STM Brass cleaning.
- Thread starter hotdog40
- Start date
Rustydust
Active member
It's a bit messy compared to the vibratory cleaners but it sure does get your brass pretty! The stainless media that I use looks like little .19 caliber footballs- not the pins that I see others used. When I dump the dirty wash water out of my Thumler I simply use a plastic spaghetti strainer. After a few shakes most of the media goes to the bottom leaving the brass at the top. I have to shake the remaining media out of the cases sometimes but unless you have a dented neck it falls right out. I rinse off the brass in the kitchen sink (don't tell the wife!) then I dump it in a shallow tray and put it in the oven at 200 degrees overnight. In the morning I got nice and shiny brass ready for reloading. Works for me.
I agree with Rustydust. Get yourself a magnet to pick up the pins that fall on the floor, or in your sink or whatever. The size of the pins you buy matters, as if you get the wrong size, you'll be spending time checking each flash hole for pins stuck inside. There are pins which will not stick in flash holes. At the moment the 47's are the ones that stand out in my mind. You can get a good deal on ebay, and in the add, it will say if they're the ones which will not stick in the flash holes.
I do a lot of volume so the kit I bought just wasn't cutting the mustard so I went off and built my own tumbler which does a lot more volume at a fraction of the cost of that 40lb kit offered on STM site.
Having a means to separate the media is a good idea, I use one from Dillon, and while it works well, doesn't have a lid which would be a big benefit for separating stainless media. Typically those little pins go all over if you don't take your time.
For me it doesn't take place of a vibratory tumbler but STM does have it's place.
I do a lot of volume so the kit I bought just wasn't cutting the mustard so I went off and built my own tumbler which does a lot more volume at a fraction of the cost of that 40lb kit offered on STM site.
Having a means to separate the media is a good idea, I use one from Dillon, and while it works well, doesn't have a lid which would be a big benefit for separating stainless media. Typically those little pins go all over if you don't take your time.
For me it doesn't take place of a vibratory tumbler but STM does have it's place.
CatShooter
New member
Originally Posted By: Rhino79I agree with Rustydust. Get yourself a magnet to pick up the pins that fall on the floor, or in your sink or whatever. The size of the pins you buy matters, as if you get the wrong size, you'll be spending time checking each flash hole for pins stuck inside. There are pins which will not stick in flash holes. At the moment the 47's are the ones that stand out in my mind. You can get a good deal on ebay, and in the add, it will say if they're the ones which will not stick in the flash holes.
I do a lot of volume so the kit I bought just wasn't cutting the mustard so I went off and built my own tumbler which does a lot more volume at a fraction of the cost of that 40lb kit offered on STM site.
Having a means to separate the media is a good idea, I use one from Dillon, and while it works well, doesn't have a lid which would be a big benefit for separating stainless media. Typically those little pins go all over if you don't take your time.
For me it doesn't take place of a vibratory tumbler but STM does have it's place.
Rhino...
What did you get - I am interested in it, but the two things that have kept me back, is the cost of the 40 pound unit, and the pins getting stuck (I do thousands of cases too!) and I cannot hand inspect the flash holes.
I do a lot of volume so the kit I bought just wasn't cutting the mustard so I went off and built my own tumbler which does a lot more volume at a fraction of the cost of that 40lb kit offered on STM site.
Having a means to separate the media is a good idea, I use one from Dillon, and while it works well, doesn't have a lid which would be a big benefit for separating stainless media. Typically those little pins go all over if you don't take your time.
For me it doesn't take place of a vibratory tumbler but STM does have it's place.
Rhino...
What did you get - I am interested in it, but the two things that have kept me back, is the cost of the 40 pound unit, and the pins getting stuck (I do thousands of cases too!) and I cannot hand inspect the flash holes.
I use the sst media but already had two of the thumlers tumblers that I used for ceramic media, and a RCBS media separator which is just like there's but green it works very well, rinses and separets the media and brass. I did buy there pins though and have had a few get stuck.
I also picked up a cheap food dehydrator the round variety at a kitchen store it works very well for drying the brass
I also picked up a cheap food dehydrator the round variety at a kitchen store it works very well for drying the brass
Cat, I'm not sure if I can post a link to ebay auction here so go hit ebay, and do a search for "ULTRA 47". You should find an auction from Pellet Pins. I've looked all over and unless you're buying 30+ lbs at a time, that is the best deal I think you'll find. It's not cheap, in comparison to walnut / corn but it will last longer and cleans like no other media.
The one I built uses a 8" PVC Pipe, I had a plastics shop cut me a round which I secured in one end, I fab'd up some agitators inside the pipe and used a cherne mechanical cap for my cap.
For the base I had my brother weld me a frame. We bought a 1/4 hp cont. duty motor, some pulleys, belt, bearings and some steel rod for rollers and put it put it all together. I mirrored the one you can buy from Big Dawg Tumblers (search google for his site).
The recipe for cleaning is somewhere in the neighborhood of 20 lbs media to 15-17 lbs brass, 2.25 gallons of water, a good healthy squirt of dish soap and 1/2 tsp of lemishine.
Initially I started with 40 RPM's, and have since changed it to 65 RPM's. It works pretty well, and saves me alot of time from using the model b, which does 150-200 308 cases every 4-6 hours.
If you're able to do the work yourself, you could get one put together for 400? That would include the $160 in media.
The one I built uses a 8" PVC Pipe, I had a plastics shop cut me a round which I secured in one end, I fab'd up some agitators inside the pipe and used a cherne mechanical cap for my cap.
For the base I had my brother weld me a frame. We bought a 1/4 hp cont. duty motor, some pulleys, belt, bearings and some steel rod for rollers and put it put it all together. I mirrored the one you can buy from Big Dawg Tumblers (search google for his site).
The recipe for cleaning is somewhere in the neighborhood of 20 lbs media to 15-17 lbs brass, 2.25 gallons of water, a good healthy squirt of dish soap and 1/2 tsp of lemishine.
Initially I started with 40 RPM's, and have since changed it to 65 RPM's. It works pretty well, and saves me alot of time from using the model b, which does 150-200 308 cases every 4-6 hours.
If you're able to do the work yourself, you could get one put together for 400? That would include the $160 in media.
CatShooter
New member
Originally Posted By: Rhino79Cat, I'm not sure if I can post a link to ebay auction here so go hit ebay, and do a search for "ULTRA 47". You should find an auction from Pellet Pins. I've looked all over and unless you're buying 30+ lbs at a time, that is the best deal I think you'll find. It's not cheap, in comparison to walnut / corn but it will last longer and cleans like no other media.
The one I built uses a 8" PVC Pipe, I had a plastics shop cut me a round which I secured in one end, I fab'd up some agitators inside the pipe and used a cherne mechanical cap for my cap.
For the base I had my brother weld me a frame. We bought a 1/4 hp cont. duty motor, some pulleys, belt, bearings and some steel rod for rollers and put it put it all together. I mirrored the one you can buy from Big Dawg Tumblers (search google for his site).
The recipe for cleaning is somewhere in the neighborhood of 20 lbs media to 15-17 lbs brass, 2.25 gallons of water, a good healthy squirt of dish soap and 1/2 tsp of lemishine.
Initially I started with 40 RPM's, and have since changed it to 65 RPM's. It works pretty well, and saves me alot of time from using the model b, which does 150-200 308 cases every 4-6 hours.
If you're able to do the work yourself, you could get one put together for 400? That would include the $160 in media.
Thank you...
The one I built uses a 8" PVC Pipe, I had a plastics shop cut me a round which I secured in one end, I fab'd up some agitators inside the pipe and used a cherne mechanical cap for my cap.
For the base I had my brother weld me a frame. We bought a 1/4 hp cont. duty motor, some pulleys, belt, bearings and some steel rod for rollers and put it put it all together. I mirrored the one you can buy from Big Dawg Tumblers (search google for his site).
The recipe for cleaning is somewhere in the neighborhood of 20 lbs media to 15-17 lbs brass, 2.25 gallons of water, a good healthy squirt of dish soap and 1/2 tsp of lemishine.
Initially I started with 40 RPM's, and have since changed it to 65 RPM's. It works pretty well, and saves me alot of time from using the model b, which does 150-200 308 cases every 4-6 hours.
If you're able to do the work yourself, you could get one put together for 400? That would include the $160 in media.
Thank you...