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Built a stainless media tumbler!
#5539955
01/13/15 04:17 PM
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Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 41,173
J.G.
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Dave's design, and his parts, I just had to get it to all work together. 1/2 HP motor, 2 gallon vessel with 10 pounds of media, water, Dawn, Lemishine, and 150 pieces of 22-250 brass. I think I'll be able to put more brass in, but I'll wait and see how this batch comes out.
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Re: Built a stainless media tumbler!
[Re: J.G.]
#5540001
01/13/15 04:33 PM
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Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 18,951
ChadTRG42
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Nice! The SS media definitely cleans well. Once you have cleaned some batches of brass and start shooting them in your 6.5 CM and 7 mag, chrono them and shoot them at distance, and let me know if you get any higher ES variances than you did with standard media. I know several shooters who went away from the SS media for this reason.
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Re: Built a stainless media tumbler!
[Re: ChadTRG42]
#5540043
01/13/15 04:47 PM
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Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 41,173
J.G.
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Dang I wish you wouldn't have told me that! So far Dave has tumbled and annealed for me. Every time he did the ammo shot just a tad tighter, 22-250 and 260 Rem. This 22-250 brass has been loaded 7 times. I'm actually getting a start on it four months before I head to the prairie dog towns. That is not how I've rolled in the past. Two weeks before the trip a mad scramble to load 500 rounds of match ammo.
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Re: Built a stainless media tumbler!
[Re: J.G.]
#5540124
01/13/15 05:14 PM
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Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 19,250
Judd
#1 Creedmoor Fan
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500 rounds....I don't have 500 pieces of brass for a single gun I own I think I might have 350 for the 6slr but I've only formed and prepped 200 cases. I figure I should be able to get through a season with 200 cases. We'll see... Oh and that ES/SD problem could be bare brass in necks...from my understanding lubing the cases or bullets will/should fix that. Might think about it, just saying.
Don't let your ears hear what your eyes didn't see, and don't let your mouth say what your heart doesn't feel
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Re: Built a stainless media tumbler!
[Re: Judd]
#5540168
01/13/15 05:35 PM
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Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 41,173
J.G.
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Scrounged up enough brass for the 6.5 Creedmoor to get 500 for it too. Forcing myself to get through all of it once fired, then load it all again, repeat. Competing I have ran second and third loaded as well as virgin. I would reserve the second loaded for when they put us on paper at bitsy targets. I decided no more! I want all the brass to be the same.
500 for the 22-250 is to pile up dead prairie dogs in the Texas panhandle. I shoot those in two days.
So lube the bullets with what? Geez now I'm letting a Benchrester talk me into one more freakin step!
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Re: Built a stainless media tumbler!
[Re: J.G.]
#5540281
01/13/15 06:23 PM
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Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 14,768
jeh7mmmag
gramps
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Looks great. What did you us for your media container?
�Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul.� ~ John Muir
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Re: Built a stainless media tumbler!
[Re: jeh7mmmag]
#5540332
01/13/15 06:46 PM
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Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 41,173
J.G.
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Re: Built a stainless media tumbler!
[Re: J.G.]
#5540424
01/13/15 07:17 PM
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Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 9,521
RiverRider
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I've heard of guys seating bullets shallower that they want them for storage, and then seating them to desired length just before shooting.
I wonder if tumbling bullets with some carnauba was would help prevent cold weld...but I've never seen (or sought) information on cold weld harming accuracy. And then there's the question as to how the manufacturers deal with it---or not.
I'll bet you could tumble 500 rifle cases in that setup, JG. I should a just built one like that, but I guess I just am not ambitious enough!
"Arguing with you always makes me thirsty." -Augustus McRae
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Re: Built a stainless media tumbler!
[Re: RiverRider]
#5540442
01/13/15 07:24 PM
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Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 19,250
Judd
#1 Creedmoor Fan
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I've heard of guys seating bullets shallower that they want them for storage, and then seating them to desired length just before shooting. I do that...I have probably 200 cases loaded right now and not a single one is loaded to OAL that I'll shoot. Majority of the time I do .010 shallower and just bumpt them either at the range or night before. Also, I think HBN coating would be the schizzle if a guy was looking to coat bullets.
Don't let your ears hear what your eyes didn't see, and don't let your mouth say what your heart doesn't feel
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Re: Built a stainless media tumbler!
[Re: J.G.]
#5540516
01/13/15 07:52 PM
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Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 9,521
RiverRider
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Just saw your comments the other thread...do you know a link to a good article on cold weld? If I have an inkling as to what HBN is, it sure doesn't ring a bell.
"Arguing with you always makes me thirsty." -Augustus McRae
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Re: Built a stainless media tumbler!
[Re: J.G.]
#5540555
01/13/15 08:05 PM
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Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 19,250
Judd
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I'm not sure I believe in the whole cold weld deal. I'll be the first to admit that some of the stuff I do is more along the lines of "it can't hurt, especially if (insert any scenario or theory) is true"...kind of a safe that sorry situation.
What I can tell you is the longer bullets sit in a case the more initial pressure it takes for that bullet to move when I finish my seating (reference the .010 shallow I posted above). I don't know if that is cold weld or what but I do believe there is something going on.
Google "HBN bullet coating"...it is newer stuff than moly, not near as nasty to coat or clean out of a barrel. There is a lot of longer range benchrest (Fclass/or 600y benchrest in paper) guys that are using it. Some guys are even using it on their hunting bullets. It is a product that primarily usage is womens cosmetics.
Don't let your ears hear what your eyes didn't see, and don't let your mouth say what your heart doesn't feel
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Re: Built a stainless media tumbler!
[Re: RiverRider]
#5540573
01/13/15 08:10 PM
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Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 41,173
J.G.
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Don't know if I'm brave enough to try 500 pieces at once. I checked thos brass at 2 hours and it looked pretty good with primer pockets 80% clean, but the brass had no polish to it. At 3 hours the primer pockets were 90% clean and the brass had some polish to it. At 4 hours there was not a major change from the 3 hour mark. Guess I know my duration with that recipe. Also, at the 2 and 3 hour mark I still had a film of carbon inside the case. So maybe it'll leave behind just enough carbon to satisfy Judd. And I have wached him seat bullets at my range right before he shot them. Weirdo!
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Re: Built a stainless media tumbler!
[Re: J.G.]
#5540592
01/13/15 08:17 PM
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Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 9,521
RiverRider
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Schmellba's idea that galvanic corrosion is responsible for any inconsistency strikes me as very logical, and I suspect that is what cold weld actually is. Time for a little reading,I guess!
"Arguing with you always makes me thirsty." -Augustus McRae
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Re: Built a stainless media tumbler!
[Re: J.G.]
#5540649
01/13/15 08:37 PM
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Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 19,250
Judd
#1 Creedmoor Fan
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There's a first...JG actually worries about what I think
Don't let your ears hear what your eyes didn't see, and don't let your mouth say what your heart doesn't feel
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Re: Built a stainless media tumbler!
[Re: Judd]
#5540732
01/13/15 09:26 PM
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Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 41,173
J.G.
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There's a first...JG actually worries about what I think Crap! Imma have to start drinking beer early!
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Re: Built a stainless media tumbler!
[Re: RiverRider]
#5540752
01/13/15 09:31 PM
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Joined: Jun 2014
Posts: 178
schmellba99
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Schmellba's idea that galvanic corrosion is responsible for any inconsistency strikes me as very logical, and I suspect that is what cold weld actually is. Time for a little reading,I guess! Yep, this is what is often referred to as "cold weld". Simple chemistry.
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Re: Built a stainless media tumbler!
[Re: J.G.]
#5540768
01/13/15 09:39 PM
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Joined: Jun 2014
Posts: 178
schmellba99
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Don't know if I'm brave enough to try 500 pieces at once. I checked thos brass at 2 hours and it looked pretty good with primer pockets 80% clean, but the brass had no polish to it. At 3 hours the primer pockets were 90% clean and the brass had some polish to it. At 4 hours there was not a major change from the 3 hour mark. Guess I know my duration with that recipe. Also, at the 2 and 3 hour mark I still had a film of carbon inside the case. So maybe it'll leave behind just enough carbon to satisfy Judd. And I have wached him seat bullets at my range right before he shot them. Weirdo! What recipe are you using in terms of water, citric acid, and pins? I believe I read you had 10 lbs of pins, so you should have a minimum of 2 gallons of water and at least 3 tsp of citric acid, along with your detergent (seriously - go down to Autozone and get the Armor-All Wash-N-Wax. It is the shizzle for this stuff). Additionally - did you put fins inside your drum? You really need to watch your RPM's on the drum and keep it slow enough so that the pins and brass don't ride the drum walls, but instead ride about 1/3 to 1/2 way up and then fall/tumble down. The tumbling action is what makes the biggest difference and decreases the time. (This is also assuming you ran a 3-4 run of nothing but pins, water and detergent to clean the pins from the manufacturing grime and oils) With my setup and normally dirty brass (range pickup from that day), I set my timer for 4 hours and my brass comes out clean and shiny. For really dirty stuff, I may have to do 2 tumbles, but I've never done more - even with brass that had been outside in the elements for years and looked more like Wolf steel than brass. Anything past 3-4 hours and generally you've used up the citric acid and detergent anyway and don't get much benefit without changing out the water and adding new chemicals.
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Re: Built a stainless media tumbler!
[Re: J.G.]
#5540823
01/13/15 10:01 PM
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Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 6,578
Wburke2010
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Looks good Jason. I got a batch in the tumbler now. First time to run the ss so we will see how it does.
Walter
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Re: Built a stainless media tumbler!
[Re: schmellba99]
#5540849
01/13/15 10:17 PM
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Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 41,173
J.G.
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10 pounds of media 2 gallons of water 3 Tbs of Dawn 1/2 tsp Lemishine (per instructions with the media)
If you think I should go a little heavier on the Lemishine, I'm watching.
I put it all in a media seperator which did get all the media out. Rinsed with clean water, put the brass in a pan and placed thr pan in a little toaster oven to dry. I just pulled it out and it did the trick. Running 200 more pieces since 3:20 pm.
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Re: Built a stainless media tumbler!
[Re: J.G.]
#5540936
01/13/15 11:00 PM
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Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 19,250
Judd
#1 Creedmoor Fan
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I have the Thumblers which is 5lb of media and 1 gallon of water and always ran: 2 tbs of Dawn 1/8 tsp of Lemishine The wax is an interesting idea that I haven't heard anyone do. I like it and would play with it but at this point I just steel wool the outside of the neck, run a brush through the neck, anneal, size, clean primer pockets and load...repeat as often as possible
Don't let your ears hear what your eyes didn't see, and don't let your mouth say what your heart doesn't feel
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Re: Built a stainless media tumbler!
[Re: J.G.]
#5542170
01/14/15 03:31 PM
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Joined: Jun 2014
Posts: 178
schmellba99
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10 pounds of media 2 gallons of water 3 Tbs of Dawn 1/2 tsp Lemishine (per instructions with the media)
If you think I should go a little heavier on the Lemishine, I'm watching.
I put it all in a media seperator which did get all the media out. Rinsed with clean water, put the brass in a pan and placed thr pan in a little toaster oven to dry. I just pulled it out and it did the trick. Running 200 more pieces since 3:20 pm. I'd go heavier on the citric acid. Unless you have mega soft water, you should try the next batch with at least 1 tsp (I'd probably go 2 tsp) and see what happens there. Citric acid is cheap, and using too much isn't going to hurt anything. Note: If you are using Lemi-Shine, use the granular product and not the dishwasher rinse aid. The rinse aid is not the same formula and doesn't work. I learned that the hard way. The citric acid does a couple of things - 1. It softens the water, which allows the detergent to do its job more efficiently 2. It chemically reacts with the brass, giving it the shine and actually imparting a thin corrosion layer on the surface of the brass that protects the brass If the citric acid is used up in the water softening process, you won't get the nice shine you see in a lot of pictures. You will have clean brass, no doubt, but it won't be as pretty (which may not be a problem for you at all). My mentality is that if I'm going to clean the brass, I want it shiny as well. It is purely aesthetics, and probably a bit childish on my part - but I'm good with that. This is what my brass typically looks like after a 3 hour run. This was .45 ACP, not super dirty, but considering that most of it was loaded with Unique, it was dirty enough.
Last edited by schmellba99; 01/14/15 03:34 PM.
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Re: Built a stainless media tumbler!
[Re: schmellba99]
#5542556
01/14/15 06:37 PM
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Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 41,173
J.G.
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More good info! Thank you, I will increase the dose of Lemishine and verify weather or not it is the granular.
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Re: Built a stainless media tumbler!
[Re: schmellba99]
#5542719
01/14/15 07:52 PM
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Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 11,657
colt45-90
Texas colt45
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Texas colt45
Joined: Aug 2006
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Don't know if I'm brave enough to try 500 pieces at once. I checked thos brass at 2 hours and it looked pretty good with primer pockets 80% clean, but the brass had no polish to it. At 3 hours the primer pockets were 90% clean and the brass had some polish to it. At 4 hours there was not a major change from the 3 hour mark. Guess I know my duration with that recipe. Also, at the 2 and 3 hour mark I still had a film of carbon inside the case. So maybe it'll leave behind just enough carbon to satisfy Judd. And I have wached him seat bullets at my range right before he shot them. Weirdo! What recipe are you using in terms of water, citric acid, and pins? I believe I read you had 10 lbs of pins, so you should have a minimum of 2 gallons of water and at least 3 tsp of citric acid, along with your detergent (seriously - go down to Autozone and get the Armor-All Wash-N-Wax. It is the shizzle for this stuff). Additionally - did you put fins inside your drum? You really need to watch your RPM's on the drum and keep it slow enough so that the pins and brass don't ride the drum walls, but instead ride about 1/3 to 1/2 way up and then fall/tumble down. The tumbling action is what makes the biggest difference and decreases the time. (This is also assuming you ran a 3-4 run of nothing but pins, water and detergent to clean the pins from the manufacturing grime and oils) With my setup and normally dirty brass (range pickup from that day), I set my timer for 4 hours and my brass comes out clean and shiny. For really dirty stuff, I may have to do 2 tumbles, but I've never done more - even with brass that had been outside in the elements for years and looked more like Wolf steel than brass. Anything past 3-4 hours and generally you've used up the citric acid and detergent anyway and don't get much benefit without changing out the water and adding new chemicals. I was curious about the speed of the 1/2hp motor, needs to be slowwwwwwwww
hold on Newt, we got a runaway
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Re: Built a stainless media tumbler!
[Re: J.G.]
#5547996
01/17/15 12:59 PM
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Joined: Jan 2015
Posts: 120
Critterskinner
Woodsman
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Woodsman
Joined: Jan 2015
Posts: 120 |
I have extremely hard water and I have used both the liquid and granular Lemi-Shine. I don't notice a difference between the two. What happened when you used the liquid?
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Re: Built a stainless media tumbler!
[Re: Critterskinner]
#5548233
01/17/15 03:54 PM
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Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 789
7o8
Tracker
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Tracker
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Always just add a shake of the granular stuff.
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