Stainless steel cleaning media

pdhunter

New member
Has any one used stainless steel cleaning media in a vibratory tumbler ?
I was told I could but would like to hear from some one who has done it.
 
Originally Posted By: pahntr760Originally Posted By: RustydustOriginally Posted By: pahntr760Too heavy, doesn't work.

Correct. Need a rotary tumbler. Harbor Freight has one pretty cheap. Will help you to get started on the cheap.

http://www.harborfreight.com/dual-drum-rotary-rock-tumbler-67632.html

Last I checked, these were on backorder...even though they show In-Stock. I pulled the plug after a month of waiting. Just a heads up...may be worth a call before ordering.

Might check a local store. I got the double can model at the
local HF last month.
 
Originally Posted By: DannoBooneOriginally Posted By: pahntr760Originally Posted By: RustydustOriginally Posted By: pahntr760Too heavy, doesn't work.

Correct. Need a rotary tumbler. Harbor Freight has one pretty cheap. Will help you to get started on the cheap.

http://www.harborfreight.com/dual-drum-rotary-rock-tumbler-67632.html

Last I checked, these were on backorder...even though they show In-Stock. I pulled the plug after a month of waiting. Just a heads up...may be worth a call before ordering.

Might check a local store. I got the double can model at the
local HF last month.

No store here, yet. It's being built now. Supposed to open around mid-June.
 
Originally Posted By: DannoBoone
Might check a local store. I got the double can model at the
local HF last month.

A few months back, I walked into my local store, and bought
one. There were a few more on the shelf. Mine sits under
the bench, gathering dust, as I haven't warmed to the idea
of SS media, and it's issues. Just before I got the Harbor
Freight tumbler, I received 30 lbs of lizard bedding(ground
walnut), so I have that to get me through my period of
indecision on SS media. My wife likes to beach comb rocks, so
at a minimum, the HF tumbler will polish rocks.

Squeeze
 
Originally Posted By: SqueezeI haven't warmed to the idea
of SS media, and it's issues.

Wondering what "issues" you speak of.
 
Originally Posted By: coleridgeOriginally Posted By: SqueezeI haven't warmed to the idea
of SS media, and it's issues.

Wondering what "issues" you speak of.

Me too!
 
Originally Posted By: coleridgeOriginally Posted By: SqueezeI haven't warmed to the idea
of SS media, and it's issues.

Wondering what "issues" you speak of.

Mind you this is all hearsay, and a search for discussions
in these forums, will provide more detail. The issues as
I read them are, separating the media from the cases, with
some media left in cases, and instances where cases end up
with a dirty brass patina, rather than bright and shiny.
And just the whole wet cleaning, solution and media separation,
and drying seems like much more effort than vibratory cleaners
and dry media.

Squeeze
 
Originally Posted By: SqueezeOriginally Posted By: coleridgeOriginally Posted By: SqueezeI haven't warmed to the idea
of SS media, and it's issues.

Wondering what "issues" you speak of.

Mind you this is all hearsay, and a search for discussions
in these forums, will provide more detail. The issues as
I read them are, separating the media from the cases, with
some media left in cases, and instances where cases end up
with a dirty brass patina, rather than bright and shiny.
And just the whole wet cleaning, solution and media separation,
and drying seems like much more effort than vibratory cleaners
and dry media.

Squeeze

The same concerns have kept me away from it, and I have heard the same things from many sources. If it was cheap - like a bore cleaner, you could try it and toss it if you didn't like it - but this is too expensive to toss. And the problem of pins staying in the cases is completely unacceptable, cuz I cannot inspect every case when there are 30 to 50 pounds at a time.
 
Wondering what "issues" you speak of. [/quote said:
Me too. In the years that I have been doing it I am still just enthralled with stainless steel media. It never wears out, so you only have to buy it once, only one or two cents to polish your brass incredibly clean and shiny. If there are any issues to speak of they are all positive ones. I sure do love mine. And my media is not pins. The media looks like tiny footballs and never has one ever been left in a case. I mean, you invert the case to dump out the water and the media goes with it. Gravity is all you need.

I still use my vibratory tumbler on occasion but ever since I got my Thumler's Tumbler and SS media that's by far my favorite way to clean brass.
 
Originally Posted By: Rustydust
Wondering what "issues" you speak of. Me too. In the years that I have been doing it I am still just enthralled with stainless steel media. It never wears out said:
What footballs, and where did you get them.

All the media I have seen has been pins and they do stick inside of cases.

Thanks.
 
I finally made the leap to SS pins. I have been using a Thumbler for years and wet tumbling with ceramic beads. They clean well, but do get stuck in the flash holes. I usually finish up my brass with a vibrator loaded with 40 grit corn cob and a bit of orange Nu-Finish, then it goes to storage, and stays nice for a long time.
 
Originally Posted By: coleridgeOriginally Posted By: SqueezeI haven't warmed to the idea
of SS media, and it's issues.

Wondering what "issues" you speak of.

No issues for me.
My brass gets the STM treatment after every third firing, right before it goes through the annealer.
The rest of the time it gets an overnight tumble in a Lyman vibratory tumbler in treated corncob with a shot glass full of denatured alcohol to cut the Imperial wax after sizing. Then I do a quick twist with a Sinclair primer pocket uniformer and run them through a Giraud trimmer.

I got tired of beating myself up every time I had brass to work on so I made the process as simple as possible.


 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: fw707
The rest of the time it gets an overnight tumble in a Lyman vibratory tumbler in treated corncob with a shot glass full of denatured alcohol to cut the Imperial wax after sizing.

That is what I have been doing wrong all this time.......I thought the shot of alcohol was for the reloader,not the tumbler!

Man you have all the cool toys. Just like that machined aluminum shell holder.
 
No shots....

12 ounce curls.
tt2.gif
 
Originally Posted By: CatShooterway to clean brass. [/quote

What footballs, and where did you get them.

All the media I have seen has been pins and they do stick inside of cases.

Thanks.



I no longer am in contact with the guy that got me the media, but this is every similar to what I use: http://www.ebay.com/itm/STAINLESS-STEEL-...T-/200796733577

The stuff that I use measures .190 by .408 so it goes down the neck of my .204 brass will not fit down the neck of my .17 Remington brass. I do not remember how much that I paid for it because it was only a few pounds of a larger order. $30 seems to stick in my mind though.

Hope this helps.
 
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