95% of all stainless steel pins are manufactured by Pellets LLC from North Tonawanda, NY, they are sold in bulk to companies that break it up and sell it to the public. I switched to chips from Southern Shine Media, and I couldn't be happier, a fantastic product from great people. I highly recommend it to anyone that wants to wet tumble

I tumble for 45 minutes and the brass is perfect. The cleaning solution you use REALLY makes a huge difference. I tumble a lot of small batches so time is important to me. RCBS makes an excellent solution. The frankford stuff is great as well...

Just purchased 10lbs from Southern Shine Media. Glad you made this video and i found it. Love to support small businesses.

Try taking your worn down SS pins and throwing them into a bag mixed in with rocks. Throw it into your cloths drier and let her rip for 10 minutes. It should put some sharp edges on it. Better yet, do it at your local laundermat and beat the bejeezes out of it.

Glad to see you back. Cant wIt for more videos

I use the HF tumbler and a 2 lb. refresh kit and have not seen an issue with quality YET, but I know where I am going when I do. Thanks, Johnny. BTW, I tumbled almost 4K of assorted cases, 99% range pickups and am still going strong.

Thanks for some awesome recommendations, particularly stainless steel media

Actually, my media wasn’t cleaning anymore so I washed the media by itself. After 6-7washes with soap, hot water and lemi shine it cleaned them up and the drum. I cleaned more brass and it came out like new. FYI.

The most impressive results with the biggest pain in the butt process I have ever loved. Nuff said

Gonna need some of those! Thanks for the review

I dumped in the chips with the pins and get excellent results. So glad I found southern media.

I found media on amazon called jewelry stainless tumbling media. It is a mix of pins, balls and chips. About $12 for 2 lbs. I really like them for cleaning. I can do a mix of calibers in under 2 hours and get good results. I do ultrasonic clean for 20 minutes prior to tumble to break off the worst of the crud and keep the media in better shape. Yes it is a Harbor Freight ultrasonic. I’m cheap!

So glad you made this video! Thank you

Dealing with T&B Bullets - Southern Shine media. It is always a pleasure and fast turnaround time on orders.

Just sent them a message to order #5, had a PayPal invoice in less than 10 minutes, paid the invoice and had a shipping notice in less than another 10 minutes. Now that's service!

I gotta thank you for introducing me to wet rumbling Johnny. I haven’t cleaned reloading pockets since, every time the brass comes out pretty good if not perfect, and I’m glad I bought the big fart tumbler instead of the little fart. Working my way through about 8,000 pieces of 30-06 400-500 pieces at a time with my little unit and 6 pounds of pins, gets em clean every time

I was having a similar problem with my tumbler not cleaning as well as it did. I was wondering about the pins being smooth and worn. Thank you confirming my suspicions!

I am only running my large Franklin for 30 minutes and it works great.

Have the FA Light tumbler, and when I dont wont to bring out the Thumblers B, it is perfect. I like that it is sized just perfectly when doing just around 150rnds of 308/6.5cm sized brass. I find that doing about 150rnds at a time is about the most I can do when doing full processing.

I use the Harbor Freight Light. Perfect for me as I'm not a high volume shooter. A two hour tumble without pins works great for handgun brass.

My new chips arrived and they sure small. Hard to handle . ,Transfer magnet does not really work as well but will get the job done. I used about 4 pounds on 250 223 Remington with Lemi shine plus Armour All wash & shine for 1 1/2 hours in hot water. Now this brass is on it's third loading since reclaimed from range brass. Rinceing was no problem and I can tell you as long as I have been reloading I have never had better looking brass. I will keep using these chips and really they worth it. Fast service and well packed. Thanks for the heads up Johnny.

Been using the harbor freight tumbler for over 6 years now. It works, it's not great though. With two drums fully loaded they kind of drag sometimes. One drop off dish soap and some hot water and the media does the job.

I took delivery of my stainless chip media yesterday. The jury is still out but, so far, my feelings are mixed. As noted below, some of my negative observations may diminish as the chips are "worn in". Johnny said the SS pins were taking longer and longer to get the desired cleanliness. He reasoned that the "corners" of the pins eventually became rounded, so they didn't clean as well as when they were new. When he switched to the chips, the required tumble time was diminished considerably. For what it's worth, I tumble way longer than most reloaders. I load the tumbler late at night and let it run until the next morning. Rounded pins or not, my brass comes out VERY clean. There may be a bit of carbon in some primer pockets but, mostly not. Am I worried about the brass being damaged because I tumble so long? Not really. While not based on a scientific study, I reason that my "rounded" stainless pins are cleaning the brass by "hammering" it not "gouging" it. It's probably reasonable to think of it like shot peening. For what it’s worth, my brass seems to last a long time. Back to the stainless chips. Do they clean well? Absolutely! On the first (and so far, only) run, I tumbled a hundred or so 45 ACP cases and used my usual "tumble all night" process. In this case, it was about 10 hours. The inside and outside of the cases were, without exception, PERFECTLY clean. The primer pockets were MOSTLY perfectly clean. Some had a tiny speck or two of carbon but, EVEN I would not hesitate to reload these cases without further cleaning. So why am I not raving that stainless chips are the greatest thing since sliced bread? To begin with, I was not at all unhappy with my "presumably rounded" stainless pins. Again, I don't care if it takes longer to get the cases clean. Here are my initial criticisms of the chips. As noted below, I may change my opinion as time goes on. 1. The chips are so tiny, it's difficult not to lose them. Some of them actually float on top of the water. Obviously, the chips are heavier than water but, because of the surface tension, some do, indeed, float. This may diminish over time as the tiniest/lightest chips get washed down the drain. I have to give this aspect a resounding: "We'll see". 2. I use vinyl tubing to siphon the dirty water out of the tumbler. Quite a number of the tiny/light chips were siphoned out with the water. As noted above, this may diminish as more of the tiny/light chips get lost. 3. I am concerned that some of the tiny/light chips will remain with the brass after the separation process. I don't know how valid this concern is because I inspected this brass VERY thoroughly and saw no chips. But, some of them border on microscopic. 4. As I mentioned earlier, the brass is ever so clean but it's not as shiny as when tumbled with the SS pins. Very probably, this is because the chips are microscopically "gouging" the brass instead of "hammering" it. Will this shorten the brass life? I don't know. Will it diminish with time? Logic says: "Yes", as the chips become rounded. On this point, if the brass life is not being shortened, I don't mind the slightly "matted" finish. I always tumble (also overnight) in treated corn cob after resizing (to remove the lube). It will be interesting to see how much "shininess" gets restored by the corn cob tumble. So, there you have it. I will continue to use the chips and provide an update later.

Hey Johnny, love you're videos, very informative. I actually use the harbor freight tumbler myself, but usually don't use any pins unless my brass is filthy. The tumbler is actually pretty good, but the drive system is a weak point, don't take much to make the belt to start slipping. If you're a budget reloader, it's great, i think i can fit about 150 cases of 223 or 300 blackout in each drum. The problem is weight, to much and the belt will start slipping.

I use the FA unit for my brass and use the Harbor Freight tumbler to apply dry powder coat to my bullets, works great.

You are right about wet tumbling. The pieces of brass come out so shiny that they look silver. Lemi-shine can increase that effect too.

I use the same Franklin tumbler. Pins still fine.

Found a mix of pins, chips and balls on amazon under jewelry tumbling media and 1 lb for under $15. They do a good job in a short time.

Two video uploads in one week!!!

Hi Johnny. Could you please do a video on 223 for bolt action I live in New Zealand and after the crap that has just gone down we have lost all our AR'S. So now its all bolt action. Love your reloading channel thanks Mate.

@Johnny's reloading bench I actually recommended these and reviewed them as well. I told you back then they were incredible and dont get hung up in 300blk like steel pins do.

Pins wearing out...I thought this was a April Fools Joke!

I have the DUAL HF tumbler, I use a squirt of dawn, and a couple teaspoons of lemme shine and I tumble for 2-4 hours(depends on how dirty and rusty). But if I go more than that they do start to turn pink!

Heya Johnny. I dont want to step on toes here but.....Stainless steel tumbling medium is notorious for hardening metal. How do I know this? Im a formally trained goldsmith and we use stainless "shot" in our tumblers for silver brass gold etc. These pins actually case harden the metals. Its in a way why we use it. As to why the media is wearing out it comes down to lubrication. Sunlight powdered detergent is added to the shot to both add lubricity and to keep the shot clean. Be aware that you will harden the brass with those sharpened pins. The best shot for your tumbler will be a blend of round and sharps. Gesswein is where we goldsmiths source it.

great video, great info !! Thank you

Southern Shine Media is the very best SS Media!

@Johnny's Reloading Bench - If you have problems down the road with your brass not getting as clean as you want try having a look at what another guy is doing. The description following is on KZfaq: TreeTopFlier - Problems Wet Tumbling? Brass is dingy gray, or tarnished reddish hue? Here are my... It seems to be working well for him.

Cool video. Just one question, have you ever weighed the brass before and after using those sharp chips to see if it is removing brass as well? Just curious as the shap stainless is a lot harder than brass.

Jus the video I was looking for. Need to get those primer pockets clean.

Thanks Johnny!🤜🍂🔥💨

Great video

How long do they last before you have to switch it out. Also, can you use it for dry tumbling? Thanks great video.

Great vid I have been wondering about how well the stainless works but didn't want to bite off $200 worth of stuff and have it suck. Thanks

I've been using the HF for a couple months now, extremely happy with it. I did make a 4 inch PVC Cylinder for it and it works great. I picked up 2lbs of media on eBay for cheap. Hot water, Dawn, pinch of lemi shine and about an hour and it's good enough for me.

Also, I have the lite version.... works great

I have one of the harbor freight dual wet tumblers. The drums it comes with are awful and smell like Chinese toxic rubber. I ditched those within the third time using it and replaced it with a 4" PVC pipe. You will need to get one of these if you go the PVC drum > (Oatey 33403 Plastic Plug with Galvanized screw and wing nut, 4-Inch) I put an agitator on the inside of the drum to help move the media around because the PVC and the drums it comes with are round compared to 'polygons' on most of the other commercial wet tumblers. With the harbor freight tumbler after you get steel pins and replace the drum, you are in about ~$70 for wet tumbling. The results are not as good as Johnny's but are plenty good. (I only tumble for an hour at a time I am sure if you tumble for 3 hours it will get you there)

Frankford arsenal is by far the best wet tumbler on the market, and can easily handle large quantities easily, don’t be shy on smaller batches all you do is back off your time as necessary. Also great on smoothing and dechamfering your case necks (inside and out) especially in batches.

Hey man that's good info to know thanks !

recently purchased the 7L platinum kit on sale at midway for $67. came with 2 five pound bags of pins and sifting pans.

I really haven't had much luck with the pins. I put 5lbs in my thumblers tumbler add some dawn and lemishine. Does ok. Cases dont seem to be that shiny and seem to tarnish pretty quick. Not reall sure why. I tend to use 8mm diamer porcelain ceramic polishing balls. Works great.

Nearly pissed myself over calling the Franklin tumbler the F.A.R.T.!

Thanks for the video. Just getting into reloading and looking for media for wet tumbling. So after 18 months, how do you like the Southern Shine media?

Have you ever cleaned your SS pins with Simple Green? (or a degreaser ). That will make a difference. Put 2oz to 4oz in hot water and tumble for half an hour or so.

The chips are the best!!!

Lemon shine blue dawn and the chips. Brand new brass after use.

Lortone 66 tumbler for the win

Just got the F.A.R.T lite and it did NOT come with media . I have always ultrasonic cleaned my brass with ok results. I will be ordering the chips.

I have found with my pins that I have to tumble them with zep purple with simple green for about 2 hours, rinse add simple green Lemie shine run again for about 1hr, rinse again then dawn and lemie shine and I use the harbor freight tumble or the frankford arsenal lite tumbler....seems to be working... thanks

Good info, thanks

I found that 5lbs just don't cut it in my tumbler for big batches of brass. The more pins your tumbler can handle the better and the faster they clean. I built a tumbler that holds aright at 2 gallons of water with a 1/2 HP blower motor off of a furnace and love that thing but for small batches I still go back to my old Harbor Freight Drum tumbler.

Johnny, I stopped using the pins. I use a small amount of lemi shine, Dawn and water. They come out like new. Jerry Mucileck said he had loaded over a million rounds and never cleaned the primer pockets and never had a problem.

I use the F.A.R.T. as well. But I stopped using the pins. I just use a squirt of Dawn Ultra and a palm spill about the size of a quarter of lemi-shine. A half full tumbler of brass with hot water. Tumble for 45 minutes and the brass comes out like new! Try it.

Well that's good to know thanks for the video

I have the lite model and i just washed 500 cases of .38 special and it did just as well as 200 cases.

Oh, I'm cheaper than Harbor Freight. Yet, another good video, Johnny. I'm going to bookmark Southern Shine.

Man,I thought we were going to have to send a search party for ya,I used GUNTAP good deal for 30 buck's!..this new media look's like a winner!..great review Johnny,KEEP ON ROCKIN IT!.Johnny's Reloading Bench.................

I noticed after doing a 3-4 big loads of brass my next load wasn't very clean. I ran just the pins with Dawn and a pinch of citric acid and there was a ton of black scuz in the water just off the pins. Maybe something to try? I do just a pin cycle every other load now

I have the harbor freight rock tumblr works awesome. 4” PVC pipe with 3 1” PVC pipe cut in half for the tumbling affect. Been using it for ova a year now.

After watching your video, I ordered 10 pounds also. It was about 10:00 PM CDST that I sent an E-mail to request an order form. With in an hour Fast service,Thanks for the VIDEO

I know these folks personally... great people...

I wonder how hard the steel of the pins is? I also wonder if you could harden them and break them with a hammer, (in a bag of some sort to avoid shards in the eyes) essentially making your own chips from old pins?

My case cleaning method: Yogurt container, the big ones, put some brass in the container, add a little simple green, then add hot water. Put the lid on, let it sit for about 1/2 hr, then grab it and roll it around and shake for a few minutes. Swap the lid with another lid with holes in it, shaketo remove the liquid... add hot water and let overflow into the sink. Drain container, dump the brass on a towel, let sit over night, the next day, shiny brass.....not new shiny, but clean, and cheap... and somewhat shiny. Just my 2.5 cents.

thx John

I have been wanting to gwt into wet tumbling. But its kind of expensive. And have been a little hesitant. But this sounds good to me thanks for the advice

Shooting big matches I mark my brass with a marker so I can tell it's mine to pick it up. The marks used to come off no problem. But now they don't. I wonder if this is my issue. I have the same FART unit and I am still using the original pins

I had a similar experiance when I first started using ss pins. Years on I am still using the same pins. Try running your pins with some Zep degreaser and water to clean the case lube off them. Clean pins shold be bright silver and shiny, not dull silver. I just wash the case lube off now with some dawn and rinse then put in the tumbler with a shot of sonic clean from Hornady. Cases look brand nw every time.

I run 7.5# of STM pins per drum in 1.6 gallon drums. My pins are over 5 years old, and have processed over a 100k cases. When brand new, my primer pockets were never perfect on small primer cases, and the inside of 223 cases never cleaned up that well. Large primer cases primer pocket always get cleaner. Inside of larger rifle cases like 308 and straight wall pistol cases clean up pretty well. I will not retire these pins, they still do a fine job, just have their limitations due to size. Southern Shine media is pretty good stuff. Small media, so it will clean inside cases and primer pockets better. If I was going to start over, yes, Id probably buy some Southern Shine.

I just wet tumble too. You get a system worked out and it is easy. and No dust.

Totally agree, I love my FART!

What a great idea with the chips. There is a machine shop nearby me and now I'm wondering what they are sweeping up every day.

I have the large Franklin tumbler and I use Dawn and Lemi-shine for my pistol brass with good results but there are some possible drawbacks: I have had a few stuck pins in the primer pockets that caused a bent de-cap pin in my loader. Also a few of my 9mm loads had a double feed so I magnified the rims and they appeared to be slightly rounded where the extractor pulls them out of the chamber. This theory is not proved but excess tumbling could contribute to this issue. The Franklin rep suggested try a batch tumbled for 30 or 40 minutes or use just the soap solution without the pins.

Guntap .047 Pins are good to go. Rarely does a pin ever stick and they clean great. My Frankford pins were replaced with these shortly after I bought the unit.

Thinking about mixing those chips in with my new pins. Any thoughts? Also, did I miss your video on wet tumbling?

I realize some of case mouth peening is caused by the cases hitting each other. However, do you notice less peening when using the worn out pins?

I just ordered my 7L frankford arsenal off Amazon for $110 on black Friday 2023. Normally like $150

i got some replacement pins off ebay, some short cut pins that dont get stuck in the case necks

All I reload is 9mm and use 2 lbs of media. 1 hour with the FA wet tumbling machine and their brass cleaner. Rinse with purified water a few times and let um dry for a couple of days. Good enough for me.

The FART. Hahahaha!!!

Was looking at the FART Lite. Seemed like it would be a decent deal for $99, but then saw that it doesn't come with any media. If I have to spend $30-50 to get media, the cost savings don't seem all that great. Thanks for the info!

What soap do you use and how much? Thanks!

Pins come in different diameters and lengths. That actually changes which brass they'll bridge and/or pack tightly in. I'll have to give Southern Shine Media a shot when my current media wears out. The new FA tumblers also come with a mesh end cap. I've been cutting window screen or 1/8" mesh for that because some brass goes right through the slotted end cap. What I want a HF tumbler for is powder coating.

I use armor all carwash with a touch of lemi shine and my brass comes out super shiny and doesn't dull with age. I think the wax in the Armor all carwash protects the brass from oxidation.

Awesome

Just a little note about the Frankford Arsenal lite, it does not like small loads either, I tried tumbling 50 creedmoor cases with 2.5lbs of pins and the cases would gather around the lid and just sit there. I contacted Frankford Arsenal and they basically told me I didn’t have enough brass in it. Just wanted everyone to know. I’m still using my modified harbor freight for anything under 100 pieces of brass.

is wet tumbling better than ultrasonic cleaning? I have an ultrasonic for my brass but never tried tumbling at all

I wonder if one uses Iosso Brass Case Cleaner with the Southern Shine chips in the wet tumbler would the cases get cleaned up within 5 minutes?

What I've noticed isn't a degredation of cleanliness, but my brass isn't coming out brightly polished like that anymore...I'm not sure it makes a practical difference, but it feels good to have like-new brass after tumbling.

What is your mix that you add in with the pins and brass? I can never get mine to look that good and often they end up becoming a grayish color.

I have the FART tumbler, the big one, and it's rubber lined inside the drum. Any issues with such sharp media damaging the rubber lining any?

How are you drying your pins after tumbling. I just started wet tumbling.