Originally Posted by
Allen
+1
This subject has come up before here and someone posted about using the SS pins. I too have used this and find it to be best by far. They can be bought on ebay and are also good for polishing the primer pockets w/o plugging the flash hole. 2 downsides though. You have to use them in a rotory tumbler due to the weight of the pins + the soapy water---will not work in a vibrator type cleaner. The other is they leave no coating or protection against tarnishing. You may want to finish them off (after cleaning with the ss pins) in a tumbler with a little NuFinish car wax along with the corn cob. Like Joe mentioned above, watch out for chemicals containing ammonia.
I have an RCBS Sidewinder rotary tumbler I bought around 1990 when it was $125 instead of north of $400 today. When I started with the pins, I learned the friction fit cap would blow off using Dawn. I scratched my head and went with Cascade. Works great! Lemi-Shine automatic dishwasher supplement is what I use for polish. It works great!
I bought the SS pins early on when the manufacturer still sold them 5# at a time. Now it's 35#. Me and some pals did a group buy and were happy they came in seven 5# bags! I rhink rhe name is Stainless Steel Media Corporation.
The size commonly used is .041"d. I have had problems with two of these wedged in the flash hole. I have heard some are going to the next size up to fix that problem.
Before I stray too far off topic, if you are wet tumbling, use Lemi-Shine for polish. It just takes a couple tea spoons per batch.
Phillip McGregor (OFC)
"I am neither a fire arms nor a ballistics expert, but I was a combat infantry officer in the Great War, and I absolutely know that the bullet from an infantry rifle has to be able to shoot through things." General Douglas MacArthur