Help with wet tumbling

[kriller134]

So I got the frankford wet tumbler and I'm not getting the results I see other people getting. I'm getting a satin finish and it's super clean in and out. I thought I was going to get really shinny brass like factor new looking. I tumbled for 1.5 hours using dawn and a teaspoon of lemishine. Any ideas are appreciated. Thanks.

[Michael in California]

Half a 9mm case of lemishine. You are using too much. I actually use a 380 case, but it depends on the size of your vessel.

My rule is clean with as little as possible to get the result you need. If that means experimenting by washing a few times, so be it.

Re-cleaning the clean cases, however, doesn't seem to do much for me. Use those as-is.

[rizon2501]

Help with wet tumbling

I usually tumble them with corn cob media and wax afterwards to get them polished.


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[ElDub1950]

Nothing wrong with what you have, but if you want bright & shiny add dry tumbling after they're dry.

No good reason to do so, but some people like shiny objects.

[bsumoba]

the best way I've gotten brass shiny and to also protect the ammunition during storage from corrosion is to dry tumble with corn or walnut with some of this stuff: https://www.amazon.com/Flitz-Tumbler...polish+tumbler

[Calguns77]

So I got the frankford wet tumbler and I'm not getting the results I see other people getting. I'm getting a satin finish and it's super clean in and out. I thought I was going to get really shinny brass like factor new looking. I tumbled for 1.5 hours using dawn and a teaspoon of lemishine. Any ideas are appreciated. Thanks.

Tumble for 3 hrs, try just 1/4 tsp of lemishine and use armor all wash and wax in place of dawn. The dawn and lemishine will leave the brass bare and prone to oxidation. The lemishine is crucial to really shiny brass but too much has a negative effect in my experience.

[kriller134]

Thanks for the suggestions. I will keep experimenting.

[Red9]

Are you tumbling with ss pins?

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[TexasJackKin]

I'm interested in all the answers as well, my first batch in my tumbler came out looking like GOLD, none of the follow on batches looked as good. Still clean, but dull and not gold like. Using lemi shine, and armor all wash and wax, in all my batches, but I've never been able to duplicate the first batch.....

[GILMORE619]

I was having the same issue with my stainless tumbling. I know that the brass is clean but if I'm running the thru the stainless I want them coming out shinny.



I tried using dish soap and laundry detergent for the degreasing affect. I was getting this black scum coming out of the tumbler which led me to believe that the rubber was breaking down.

I did some internet reading and followed a recipe for using cascade dish washer liquid and citric acid. You can buy citric acid on amazon in a powder form. Lemishine is made from citric acid.

This is the results from citric acid and cascade.

[SixPointEight]

I tumble for longer. I think I do 2.5-3 hours. Usually I just forget about it.

In the sunlight my brass blinds me, way too shiny. Also, I think I use less lemishine. Usually toss a 9mm case full in there

[OzzieDoc]

So I got the frankford wet tumbler and I'm not getting the results I see other people getting. I'm getting a satin finish and it's super clean in and out. I thought I was going to get really shinny brass like factor new looking. I tumbled for 1.5 hours using dawn and a teaspoon of lemishine. Any ideas are appreciated. Thanks.

Need to tumble for longer and also check the ration of brass to pins. I am still experimenting on the water ratio.

In the FART I run 8lb brass to 10lb ss pins. Some sources say to then fill the drum with water to just below the cap level. This keeps the total gross weight under the 30lb capacity of the FART.

Currently I have cut the water level down to halfway between the top of the brass/pins mix and the top of the drum and still getting good, perhaps even better results.

I use car wash/wax only as a final rinse not as the primary cleaning agent. it helps prevent spotting and oxidation but not as well as a run through clean cobcob and NuFinish but thats a whole extra step.

I don't understand why people use the wet tumble method with cases that haven't been deprimed.

The main benefit of wet tumbling with SS pins is the ability to clean out primer pockets.

[GILMORE619]

I don't understand why people use the wet tumble method with cases that haven't been deprimed.

The main benefit of wet tumbling with SS pins is the ability to clean out primer pockets.

Ammo I load on a Dillon 550 mainly 9mm and 38spl plinking ammo doesn't get deprimed first. It goes from being fired to the tumbler, dried and then reloaded. Rifle brass takes lube so it's sized, deprimed and trimmed then tumbled. On plinking ammo I do not see a reason to add another step

[ar15robert]

If i just use soap i get those results.If i want shine then i adda squirt of lemishine and get the polished look.

I use the HF tumbler so its 2 small containers.I havent measured the amount i add i just take the bottle and give it the minimum squirt it does but my guess its probably more that a 9mm casing maybe closer to a .45.

[kriller134]

Ok so it seems like I definitely used too much lemishine, but I'm curious if I'm using too much soap too? How much soap are you guys using?