Lots of people reload their own ammunition. This is an activity that saves money, generates
satisfaction and allows you to customize the ammunition that you will use. Clean shell casings
will also allow your firearm to operate smoothly.
Part of the reloading process involves cleaning your brass casings. This step improves the reliability
of your ammunition and gives it an appearance that you will be proud of. A tumbler is a small machine
that can do this job for you, cleaning hundreds of casings in just a few hours - with very little work from you.
How Does It Work?
Cleaning your brass with a tumbler is very easy. You simply place a cleaning media such as crushed walnut
shells or crushed corn cob into the barrel, mix in a little polishing powder, add your brass casings, close
the lid, turn it on and come back in a few hours to inspect your clean brass.
Your selection of media is determined by the brass that you will be cleaning. If the brass just needs a light
buffing then crushed corn cob will work great. If the brass is especially dirty then the crushed walnut
shells is what you should use. The crushed walnut shells are a lot harder and will scrub away the more stubborn dirt and tarnish.
Some reloaders use stainless steel pins for stubborn tarnish and dirt.
Two Types of Tumblers
Two types of tumblers are commonly used to clean brass case: rotary tumblers and vibratory tumblers. Both of these
are very efficient ways to clean brass casings.
Rotary Tumblers
A rotary tumbler has a barrel that you load and place on the machine. The machine turns the barrel and the casings
tumble inside with the cleaning media. Corn cob and walnut shell media work great in a rotary tumbler. And, because
the barrel is water-tight it can be used with stainless steel pins and water.
A photo of a rotary tumbler is in the right column. These have been in
common use for cleaning brass for at least fifty years.
Vibratory Tumblers
A vibratory tumbler has a large bowl to hold the media and casings. The machine vibrates very rapidly and those
vibrations cause friction between the media and the casings and that fruction buffs the casings clean. A photo
of a vibratory tumbler is in the right column.
Vibratory tumblers are a more recent invention and they are becoming increasingly popular. Thousand of reloaders have
been using them for at least two decades. Vibratory cleaners just as well as a rotary tumbler and many people who have
used both now prefer the vibratory machines.
Hickok45 demonstrates a vibratory tumbler for cleaning his brass and explains how the machine and process works.
EvergladesAmmo demonstrates a commercial-size vibratory tumbler with ceramic media for cleaning large amounts of brass.
This video demonstrates the use of stainless steel media in a rotary tumbler. The advantage of stainless steel media is that you never have to replace it. The dirty and tarnish pour out with the water - instead of getting your corn cob dirty!
