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Stainless Steel tumbling...

I have one of these http://www.harborfreight.com/dual-drum-rotary-rock-tumbler-67632.html

www.harborfreight.com_media_catalog_product_cache_1_image_9df77ae2a044e0ee96e0a3bf81099ded52d2.jpg


With water, white vinegar, citric acid, and a few drops of Dawn (or what ever the wife has in the kitchen) this unit can put the shine on brass. i just wish it could hold a larger capacity/weight.

The stainless media added to this would really help to get the primer pockets clean.
 
I looked at building one:

http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=130815&st=0

But after considering th cost / time to do so, became convinced that this is both less expensive and higher capacity:

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200356929_200356929

And before someone jumps on it, YES, you can get one for $50 less, but it has a Steel, rather than a Poly Tub
which will hold up 10 x longer (citric acid eats steel!) and will do far less damage to your brass.

Yeah that's a good idea and ready to go. It would also double as a cement mixer for home projects too!
 
I was looking at the both the Harbor Freight mixers and the poly ones from Northern. I think you are right about the corrosive resistance. I'm betting it would be quieter too. It certainly has the capacity to do a very large volume. I'm trying to resist investing in this as it really is something I could live without but......
 
I am still looking at the Northern Tools Poly-Tub Concrete Mixer, and also this (which I think is cheaper, easier to store and easier to work with):

http://www.ebay.com/itm/15-lb-cap-1...ps=63&clkid=1138313898286315368&_qi=RTM759770

While I would really like to build my own ( see my reply to this posting above)
It would cost as much in materials to DIY ... excluding the time / effort, and the fact that I don't have a welding rig (or know how to use one!)
 
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I was directed to this thread by Clarke123 above after he saw my home-built tumbler.

Pics of mine:
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I've only run three loads of brass through it, but the results make me very happy. No more cleaning primer pocket holes or inside cases manually. Saves a ton of time.

My procedure has become this for loading rifle ammo:
- 20 minutes or so in dry media/vibratory tumbler just to knock off anything that would hurt my dies.
- Lube/resize/deprime
- 2 hours or so in the wet tumber, rinse well, dry
- trim/remove primer pocket crimps
- prime/powder/bullet

For the record, I'm only having one issue and I think it's a result of my block-headedness more than anything... I can't keep my damn drums from leaking, surely the result of poor assembly and glue up procedures, but 6" PVC fittings are too expensive for me to scrap them right now. I'll post up my solution to that issue in a bit.
 
Rose Jackets67 has improved upon and simplified the original plans shown on this hyperlink:

http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=130815&st=0

Specifically, the anchoring of the drive rods has been simplified, improved, and value-engineered by the use of:


http://www.ebay.com/itm/390434912437?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649

This eliminates some critical welding requirements and moves this project into the realm of
bolt-together technology!

Hopefully, MORE ON THIS LATER
 
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