Rotary tumbler for wet cleaning

RTTY · May 11, 2024

Hello,
I think to buy a Rotary tumbler for wet cleaning of my brass.
I look at Frankford Arsenal tumbler, Lite or Platinum.

About the Platinum on the net are good comment buy on the Lite someone claim some problem like the brass don't rotate on the tumbler.

Can you tell me some impression about this two tumbler?

I know also some chinese rotary tumbler, 3 or 5kg, someone on this forum use this version?

Thanks in advance!

DeadNoise · May 11, 2024

Ive just started running the Rebel 17 with SS pins. Has been a great setup. Brass come out great after about 25min of tumbling. Just giving you another option to look into. I personally have no experience with Frankfort.

Camelfilter · May 11, 2024

Have the large Frankford Arsenal rotary tumbler & like it. Can process a goodly amount of brass at a time, about a #10 can worth (large metal coffee can). I use egg shaped "chips" instead of stainless steel pins. Water, a bit of dawn brand liquid dish soap, and a touch of lemishine. Lemishine & the amount of it depends on your water hardness. I also ad some liquid car wash/wax during the end/rinse cycle.

Its not complicated & brass comes out very nice.

Never used the lite version, however looking at it, am not sure how brass can't tumble. Unless grossly overloaded.

So I'd say choose whichever one based in how much brass you wish to proccess at a time.

Be mindful that processed & well dried brass won't go "bad"...

XLR308 · May 11, 2024

Thumlers Tumbler, if I ever go the route of stainless pins and wet tumbling this will be it.
Already figured out it will be a purchase for the wife for polishing rocks wich will be a past time that would last about one or two batches then I have a tumbler that will last me a lifetime for polishing brass.
Think smarter not harder

308pirate · May 11, 2024

Anything besides hot water and soap is a useless complication.

RTTY · May 11, 2024

DeadNoise said:
Ive just started running the Rebel 17 with SS pins. Has been a great setup. Brass come out great after about 25min of tumbling. Just giving you another option to look into. I personally have no experience with Frankfort.

Hello thanks for the advice, but the Rebel 17 are unavaillable on Italy.

Camelfilter · May 11, 2024

308pirate said:
Anything besides hot water and soap is a useless complication.

Depends on your water.

The wash/wax isn't required, however works for me. Handy for pistol brass, acts sorta like a lube.

RTTY · May 11, 2024

Camelfilter said:
Have the large Frankford Arsenal rotary tumbler & like it. Can process a goodly amount of brass at a time, about a #10 can worth (large metal coffee can). I use egg shaped "chips" instead of stainless steel pins. Water, a bit of dawn brand liquid dish soap, and a touch of lemishine. Lemishine & the amount of it depends on your water hardness. I also ad some liquid car wash/wax during the end/rinse cycle.

Its not complicated & brass comes out very nice.

Never used the lite version, however looking at it, am not sure how brass can't tumble. Unless grossly overloaded.

So I'd say choose whichever one based in how much brass you wish to proccess at a time.

Be mindful that processed & well dried brass won't go "bad"...

I proccess/clean about 100 cases at time of 6,5x47 Lapua.

RTTY · May 11, 2024

308pirate said:
Anything besides hot water and soap is a useless complication.

Hello, yes depend on the hardening of the water, on my side the hardening of the water is medium hard...
So Lemishine or Cidric Acid are more than useless complication.
If you don't use it the brass coming out after dryed like a leopard skin...

Camelfilter · May 11, 2024

RTTY said:
I proccess/clean about 100 cases at time of 6,5x47 Lapua.

Probably better served with the large tumbler then.

308pirate · May 11, 2024

Camelfilter said:
Depends on your water.

The wash/wax isn't required, however works for me. Handy for pistol brass, acts sorta like a lube.

Which wax do you use? Agree that might be helpful resizing pistol brass.

Jcarpenter223 · May 11, 2024

I have the Lite and while yes it had an issue of not tumbling the brass if there was too much weight in it but I believe someone on here posted a template for a plastic piece that pops into the tumbler and does help agitate the brass better. It has worked flawlessly since

308pirate · May 11, 2024

RTTY said:
Hello, yes depend on the hardening of the water, on my side the hardening of the water is medium hard...
So Lemishine or Cidric Acid are more than useless complication.
If you don't use it the brass coming out after dryed like a leopard skin...

I don't care about water spotting on brass. I don't GAF how it looks as long as it's clean.

And yes I do live with hard water too.

RTTY · May 11, 2024

Jcarpenter223 said:
I have the Lite and while yes it had an issue of not tumbling the brass if there was too much weight in it but I believe someone on here posted a template for a plastic piece that pops into the tumbler and does help agitate the brass better. It has worked flawlessly since

220€ on EU... and need make a mod for regular usage?!
On the chinese tumbler no mods are needed...

Thanks for the advice!

RTTY · May 11, 2024

Hello this is the link at the discussion to Frankford Arsenal Lite:

Frankford Arsenal LITE Rotary Tumbler Problem - SOLVED (Agitator Template)

So perhaps the biggest problem with the FART Lite is it's REALLY bad with low volumes of cases, they'll just roll around on the bottom motionless. So I made a template for you guys to make your own agitators. Just cut it out and it fits perfectly, did all the hard work for ya :P Simply open...

www.snipershide.com

The problem is the low volume of cases...

Camelfilter · May 11, 2024

308pirate said:
Which wax do you use? Agree that might be helpful resizing pistol brass.

Armor all wash & wax.

Dunno that brand matters tho too much??

Threadcutter308 · May 11, 2024

RTTY said:
I proccess/clean about 100 cases at time of 6,5x47 Lapua.

If you use stainless steel pins, check all your case mouths after tumbling/rinsing/drying for stuck pins in the case mouth. I tumble 6 x 47L and I will get an occasional stuck pin in the case mouth. Maybe at 6.5 mm, you won't have that problem, but it doesn't hurt to check/be careful.

CheapBasterd · May 11, 2024

Yup if you dont put enough cases in either any sizes tumbler. They just slide on the bottom. There isn’t enough to induce “tumbling” where cases push each other around.

I wouldn’t do this on the regular but I’ve stuffed the lite all the way to the top before. I could tell the motor didn’t like it.

Hot water + soap
Citric acid (milliards brand from Amazon).
Fuck those stainless steel pins. I didn’t see any difference using pins.

30 minutes clean enough.
1 hour shiny AF.

Highly recommend a brass dryer to speed up the drying process.

1 - 1.5 hours

Now this might sound weird but for my 9mm brass after I drain the water I spray Hornady oneshot into the tumbler directly on the brass, swirl it around a bit with a little more water, drain and then dry. Water beads off and Seems to leave a film and makes them glide in the sizer.

Herb Stoner · May 11, 2024

Rebel 17 tumbler - rock solid and worth it.

NO pins or media - not needed and a PIA

Just hot water with a little dawn and pinch of citric acid for 20-30 minutes gets them clean. Still a little bit of carbon in the necks but that arguably has advantages. Primer pockets aren’t shiny but doesn’t matter.

If you need your hole shiny, bleached and waxed, then you do you.

ShtrRdy · May 11, 2024

308pirate said:
Anything besides hot water and soap is a useless complication.

I wondered about that.

308pirate · May 11, 2024

ShtrRdy said:
I wondered about that.

Try it.

I did and that's how I came to my decision.

RTTY · May 11, 2024

CheapBasterd said:
Yup if you dont put enough cases in either any sizes tumbler. They just slide on the bottom. There isn’t enough to induce “tumbling” where cases push each other around.

I wouldn’t do this on the regular but I’ve stuffed the lite all the way to the top before. I could tell the motor didn’t like it.

Hot water + soap
Citric acid (milliards brand from Amazon).
Fuck those stainless steel pins. I didn’t see any difference using pins.

30 minutes clean enough.
1 hour shiny AF.

Highly recommend a brass dryer to speed up the drying process.

1 - 1.5 hours

Now this might sound weird but for my 9mm brass after I drain the water I spray Hornady oneshot into the tumbler directly on the brass, swirl it around a bit with a little more water, drain and then dry. Water beads off and Seems to leave a film and makes them glide in the sizer.

So, about your reply, I presume that the Lite can manage with no trouble 100 cases of 6,5x47 Lapua, i'm wrong?

RTTY · May 11, 2024

CheapBasterd said:
Yup if you dont put enough cases in either any sizes tumbler. They just slide on the bottom. There isn’t enough to induce “tumbling” where cases push each other around.

I wouldn’t do this on the regular but I’ve stuffed the lite all the way to the top before. I could tell the motor didn’t like it.

Hot water + soap
Citric acid (milliards brand from Amazon).
Fuck those stainless steel pins. I didn’t see any difference using pins.

30 minutes clean enough.
1 hour shiny AF.

Highly recommend a brass dryer to speed up the drying process.

1 - 1.5 hours

Now this might sound weird but for my 9mm brass after I drain the water I spray Hornady oneshot into the tumbler directly on the brass, swirl it around a bit with a little more water, drain and then dry. Water beads off and Seems to leave a film and makes them glide in the sizer.

I use pins because clean the primer pocket are, for me, very tedious...

RTTY · May 11, 2024

Herb Stoner said:
Rebel 17 tumbler - rock solid and worth it.

NO pins or media - not needed and a PIA

Just hot water with a little dawn and pinch of citric acid for 20-30 minutes gets them clean. Still a little bit of carbon in the necks but that arguably has advantages. Primer pockets aren’t shiny but doesn’t matter.

If you need your hole shiny, bleached and waxed, then you do you.

I no love clean primer pocket....

Threadcutter308 · May 11, 2024

308pirate said:
Try it.

I did and that's how I came to my decision.

I'll try it too......

CheapBasterd · May 11, 2024

RTTY said:
So, about your reply, I presume that the Lite can manage with no trouble 100 cases of 6,5x47 Lapua, i'm wrong?

that should do just fine in the lite. Probably in both sizes.

straightshooter1 · May 11, 2024

RTTY said:
Hello,
I think to buy a Rotary tumbler for wet cleaning of my brass.
I look at Frankford Arsenal tumbler, Lite or Platinum.

About the Platinum on the net are good comment buy on the Lite someone claim some problem like the brass don't rotate on the tumbler.

Can you tell me some impression about this two tumbler?

I know also some chinese rotary tumbler, 3 or 5kg, someone on this forum use this version?

Thanks in advance!

Either one will do the job just the same, just I don't think the Lite comes with pins. I've got the Platinum that I've had for 7 years now and it does the job just fine. Seem the Platinum might give you more options as to how you might going about using it. I seldom use my Platinum as my brass doesn't really get dirty except for what the chamber leaves behind. I'll use if for really dirty brass and I only use steel pins if there's brass that's got dirt and/or mud on the interior of the cases, otherwise it just hot water with Dawn and sometimes with Lemi Shine.

6MT · May 11, 2024

I used an Extreme tumbler for years. Then I decided to upgrade the drive and roller system. I found a fellow who was working on the project, but he decided to go another route. So I jumped at this.

I can fit two of the drums from my Extreme unit on the rollers. So if I have a lot to clean, I can run both drums. This gives me a capacity of 30#’s of brass at once. The motor is a 1/3HP unit.

308pirate · May 11, 2024

Go big or go home

RTTY · May 12, 2024

straightshooter1 said:
Either one will do the job just the same, just I don't think the Lite comes with pins. I've got the Platinum that I've had for 7 years now and it does the job just fine. Seem the Platinum might give you more options as to how you might going about using it. I seldom use my Platinum as my brass doesn't really get dirty except for what the chamber leaves behind. I'll use if for really dirty brass and I only use steel pins if there's brass that's got dirt and/or mud on the interior of the cases, otherwise it just hot water with Dawn and sometimes with Lemi Shine.

Hi, I already have the pins, I used them in a home-built tumbler, but I turned it with the drill, too casually... the cases were nice and clean, inside and out and the primer pocket was also shiny.
I don't have time to improve the work as @6MT did, splendid work, from what I see very well designed and finished, congratulations.
If you haven't already thought/done it, you can add a timer and a rotation inverter.
Extreme type barrels have the ideal shape.
Someone on YouTube put some rubber fillings inside the barrel throats because that's where the pins stop and don't work on the rotating cases.

RTTY · May 12, 2024

6MT said:
I used an Extreme tumbler for years. Then I decided to upgrade the drive and roller system. I found a fellow who was working on the project, but he decided to go another route. So I jumped at this.

I can fit two of the drums from my Extreme unit on the rollers. So if I have a lot to clean, I can run both drums. This gives me a capacity of 30#’s of brass at once. The motor is a 1/3HP unit.

Good job!
beautiful work, congratulations! mine was a carnival joke in comparison...

308pirate · May 12, 2024

Why would any of care about cleaning the inside of the case? It's zero benefit and creates more work (lubricating the case mouth)

Why would any of you care about cleaning primer pockets? To get any benefit you'll need to uniform them which cleans them where it matters anyway.

And then you have to deal with straining pins and making sure they don't clog flash holes and/or case mouths.

Make it make sense LOL

RTTY · May 12, 2024

308pirate said:
Why would any of care about cleaning the inside of the case? It's zero benefit and creates more work (lubricating the case mouth)

Because the inner of the case clean permit me to view some crack starting...
I lube the case mouth when I'll sizing it.

308pirate said:
Why would any of you care about cleaning primer pockets? To get any benefit you'll need to uniform them which cleans them where it matters anyway.

Because I would clean it with the toothbrush anyway, so it's better that the machine cleans it.

308pirate said:
And then you have to deal with straining pins and making sure they don't clog flash holes and/or case mouths.

I choiced my pins with have the diameter a little bit more than the half diameter of the flash hole and the length more tha the diameter of the case mouth.
The diameter of the pins more than the half of the flash hole diameter prevents that the pins clog the flash holewhen is only or when are double pins.

308pirate said:
Make it make sense LOL

Have a sense?LOL

RTTY · May 14, 2024

Hello folks!

At this moment I have the possibility to buy one from this 3 brand of tumblers, I list in order of price:
RCBS Rotary case cleaner
FA Platinum tumbler 7L
STM Extreme 17lbs

RCBS are the best value for the quality/price?

Or the best buy are the FA Platinum?

Or I go forward with the head low and buy the STM Extreme?

p.s.: by the STM Extreme have 2 versione, one low velocity for rock tumbling and another more fast for metal cleaning.
The low velocity can make the God job on the brass cleaning?

misser · May 14, 2024

Mine is a rock tumbler

RTTY · May 14, 2024

Hello, the velocity of rotation (low) permit to make a good job?

Herb Stoner · May 14, 2024

RTTY said:
Hello folks!

At this moment I have the possibility to buy one from this 3 brand of tumblers, I list in order of price:
RCBS Rotary case cleaner
FA Platinum tumbler 7L
STM Extreme 17lbs

RCBS are the best value for the quality/price?

Or the best buy are the FA Platinum?

Or I go forward with the head low and buy the STM Extreme?

p.s.: by the STM Extreme have 2 versione, one low velocity for rock tumbling and another more fast for metal cleaning.
The low velocity can make the God job on the brass cleaning?

I have the Extreme 17 and it is sturdy and works well. It is the higher speed version designed for tumbling brass - Not sure how the low speed version would work for brass. Maybe e-mail the manufacturer for that info.

I have no experience with the FA or RCBS.

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Rotary tumbler for wet cleaning

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