Brass dryer question
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I use an RCBS Sidewinder tumbler with wet media. After I rinse the cases off, I roll them around on an old towel to get the surface water off otherwise I end up with water stains on the brass. I use bread pans that I fill with the brass and then it goes in the oven at 175F for 30-40 minutes. It comes out dry. If I leave the brass too long, it turns a dark color. I also have a small toaster oven for real small loads but frankly it burns as much electricity as the kitchen oven. The little ones are not very energy efficient.
I pretty much use the bread pans for everything in the reloading room. I use one for brass in progress and one for processed brass at the press. I'm using a single stage press. When stuffing bullets, I use one with primed brass and one for loaded brass. All kind of uses. I prefer the teflon coated ones as you can even put chemicals in it and not hurt it. Plain steel or aluminum will sometimes turn black with chemicals, like vinegar which I use sometimes on brass that's just not quite clean. Vinegar 9% will clean up cases like that. Just cover the brass with the vinegar and let it sit for an hour. Stir it around a time or two and it'll come out like new.
I pretty much use the bread pans for everything in the reloading room. I use one for brass in progress and one for processed brass at the press. I'm using a single stage press. When stuffing bullets, I use one with primed brass and one for loaded brass. All kind of uses. I prefer the teflon coated ones as you can even put chemicals in it and not hurt it. Plain steel or aluminum will sometimes turn black with chemicals, like vinegar which I use sometimes on brass that's just not quite clean. Vinegar 9% will clean up cases like that. Just cover the brass with the vinegar and let it sit for an hour. Stir it around a time or two and it'll come out like new.
I'm another that uses either the hot Summer Sun or the oven. I take mine out of the tumbler and rinse them. My Wife made me a bag like a pillow case out of an old towel that I dump them in and give them a shake rattle and roll. Then onto a baking sheet and either out into the Sun or into the oven at 200º or less for 30-45 minutes.
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During the summer I leave it out on the driveway in the sun. I picked up a food dehydrator at wally world for under $50 last year and it works great, 5 trays that will hold 300 (?) 223 cases and dries them in a couple hours. Has an thermostat to adjust the temp.
Thanks for all the good replies. My wife is pretty tolerant. She hunts with me and loves to shoot sporting clays, 5 stand, skeet, etc. She is s Master Hunter Safety Instructor and a certified NRA Shotgun Instructor but putting things like that in her oven would make her go postal. I'm looking for any info on the Lyman, Frankford Arsenal, Hornady, or any other items like that. The new Hornady digital one looks promising, but the only review I found was very negative.
The dryers that I have seen from the loading equipment companies are just food dehydraters that are dressed up some with the price jacked up. They should work ok but I would probably just look at Walmart for one.
As to the oven. I'm not offering marital advice but talk with your Wife. I have my own baking pan/cookie sheet, the kind with the 1/2in lip around it. It keeps the brass in place, no mess, no loose brass, easy to load and unload, ect. All in all, its pretty much a non issue for my Wife. It works really well if She will ok it.
Many guys also use some type of sifter and set it and the brass on top of their outdoor central air conditioner unit in the Summer. The old Snipershide had an ongoing thread on wet tumbling. One of the guys made a forced air dryer from an Axel fan, light bulb and a ammo can. A Google search may turn up something.
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