Wet Tumbling with Balls

[Super Sneaky Steve]

I hate pins. I hate how they stick to everything. You end up losing a bunch and they are just a pain.

So I bought 1000 5/32 sized ball bearings. These are just big enough to fit into a small primer pocket without getting stuck. They cleaned the inside of my 45 Auto brass very well and they slide through my Dillon separator easily.

Using a kitchen strainer they were easy to catch and reuse.

They didn't clean the pockets very well, but I don't much care about that. They get everything else very clean.

I took some pictures but my camera is not cooperating at the moment.

[oley55]

I certainly can't argue and say that chasing those tiny pins is anything other than a royal PIA. Water tension alone is enough to carry them off, not to mention what some suds will do.

Good info to hear about the balls, but if I were to switch and try something different I think I would have to give the chips a real hard look. Was/is there any difference in your tumble times. Where did you get them and what was/is the weight for your 1K balls?

[Super Sneaky Steve]

I certainly can't argue and say that chasing those tiny pins is anything other than a royal PIA. Water tension alone is enough to carry them off, not to mention what some suds will do.

Good info to hear about the balls, but if I were to switch and try something different I think I would have to give the chips a real hard look. Was/is there any difference in your tumble times. Where did you get them and what was/is the weight for your 1K balls?

I tumbled for about an hour which is what I normally do. I usually do brass only, no pins. The outside was about the same, but the inside of the cases were much cleaner.

I bought these.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Don't buy these, get the stainless. I went cheap and saved a few bucks with the chrome. I should have gotten stainless steel.

I didn't weigh them but I will later.

If you try the chips please let us know how they work. I don't know if the chips would lock up in a case. Balls can't really do that.

[JimB..]

I’ve been curious about glass bead blasting media, but it’s gonna take me a while to lose the 50lbs of pins I have.

[oley55]

I tumbled for about an hour which is what I normally do. I usually do brass only, no pins. The outside was about the same, but the inside of the cases were much cleaner.

I bought these.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Don't buy these, get the stainless. I went cheap and saved a few bucks with the chrome. I should have gotten stainless steel.

I didn't weigh them but I will later.

If you try the chips please let us know how they work. I don't know if the chips would lock up in a case. Balls can't really do that.

I sorta forgot or didn't pay close attention on the chips in this thread: https://castboolits.gunloads.com/sho...ighlight=chips

They are apparently REALLY small and even lighter than the pins. Unless I get them for gratis I don't see myself trying them.

[Super Sneaky Steve]

I found these balls much cheaper on their website.
https://www.bcprecision.com/collecti...l-bearings-g25

This is what you want 5/32 in Stainless Steel. I ordered 2K. You may also want to pick up the strainer caps for your FART so you can rinse without loosing your balls.

These things are big enough that you won't need a magnet. They won't stick to anything like those crappy pins.

[W.R.Buchanan]

They won't stick to a magnet either. SS is non Ferrous.

Randy

[oley55]

They won't stick to a magnet either. SS is non Ferrous.

Randy

No doubt I have run across some stainless steel that had little to no attraction to a magnet, but that does not make it non-ferrous. To be non-ferrous the alloy may not contain ANY iron.

Do a search of, "is stainless steel non ferrous?" and see if you can find a response that says SS is non-ferrous.

[edp2k]

Stainless steel definitely contains iron, i.e. is ferrous.

Some stainless is magnetic and some is not.
Depends on the alloy, the heat treat, and the cold work.

[Super Sneaky Steve]

Got my SS balls in today. The weight of 2k balls is 17oz. That may not seem like a lot but I had good results with half of that in my last batch. Maybe because they are larger and heavier they can pound away the grime a lot better. Was about $34 shipped. Once I get my FART screen caps it will be basically no extra work over no media at all.

[W.R.Buchanan]

[QUOTE=oley55;5250240]No doubt I have run across some stainless steel that had little to no attraction to a magnet, but that does not make it non-ferrous. To be non-ferrous the alloy may not contain ANY iron.

True, but Non Ferrous is also used to describe materials that are Non Magnetic, maybe not totally accurate but common place none the less. Hence my improper terminology.

Been cutting Stainless Steels of every type for 40+ years. Stainless Steels run from 400 series that are Magnetic to 300 series which are NOT Magnetic! 301,302,303,304,316,320,347 etc. All vary in the amounts of Nickel and Chromium and various other trace elements in the alloys that exhibit some desirable traits into the alloy. 304 is most common, 303 is free machining, 316 is resistant to Salt Water, 347 is for Acid Lines and Super Corrosive applications..

All of them are made from regular steel that has varying amounts of Carbon, Nickle and Chromium and other things added. 17/4 SS 17% Chrome and 4% Nickel is Magnetic and has the ability to be heat treated due to it's Carbon content to become very strong. 200,000+ psi at the top end. 303/18-8 is 18% Chrome and 8% Nickel and also contains Selenium and is "free machining," and most SS Hardware is made from that material, it is NON Magnetic. It is the Nickel content that suppresses the magneticity of the material, and also the resistance to corrosion.

Here's a pic of an assembly I make for the Navy's Ram Missile Launcher. It has several types of SS and a piece of Titanium in it. The Knob, Base plate, Trunnion are made from 316 SS because this is exposed to Salt water full time. (they still rust over time and wouldn't if there wasn't any steel in there.) The Eye Bolt, Nut, and Pin are made from 303-18-8 SS. The striker plate must endure the rocket blast from the missile launch and is made from 6AL4V Titanium. It never rusts because there is no steel in it. However it can be contaminated by contact with other parts that do rust.

All of these parts are "Passivated," which is a process where hey are soaked in Nitric Acid which eats the Steel Molecules from the surface and only leaves the Nickel and Chrome exposed. A more aggressive treatment is called Electro Polishing and you seen that on every one of those Shiny Props on Outboard Motors on Bass Boats and the like. It uses an Electric Current to increase the Nitric Acid's potency.

All the Passivated Parts in the assembly shown below were left in the Nitric Solution for 2 DAYS!,,, just to make sure! They stay clean for along time but eventually give up. Normally they only get 30 minutes.

Hope this clears this up.

Randy