Stainless steel pin case polisher

[semtav]

Thanks Woody
I'll give that a try. I left a batch on all night a couple weeks ago and had a pretty good Burr on the inside of the cases. Always get a little Burr when using ceramic or steel pins.

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

Well, thanks fellows for the useful advice, though I'm a little torn which media to use. And can someone offer a web site link so I can look at the products that apply? I apologize for seeming so needy...not very good at web searches for this sort of thing.

[Gamerancher]

G'day All,
I use a cheap Ebay barrel tumbler with the stainless pins. A squirt of dish soap and 1/2 a teaspoon of citric acid and about 90 minutes sees the cases come out bright and shiny, inside and out, primer pockets and all. I have found some case mouth "peening" if you want to call it that, but I reckon it's more from the cases hitting each other than the pins. Like Woody said, the amount of water used makes a difference.
I have also used ceramic media in a Thumblers, ( when visiting over there ), I haven't noticed any "peening" but then again there is a higher percentage of media in the tumbler, perhaps that stops the cases crashing into each-other?
Dan

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

I did a little searching on my own, and ended up purchasing an Frankfort Arsenal 7 litre tumbler with 5 pounds of pins. Thanks everyone for the help.

[Aviator]

Yes I have experienced peening with ceramic. I eliminated almost all of it by reducing the amount of water added. Dan T. had a theory that the excess water allowed the brass to bang into each other. I don't know. I reduced the water to just cover the brass and the peening went away. Time was not important. I have forgotten, and let it run for many hours with no peening. Maybe there was something to what Dan said. I don't know, don't care, it worked.

Woody

Well, that could be the difference!
I have been filling the drum with water to within about an inch of the top.

Yet one more variable in black powder shooting!

[BFD]

I fill my drum to the very brim and try to have almost zero air space in there. Tumbling is the process of falling, over and over and over again. Things fall a whole lot faster (and thus land harder) when falling through air as compared to through water.

[GrumpyBear]

I use a Rebel 17 by STM, with stainless pins no issues so far, Dawn and lemon shine,

[Gamerancher]

My drum is made from clear plastic and you can see what's going on inside. I usually have it a bit better than half full of water, with the pins and cases in it. I also run it on the lowset speed the machine will do, which still seems a bit quick to me. Things tend to stay below the water line, the motor won't turn it if it has too much water, ( weight ) in it.
Another thing I do is rinse my cases in white vinegar first of all before putting them in the tumbler. A few minutes is all it takes, I don't bother with doing any rinsing / pre-soak at the range. I find this neutralises the residue and also floats any lube off the case mouth.
Yeah, I know Brent, if I paper-patched that wouldn't be a problem.

[BFD]

Some day, Daniel. Some day.

[clearcrickshooter]

I believe as Brent said,too much beveling of the case mouth,VLD tool or regular makes the case mouth peen or get out of round. How do I know this? The stainless steel pins or ceramic media does not do this,it is the falling of the brass against one another in the thin case mouth area that does this. I like Woody's idea of less water. I put tennis balls in with my stuff when tumbling,it helps alleviate the problem. Clearcrickshooter

[Woody]

My thought, is that the low water allows the media and brass to rub against each other as apposed to falling through the water and banging into each other. No proof, just my take on it.

Woody

[labop]

I am convinced that frequent annealing leads to more case peening. It is not the ceramic or steel pins it is the bumping of the cases. The peening can be easily and accurately removed using a 6 or 8 flute American Standard #1 Morse Taper reamer. The #1 will do 38 through 45 caliber unless the case is really short like 45 Colt. Use the reamer by hand. On the first few cases ream a little and then inspect. After you have found the touch to just remove the burr, mark that depth on the reamer. Inspect every tenth case.
labop

[Kurt]

I think the guys that pre rinse the brass in the jug or coffee can shaking it does the damage to the case mouth. I use a mix of pins and ceramics with no damage.

[bpcr shooter]

I just bought my first tumbler and went with the Frankford model. Its works very well!! I pre rinse in the tumbler with a little dawn soap then clean with dawn, lemishine. brass comes out perfect! I did notice a little peening but nothing that the chamfer tool wont take out

[charlie young]

Kurt,

Generally I agree with most everything that you say, but not quite sure about your post on the coffee can jug swirling action, causing mouth damage. I have a large sink I put my cases into and spend a few minutes swirling them around in soapy water, before I start the brush cleaning process, swirling them the whole time. I have never had any cases that their mouth are damaged from that process, only time i'll get a damaged mouth is if I drop it on the floor. Maybe the Starline brass is tougher, but never had any issue when I shot Winchester or Remington in my 2.1's. And again, I anneal after every firing.