problem with SS tumbling....

[___M|9||___]

hey we should have a new picture thread, Stainless steel media end result page!

[John Browning]

Try woolite instead of dawn.

[melliw]

SS pins are .039 x 0.267
Thumler model b
223 brass (although it does not matter what caliber I use or what quantity)
Dawn ultra ( a squirt)
Lemi - 1/4 teaspoon
Cold water
3 hours ( I have varied the time from 1 hour to 8 hours)

[melliw]

Thanks for all who have replied. I love the pics as I have NEVER gotten bright shiny brass. Does anyone think that the SS might be the issue or is it the obvious operator error?

[beetle]

i don't think the pins are the issue. I think your "recipe" is off

too much lemishine = dull, reddish looking brass
not enough detergent = the detergent breaks down, releasing carbon back into the water which sticks to brass
tumble for too long = same result as above

are you using a case lube? if yes dawn doesn't remove it and it dulls the brass.

when you open the tumbler do you see white foam? If no you need more detergent.

for lemishine I use only a very small amount, maybe 3/4 of a 9mm case full.

I tumble for about 2-3 hours and brass comes out shiny.

[melliw]

Thanks Beetle. Probably guilty of all of the above. When I open the tumbler the foam is a very dark black.

I just saw a detergent for sale on eBay with a Q and A. This is one of them and describes my plight.

Q: When using your detergent, my brass is coming out with a black film and/or not completely clean. What gives?
A: Make sure you follow our guidelines carefully. Running your tumbler for an extended period of time is not a good thing as the cleaning solution can become oversaturated and the dirt will redeposit on the brass. Also, be sure to use the proper amount of detergent and water in your tumbler. Check every 15 minutes to see if additional cleaning is necessary.

[stilly]

You could also get some citric acid and mix about 3 ccs of that into VERY HOT practically BOILING water and then run your brass through that for about 20 minutes with the pins if you wish, that might even be better for you.

so,,, i too have had hit or miss results with my franklin tumbler.
stilly, you think 3 cc's of citric acid and dawn(that's all i use) is the right amount? with long pins of course.

You really do not need much. CA in your mix. The important thing though is to make sure you are using hot water that is hot enough to dissolve the CA. VERY HOT water is reccommended.

I think I was able to get my brass washed and rinsed in under an hour, then set out to dry.


Damn. All of these brass pics are making me hungry for some chicken...

[diveRN]

.40 casing full of lemishine, a squirt of dawn and 2 hours in the tumbler with pins and HOT water gets me this. Rinsed immediately after cases were done @ 2hrs.

Based on other reports, I'm also looking at automotive car washes for the included "wax" factor.

[jumbopanda]

I've found that using too much Lemishine results in dull brass. Try one .40 or .45 case full of it.

[stormvet]

I use to care about having super shiny brass, but now I just want clean servicable brass. Because I'm just gonna shoot it, not show it.

['ol shooter]

Agreed, mine just comes out shiny as a byproduct of a good cleaning.

[bubbala]

success just ran a big batch of 9's for an hour : nice and shiny.and yes if i go through this whole process I WANT SHINY.

[Eljay]

I feel like if the insides are shiny you can visually verify the powder level more easily. It also makes it easier to spot cracks.

[melliw]

Let me know your thoughts. I resize my brass with a lanolin and isopropyl alcohol mixture.

[beetle]

Let me know your thoughts. I resize my brass with a lanolin and isopropyl alcohol mixture.

aha! this is your problem. dawn doesn't clean off the lanolin resulting in dull brass. See the other thread in this forum about using woolite instead.