Clean Brass :)

[warthog]

The trick is easy, do it outside and let the breeze move the dust back to the soil where it belongs. I use my vibratory cleaner outdoors under the awning of my doorway without any noticeable dust build up on anything other than what you'd see outdoors anyway. I don't use it indoors or a garage since there isn't any reason for me to do so. Those of you in apartments I guess have to figure this one out and let us know. I am told a dryer sheet keeps the dust down but I never tried one in mine. The primer dust I suppose you could wear a mask for but I just open my garage door and use a fan now. Before this was even talked about I guess I just breathed it. I still test high on IQ tests and remain a Mensa member so I am not that sure if it hurt me much if at all.

 

[JRPLANE]

My two tumblers have lids that keep the dust in the tumbler while using it

 

[ckcollins2003]

Check ebay and Amazon....was looking last night and found a few. As far as the dust goes I use walnut media/ bedding from the local pet store. There is a ton of dust along with it and I have a 3 car garage with 12 foot ceilings that has a dusting on it when I tumble! I would like to know the secret to no dust dry tumbling. Does not work at my house?!! I really like the idea of not having to breath all that stuff. Now just need to decide cost vs health benefit. No brainer to me. I worked in a steel mill for 15 years breathing bad air...don't need that anymore.

Simple... use actual reloading media instead of pet bedding.
Lyman Turbo Brass Cleaning Media Treated Corn Cob 6 lb Easy Pour

If you have dust on your ceiling that's 12 feet high, then I'm guessing you have the cheapest crap in the world to tumble with. Also, leave the lid on the tumbler in case you don't. They included it for a reason and since you paid for it you might as well use it.

This isn't rocket science people... the Lyman and other reloading media is worth the cost difference compared to pet bedding. I understand we all mostly reload to save money, but $15 for a years worth of media isn't going to break you.

 

[MikeDVB]

It's amazing the amount of justification people can post for using whatever it is they use. I really don't care what you use or why, and I'm just putting that out there .

As long as your space isn't 3'x3', you're not even going to notice it. A 1-2 car garage is big enough that you are not going to see a "coating of dust everywhere". Sometimes this whole dust thing is just exaggerated poorly.

I never said it would put a 'coating of dust everywhere' but simply that it does put dust into the air. This is dust that I do not wish to be inhaled into my lungs or settle on my clothes to be transferred into my house. It's a small amount, sure, but even a small amount can wreak havoc on an infant's system.

I do change clothes and take a shower after reloading but the less I can bring back into the house, the better.

The trick is easy, do it outside and let the breeze move the dust back to the soil where it belongs. I use my vibratory cleaner outdoors under the awning of my doorway without any noticeable dust build up on anything other than what you'd see outdoors anyway.

Good for you .

I still test high on IQ tests and remain a Mensa member so I am not that sure if it hurt me much if at all.

I doubt it would be enough to affect an adult. Chances are, unless you're intentionally sitting and watching it run every time the entire time - you're not going to pick up enough to be harmful to you that your body can't filter out.

My two tumblers have lids that keep the dust in the tumbler while using it

They make an air-tight seal? When you are sorting your cases from the tumbling media 100% of the dust is captured and not released into the air? I doubt you can say this unless you're working in a lab.

Simple... use actual reloading media instead of pet bedding.

Well... It's not dust from the media that concerns me - it's what is being cleaned out of/off of the cases that concerns me. Burnt powder, unburnt powder, possible copper and/or lead, priming compound, etc... None of that sounds like fun to breathe in and I certainly don't want to track it back into the house around my infant son.

If you have dust on your ceiling that's 12 feet high, then I'm guessing you have the cheapest crap in the world to tumble with. Also, leave the lid on the tumbler in case you don't. They included it for a reason and since you paid for it you might as well use it.

The bigger issue, if you're using a lid, imho is when you're separating the media from the cases. The dust doesn't just 'stay contained' within the tumbler and then 'disappear' when the tumbling is done - it does have to go somewhere. It's fine enough that it easily gets airborne.

This isn't rocket science people... the Lyman and other reloading media is worth the cost difference compared to pet bedding. I understand we all mostly reload to save money, but $15 for a years worth of media isn't going to break you.

Again, it's not the dust from the media that concerns me.

You can all continue to justify your vibratory tumblers all you want - I really don't care either way . I simply told you what my justification was. I'm the type that errs on the side of caution especially when it involves the life-long health of my 7 month old son.

If you don't have an infant or small child at your house then it's likely a non-issue. If you do, and it doesn't concern you - good for you, it's your life and I won't tell you how to run it.

 

[Rob377]

Roughly how many pieces of 45 can you run at a time?

I've been kicking around the idea of getting some sort of wet tumbler or ultrasonic to replace my trusty Lyman Turbo for awhile.

 

[gregkl]

It's amazing the amount of justification people can post for using whatever it is they use. I really don't care what you use or why, and I'm just putting that out there .

I never said it would put a 'coating of dust everywhere' but simply that it does put dust into the air. This is dust that I do not wish to be inhaled into my lungs or settle on my clothes to be transferred into my house. It's a small amount, sure, but even a small amount can wreak havoc on an infant's system.

Sorry Mike. Didn't mean to stir you up. It was me that was concerned about the coating of dust. I am just getting started in reloading. I have been working on my garage all winter. I now have it nice enough that (to the laughter of my wife and children) I don't want to do any work in it that would make it dirty. I have decided that any woodworking projects that create sawdust would be done outdoors. It is just too much mess and time to clean up the garage now that I have it clean and shiny!

I have a tumbler but I have not yet cleaned anything in it. I don't have respiratory issues, but I do want to keep the garage from getting anything more than the dust you would get my opening the door and pulling cars in and out.

That was why I asked about how much. A little bit that I can blow out with my leaf blower is not big deal to me.

 

[MikeDVB]

Roughly how many pieces of 45 can you run at a time?

2 pounds of brass, 5 pounds of stainless steel pin media, 8 pounds of water (1 gallon) works out to 15 pounds.

2 pounds of .45 ACP is approximately 160 cases. They come out very clean after about an hour. You could theoretically use less stainless media and put in more cases or less water and more cases - but it's never been an issue for me as I always clean them when I get home and then store them until I reload them.

I've been kicking around the idea of getting some sort of wet tumbler or ultrasonic to replace my trusty Lyman Turbo for awhile.

I can't comment on an ultrasonic, I've never used one but I did consider it. There were just far too many to choose from and the 'good' ones were very expensive.

Sorry Mike. Didn't mean to stir you up.

Not stirred up at all, just trying to be clear.

It's like the CC/OC debate - there are those that see their way as king and anybody who does it differently as silly/stupid/crazy/etc. The same thing applies with dry vs wet cleaning of cases. Some are adamant that their way is the best and that any other way is a waste. I am just making it clear that I don't care why somebody else prefers dry or if they think I shouldn't be doing wet. I have my reasons for doing it the way I do it, and that's that and I have no intentions upon changing anybody else's mind.

It was me that was concerned about the coating of dust. I am just getting started in reloading.

I can't comment about a 'coat of dust', but you have to think about it - everything you clean off of that brass has to go somewhere. It may stay in the media, it may stay in the tumbler, it may end up in your separator, it may end up on your bench, or it may end up in the air. Where it ends up depends entirely on your equipment and how you do things.

I have been working on my garage all winter. I now have it nice enough that (to the laughter of my wife and children) I don't want to do any work in it that would make it dirty. I have decided that any woodworking projects that create sawdust would be done outdoors. It is just too much mess and time to clean up the garage now that I have it clean and shiny!

Sounds like you need a ShopVac .

I have a tumbler but I have not yet cleaned anything in it. I don't have respiratory issues, but I do want to keep the garage from getting anything more than the dust you would get my opening the door and pulling cars in and out.

I imagine the dust would only build up if you don't clean periodically or if there is really no ventilation. I'm speculating, because I've not used a vibratory tumbler in my garage - I bought one, and then decided to go with the wet tumbler to avoid the issue entirely.

That said, my workspace isn't exactly 'clean'. The bench was built in the 50's and still has some of the original equipment on it.

That was why I asked about how much. A little bit that I can blow out with my leaf blower is not big deal to me.

I imagine it wouldn't be anything you couldn't easily blow away but bear in mind it doesn't disappear when you do that - it goes up into the air to be redistributed around the room. It will still be there, just not accumulated all in one spot... That is unless you have some sort of air filtration/ventilation in your garage.

Think about it as putting a pile of leaves on your work bench - it's easier to work them out of the garage entirely because you can easily see them ... now make those leaves the size of specs of dust and tell me that you're going to be able to get it all out of the garage .

Just food for thought.

 

[ckcollins2003]

It's amazing the amount of justification people can post for using whatever it is they use. I really don't care what you use or why, and I'm just putting that out there .

I never said it would put a 'coating of dust everywhere' but simply that it does put dust into the air. This is dust that I do not wish to be inhaled into my lungs or settle on my clothes to be transferred into my house. It's a small amount, sure, but even a small amount can wreak havoc on an infant's system.

I do change clothes and take a shower after reloading but the less I can bring back into the house, the better.

Good for you .

I doubt it would be enough to affect an adult. Chances are, unless you're intentionally sitting and watching it run every time the entire time - you're not going to pick up enough to be harmful to you that your body can't filter out.

They make an air-tight seal? When you are sorting your cases from the tumbling media 100% of the dust is captured and not released into the air? I doubt you can say this unless you're working in a lab.

Well... It's not dust from the media that concerns me - it's what is being cleaned out of/off of the cases that concerns me. Burnt powder, unburnt powder, possible copper and/or lead, priming compound, etc... None of that sounds like fun to breathe in and I certainly don't want to track it back into the house around my infant son.

The bigger issue, if you're using a lid, imho is when you're separating the media from the cases. The dust doesn't just 'stay contained' within the tumbler and then 'disappear' when the tumbling is done - it does have to go somewhere. It's fine enough that it easily gets airborne.

Again, it's not the dust from the media that concerns me.

You can all continue to justify your vibratory tumblers all you want - I really don't care either way . I simply told you what my justification was. I'm the type that errs on the side of caution especially when it involves the life-long health of my 7 month old son.

If you don't have an infant or small child at your house then it's likely a non-issue. If you do, and it doesn't concern you - good for you, it's your life and I won't tell you how to run it.

Wasn't trying to strike a nerve and still not trying to, but for someone who has never and refuses to use a vibratory tumbler, your speculation of how much dust they create is a bit exaggerated.

I understand your concern for your infant, and I respect that. I have my nephew at my house 5-6 days a week. Has been here since he was 1 month old for the same amount of time. He is now 2. That's how confident I am in using dryer sheets to keep down what little dust there is. It also helps pick up grass and dirt from out of the media.

And while my last post wasn't directed towards you, but towards the person who asked about how much dust it actually creates, I'm sorry your feelings got hurt that our opinions don't match up.

 

[MikeDVB]

Wasn't trying to strike a nerve and still not trying to, but for someone who has never and refuses to use a vibratory tumbler, your speculation of how much dust they create is a bit exaggerated.

Show me where I made an exaggerated statement. I can show you where I clearly said I don't know how much, but it's more than 0. I suspect you're reading into my posts a bit more information than is actually there.

I understand your concern for your infant, and I respect that. I have my nephew at my house 5-6 days a week. Has been here since he was 1 month old for the same amount of time. He is now 2. That's how confident I am in using dryer sheets to keep down what little dust there is. It also helps pick up grass and dirt from out of the media.

Good for you - I still don't care .

And while my last post wasn't directed towards you, but towards the person who asked about how much dust it actually creates, I'm sorry your feelings got hurt that our opinions don't match up.

No hurt feelings at all, just being clear and to the point. If you take anything away from what I posted - it's that I do what works for me, and you do what works for you. You're welcome to share your opinion just like I'm welcome to disagree - not much more to it than that.

 

[gregkl]

Well at the end of the day, your brass does look great! Just like your 1911!

 

[MikeDVB]

Thanks . The 1911 doesn't look so pristine now - it's got some holster wear and has been fired a *lot* more .

 

[DAB-CC]

Question. Mike you mentioned it cleans the primer pockets better. To me, being new at reloading, this implies that you are de-priming, potentially sizing and de-priming before tumbling. Is that true?

I've been dry media tumbling, sorting, size and de-prime, cleaning the pocket while sorting for length and defects, then running it through the 4 stages on Dillion RL550B.

Any thoughts from the group?

 

[MikeDVB]

Question. Mike you mentioned it cleans the primer pockets better. To me, being new at reloading, this implies that you are de-priming, potentially sizing and de-priming before tumbling. Is that true?

I de-prime, tumble, and then store. I size as a part of the loading process.

My press is set up for 4 steps:
1. Size and Prime
2. Flare and Charge
3. Seat Bullet
4. Factory Crimp Bullet

With 45 ACP and TMJ/FMJ rounds the crimp is just a light taper crimp, just enough to remove the flare.

I've been dry media tumbling, sorting, size and de-prime, cleaning the pocket while sorting for length and defects, then running it through the 4 stages on Dillion RL550B.

That's fine, whatever works for you. I won't pretend the way I do it is the way to do it - it's just how I choose to do it.

 

[MikeDVB]

ckcollins2003 seems pretty irritated with me about the discussion on dust.

Let me just lay some details out for anybody curious/new to reloading:

1. The amount of dust thrown into the air hasn't been tested by me.
2. I have not used a vibratory tumbler, I just know that they do put particulate into the air but I cannot tell you how much just that it's more than 'none.'
3. It's likely not a concern for you. I would say 'I wouldn't worry about it if I were you,' but I obviously do worry about it so I won't say that but others will.
4. From what I understand, you're not going to end up with a 'coat' of dust on your bench from using a vibratory tumbler but then again you also won't get a 'coat' of dust on your bench from using a wet tumbler either.
5. If you're concerned, do your own research and draw your own conclusions - you don't have to take my word for it.

If anybody wants to elaborate more as to how much dust their vibratory tumbler puts into the air, or where they feel what gets cleaned off of their cases in a vibratory tumbler goes... Go for it - just don't do so in the process of criticizing me for doing it the way I choose to do it. I will not criticize you for using a dry tumbler, so don't criticize me for using a wet one .

 

[gregkl]

I de-prime, tumble, and then store. I size as a part of the loading process.

My press is set up for 4 steps:
1. Size and Prime
2. Flare and Charge
3. Seat Bullet
4. Factory Crimp Bullet

With 45 ACP and TMJ/FMJ rounds the crimp is just a light taper crimp, just enough to remove the flare.

That's fine, whatever works for you. I won't pretend the way I do it is the way to do it - it's just how I choose to do it.

Mike, I have a RCBS Rockchucker with RCBS 3 die sets. Do you know if there is a way to set the die up so I could de-cap and size later? I kind of like the idea of tumbling without the primer but I don't want to run dirty brass through my sizing die.

 

[MikeDVB]

Mike, I have a RCBS Rockchucker with RCBS 3 die sets. Do you know if there is a way to set the die up so I could de-cap and size later? I kind of like the idea of tumbling without the primer but I don't want to run dirty brass through my sizing die.

I just got a Lee universal decapping die that I put in an empty station on my press. I don't have a progressive - so I just turn to that and run my cases through it before they go into the bucket for cleaning.

Some people I know have a single stage press (an old one, perhaps what they started on before getting some sort of multi-stage or progressive) set up for decapping and others have gotten the Lee hand-press for decapping.

Some even hand-prime instead of doing it on a press.

At the end of the day it just depends on what you have, and how you want to do it. I know a lot of people who tumble without de-priming first and I haven't ever heard of any issues from it.

 

[warthog]

nope, no kids and I would likely be in a different mode should there be any. Kids are the one thing I would do my best to protect from any sort of lead dust or any other chemical that might harm their development.

sorry if my comments were unneeded and uncared for, it is Your thread after all.

Im like the whole purple thing, thanks for letting me in on it.

 

[MikeDVB]

nope, no kids and I would likely be in a different mode should there be any. Kids are the one thing I would do my best to protect from any sort of lead dust or any other chemical that might harm their development.

That's exactly my mode of thought on this. Just because I do it doesn't mean you have to though .

sorry if my comments were unneeded and uncared for, it is Your thread after all.

You're fine .

Im like the whole purple thing, thanks for letting me in on it.

LOL

 

[M67]

Ahhh.....clean...

 

[MikeDVB]

Yes!!! More brass porn. Too bad you're the first one to figure this out!!! Bravo :-).