Home » General Conversation » Reloading » Two new reloading tools
| Two new reloading tools [message #32844] |
Fri, 22 August 2014 19:04  |
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cajuntec
Messages: 1251
Registered: November 2009
Location: Williamsburg, VA
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I've been looking for better ways to clean my brass. The Hornady Sonic Cleaner does a good job of getting most of the really bad gunk off of my cases, such as powder residue, dust and dirt from hitting the ground, etc... The Hornady vibrating tumbler with corn cob media and a shot of Flitz polish got them gleaming like gold on the outside. But the inside was still very dark, and I ended up cleaning the primer pockets again to ensure they were completely clean. I was happy for a long time, but then I saw someone post about the stainless media pins in a wet tumbler and I just had to see it for myself.
Did I need this stuff? No. Honestly, I didn't. My loads were just fine before. But something in that type-A personality kept coming out making me want to get the cases cleaner for some reason. It's just so nice to look inside a case and be able to see everything without having to shine a light inside or hold it closer under a light source to ensure nothing is at the bottom of the case.
So this past week, I bought a Frankford Arsenal wet tumbler along with the 5 lbs of stainless pins. Using a teaspoon of Dawn dishwashing detergent and a 1/4 teaspoon of Lemishine, my brass came out shinier and WAY cleaner than it ever has! These brass pieces look like brand new brass. Not a speck of residue left anywhere - inside and out, including the primer pockets. AWESOME little machine!
I also wanted a better way to dry my brass. Although the Texas sun does a pretty good job of air drying whatever brass I put on a towel in the back yard, I always end up with sticks, grass, and some sort of pollen (depending on time of year) on my brass. My two Rhodesian Ridgebacks also seem to love shiny stuff, so I can't leave it out when I let them go out in the back yard. So I took another persons advice and bought a food dehydrator. It's a cheap, warm air circulating, 5 shelf model by Nesco. I picked it up from a sale ad near my house for $10, and it's worth every penny. Brass went from wet to fully dry in 40 minutes - indoors. It's only going to be used for the brass drying, and $10 for this used unit was great.
Happy, happy, happy.... 
All the best,
Glenn
If at first you don't succeed... buy newer / better equipment!
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| Re: Two new reloading tools [message #32846 is a reply to message #32844] |
Fri, 22 August 2014 19:56  |
jamesgammel
Messages: 1708
Registered: August 2012
Location: Lovell, Wyoming
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Nice thing is it still doubles as a food dehydrator. I have a 20 tray version, and we make dried apricots, apples, bannanas, jerky and all kind of good snackies. Almost anything small can be tossed on those trays and dried in short order. You found a special use for one, your brass drier, and cheap enough to have it "dedicated". Is "dedicated" definition really "wife's hands off"?  But then you probably "relocate" a little of her "Dawn", drier sheets, etc for your projects. Maybe even a little finger-nail polish for sealing primers and the like. 
Jim
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| Re: Two new reloading tools [message #32849 is a reply to message #32847] |
Sat, 23 August 2014 03:53 |
jamesgammel
Messages: 1708
Registered: August 2012
Location: Lovell, Wyoming
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My wife ASKS ME if I can use any of "her" stuff. Like "snack zip-locs, says go ahead and take the box and keep it in "your" room, I'll just get another box for the kitchen. Or want some of these makeup remover pads, which make great applicators for such things as old-english (which she also provides), gun oil, alchohol for cleaning oil off barrels first (like fingerprints). Brings me home great storage boxes from work that their drugs come in. 100 pack's of various sized small zip-locs they might put patient's daily pills in, etc. I can put a few drops of remoil on one of those pads, seal it up in a small zipper baggie to use another day on another barrel when it domes in and I clean, oil, and seal it up in a box. I use those boxes she brings home with the just right compartment sizes for storing contender grips and forends, then lable the box by type and seal it up with the grips and forends sealed up in snack baggies after old-englishing, letting sit an hour, buff while wearing cotton gloves, in insert and seal the zippers after hand squeezing the air out to keep them dust free. Those pads do a better job than gun cleaning patches, or old worn out washed cotton socks. She even gives me my own stash of lint-free dust cloths to seal up in sandwich zippers. Every now and then she'll ask me if I need any more. Rubber gloves? Let me know when you need more, already knows what size I prefer(she has tiny hands, mine are a LOT bigger). She'll bring home various boxes from work and ask if I can use them, if not, oh well, just burn them if neither of us can think of a use for them. She does Avon, so all the time getting various sizes of baby bubble-wrap pouches, some with fold-over flaps. I use em for storing sights and the likes, same with the various size zippers she provides. Little tiny ones for the screws, a bigger one for the sight w/the little one with the screws sealed up in it and a small tag in it with the barrel it was removed from. She saves me stuff to store nuts,bolts,and various washers for the bigger ones, Small ones go in a big drawer storage organizer (up to 5/16's).
Jim
[Updated on: Sat, 23 August 2014 09:51] Report message to a moderator |
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| Re: Two new reloading tools [message #34011 is a reply to message #34009] |
Fri, 14 November 2014 10:56 |
jamesgammel
Messages: 1708
Registered: August 2012
Location: Lovell, Wyoming
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for the time frames used, no. Now if you left them in while doing a 1 or two year iraq or afgan tour of duty, you may have to worry.
BTW,
an old trick I've used: if you have hard water or find pennies that have turned green in heat registers (you need little kids to know about that, same with missing jewelry, toilet traps are another source for treasure troves with young ones around), is white vinegar for those faucet and shower heads screens/nozzles). Pennies come out with a "frosted" look, but quite clean. Also great for running through coffee pots on regular occasions. Undiluted for the really nasty stuff, but could dilute with water for things like brass cases, vibrator or stir type would make it work even faster. and help spin out more solid particles once loosened from the brass.
Jim
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| Re: Two new reloading tools [message #34021 is a reply to message #34011] |
Fri, 14 November 2014 18:09 |
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cajuntec
Messages: 1251
Registered: November 2009
Location: Williamsburg, VA
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The metal media doesn't wear the brass at all from what I've seen (and from what the manufacturers claim). I've really enjoyed using it. Much better than my old way of doing things.
All the best,
Glenn
If at first you don't succeed... buy newer / better equipment!
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