Wet tumbling

[steve_b_wales]

I've just bought a wet tumbler with steel pins. What's the best product to add to the water? I've read somewhere that Citric Acid & a drop of washing up liquid is good.

Does anyone have a tried and tested 'mix'?

               Thanks.

[oowee]

I don't know for tumbling but citric acid works well in my sonic cleaner. Key is to make sure 100% sure it is neutralised else it keeps working after cases are removed.

[steve_b_wales]

16 minutes ago, oowee said:

I don't know for tumbling but citric acid works well in my sonic cleaner. Key is to make sure 100% sure it is neutralised else it keeps working after cases are removed.

In my sonic cleaner, I have always used Birchwood Casey Brass cleaner which is excellent. I could try it in the wet tumbler I suppose, but it's more for soaking cases.

[oowee]

1 minute ago, steve_b_wales said:

In my sonic cleaner, I have always used Birchwood Casey Brass cleaner which is excellent. I could try it in the wet tumbler I suppose, but it's more for soaking cases.

I am onto dishwasher tabs now or ecover washing up liquid. All seems to work and I end up with a nice gold colour rather than polished brass. Gave up on the walnut vibro tumbler as spent too much time getting bits out of the cases and only sonic clean now. 

[miki]

I use citric acid, a kilo on eBay is £5 and I use 1/2 a teaspoon with 1/2 an Aldi dishwasher tablet for around 60 cases in my Thumbler which I fill to just over half full with luke warm water ("never do things in halves" said my father, what did he know eh ?).

The citric acid aids passivation or adds an element of 'tarnish protection' to the process.

 

[steve_b_wales]

17 minutes ago, miki said:

I use citric acid, a kilo on eBay is £5 and I use 1/2 a teaspoon with 1/2 an Aldi dishwasher tablet for around 60 cases in my Thumbler which I fill to just over half full with luke warm water ("never do things in halves" said my father, what did he know eh ?).

The citric acid aids passivation or adds an element of 'tarnish protection' to the process.

 

[aister]

I asked the same question on here and ended up using hot water, a squirt of fairy liquid and the small end of a calpol spoon heaped of citric acid and get great results. 2 hours in the tumbler then rinsed with hot water then 10 minutes in a fan oven at 90degC to dry.

[miki]

Fairy, like other 'washing up liquids' contain a surficant that encourages the production of bubbles.

Dish washers dont like bubbles (neither do washing machines in general) so using a detergent designed for the machine is a lot better in the wet tumblers. Citric acid (and sodium sesquicarbonate) soften the water which means bubbles (which need their walls to be tough to survive) dissipate quicker. If you use fairy when you open the lid the tumbler it is full of foam ......  try two teaspoons of the detergent your socks get washed in, or half a dishwashing tablet.

[fizzbangwhallop]

On 20/05/2021 at 16:08, oowee said:

I don't know for tumbling but citric acid works well in my sonic cleaner. Key is to make sure 100% sure it is neutralised else it keeps working after cases are removed.

I use a couple of teaspoons of Bicarbonate of Soda in a litre of hot water to neutralise the citric after ultrasonic’ing cases…..followed by a couple of rinses.👍

I then use an airline to get rid of excess water and stick them in a Lakeland food dehydrator to properly dry having once dried a batch of 22-250 cases in the top oven on a low heat…..but they changed colour to look like the whole case had been annealed. So, not wanting to risk that having actually happened I junked them. 😫 

 

Cheers

Fizz

😎

[Sako7mm]

Any recommendations for a wet tumbler?

[aister]

11 hours ago, Sako7mm said:

Any recommendations for a wet tumbler?

I have been using a rock tumbler from amazon. It can hold 50 223 brass or 25 30-06 brass.

[Modafinale]

Mine is a Lyman 

[Manish]

On 23/05/2021 at 20:51, Sako7mm said:

Any recommendations for a wet tumbler?

I got a lyman and have never looked back. Cleans the insides and the primer pocket/flash hole. As for what to add I just squirt in some ecover washing up liquid and some citric acid. Rinse them off well and dry in the over for 40 mins at 50 deg fan

[steve_b_wales]

On 23/05/2021 at 20:51, Sako7mm said:

Any recommendations for a wet tumbler?

Mine is also a Lyman.

[miki]

Thumler Tumbler sometimes used ones available on the bay of E or the Frankford Arsenal lite tumbler, to be honest they all look to do a similar job. The cheapy eBay/Chinese ones work but i've heard thge build quality is not good and the motors fragile.

[steve_b_wales]

UPDATE:

As mentioned on the 'Bullets, Cartridges & Reloading' section, I read about drying cases in an Air Fryer, so gave it a go. I put approx 60 cases in and on a medium setting for three minutes, the cases were bone dry.

[NoBodyImportant]

Do you have lemon shine over there? It’s soap you add to dishwashers

 

[NoBodyImportant]

8 hours ago, steve_b_wales said:

UPDATE:

As mentioned on the 'Bullets, Cartridges & Reloading' section, I read about drying cases in an Air Fryer, so gave it a go. I put approx 60 cases in and on a medium setting for three minutes, the cases were bone dry.

I use my grill

 

On 23/05/2021 at 15:51, Sako7mm said:

Any recommendations for a wet tumbler?

Frankford armory is know in the USA as the best you can get  https://www.amazon.com/Frankford-Arsenal-Separator-Polishing-Reloading/dp/B00HTN4R6O/ref=asc_df_B00HTN4R6O/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312303172305&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=719801863432847954&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9009906&hvtargid=pla-430798205500&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=65892517121&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=312303172305&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=719801863432847954&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9009906&hvtargid=pla-430798205500

Edited September 8, 2021 by NoBodyImportant

[steve_b_wales]

I recently purchased a Frankford Arsenal tumbler, but it's a basic model with no timer on it. Still an excellent bit of kit though.