[Greg5611]

1BigK, Wow! More impressive than I imagined. I do both woodworking and welding so I will have to give this a try. Thank you for the references and pictures.

 

[1bigK]

1BigK, Wow! More impressive than I imagined. I do both woodworking and welding so I will have to give this a try. Thank you for the references and pictures.

Feel free to PM me if you have any questions.

I don’t weld (at present) so that stopped me until I figured out that this could be done using wood. After that everything was pretty straight forward if you at all mechanically inclined.

I think that with 2 different sized drums, the pins, and a media separator, and a small digital postal scale I spent around $175. But like I said, I bought parts over several months so that amount was all spread out and I hardly noticed it.

Google and read all that you can. I printed out a lot from Bigg Dawg’s website, especially his recipes for loading the drums to run. You will use those the first few times until it gets second nature.

After you run your first batch of brass you will probably never use your dry vibrators again.


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[Greg5611]

Feel free to PM me if you have any questions.

I don’t weld (at present) so that stopped me until I figured out that this could be done using wood. After that everything was pretty straight forward if you at all mechanically inclined.

I think that with 2 different sized drums, the pins, and a media separator, and a small digital postal scale I spent around $175. But like I said, I bought parts over several months so that amount was all spread out and I hardly noticed it.

Google and read all that you can. I printed out a lot from Bigg Dawg’s website, especially his recipes for loading the drums to run. You will use those the first few times until it gets second nature.

After you run your first batch of brass you will probably never use your dry vibrators again.


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Again, thank you.

 

[1bigK]

Again, thank you.

A couple of last minute items, make sure that you order SS pins sized .047” x .225”. That way you won’t have any issues with occasionally 2 pins jamming into the primer hole. Originally folks used a smaller sized pin and this was an issue.

I think that Frankford Arsenal’s newer media separator is easier to use than the older version that sat in a bucket.

Best of luck.


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[PEC-Memphis]

You don’t want a bunch of foaming. Too much foam inside the tumbler only builds up pressure in the tumbler. Not good.

Bob, since I had been using highly foaming dawn for a couple of years upon the recommendation of the media supplier with no problems, and in curiosity to your response .....

I took a plastic gatorade bottle, filled it with hot (160*F +/-) water and a "hard squirt" of dawn, sealed it at a negative pressure (to partially collapse the bottle), measured it to the nearest micron, or 1/10", which ever is greater, then agitated for 1 minute - then measured again. Then repeated the test for cold (50*F +/-) water. In either case, there was no expansion of the bottle, indicating no increase in pressure - and further, when opened, a negative pressure still remained.

So how can a detergent increase pressure and cause a problem - and be "not good" since (1) 1000's of people have been doing it (upon the media manufacturer's recommendations) with no problems and (2) the highly technical "gatorade bottle" test indicates that detergent creates +/- no additional pressure?

 

[ChrisJn]

Order should be here tomorrow:

• Frankford Arsenal Wet Tumbler/pins./
• Frankford Arsenal Brass Dryer (for winter use up here in Ohio)
• Dillon toolhead
• Lee U die

Also picked up some LemiShine (all I could find was lemon scent...brass will smell fresh) and Dawn.

Always looking forward to a new twist in my reloading journey.

Just ordered one too(tumbler). Hope I've done the right thing.

 

[rangerhgm]

FA Tumbler, FA Magnet, and FA Brass Dryer came yesterday.

Lee Universal die and 650 toolhead should be here in a couple of days

In the tumbler instructions it says to store the pins clean and dry.

Is it really necessary to store the pins dry?

 

[ThomasM4]

If i leave them wet in my bucket some times they stick together when they do eventually dry and I have to break them apart .
The way I dry them is I pour them out of a 5 gallon bucket into 5 gallon paint strainer and store them on an old piece of carpet the water drips out of them and they air dry over night.

 

[Dave.1]

FA Tumbler, FA Magnet, and FA Brass Dryer came yesterday.

Lee Universal die and 650 toolhead should be here in a couple of days

In the tumbler instructions it says to store the pins clean and dry.

Is it really necessary to store the pins dry?

I have the same set up without the magnet and dryer. Just started cleaning this way at the end of last year.

I put my cleaned cases on a towel and the pins on a pillow case (they stick in a towel) then put a fan on them for a couple of hours and they're dry. I've heard that the pins, stainless or not, can rust just because of the type of stainless they are. Haven't seen it but I'll keep on drying them anyway.

Dave

 

[dudel]

FA Tumbler, FA Magnet, and FA Brass Dryer came yesterday.

Lee Universal die and 650 toolhead should be here in a couple of days

In the tumbler instructions it says to store the pins clean and dry.

Is it really necessary to store the pins dry?

The pins pour easier if dry. I dry them, then add them to a sealed tupperware container. When I need them I pour them into the tumbler. Much faster than using the transfer magnet. I use the FART and HF tumbler. They take different amounts of pins. Easier to just pour what I need depending on what unit I'm using.

If the pins are wet, then the transfer magnet is the way to go.

While I have the RCBS media separator, I find it faster to use a nested collander/bowl set. When I've separated the pins from the brass, I pour off most of the water from the bowl with the pins. Then I just set the bowl aside to dry.

 

[rangerhgm]

Thanks guys......I can see I'll have to work out my technique.

 

[unclebob]

Bob, since I had been using highly foaming dawn for a couple of years upon the recommendation of the media supplier with no problems, and in curiosity to your response .....

I took a plastic gatorade bottle, filled it with hot (160*F +/-) water and a "hard squirt" of dawn, sealed it at a negative pressure (to partially collapse the bottle), measured it to the nearest micron, or 1/10", which ever is greater, then agitated for 1 minute - then measured again. Then repeated the test for cold (50*F +/-) water. In either case, there was no expansion of the bottle, indicating no increase in pressure - and further, when opened, a negative pressure still remained.

So how can a detergent increase pressure and cause a problem - and be "not good" since (1) 1000's of people have been doing it (upon the media manufacturer's recommendations) with no problems and (2) the highly technical "gatorade bottle" test indicates that detergent creates +/- no additional pressure?

Somewhere in my research in wet tumbling I read or the person said not to overdo the soap as it would cause pressure to build up and cause leaks. So I have been cautious in how much soap I add. So I could be wrong won’t be the first time.

 

[rangerhgm]

Couldn't wait for the toolhead and Lee Universal Die.....Had to try the tumbler and dryer.

I dumped the powder hopper, inhibited the primer feed and decapped ~500 pieces of 9mm brass......lotsa room for more 9mm in the tumbler.

Used 2 squirts of Dawn and an 40 cal case of Lemishine and ran the FA Tumbler for 2 hours.

Used 3 of the 5 trays of the Dryer for brass (and they wern't full.....lots of extra room on each tray) and I put the pins in the very bottom of the dryer. There are 3 openings around the bottom of the dryer to allow air flow so I kept the pins in away from the openings.

So far I'm impressed with both the tumbler and dryer.

I was a little concerned about the dryer based on a couple of reviews I saw. They didn't mention the fan blowing the hot air down threw the trays, and a big complaint was how the trays didn't fit together tightly........come on people.....you just need to be smarter than the dryer.....I had no trouble at all getting the trays to fit tightly and the bottom where my pins are, are just as hot as the top tray.

IMO this is working out perfectly so far.

I just checked the dryer, and after the brass are almost too hot to touch and the pins are perfectly dry........I'm very satisfied.


Dry on the left......wet on the right

 

[crockett]

Couldn't wait for the toolhead and Lee Universal Die.....Had to try the tumbler and dryer.

I dumped the powder hopper, inhibited the primer feed and decapped ~500 pieces of 9mm brass......lotsa room for more 9mm in the tumbler.

Used 2 squirts of Dawn and an 40 cal case of Lemishine and ran the FA Tumbler for 2 hours.

Used 3 of the 5 trays of the Dryer for brass (and they wern't full.....lots of extra room on each tray) and I put the pins in the very bottom of the dryer. There are 3 openings around the bottom of the dryer to allow air flow so I kept the pins in away from the openings.

So far I'm impressed with both the tumbler and dryer.

I was a little concerned about the dryer based on a couple of reviews I saw. They didn't mention the fan blowing the hot air down threw the trays, and a big complaint was how the trays didn't fit together tightly........come on people.....you just need to be smarter than the dryer.....I had no trouble at all getting the trays to fit tightly and the bottom where my pins are, are just as hot as the top tray.

IMO this is working out perfectly so far.

I just checked the dryer, and after the brass are almost too hot to touch and the pins are perfectly dry........I'm very satisfied.

I never dry the pins, just put them back in the tumbler with a Pin Transfer Magnet. They don't rust.

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/3...dia-transfer-magnet-for-stainless-steel-media


My dryer was deep-frying my brass and tarnishing it, went back to the seller. Make sure yours is not having the same overheating defect. I don't trust them.. would not let them run while being out of the house.

Mine was at 156F when on the lowest setting, which should have been 90F.

 

[rangerhgm]

I had mine set to 160 and I don't know what the actual temp was but but after and hour the brass was too hot to touch

 

[SBray]

If it’s done properly, wet tumbling is a much better process over dry. Whether or not it is actually necessary seems to be a personal choice. It is rather time consuming!

Steve