Standard Deviations Deciphered

[Baron23]

I measured between .0003" and .0004" difference.

Sorry, my friend...been on a hunting trip for last 10 days and may have missed it....difference between what and what?

Are you saying that the dipped coating is .0003-.0004 in thickness (that is, the difference is between uncoated and coated glass slide dimension).

Or is this a difference between q-tipping the NL2 and dipping...which is something I would personally be interested in as I'm a q-tipper (dang, that sounds perverted haha).

Thanks

 

[Rocketmandb]

Are you saying that the dipped coating is .0003-.0004 in thickness (that is, the difference is between uncoated and coated glass slide dimension).

This.

 

[Rocketmandb]

Does using a supersonic cleaner leave the inside of the cases considerably cleaner than a dry tumbler? In other words are they coming out looking like new brass with no carbon?

I would say "somewhat cleaner" - I'm not a hardcore ultrasonic fan, but I hate dry tumbling because of the dust and dealing with the aftermath. I'm considering buying another wet tumbler and playing with that some more. I do love the ultrasonic for cleaning muzzle brakes...

I use a dry tumbler which leaves carbon on the inside, but I presume it acts as a lubricant in a way? At least compared to clean brass. I refrain from using lube on fired brass for that reason. Curious if it will make a difference now.

Remaining carbon does act as a lubricant. The problem is consistency. I measured uncleaned brass using residual carbon as lube and the seating forces were not as consistent as using a lube. Here are plots from my AMP Press dry graphite vs raw, lightly brushed necks - both done same day, same batch of brass:

EDIT: This is 6 BRA brass.

Dry Graphite:

No Cleaning/Light Brushing:

As you can see, the graphite set has a terminal spread of about 4 pounds. The brass that was not cleaned or lubed and just used residual carbon in the necks had a spread of about 6.5 pounds. Not at all bad, but not as good as the graphite.

 

[HMRamateur]

I would say "somewhat cleaner" - I'm not a hardcore ultrasonic fan, but I hate dry tumbling because of the dust and dealing with the aftermath. I'm considering buying another wet tumbler and playing with that some more. I do love the ultrasonic for cleaning muzzle brakes...


Remaining carbon does act as a lubricant. The problem is consistency. I measured uncleaned brass using residual carbon as lube and the seating forces were not as consistent as using a lube. Here are plots from my AMP Press dry graphite vs raw, lightly brushed necks - both done same day, same batch of brass:

EDIT: This is 6 BRA brass.

Dry Graphite:
View attachment 8543752

No Cleaning/Light Brushing:
View attachment 8543755

As you can see, the graphite set has a terminal spread of about 4 pounds. The brass that was not cleaned or lubed and just used residual carbon in the necks had a spread of about 6.5 pounds. Not at all bad, but not as good as the graphite.

Very good info, thank you for that!

 

[SNB]

I do have one that I'm going to be testing. Based on one (and only one) set of ammo I did with my 6 BRA, I'm wondering if the thickness from the dip has a larger impact on smaller calibers.

I tried two methods. In my opinion, the immersion method gives a more uniform and consistent layer. But it requires removing the residue from OD of the neck( an extra step in the process )
Instead, the q tips method leaves non-uniform layers. I did not try to test one against the other to be statistically significant, but a positive overall effect is observed.
Since Neolube 2 is not sold in my country, I made it myself from colloidal graphite ( the smallest fraction )and isopropyl alcohol.

​

 

[HMRamateur]

I tried two methods. In my opinion, the immersion method gives a more uniform and consistent layer. But it requires removing the residue from OD of the neck( an extra step in the process )
Instead, the q tips method leaves non-uniform layers. I did not try to test one against the other to be statistically significant, but a positive overall effect is observed.
Since Neolube 2 is not sold in my country, I made it myself from colloidal graphite ( the smallest fraction )and isopropyl alcohol.
View attachment 8546322View attachment 8546323

​

How do you find it dries? I had a hard time finding neolube in Canada too, but with some searching I found a company who could ship it here. Apparently neolube has a resin in it, so it isn't just alcohol and graphite.

 

[straightshooter1]

I would say "somewhat cleaner" - I'm not a hardcore ultrasonic fan, but I hate dry tumbling because of the dust and dealing with the aftermath. I'm considering buying another wet tumbler and playing with that some more. I do love the ultrasonic for cleaning muzzle brakes...


Remaining carbon does act as a lubricant. The problem is consistency. I measured uncleaned brass using residual carbon as lube and the seating forces were not as consistent as using a lube. Here are plots from my AMP Press dry graphite vs raw, lightly brushed necks - both done same day, same batch of brass:

EDIT: This is 6 BRA brass.

Dry Graphite:
View attachment 8543752

No Cleaning/Light Brushing:
View attachment 8543755

As you can see, the graphite set has a terminal spread of about 4 pounds. The brass that was not cleaned or lubed and just used residual carbon in the necks had a spread of about 6.5 pounds. Not at all bad, but not as good as the graphite.

I hate dry tumbling that has all that dust and aftermath as well. That why I really like tumbling with rice. Haver you tried dry tumbling with rice (that is, medium grain rice)? If not, give it a try. You may be surprised???

 

[SNB]

How do you find it dries? I had a hard time finding neolube in Canada too, but with some searching I found a company who could ship it here. Apparently neolube has a resin in it, so it isn't just alcohol and graphite.

It dries completely after half an hour, leaving a thin layer of graphite on the surface, which allows the mandrel to pass through the neck much easier than without. I use it mainly to improve the sizing process, although I also noticed an improvement in SD .

 

[Rocketmandb]

I hate dry tumbling that has all that dust and aftermath as well. That why I really like tumbling with rice. Haver you tried dry tumbling with rice (that is, medium grain rice)? If not, give it a try. You may be surprised???

I have rice in my tumbler right now - my only issue is large primer pockets and rice size - the medium-grain size I'm using is getting stuck.

Also, since my reloading room doubles as my office, getting on calls with a tumbler going in the background is no bueno.

 

[straightshooter1]

I have rice in my tumbler right now - my only issue is large primer pockets and rice size - the medium-grain size I'm using is getting stuck.

Also, since my reloading room doubles as my office, getting on calls with a tumbler going in the background is no bueno.

Yeah, I too get just a few cases with grains of rice in the LRP pockets. I find they're easily removed with a small screwdriver.

And you're right, dry tumbling makes plenty of noise . . . but so does wet tumbling. And with wet tumbling, there's the hassle for drying out the brass.

Hmmm??? My choice, do I want to deal with drying out brass or picking out a few grains of rice. I choose picking.

 

[Conaso]

Dust aside, does the rice clean better than treated/untreated walnut?

 

[Rocketmandb]

Dust aside, does the rice clean better than treated/untreated walnut?

I've found, the little I use it, that it is roughly the same, but that a lot of the carbon and other crap gets sucked into the inside of the rice. This makes it a lot cleaner to sift through.

 

[straightshooter1]

Dust aside, does the rice clean better than treated/untreated walnut?

I've not ever use walnut or corn cob having often read about the issue concerning dust. Since I didn't wand to deal with the dust issue, I was wet tumbling without SS media until I heard about dry tumbling with rice and it's lack of dust. I was skeptical, as I often am about things I hear, but will try things anyway to see what I get for myself. The rice was surprising good at cleaned my brass well enough for me (you see my picture above) and I've stuck with it for years.