Stainless pin tumbling

[Scratch]

Scratch, cool rig. Aside from time, what did your set-up cost?

Well I already had the metal, the cord the switch, and I'm not sure how much or even if I paid for the motor, so the only thing I know I paid for in this project was the cooler and a some Teflon tape, which came to about 7 bucks. (the cooler leaked a little on its side - a little Teflon tape on the threads cured that, I haven't had to re-wrap it either)

Of course I probably have almost 5 hours into this I'd guess, so I suppose I should have just bought the Thumblers Tumbler, but I like to build stuff.

Oh and then there was the SS pins, which I think we're like 65 bucks or so at the time. Although I think they're like 45 bucks now or something Iike that.

[Scratch]

Instill haven't decided if I like the SS pin method of wet tumbling, better than the fast easy vibratory tumbling method though... There is a difference for sure... Just not sure that I care that much about über polished brass inside and out.

I'll use the wet method until I get sick of rinsing and drying brass.

[Deputyhiro]

I like shiny brass. No particular reason, just looks good.
I'm going to go out on a limb here and ask a possibly dumb question..... Why won't pins work in a vibrator. I have a vibrator, and ordered pins the other day... Haven't got them yet, but now see they are for use in a tumbler. Dammit.

[Rodentman]

Be careful with the pins in the vibrator. I've heard that can cause serious bleeding.

[xd ED]

I'm guessing they won't work at all for 2 related reasons:

The pins are much greater density than the brass shells,
and due to density, I doubt if most vibrators impart enough energy into the mass of pins to get them to move/ circulate, and even then the brass would likely float to, and remain on the surface of the pins.

[FJ540]

Ed, I use my midway vibe tumbler for polishing/deburring STD's. 2.24 and 2.9oz respectively - 20 at a time. I use a ceramic bonded aluminum oxide extruded 3 point media which is far lighter than the parts and they float and roll just fine.

[xd ED]

Ed, I use my midway vibe tumbler for polishing/deburring STD's. 2.24 and 2.9oz respectively - 20 at a time. I use a ceramic bonded aluminum oxide extruded 3 point media which is far lighter than the parts and they float and roll just fine.

That's kinda my point- your media is lighter, and thus the parts will sink/ submerge into the media as it vibrates. Those tiny SS pins make for a pretty dense mass, more so than any brass will sink into, I suspect...
I'm curious: Does the media wear the plastic bin, given it's much harder than the plastic?

[FJ540]

The pins themselves aren't heavier though. Where your thinking is flawed is that collectively the media is heavier, but individually it's still far lighter than the parts.

The plastic of the tub hasn't worn any that I can tell (I'm not overly concerned about it - if they ever take off, I'll outsource the process). I have black dust on everything as the media is consumed. After 12 hours the results are pretty subtle, but I like what it does.

[xd ED]

The pins themselves aren't heavier though. Where your thinking is flawed is that collectively the media is heavier, but individually it's still far lighter than the parts.

The plastic of the tub hasn't worn any that I can tell (I'm not overly concerned about it - if they ever take off, I'll outsource the process). I have black dust on everything as the media is consumed. After 12 hours the results are pretty subtle, but I like what it does.

I think you have to look at the vibrating mass as a fluid; and those tiny SS pins are going to be a very dense fluid.
I envision brass shells in them acting like styrofoam cups in a cement slurry.
Now we just need someone to try it to see what happens...

[FJ540]

Click on pic to play.

[Deputyhiro]

I might have to give it a try just to see what will happen. I have them coming already, and Im not buying a tumbler. So what do I have to loose. Im guessing its something like the vibrator doesnt exert enough energy to toss them around efficiently? I just figured somebody has already tried this and could share the results. I will report back.

[BigDog58]

Wouldn't one need far more ss pins than the 5lbs that we get with the ss wet tumbler? I know mine would not be deep enough in my vibratory tumbler to fill the bowl deep enough to have any movement. I also think that if you had a sufficient quantity of ss pins, it would be so heavy the vibratory tumbler, wouldn't be capable of causing them to tumble.

[Kosh]

I was considering this method. However if I did the math right, with a 15 lb rotary tumbler containing 5lbs of pins, 8lbs of water only leaves 2 lbs for brass. This seems like a really low volume. Not even a 100 223 cases. Am I missing something?

[yuppiejr]

I've seen the results of SS pin tumbling and it's impressive.

In stainless steel cleaning you are not simply subbing a different media versus a traditional vibratory tumbler, you also add a detergent + polish agent (Lem-Shine) and are combining a mechanical plus chemical cleaning process in one step.

For smaller volume/budget reloaders with access to a utility sink I'd use the "Sam's Lemon Boil (TM)" method described elsewhere in the forum; look for some extra 5-gallon pails, a strainer, a beater pot in which you can boil water and a used food dehybrator to dry the brass. If you go the garage sale route I can't expect you'll be in any more than $30-$50 for everything which is what a vibratory tumbler and some media will set you back elsewhere. If you decide to switch up to stainless tumbling later you'll still use the same stuff versus starting from scratch if you are set up for vibratory tumbling.

[OldmanFCSA]

I was considering this method. However if I did the math right, with a 15 lb rotary tumbler containing 5lbs of pins, 8lbs of water only leaves 2 lbs for brass. This seems like a really low volume. Not even a 100 223 cases. Am I missing something?

YES - FORGET EVERYTHING ABOUT WEIGHT. Don't overthink the process.

Then put 5 pounds of pins in tumbler barrel (not a vibratory),
Fill barrel to 2/3 full with brass of same casing type,
Fill barrel to within 3/4" of top with cold water,
Add healthy dose of Dawn soap (2 - 3" circles),
Add 2 Tbsp of LemiShine,
Seal barrel,
Tumble 2 to 12 hours dependent on brass load quantity.