrator, and won't hurt your sheen at all.

If you really want to make a changr, get a good cleaning compound and you can throw away the pins and get brass almost as clean with just water in about 10m.

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[Gummi Bear]

I’m interested

Explain to me what I’m looking at in this picture, please



I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately...

Henry David Thoreau

 

[Deavis]

I’m interested

Explain to me what I’m looking at in this picture, please



I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately...

Henry David Thoreau

That's a Rotofinish combo vibe bowl. Has a 4 cu ft inner ring and a 5 cu ft corn cob ring on the outside. Cleans about 30 gallons of brass a pass using water and compound. Drying takes longer than washing simply due to part size and overwhelming the ring. A real cob dryer is on the wish list

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[Gummi Bear]

Sounds really neat.

Post up some more pics of it, and how it works when you get a chance. (Or video) I’d like to see it in action.

I love finding out new and different ways to do things, sometimes it leads to the next step in becoming more efficient.



I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately...

Henry David Thoreau

 

[Deavis]

Here are better pictures of it.

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