What did you do at your reloading bench today?

[trickg]

My shaker crapped out this past winter. I purchased both a new shaker and ultrasonic cleaner. Luckily, I have a slop sink in my basement mechanical room. I also bought a cheap toaster over works great for drying cases.

I'm looking at this old tumbler a bit more closely. I called RCBS asking for a replacement motor and they said no dice - I guess it's old enough that they no longer use that motor?

In any case, I'm hunting online for a matching motor, and while I can't find that specific model number, I think it's a pretty basic motor. I just have to make sure to find one that has holes in the same places the mounting studs are located on the original - I can move the mounting studs from this motor to the new one.

If I can get the old one rolling again, that would be great to have on hand - possibly for use with a different media, or just to use in tandem with the new one to process more brass at once.

 

[smdub]

It may just be the bearings/bushings (esp since it has trouble starting). Have you tried to oil it?

 

[trickg]

It may just be the bearings/bushings (esp since it has trouble starting). Have you tried to oil it?

It's funny you should say that. I was fiddling with it over the lunch break, and one of the suggestions was to try oiling it. I have a can on my workbench full of Mobil 1, so I tried some of that, but that didn't seem to do anything.

My next step was to try and get the weight and fan off of the shaft, so after removing the C-clip and unscrewing the hex bolt locking in the vibration weight, because they wouldn't come off easily, I gave the end of the shaft a number of light taps with a rawhide mallet to get them to loosen up.

Once those two pieces were off, I plugged it back in, kicked on the switch, and the thing fired right up. I tried it handful more times, and again, it started and stopped without issue, so I let it run for a bit just to see what would happen. It continued to run without issue.

It's currently put back together, sitting in its normal place on my workbench tumbling a load of brass.

I don't know much about electric motors - I never even tried to take the motor itself apart, and didn't even unwire it from the power supply, but maybe those raps with the mallet knocked something loose that was binding it up.

I'm not going to send back the one I have coming - I think I'll like that tumbler more, but the trusty, rusty RCBS seems to be living another day.

 

[trickg]

Update #2 - the RCBS tumbler is good and dead now. I was running it, and it ended up stopping altogether. When I went down, the distinct smell of a burnt up electrical motor was in the air and it wasn't running at all.

I'll look into sourcing a new motor for it, but with the new one on the way, I'll only be without a tumbler for a few days - I'm pretty sure I'll live.

 

[Sticky]

If'n you need to tumble anything, I am not far away and my corn cob is cleaning some 9mm brass right now from earlier today at the range. I can also wet tumble anything you need, just lemme know.

 

[Sticky]

I think 5.4 is what I used with PP and a 125 gn bullet. Lately I am loading with WW231 since I have a few pounds to use up.

I ran some at 5.5 and it was still a little hot, so I'll back it down to 5.3 and see what I get.. I normally start low and work up, but I used collated data and grt to predict the load and it proved a bit much, a bit of cratering in the primer. Lesson learned..

These are seated a bit deeper than most (to mimic the Federal HST factory ammo), so I need to back it down a bit more.

 

[John from MD]

I ran some at 5.5 and it was still a little hot, so I'll back it down to 5.3 and see what I get.. I normally start low and work up, but I used collated data and grt to predict the load and it proved a bit much, a bit of cratering in the primer. Lesson learned..

These are seated a bit deeper than most (to mimic the Federal HST factory ammo), so I need to back it down a bit more.

If the COAL is too short, you will have to back off the load. I think I used 1.100 for my loads but the 125 is not seated deep at all.

 

[Sticky]

If the COAL is too short, you will have to back off the load. I think I used 1.100 for my loads but the 125 is not seated deep at all.

These are 1.100", but they are 124gr HST's and they are .600" long overall, I think a bit longer than some. The primer cratering has me backing off a bit more. I'll load a couple mags and see what happens.

 

[trickg]

Here's another update on the tumbler.

I've determined a few things:

1. Replacing the motor is pretty straightforward - swap over the fan and weight, bolt it in, wire it up and it's good to go.
2. Finding the correct motor is proving to be a challenge.

I'm not sure it's worth the time and aggravation it's going to take to find a low-priced motor that has the correct shaft diameter and length, plus has the correct mounting stud holes.

Finding an appropriate motor is one thing, but finding it for a price where it's going to be worth it to do the work is another matter - I'm not going to spend $40-$50 on a motor, spend an additional $10 shipping, only to have to fiddly fart around to get it to mount correctly when I bought a whole replacement tumbler for $70.

I think I'm just gonna toss it. I'll be happy to give the tumbler bowl and lid to someone else who has an RCBS tumbler and wants the additional tumbling bowl.

 

[85MikeTPI]

Here's another update on the tumbler.

I've determined a few things:

1. Replacing the motor is pretty straightforward - swap over the fan and weight, bolt it in, wire it up and it's good to go.
2. Finding the correct motor is proving to be a challenge.

I'm not sure it's worth the time and aggravation it's going to take to find a low-priced motor that has the correct shaft diameter and length, plus has the correct mounting stud holes.

Finding an appropriate motor is one thing, but finding it for a price where it's going to be worth it to do the work is another matter - I'm not going to spend $40-$50 on a motor, spend an additional $10 shipping, only to have to fiddly fart around to get it to mount correctly when I bought a whole replacement tumbler for $70.

I think I'm just gonna toss it. I'll be happy to give the tumbler bowl and lid to someone else who has an RCBS tumbler and wants the additional tumbling bowl.

Yes. If you didn't notice this thread from last Fall, that has been my consensus as well..

Case cleaner motor

Does anyone have a source for a replacement motor for a Dillon CV 500 case cleaner?

www.mdshooters.com

 

[trickg]

Yes. If you didn't notice this thread from last Fall, that has been my consensus as well..

Case cleaner motor

Does anyone have a source for a replacement motor for a Dillon CV 500 case cleaner?

www.mdshooters.com

I didn't see that, but it makes total sense.

It's unfortunate that we live in such a throwaway society - I would have gladly installed a new motor, but apparently the spec has changed on the RCBS since I bought it in 2008. That, or it's just against RCBS policy to send a customer a replacement tumbler motor - I just took the guy at his word when he said that the motor for my unit was not available.

Fundamentally I knew that a vibratory tumbler was going to be one of those things that would eventually die, but I'd had this one so long without issue that I thought it might just outlive the odds.

I feel kind of defeated though - I'm a guy who likes fixing things when I can, but the older I get, the more I realize that sometimes the juice just isn't worth the squeeze.

 

[trickg]

The new Berry's QD-500 tumbler was delivered today, and after running it just 5 minutes, I can already tell you that I like it WAY more than I liked the RCBS.

Here are some plusses of the new Berry's QD-500 that I can see after only 5 minutes of use:

1. Made in the USA, 3-year warranty on the motor, and lifetime warranty on the other parts.
2. Price - less than $90 shipped - less than most of the other makes and models, and much less than the $215 Dillon wants for the CV-750
3. Quiet - not nearly as loud as the RCBS
4. Doesn't try to walk off my workbench. Even empty it doesn't move much when running.
5. Maybe it's my imagination, but it seems like it's tumbling faster than the RCBS did.
6. It will wind up being less messy because the opening of the bowl doesn't turn back on itself, so it's a wider opening - I'd occasionally spill off the side of the bowl with the RCBS when dumping media back in from my separators.

So far, there's nothing I don't like about it, and a lot of things that IMO are superior to what I had.

 

[John from MD]

The new Berry's QD-500 tumbler was delivered today, and after running it just 5 minutes, I can already tell you that I like it WAY more than I liked the RCBS.

Here are some plusses of the new Berry's QD-500 that I can see after only 5 minutes of use:

1. Made in the USA, 3-year warranty on the motor, and lifetime warranty on the other parts.
2. Price - less than $90 shipped - less than most of the other makes and models, and much less than the $215 Dillon wants for the CV-750
3. Quiet - not nearly as loud as the RCBS
4. Doesn't try to walk off my workbench. Even empty it doesn't move much when running.
5. Maybe it's my imagination, but it seems like it's tumbling faster than the RCBS did.
6. It will wind up being less messy because the opening of the bowl doesn't turn back on itself, so it's a wider opening - I'd occasionally spill off the side of the bowl with the RCBS when dumping media back in from my separators.

So far, there's nothing I don't like about it, and a lot of things that IMO are superior to what I had.

I have a Berry's and can vouch for their customer service. They have sent me a couple of lids as the lid is the only thing that fails. After a while, it just cracks out and I call and get a new one. The last one lasted three years. The tumbler itself is about 8 years old and gets lots of use. I did tear it down once to give the motor a good cleaning and relube the bearings.

 

[trickg]

I have a Berry's and can vouch for their customer service. They have sent me a couple of lids as the lid is the only thing that fails. After a while, it just cracks out and I call and get a new one. The last one lasted three years. The tumbler itself is about 8 years old and gets lots of use. I did tear it down once to give the motor a good cleaning and relube the bearings.

That's good - it seems to me that the polycarbonate top would be prone to cracking, but given that they have a lifetime warranty on it, it doesn't seem like such a bad thing to just call to get a replacement.

 

[John from MD]

That's good - it seems to me that the polycarbonate top would be prone to cracking, but given that they have a lifetime warranty on it, it doesn't seem like such a bad thing to just call to get a replacement.

Let your fingers do the walking.

 

[gungate]

I added another shelf. It is impossible to have too much space. I am tempted to will put another shelf under this one. This one let me clear everything off the top of my bench.

 

[Ponder_MD]

I added another shelf. It is impossible to have too much space. I am tempted to will put another shelf under this one. This one let me clear everything off the top of my bench.

View attachment 400035

Damn you people and your neat and tidy homes. I WILL get into my garage and get it straightened out so that I can do this.

 

[BUFF7MM]

Started tinkering with the 30 super carry loads, CFE pistol powder and Acme pills.

 

[John from MD]

Started tinkering with the 30 super carry loads, CFE pistol powder and Acme pills.

You are the first person I have found that has bought one. Did you put up a shooting report somewhere?

 

[Squaregrouper]

I spent an hour and a half looking for my 10mm resizing die before giving up and ordering another one.
I have cleaned ~4000 pieces of 5.56 brass. I ordered a swaging kit for my Lee APP because I'm not about to manually remove that many crimps/