Topic: Stainless Tumbling Media?

[J Mack]

Have any of you guys used stainless tumbling media?


Video:
Stainless Tumbling Media short clip

Link to site: http://www.stainlesstumblingmedia.com/

Link to bulk wire .265x.040 X 5lbs Stainless wire shot as they call it for less than $25 SHIPPED: http://www.pelletsllc.com/AboutPellets/CutWireShot/CutWireShotSizes

Tumbler: http://www.hobbywarehouse.com/thumlers-tumblers/THU140-Thumlers-Tumblers-Model-B-Rock-Tumbler

[Precise]

I haven't used it, but it looks interesting.

[High Wall]

I wouldn't like having to dry the brass, especially something like .223.  It is a pain in the butt getting the water out.

[birddog1989]

Nice I like the part about not haveing to replace it.

[J Mack]

I wouldn't like having to dry the brass, especially something like .223.  It is a pain in the butt getting the water out.

Some guys are making a dryer.








Others improvise.





Good reading towards the end, SH Link: http://www.snipershide.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=1513345&page=1

[fj40mojo]

Egress81 told me about the Lemmy Shine. I guess there has been some talk about it over at ARFCOM, I tried to find the thread but I hate their search engine, no luck. He says you can get these results with just the Lemmy Shine, no stainless media needed. Seems to me like this would be like shot peening your brass and would cause it to work harden. 4 hours is a long time in the old tumbler.

[Nealio]

I have been planning on switching to the stainless media. My dad found me and old Rick tumbler at a garage sale for cheap, and I was going to buy the media this fall or winter and try it out.
I normally wash and dry my pistol brass anyway before I tumble it and it only takes and hour on a sunny/breezy day to dry my batches of 2000 cases by laying them on a large piece of wire screen.
Is anyone going to try this stuff out or am I going to be the guinea pig?

[fj40mojo]

Is anyone going to try this stuff out or am I going to be the guinea pig?

You're it! Thanks for volunteering.

[fastfire]

I've been using stainless media for 7-8 months now with a Tumblers tumbler. 2 hrs in the tumbler for average dirty brass, really dirty range brass 3-4 hrs.
Wow! better have your shades on when you open the tumbler.
The only downside is drying the brass.
For rifle brass I'll get a handfull, the mouth of the cases facing down and tap on several layers of a towel to remove most of the water.Then I have cookie sheets lined with paper towels and lay the cases in rows, place in front of a fan for several hours.Then let sit for a couple of days just to make sure the moisture is gone.

[Furball]

I wouldn't like having to dry the brass, especially something like .223.  It is a pain in the butt getting the water out.

You could put them in an old baking pan like I do and stick them in the oven at around 200 degrees for a few hours. Works fine for me. Love that stainless media.

[J Mack]

I'm reading some guys using these to dry the brass!


5 Tier Food Dehydrator Harbor Freight #66906 $24.99: http://www.harborfreight.com/5-tier-food-dehydrator-66906.html

[agunforeachhand]

I'm reading some guys using these to dry the brass!


5 Tier Food Dehydrator Harbor Freight #66906 $24.99: http://www.harborfreight.com/5-tier-food-dehydrator-66906.html

Ha my wife has this. Finally I can dirty the sucker up.

[birddog1989]

I've been using stainless media for 7-8 months now with a Tumblers tumbler. 2 hrs in the tumbler for average dirty brass, really dirty range brass 3-4 hrs.

Are you using this stuff or something else?

Why not put the cases in the oven on an old cookie sheet or on some thing made out of wire screen on like 150 degrees?

[J Mack]

I've been using stainless media for 7-8 months now

Did you vibrate with cobb or something else before you started using the wire?

Is the wire worth the pain in the butt of straining and drying?

I like shiny brass but I read that some believe carbon in the neck of the once fired brass help with "SD". Can you shed some light on this? 

Thank you.

[RGinIdaho]

As for SD, I get single digit SD's with my .308 load. New brass or fired several times with the same neck bushing in both neck and full length bushing dies.

Neck tension can be demonstrated to affect burn rate and therefore SD...

[fastfire]

I have used corn cobb and walnut sence the early 80's.
Worth it? I have gotten purdy ainal about my reloading the last couple of years,(I weigh powder to the 100th of a grain) guess it gives me more confidence with brass being so clean.There is no question about the carbon affecting anything.

"SD"?

Dave

Did you vibrate with cobb or something else before you started using the wire?

Is the wire worth the pain in the butt of straining and drying?

I like shiny brass but I read that some believe carbon in the neck of the once fired brass help with "SD". Can you shed some light on this?  

Thank you.

[J Mack]

"SD"?

Standard Deviation in reference to velocity.
It shows how much variation there is from the "average" (mean, or expected/budgeted value). A low standard deviation indicates that the data points tend to be very close to the mean, whereas high standard deviation indicates that the data is spread out over a large range of values.
Some believe the small amount of carbon left behind in the neck after tumbling will help with the “SD”.  I have also read that some guys are now lubing the necks after cleaning with the stainless wire for this same reason.

I'll probably make a tumbler and buy some wire and try this method soon if anyone wants to go in on some wire media.

[Nealio]

I already have a tumbler so I'm interested in getting some SS media. Do you want to buy from that bulk wire shot place or STM?

[J Mack]

I already have a tumbler so I'm interested in getting some SS media. Do you want to buy from that bulk wire shot place or STM?

I ordered 25lbs from the bulk outfit. Looks like it will be just under $100.00 delivered, I'll put you down for 5lbs if you want.

[Nealio]

I ordered 25lbs from the bulk outfit. Looks like it will be just under $100.00 delivered, I'll put you down for 5lbs if you want.

That would be great!
Thanks!
 - Nealio

[fastfire]

Here's the picture of some cleaned cases using the stainless media.

[J Mack]

Here's the picture of some cleaned cases using the stainless media.

You already talked me into it in you first post

Media just showed up now with the pictures of your brass I need to get off my butt and build a tumbler to try it out.

KTM,
Shoot me a PM and I'll get you some.

[fastfire]

Just got the rod style media today, Thanks though.
I'm wondering what the sharp edges on the rod media will do to the cases, I'll post my results.

[Furball]

I got the very same setup that foxfire has. Exactly even. I bought mine after seeing his setup. Ow! My eyes! You aint SEEN pretty shiny brass like you will get after a few hours in a tumbler with a squirt of dishwashing detergent and a pound or two of stainless media rolling around with your brass.

[fastfire]

Just got the rod style media today, Thanks though.
I'm wondering what the sharp edges on the rod media will do to the cases, I'll post my results.

Tried the rod style media, I tumbled 300 .223 cases in a Tumblers tumbler with Joy soap and water for 3 hrs.
Not as shinny (Most likley fron the sharp ends of the rods)as the football shaped media but cleaned all residue from the cases.The rods stuck in the mouths of 12 cases( attched pics) DIDN'T LIKE THAT.

[J Mack]

I made a tumbler and started experimenting with this method and I’ll share a couple of observations so far.
I could not find Lemi shine so I tried these combos instead.
Dish soap and heavy duty citrus cleaner dose not work, if leaves the brass with a dark tarnish. Dish soap and Simple Green cleans the brass but not shiny like the video. Dish soap and Dishwasher Magic a Lemi shine substitute that Lowes sells works like a charm leaves brass shiny just like the video.

After trying to clean thirty pounds of brass in my first attempt I went back and re-watched the video and noticed for the first time he’s only washing a hand full of brass per batch about two pounds, so I modified my process to seven pounds of brass twenty pounds of media and thirty two pounds of water and let tumble for two hour’s at sixty RMP.

For now I’m letting the brass dry in the sun on the tailgate of my truck but I will need to improve this system as soon as the weather turns.

Overall the brass is cleaner on the inside than my old method of using corn cobb media in a vibratory tumbler but it’s a lot more work and mess.   


Dishwasher Magic

[mopeman440]

Wally world has Lemi shine...

[J Mack]

Wally world has Lemi shine...

Thank you I'll check it out.

[Nealio]

Finally got my stainless setup going tonight.  Man it took some really filthy handgun brass and made it bling inside and out.  However separating the media is kind of a pain in the ass.
I don't mind the wet cases since I'm already used to washing really dirty brass anyway, but I spilled some of the needles and its a PITA to try and gather them up.
I tried to drain the water out and use a fine wire strainer to catch the needles, but a bunch got through that too. 

J Mack, how do you separate the water, media, and cases?

 - Nealio

[J Mack]

KTM
I use a Dillon  CM-2000 Case/Media Separator with water to separate the media and brass.


A rare earth magnet will work to pickup all the spilled media.
 http://www.rare-earth-magnets.com/c-11-rod-magnets.aspx

[fastfire]

A media separator -w- WATER IS THE KEY.
The more water the better, wear your sun glasses
 

[Nealio]

A rare earth magnet will work to pickup all the spilled media.
 http://www.rare-earth-magnets.com/c-11-rod-magnets.aspx

Oh cool, I assumed it was non-magnetic stainless.
Thanks!

[Nealio]

Got my Dillon media separator and I'll tell ya I'm pretty happy with this stainless stuff now.  The media separator also gets all the water out of the cases, so they dry fast and easy.
I'm runnin my pistol brass for less than 2 hours and it went from filthy to brand new looking.  
Now I just need to get another tumbler tub..

[J Mack]

 
Now I just need to get another tumbler tub..

Or make a big one