Well, maybe a stupid question on my part...but did you rinse the brass in clean water to get the soap off? I occasionally use a wet tumbler, pins, lemishine, and dawn just as you describe. I find I need a clean water rinse or even a couple. That water is pretty dirty.
If you have a Grainger near you, a 40# bag of corn cob is about $35 last time I looked. That's years worth of media for most of us, a little squirt of Nu Finish or similar, (I use a 3M auto polishing compound), lasts a long time. I have my tumbler on a timer, 3 hours makes very nice shiny brass.
Agree you need better lube. Clean out the die, and get some Imperial sizing wax, my favorite. That little tin will last a loooooooong time. You shouldn't have to grit your teeth to push a case into the die.
I'll throw in my 2 cents... Since you are just getting started, I'd mount those presses to a couple hunks of wood, and attach them to the bench with clamps. That way, you can move them around as you find what works for you. I know my bench has a *few* extra holes in it, where I had presses mounted a...
Wow. RIP, Marv Despite our many differences, Marv was always a great friend to me. When I was jonesing for something new, he'd somehow find it for me. And what beautiful gardens he and Star had...
I also stay on the concrete, usually just pushing the benches apart enough for me to lay between them. I use a padded shooting mat, so the dirt doesn't bother me. I'm shooting an appleseed next month, maybe I should go practice a bit, hmmmmm.
I've used my chrono at OGC on the short range many times with no issues. Just have to place it where equal light can hit both sensors. Lesson-watch those overhead baffles