Be careful when using steel pins for cleaning brass

[Rcher]

Introduction:

I bought Harbor Freight wet tumbler with two 3lbs drums some time ago. (https://www.harborfreight.com/dual-drum-rotary-rock-tumbler-67632.html) It's perfect for wet brass cleaning. I put 1lb of steel pins + 1lb of de-primed brass + 0.25 of glass of lemon juice (you can use lemishine) + 2 squirts of soap + hot water into each drum. 60-90 minutes of tumbling and your brass is super clean and shine, then I use big magnet to separate pins and brass, rinse it up, dry, lube and it's ready for resizing.
 

Now the problem:

I broke my de-priming insert for .223 sizing die because of some steel pins left inside my brass. Next time I should inspect my cleaned brass better.



Luckily I have a replacement part and I usually don't use resizing die for de-priming, but still that's something to be aware of if you use steel media.

[david s]

I've had a pair of pins side by side lengthwise block the flash hole and pins stick cross wise in 25 caliber case necks.

[George16]

That’s the main reason I don’t use pins when I wet tumble. There’s really no need for pins when tumbling cases. Just add an additional 30 minutes to your usual tumbling time and it’ll be good to go.

[Rcher]

That’s the main reason I don’t use pins when I wet tumble. There’s really no need for pins when tumbling cases. Just add an additionally 30 minutes to your usual tumbling time and it’ll be good to go.

I noticed steel pins make cleaner my 9mm brass inside cases and primer pockets. Not so big difference for .223 brass though.

[M1A4ME]

I always pick the brass up and shake it (case mouth down so the pins if any, fall into the pin jug) to see if it has pins left in it. 

Awhile back, I got a magnet from Amazon to pick up the small pins that always end up somewhere besides the pin jug.  Found out awhile back, if there are pins stuck/jammed in the .223 case the magnet will pick them up, case and all, when you wave the magnet over a pile of freshly cleaned brass.

Seems lately that the pins are getting harder to get out of the cases if a bunch of them work their way inside.  I don't remember having so much trouble getting them out a year or two back.  Now I'm shaking the cases, then tapping them against the bucket, and sometimes using that magnet to "suck" them out of the case mouth.

Pins in the flash hole?  Yeah, always two of them if they are stuck.  Part of my inspection process when getting the pins separated from the brass.  I use a small pair of "hobby" needle nosed pliers to pull the pins out.

I don't do a lot of water/pin/soap/wax cleaning but sometimes I run across some brass that won't clean up even after 8 or 10 hours of walnut shell/vibrating cleaners.  I don't even try that anymore.  I recognize what brass is/is not likelly to clean up in the vibratory cleaners and just segregate it till I get enough to warrant running the water/pin/lemishine/wash/wax cleaning process.

Yes, that wet cleaning with the pins and other stuff gets the .223 case insides and primer pockets nice and clean/shiny.  Got some brass ready to do today.  Mix of .223, .380 and 9MM brass.  Got some .40, too, but it won't get cleaned with the smaller cases.

[bang bang]

Introduction:

I bought Harbor Freight wet tumbler with two 3lbs drums some time ago. (https://www.harborfreight.com/dual-drum-rotary-rock-tumbler-67632.html) It's perfect for wet brass cleaning. I put 1lb of steel pins + 1lb of de-primed brass + 0.25 of glass of lemon juice (you can use lemishine) + 2 squirts of soap + hot water into each drum. 60-90 minutes of tumbling and your brass is super clean and shine, then I use big magnet to separate pins and brass, rinse it up, dry, lube and it's ready for resizing.
 

Now the problem:

I broke my de-priming insert for .223 sizing die because of some steel pins left inside my brass. Next time I should inspect my cleaned brass better.



Luckily I have a replacement part and I usually don't use resizing die for de-priming, but still that's something to be aware of if you use steel media.

fwiw,

you dont need to use pins for tumbling to break decappers.

  >  sometimes nested cases can do the something...

  > or a small rock wedged in the case .....

[M1A4ME]

Even a old primer that dropped into a jug of brass can find it's way into a piece of brass and you don't (well, I didn't) find it till you break that decapping pin.

I was just reminded (all too often I remember something when I'm doing something else completely unrelated) that awhile back I dropped the BLC2 powder charge into a .223 case it was all the way to the case mouth.  Dumped the powder out and found a bunch of steel pins at the bottom of the case that I had failed to knock loose/out when removed from the tumbler for drying.

[david s]

 It looks like I melted down a 22 Hornet reload but it's a case that has no primer pocket and didn't originally have a flash hole, that will ruin a de-capping pin. My pin magnet isn't strong enough to pick a case up if there's still a pin inside, something I'll have to look into.                                                                                                                             

[M1A4ME]

Sorry, not a pin or two, but a few.  Didn't count to see how many.  But I missed it during the pickup and shake/smack on the bucket stage of separating the brass/pins.

I've not tried cleaning without the pins.  I might do that next time I run some (if I can remember) and see how it does on that nasty brass that won't clean up in the vibratory cleaners.  It sure would make things go faster on the preparation stage or the clean up/sort stage after the cleaning was done.

[newageroman]

Used to love the shiny brass from pins. After a couple times of finding some in 223 cases, I'm done with pins. I just hot wash no pins for 15 mins. Heck sometimes if the rifle brass don't leave the bench, I'll just brush the neck and wipe off with t shirt or blue shop towel and done. Just not worth my time any more.

[Earl Keese]

I used pins one time. That was enough for me, what a headache. . .never again. Rifle or pistol, doesn't matter.

[Wobbly]

I saw today while ordering bullets from T&B Bullets that they carry stainless steel tumbling media, but it is not the usual needle roller pins we're all used to seeing. This actually looks like small, stainless steel machining chips. I have no idea if it would work better in wet, but it's definitely something you could add a small portion to your dry media.

The claim is that it's less likely to get caught in primer holes, which is why I'm adding it here.

Take a look...  https://tbbullets.com/stainless-steel-tumbling-media/

 

[Earl Keese]

I saw today while ordering bullets from T&B Bullets that they carry stainless steel tumbling media, but it is not the usual needle roller pins we're all used to seeing. This actually looks like small, stainless steel machining chips. I have no idea if it would work better in wet, but it's definitely something you could add a small portion to your dry media.

The claim is that it's less likely to get caught in primer holes, which is why I'm adding it here.

Take a look...  https://tbbullets.com/stainless-steel-tumbling-media/

 

I found some of that mixed in with a batch of 9mm range brass I bought a few years ago.

[George16]

Those are actually worse than pins. One or two of those gets bundled up together and gets wedged in the primer flash hole. I tried them before and ended up throwing them away because of this.

[m1a_scoutguy]

I used pins one time. That was enough for me, what a headache. . .never again. Rifle or pistol, doesn't matter.

Guess I'll add my Non contributing thoughts,,LOL The whole ideal of clean shiny brass is great, I get it, but the extra steps needed to get it with SS pins is waaay above & beyond the messing around I want to deal with & this pain in the neck problem just enforces my thoughts on it,LOL ! I run a mix of 2/3 treated (Green) corn cob & 1/3 red treated walnut (both Lyman brand) & my brass is as clean as any & in a shorter tumble time & saving time is always good ! Not worried about primer pockets, especially on pistols,,rifle brass depending on what its for I mite hit it with a pocket cleaner or if not it goes right into the loading tray on my 550 ! Less messing around is always better.