Re: Stainless Steel Media Testimonials
When I ran across the topic on "which media" and read about the stainless steel media, I thought this sounded pretty good. I am just starting out with reloading and was skeptical of the vibratory tumbling due to the dust I expect it must generate. Tumbling with metal seemed like the way to go. The only thing was... that Thumbler Tumbler was just too expensive, and the other rock tumblers did not seem to hold up unless you paid even more money for one. I had read about some folks using an old ice cream maker to do their tumbling with walnut and corn cob media and thought that might be worth a try.
So, off to ebay and found a machine for about $12. Here it is in action:
I have run three loads of .223 cases through this at the time of this writing.
The canister for the machine is not water tight since it is supposed to run in an upright position. I had originally planned to not lean machine so far over, but at maybe a 45 degree angle. The above photo shows it the first time I ran it. Since then, I have propped up the bottom a little to more of a horizontal position. After I received it, I found that one of these larger plastic Folgers coffee cans fits snugly into the canister. I expect that the finger holds molded into the coffee can will help the contents tumble as it turns.
What I have been doing so far is putting a squirt of Dawn in the coffee can followed by about a third full of hot water and about 120-150 .223 cases. I let this soak about 30 minutes and then add about 4 lbs. of the stainless steel media. I then put the lid on the coffee can and gently slide the whole thing into the ice cream canister so that the lid does not come off and spill soapy water everywhere. I put the canister lid on and set it in the main bucket and put the motor on. I lean it over and let it run for four hours.
After that, I use a plastic colander and a metal strainer to sift out the brass and then the media. It takes a few rounds of sifting to get it all separated. I do have some of the stainless pins fall out on the patio and on the table or chair where I am sifting. Fortunately, I had something called a mag vac that is like a wide magnet with a long handle on it to pick these up. It is a tool used by roofers to drag around on the ground and pick up nails. You can get them at Lowes or Home Depot. I also had a really strong round magnet about the size of a ping pong ball that comes in handy, too. I strongly advise getting some kind of strong magnet so you don't lose your pins.
One thing I have noticed so far is that not all of the necks and primer pockets will be clean. They will definitely be cleaner, but will still have a little black on them. I will probably experiment to see what can be done about that. Any suggestions from the experts are welcome!
Here are some before and after photos for comparison:
Before...
After...
WARNING: Don't use a baking pan like the one above! I let some cases dry in the pan and some
brown stuff that would not wash off after cooking so many times got on the brass and would not wipe or scrape off the brass. I ran those cases through the above process once again and that seemed to fix it. I threw away the pan.
