My first Tumbling cleaning ... used SS media

[WaddWatsonEllis]

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Hi,

I just cleaned about 50 .45-70 shells using my brand new Thumbler Tumbler, my new SS media. dish soap and LemiShine .... except for the dish soap (which was straight from the dollar store), everything was a package deal from STM (STAINLESS TUMBLING MEDIA.COM).

Although I did not see the warning to wash the media first, three hours brought the shells shiny clean using two tsp of dish soap (my bad, should have been two TBSP). But the water came out black and the cartridges still shone in spite of the reducced dish soap and lack of previous cleaning of the media.

Since it was the first time I dried them with paper towels on the outside and set them on a baking cooling rack to dry overnight ...

The outcome was so good that I then washed about 140 Schofield shells with the same results ... absolutely clean in and out ... this time I did not wipe them with towels but just put them on the rack to dry overnight ... I just looked at them for the first time this AM ... some need minor clouding wiped off. but approx 95% plus are ready to reload ...

Just my $0.02 ...

TTFN,

[Major 2]

wonder if you used distilled water as opposed to tap water, you might elimanate the clouds 

[WaddWatsonEllis]

Distilled water?  Nope ... but I will try it next time!

TTFN,

[rbertalotto]

Folks that are not using SS media to clean their brass (especially if it fired black powder) have no idea what they are missing.

Last week I shot 50 rounds of BP in Cowboy45 Special brass and didn't have my water jug to drop them in after I fired them. Then I got home and had to leave on a four day business trip. Upon returning home I took the brass and put them in my rotary tumbler with one "squirt" of liquid dish detergent with a shot of vinegar. This brass had hard, caked on fouling and was very badly stained.

The brass came out as clean if not cleaner than brand new brass.

This is one of the best discoveries in the last 40 years I've been shooting and reloading!

[FriscoCounty]

The lemonshine should take care of any clouding, along with a rinse of the shells in clean, cold water as you separate the media.

[WaddWatsonEllis]

Hi,

If 1.) you can't find a local source for LemiShine (and I am told it can be found at Wall-Mart) or 2.) have watched some of your SS media go down the drain (please don't ask why I used this example... LOL), both half packs of SS media and bottles of LemiShine can be gotten through this website ....

http://www.stainlesstumblingmedia.com/    (Scroll down for resupplies)

[Pappy Myles]

Howdy WWE

How long did you run your tumbler with the schofield brass?

[WaddWatsonEllis]

I believe that the instructions said to run for about three hours ... so I turned it on .... checked in 15 minuted so make sure that it was not overheating ( i.e., wires/motor was not warm bearings were cool)

Then I went away for a couple of hours and removed it after three hours per instrucitons ...

TTFN,

[Tascosa Joe]

Skip:
Thanks for the link.  I am tired of digging ceramic media out of my .45 Colt & S&W cases.  I use dollar store lemon juice to get the cases to shine.  It works well and best of all is cheap.
T-Joe

[WaddWatsonEllis]

Here is a hint:

(We won't discuss how I know this ...)

But when one is evacuating water out of the tub, there is the inevitable loss of media ....If one pours the water and small amounts of media through a Melitta Filter , the water exits and leaves the media in the filter ... then it is just a matter of a hemostat to pick up the media ... *S*

[Fairshake]

WWE, I have been using this form of brass cleaning for about a year now. I will give you a big hint "USE A BIG MAGNET FROM HARBOUR FRIEGHT TO PICK UP YOUR MEDIA" It's very fast and will end all frustrations of trying to pick up those small pieces of steel.
They sell a big hand held one that has a big eye hook on the top and was designed to tie a rope to.
It has some small voids where the metal does not meet the magnet and I just filled these with a glue gun so that the media could not go inside and be hard to retrieve.
I also put the magnet in my sink when rinsing and it catches most all of the pieces that look for the drain.

[WaddWatsonEllis]

WWE, I have been using this form of brass cleaning for about a year now. I will give you a big hint "USE A BIG MAGNET FROM HARBOUR FRIEGHT TO PICK UP YOUR MEDIA" It's very fast and will end all frustrations of trying to pick up those small pieces of steel.
They sell a big hand held one that has a big eye hook on the top and was designed to tie a rope to.
It has some small voids where the metal does not meet the magnet and I just filled these with a glue gun so that the media could not go inside and be hard to retrieve.
I also put the magnet in my sink when rinsing and it catches most all of the pieces that look for the drain.

Fairshake,

Great idea! I think I am going to have to put my shekels together to buy one!

TTFN,

[wildman1]

Ya don't need 5 lbs of SS media and ya don't need ta run it fer 3 hrs. I bought the 5 lb package and the 2 lb spare package. But then I bought another Thumler B so I split the media in half (3 1/2 lbs each) and it works fine. I only run it about 1 and 3/4 hours and ya can't tell the difference between that and the stuff that was run 3 hrs. My brass was dirty, a mix of smokeless and BP. I do use Lemishine and Dawn. WM

[WaddWatsonEllis]

Wildman,

Thanks ... I was just following the instructions and local knowledge ... I often thought that the three hours was kind of an overkill .... I'll have to try 3/4 hour ...

[sail32]

I use a Thumblers Tumbler Model B with ss media, and I use a light switch timer, to time for 3 hours.

The light switch timer is the type you buy at a hardware store to turn you house lights of and on when you are away.

[WaddWatsonEllis]

Saile32,

A capital idea ... looks like I have a trip to Home Depot in line when my SSKI comes in ....

TTFN,

[Lumpy Grits]

Rinse the media after each use also.
LG

[WaddWatsonEllis]

LG,

Did,did, and done.

TTFN,

[wildman1]

Rinse the media after each use also.
LG

Also helps clean the brass iffen ya use the ashes from one medium seegar in the solution.  WM

[Lumpy Grits]

Also helps clean the brass iffen ya use the ashes from one medium seegar in the solution.  WM

  ...............................

[wildman1]

...............................

Ain't had a seegar in about 8 months, gonna have ta go out one a these days and get me one or two of em, set down and see if I can keep the mosquitos away fer a while. How ya doin LG? Ain't seen ya around these parts fer a while.  WM

[Lumpy Grits]

Do'n good. I'll have a c-gar for ya 
LG

[wildman1]

Thank Yew kindly Sir, much preciated.  WM