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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Skool me on stainless pin cleaning solutions

Posted: 6/3/2018 11:32:36 PM EDT

What's the best (aka cheapest) solution to use with stainless steel pins? Lemi Shine and dish soap or something else? What ratio are you using per gallon of water?

TIA!

Posted: 6/4/2018 12:23:26 AM EDT

[#1]

https://www.ar15.com/forums/armory/Wet_tumbling_on_the_cheap___Yes___It_can_be_done_/42-367311/? Cheap way to wet tumble.

https://www.ar15.com/forums/armory/Wet-tumbling-with-SS-media-lots-of-pics-New-info-second-post-10-02-2015-/42-344832/

My thread with pics and more detail.

Posted: 6/4/2018 12:34:14 AM EDT

[#2]

I don't use any specified amounts. I just give a quick squirt of dawn dish soap and a tiny sprinkle of lemishine, and then tumble for around 2 hours. Brass comes out looking brand new. It doesn't take much at all.

Just play around with it. Start real low on both. If they come out looking new, you're good. If not, just add a tiny bit more next time.

Posted: 6/4/2018 1:35:29 AM EDT

[#3]

How hard is your water? More lemishine is needed with harder water. I have a water softener and use about a 9mm case full on lemishine for the 7 qt container used in the FART and a teaspoon full of liquid soap.

After 2 hrs, drain the dirty water and refill with water, lemishine and soap again and run another 2 hrs. This method has worked best for me over the years.

Posted: 6/4/2018 2:39:59 AM EDT

[#4]

Maybe you're asking which tumbler to use....Harbor Freight rock polisher. I have it and the FART and I use the HF for everything but .50 BMG. The above post covers everything else I do. Tumble for a while, pour out the old water, add new, tumble for a bit longer.

Posted: 6/4/2018 7:30:26 AM EDT

[#5]

Ditch the Dawn, it's old school now.

Armor All Ultra Shine Wash and wax and Lemi Shine.

Posted: 6/4/2018 9:30:40 AM EDT

[#6]

I saw some stainless media online that wasn't shaped like pins. There were claims it was less likely to stick in cases and what not.

I can't seem to find it now. I was thinking about trying it when it is time to buy more media.

Posted: 6/4/2018 11:22:52 AM EDT

[#7]

Quote History

Quoted:
Ditch the Dawn, it's old school now.

Armor All Ultra Shine Wash and wax and Lemi Shine.

View Quote

How much of each per gallon?

Posted: 6/4/2018 11:50:43 AM EDT

[#8]

With my water, yours may be different, one 45 ACP case full of Lemishine for 1 gallon of water.

Clink on the second link in my first post, covered there.

Eta, I won't be replacing Dawn as it works well, don't care if someone thinks it's old school, it works.

2 second squirt in 1 gallon.

Starting squirting Dawn, count to 2, that's a 2 second squirt.

Posted: 6/4/2018 12:40:34 PM EDT

[#9]

In my frankford arsenal wet tumber I use 1-2 tablespoons dawn depending on how dirty the brass is. I think I use a quarter teaspoon of lemonshine. I can't remember if that is the spoon I have in there.

Posted: 6/4/2018 2:38:25 PM EDT

[#10]

Found an old rock tumbler at a garage sale for $5.

Motor was shot. Ordered a new one for $50.

Look up craigslist or eBay before you buy new.

Posted: 6/4/2018 6:12:21 PM EDT

[#11]

Quote History

Quoted:
Ditch the Dawn, it's old school now.

Armor All Ultra Shine Wash and wax and Lemi Shine.

View Quote

This.

Posted: 6/4/2018 7:49:04 PM EDT

[#12]

Quote History

Quoted:
With my water, yours may be different, one 45 ACP case full of Lemishine for 1 gallon of water.

Clink on the second link in my first post, covered there.

Eta, I won't be replacing Dawn as it works well, don't care if someone thinks it's old school, it works.

2 second squirt in 1 gallon.

Starting squirting Dawn, count to 2, that's a 2 second squirt.

View Quote

I was of the same thought. On a whim I tried the wash -n- wax ,Meguires version, everything else was the same. Pistol cases were no longer "grabby" when running through the press. Been running with it ever since.

Posted: 6/4/2018 8:20:24 PM EDT

[#13]

Quote History

Quoted:

I was of the same thought. On a whim I tried the wash -n- wax ,Meguires version, everything else was the same. Pistol cases were no longer "grabby" when running through the press. Been running with it ever since.

View Quote

Makes sense that a thin film of wax would smooth things up a little.

Posted: 6/4/2018 8:58:42 PM EDT

[#14]

Quote History

Quoted:
I saw some stainless media online that wasn't shaped like pins. There were claims it was less likely to stick in cases and what not.

I can't seem to find it now. I was thinking about trying it when it is time to buy more media.

View Quote

There is an outfit on Facebook called Southern Shine Tumblers that sells SS machining chips as tumbling media.

I have no experience with them, as I’m happy with my SS pins.

Posted: 6/6/2018 7:11:11 AM EDT

[#15]

What happens without the pins? What if I just wash the brass in soap and water?

Posted: 6/6/2018 9:09:35 AM EDT

[#16]

Quote History

Quoted:
What happens without the pins? What if I just wash the brass in soap and water?

View Quote

Works great, doesn't clean the primer pockets as well, but it still does clean the brass. I don't use steel pins very much, I prefer just using Armorall and citric acid. Comes out sparkling.

Posted: 6/7/2018 3:46:21 PM EDT

[#17]

Quote History

Quoted:
Ditch the Dawn, it's old school now.

Armor All Ultra Shine Wash and wax and Lemi Shine.

View Quote

I'm doing the same thing. Another thing is don't tubmle too long. The soap suds that work to carry the crud breaks down and the dirt will come back to the brass. I find an hour is plenty of time to get good results and never let it sit after a tubmle. Finish rinsing and dry after tumbling. Every primer pockets wont be spotless but I'm okay with that. The steel pins fall out of cases better when the cases are wet/submerged. Out of the water they tend to stick to the cases. Oh, those little buggers will bounce everywhere too, lol.

Posted: 6/7/2018 3:48:27 PM EDT

[#18]

Quote History

Quoted:
I'm doing the same thing. Another thing is don't tubmle too long. The soap suds that work to carry the crud breaks down and the dirt will come back to the brass. I find an hour is plenty of time to get good results and never let it sit after a tubmle. Finish rinsing and dry after tumbling. Every primer pockets wont be spotless but I'm okay with that. The steel pins fall out of cases better when the cases are wet/submerged. Out of the water they tend to stick to the cases. Oh, those little buggers will bounce everywhere too, lol.

View Quote View All Quotes

View All Quotes

Quote History

Quoted:

Quoted:
Ditch the Dawn, it's old school now.

Armor All Ultra Shine Wash and wax and Lemi Shine.

I'm doing the same thing. Another thing is don't tubmle too long. The soap suds that work to carry the crud breaks down and the dirt will come back to the brass. I find an hour is plenty of time to get good results and never let it sit after a tubmle. Finish rinsing and dry after tumbling. Every primer pockets wont be spotless but I'm okay with that. The steel pins fall out of cases better when the cases are wet/submerged. Out of the water they tend to stick to the cases. Oh, those little buggers will bounce everywhere too, lol.

I’ve never seen “the dirt come back to the brass” with tumbling times over four hours.

Posted: 6/7/2018 5:22:57 PM EDT

[#19]

I wet tumble for 4 hours, timer is set to run for 15 minutes every 6 hours. I always use cold water.

It's usually the next day before I remove cases from tumbler.

Never a problem doing this. Longest I left cases in tumbler was for 3 days (forgot), these were fine also.

Lots of variables with water chemistry, Lemishine amount, amount of Dawn, tumble time, substitutes for these, so results will vary.

No hard and fast rules, you have to experiment to see what works for you.

Posted: 6/8/2018 6:08:00 PM EDT

[#20]

All I have been using is the Frankfort armory soap and a smalll squirt of dawn with the pins..my brass comes out looking pretty damn good I think...Normally leave them go about 2 hours...

Attached File

Posted: 6/8/2018 6:26:53 PM EDT

[#21]

Quote History

Quoted:
All I have been using is the Frankfort armory soap and a smalll squirt of dawn with the pins..my brass comes out looking pretty damn good I think...Normally leave them go about 2 hours...

View Quote

Is this what you're using?

Posted: 6/8/2018 7:12:06 PM EDT

[#22]

Quote History

Quoted:

Is this what you're using?

View Quote

@Melvin_Johnson

No, this is it...

https://www.amazon.com/Frankford-Arsenal-Ultrasonic-Cleaning-Solution/dp/B007WQJC90

Posted: 6/9/2018 10:30:15 PM EDT

[#23]

I did these this morning ....2 hours...

Attached File

Posted: 6/11/2018 6:54:08 PM EDT

[#24]

Quote History

Quoted:
What happens without the pins? What if I just wash the brass in soap and water?

View Quote

the aggravating part about a simple soak is that the carbon becomes soft enough to wipe off in an hour, but it won't let go with agitation alone, scrubbing action of some kind is needed.

before we started using rotary tumblers, this is exactly how i cleaned up range pick up brass, by letting it soak for 4 or 5 days, give the container a shake or two when i walked by, and then a final tumble in walnut.

give it a try, i bet you can wipe the carbon out of primer pockets with a q tip or corner of a paper towel.

in case anyone is wondering, the shift function is dead on this keyboard. i'm tired of using the caps lock key for one character.

Posted: 6/12/2018 2:06:31 PM EDT

[#25]

Anyone tried Brass Juice Case Wash? I've seen good results on Instgram regarding it. Haven't picked up any yet. Claim that you don't need any pins and can reuse multiple times.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/BRASS-JUICE-CASE-WASH-/153011403089

Posted: 6/14/2018 7:28:33 AM EDT

[#26]

Quote History

Quoted:

@Melvin_Johnson

No, this is it...

https://www.amazon.com/Frankford-Arsenal-Ultrasonic-Cleaning-Solution/dp/B007WQJC90

View Quote

@AKSnowRider

I've used the FA cleaning pellets and have been pleased with them but they are somewhat pricey.

Price seems good for a 32oz bottle. I imagine one bottle lasts you quite awhile.

Posted: 6/14/2018 12:57:17 PM EDT

[#27]

Quote History

Quoted:

@AKSnowRider

I've used the FA cleaning pellets and have been pleased with them but they are somewhat pricey.

Price seems good for a 32oz bottle. I imagine one bottle lasts you quite awhile.

View Quote

Yes, so far the liquid has been very economical all though this is my first bottle...but no issue with it...

Posted: 6/14/2018 8:39:12 PM EDT

[#28]

Melvin, I think the thing to do first is try the "old reliable" with Lemishine and Dawn, and see how it behaves with your water chemistry. If it works well, great. Then see if you get better results with the Armor All liquid wax instead of Dawn. You may see no difference, a positive difference, or even a negative difference. Move on from there.

I still use just that Dawn/Lemishine mix, and my brass comes out great. I do, however, see the "grabby" issue others are mentioning. The "old reliable" mix does several things, beyond just cleaning, including treating the brass so it won't tarnish. Between the pins scrubbing the brass and the Lemishine treating it, you wind up with extremely clean brass. Brass that sometimes galls on even very smooth tools.

If I have any significant problems with the next batch of rifle brass I tumble, I'm going to give the Armor All stuff a try. I'm not sure I'm going to ditch the Dawn though, since I'm really sold on how well it keeps gunk in suspension so it washes away. But I also don't know if Armor All's wax will interact with Dawn, so I'll just have to see.

Posted: 6/16/2018 12:36:49 AM EDT

[#29]

Quote History

Quoted:
Melvin, I think the thing to do first is try the "old reliable" with Lemishine and Dawn, and see how it behaves with your water chemistry. If it works well, great. Then see if you get better results with the Armor All liquid wax instead of Dawn. You may see no difference, a positive difference, or even a negative difference. Move on from there.

I still use just that Dawn/Lemishine mix, and my brass comes out great. I do, however, see the "grabby" issue others are mentioning. The "old reliable" mix does several things, beyond just cleaning, including treating the brass so it won't tarnish. Between the pins scrubbing the brass and the Lemishine treating it, you wind up with extremely clean brass. Brass that sometimes galls on even very smooth tools.

If I have any significant problems with the next batch of rifle brass I tumble, I'm going to give the Armor All stuff a try. I'm not sure I'm going to ditch the Dawn though, since I'm really sold on how well it keeps gunk in suspension so it washes away. But I also don't know if Armor All's wax will interact with Dawn, so I'll just have to see.

View Quote

The ArmorAll wash N wax replaces the dawn soap, simply add Lemishine.

Posted: 6/16/2018 12:46:58 AM EDT

[#30]

How well does Ultra Shine Wash & Wax work on cars?

Posted: 6/16/2018 4:21:15 AM EDT

[#31]

Not going to scroll through all these posts to tell you that before using your ss media you need to "condition" it by tumbling it for several hours in water with a bit of dish soap/Dawn. It rounds off any sharp edges.

If you don't do this step you risk dulling the finish on your brass.

Posted: 6/16/2018 9:03:49 AM EDT

[#32]

Quote History

Quoted:
How well does Ultra Shine Wash & Wax work on cars?

View Quote

OK, not a replacement for actually waxing. However, using it and Lemishine makes my brass purty and also makes the brass nice and slippery, good for reloading. I don’t even bother with pins for my pistol brass anymore, I just tumble with WashNWax and Lemishine, rinse, then one more tumble just with WashNWax, dry in my dehydrator, and reload. Never had a problem with this method and thousands of rounds of reloaded 9mm in my Dillon 650.

Posted: 6/16/2018 3:43:52 PM EDT

[#33]

Quote History

Quoted:
The ArmorAll wash N wax replaces the dawn soap, simply add Lemishine.

View Quote

Does it work that well as a cleaner? That'd be great.

Posted: 6/16/2018 4:29:07 PM EDT

[#34]

Quote History

Quoted:

Does it work that well as a cleaner? That'd be great.

View Quote

It works so well, that I rarely if ever, use stainless steel pins.

Posted: 6/16/2018 5:45:28 PM EDT

[#35]

I just like the fact that the pins SCRUB.

Without the pins I would feel that the process would be incomplete.

I've already invested the time (happily) to wet tumble in the first place, why not scrub the hell out of that range pick-up brass?

First step is pop the primers out with the Lee Universal deprime and then into the cheap-arse rock tumbler for a couple hours.

Have tried cheaper dish soaps but for some reason Dawn is just a bit nicer.

Short squirt of Dawn, 1/2 teaspoon of Lemi Shine, fill with tap water, run a couple hours and BLING.

Posted: 6/16/2018 9:30:15 PM EDT

[#36]

If your brass turns orange you're using too much Lemishine :-)

Posted: 6/17/2018 7:54:57 AM EDT

[#37]

Quote History

Quoted:
If your brass turns orange you're using too much Lemishine :-)

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or pink. Lemishine or any acid such as vinegar: less is more.

Posted: 6/21/2018 9:31:37 AM EDT

[#38]

What happens without the LermiShine or citric acid? What about just washing the brass in soap and/or soap and pins?

Posted: 6/21/2018 9:53:04 AM EDT

[#39]

Quote History

Quoted:
What happens without the LermiShine or citric acid? What about just washing the brass in soap and/or soap and pins?

View Quote

Soap gets the brass cleaner than just water, and the scouring effect of pins helps a lot, but the citric acid (either straight or from Lemishine) cleans the brass even better, and it keeps the brass from tarnishing. Since it just takes a little bit (about 1/4 teaspoon per full load) of Lemishine to get great results, I feel it's a huge benefit to use it.

Posted: 6/22/2018 8:22:10 AM EDT

[#40]

Quote History

Quoted:

I was of the same thought. On a whim I tried the wash -n- wax ,Meguires version, everything else was the same. Pistol cases were no longer "grabby" when running through the press. Been running with it ever since.

View Quote

Yes, the dawn works but like Darkhors5 I tried the turtle wax version of a wash-n-wax and the pistol cases glide through the progressive press. I will keep doing it this way.

.380 case of Lemishine
5-10cc (old kids cough medicine syringe from Walmart) dawn or wax-n-wash

Bright, shiny, clean, slick = happy reloading

Posted: 6/22/2018 8:24:01 AM EDT

[#41]

Quote History

Quoted:
What happens without the pins? What if I just wash the brass in soap and water?

View Quote

My buddy does this as he hates dealing with pins in .223 cases. Insides are dingy, primer pockets are meh (but clean-ish) and the outsides are bright.

Posted: 6/29/2018 8:55:34 PM EDT

[#42]

3 second squeeze of Dawn
1/2 tsp Lemishine
3hrs in a Lyman Cyclone
Cases come out AS NEW

Don’t over think this stuff...

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Skool me on stainless pin cleaning solutions

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