Be careful when using steel pins for cleaning brass

[Clint007]

I don’t reload 223 but What is that depriming pin? Lee?

Aren’t they supposed to be only moderately tightened in so the pin slides up if it hits a hard obstruction?

Asking for a friend....

C

[Clint007]

Just thought I’d share my recent experiment with these SS chips I tested. I ran my wet tumbler with these with some 9mm cases in my Big Dawg tumbler.

Wow what a pain. They are much harder to clean up and separate from the cases than the pins. They are smaller and lighter so sponging them up with a shop
Magnet is less efficient also.  They cleaned the brass the same as pins.   I have no problems with stainless steel pins in primer pockets of pistol brass and these chips also did not differ in that regard.

Just much harder to deal with without any added benefit.

Can’t comment on the incremental benefit in rifle Brass but my advice is to NOT buy these for pistol brass thinking it’ll be better.

[Wobbly]

Can’t comment on the incremental benefit in rifle Brass but my advice is to NOT buy these for pistol brass thinking it’ll be better.

Thanks for the update. I could see where they might be better for shot peening, but was not convinced for tumbling.

[bang bang]

I don’t reload 223 but What is that depriming pin? Lee?

Aren’t they supposed to be only moderately tightened in so the pin slides up if it hits a hard obstruction?

Asking for a friend....

C

yes, but sometimes a person wont get the MEMO or RTFM or use a bigger hammer to make things work.

[timetofly]

Never had a pin get stuck in a casing. I use a media separator. It seems to allow the pins to fall out of the inside of the casings.  I also put the casings in a pillow case with 1”squares of tee-shirt material in the dryer with some area rugs. This probably helps knock any remaining pins out

[Wobbly]

Never had a pin get stuck in a casing. I use a media separator. It seems to allow the pins to fall out of the inside of the casings.

I don't load 223, but I do see a few pins adhering to the inside of pistol cases due to water, even after a spinning media separator. But then I dry my cases by suspending the cases in a 1/4" sieve and blowing hot air over them.



This requires follow-on tumbling in the form of manual stirring and shaking to get all the cases exposed to hot air. For me, the last of the pins fall out at this stage.


• If you want to try this method all you need is a scrap 5 gal bucket, a 1/4" mesh sieve (Amazon), and an old hair dryer. Warm air is blown through the cases, which heats them quickly and effectively to about 100°F. Cases are completely dry in 15 minutes. Any excess tumbling media is captured in the bottom of the bucket.

The down-side is that it sounds like your wife is getting dressed in your loading area. 

[Dan_69GTX]

....... your wife is getting dressed in your loading area.

I thought we were supposed to AVOID distractions when reloading!   

[bullet45acp]

I was thinking about getting into wet tumbling, but i have stuck to corn cob media and i use the flitz additive - works great.
As much as i would like cleaner brass -it really doesnt matter - all you really need is no debris on the outside of the case so you dont damage your dies...

JAG

[tdogg]

You can wet tumble without the pins and get exactly what you need, clean brass on the outside.  I do both depending on what I'm tumbling.

Cheers,
Toby

[Wobbly]

You can wet tumble without the pins and get exactly what you need, clean brass on the outside.  I do both depending on what I'm tumbling.

Toby is correct. It's the LemiShine that does most of the work.

[double-d]

But then I dry my cases by suspending the cases in a 1/4" sieve and blowing hot air over them.

I should have thought of that before your post!

I own both the 1/4" and 1/8" variety of that sieve, use them to screen out the fines from my pellet grill & smoker pellets. Now one of them can do double duty on wet tumbled brass.

Thanks

[david s]

To dry I place the damp cases on a towel and put them in the car that is sitting in the sun. After the cases dry I roll the towel up around the cases, grab the two towel ends and give the cases a number of tumbles by lowering one towel end then the other. This invariably shakes a few more pins loose. When loading the case mouth gets tapped on a small block of hard wood just before the case is put into the press ram.

[Clint007]

Living in AZ the cases drying isn’t an issue.  After separating the cases from pins in a Dillon media separator filled with water, I pour the cases into a big towel and roll the cases around in Jesus Quintana cleaning the bowling ball-style style from the Big Lewbowski. Then set a fan on them.

I have tried just dawn and lemonshine without the pins. Yes it cleans enough for reloading but it doesn’t get anywhere close to level of clean and shiny.  Yes, I am getting a bit tired of the effort to get clean and shiny.

Clint