Suggestions for Tumbler/brass cleaner

[svxwilson]

I have been loading for 3 years now and have been using a Lyman sonic cleaner to clean my brass. I find this can be tedious, it works great for small amounts at a time or gun parts or pistol barrels.
I am now loading for 4 different calibers and need something that can clean more at a time. I read a forum that I can't find now that had a tumbler that used stainless media and you were able to rinse the brass and machine after use with water. The forum was in the semi auto section.
I am looking for ideas for a tumbler/cleaner that can do what I need as far as increase my production. I find cleaning the brass is the slowest part of my production.
Thanks for your time.

 

[2Shots]

The tumbler is a thumblers tumbler, they are an advertiser on here, buy the tumbler set up from them, it is a heaver motor and works fine. Here is the link.
Stainless Steel Reloading Supplies | Tumblers, Separators, Media, Brass & More!

 

[Kreeper]

thumblers tumblerS ARE THE BEST, CORN COBB AND FLITZ. NEVER LOOK BACK

 

[judgedelta]

Just a word. The weight limit on a Thumbler is 15 pounds. That is 5 pounds of stainless; a gallon of water, which is about 8 pounds; which leaves you 2 pounds of brass per load. This is about 80 .308 or about 100 .223 brass. You'll still have to run a bunch of loads, but its better than a ultrasonic...

 

[Dacam]

Just FYI, I tumble my brass with stainless steel media. I use a cheap rock tumbler from Harbor Freight which I think is rated at 6lbs. I tumble 60 pieces of 308 brass with the media and water and
it shines up and cleans up great. I believe the Thumlers tumbler can handle a lot more than 80 pieces of 308 brass, it looks really heavy duty. I still use the old corn cob with vibratory tumbler for initial clean up before it gets resized, only 1 hour. After I resize and trim, it goes into the stainless steel tumbler for at least 4 hours and the brass is like better than brand new.

 

[rodnocker1`]

I first wash my brass off with plain water to clean off the sand, dirt, etc and then wash a second time in citric acid/vinegar solution. It then goes into the tumbler with walnut shell/nufinish for a couple of hours.

I seperate my range pick up brass by size (rifle, .45/44mag, .40/10mm, 9mm/280) and currently use 4 vibratory tumblers so I can tumble all sizes at once. But I have plans to build a heavy duty SS rotary tumbler.......I just can't find time to get it done.

 

[Temp9]

Just a word. The weight limit on a Thumbler is 15 pounds. That is 5 pounds of stainless; a gallon of water, which is about 8 pounds; which leaves you 2 pounds of brass per load. This is about 80 .308 or about 100 .223 brass. You'll still have to run a bunch of loads, but its better than a ultrasonic...

That said, I regularly run 200+ pieces of .223 without an issue. Works just fine. I figure when the motor burns up, I'll just replace it....

 

[former naval person]

Too anal for me. Big Lyman tumbler...vibratory. Lyman media...most doesn't stick in flash-holes, but you gotta check. 2 or 3 capfuls of NuFinish from Wally's world. Run the tumbler and media for an hour or so to disperse the Nu-Finish. Put in brass. Vibrate a couple of hours to overnight. Separate with the big RCBS...POS but works fine. Check flash holes. Prime. Load. Shoot. I fiddled with the cleaning with various solvents/cleaners and drying the brass back in the 1960's. Too damn much effort. KISS for me. JMHO

 

[scudzuki]

I run corn cob in a Lyman 1200 and it works well enough for me.
$70 or less for the entire setup.
I don't need sparkling bright cases, though.

Joe