Two Stage Stainless Steel Media Sifter

A two stage sifter for separating stainless steel pin polishing media from polished casings, comprising:

• an upper first container, said first container having a bottom surface with sidewalls extending upwardly therefrom to an upper opening, said first sidewalls having a height, said first container bottom surface being provided with a plurality of openings having a maximum size of 0.250 inch in at least one dimension whereby the openings are smaller than the polished casings and larger than the stainless steel pin polishing media such that the polished casings may be separated from the polishing media, said first container upper opening having a peripheral lip having a lip cross-sectional profile which is circular and wherein the peripheral lip is generally cylindrical, said peripheral lip extending outwardly from said sidewalls;
• a lower second container, said second container having a bottom surface with sidewalls extending upwardly therefrom to an upper opening, said bottom surface having a mesh insert having a plurality of openings which are smaller than the stainless steel pin polishing media whereby the stainless steel pin polishing media may be retained in the second container, said second container having a peripheral rim having a curved groove rim cross-sectional profile for receiving the generally cylindrical peripheral lip, said peripheral rim extending outwardly from said sidewalls, said second container sidewalls having a height which is greater that the first sidewalls' height, whereby the first container may be nested within the second container with the first container peripheral lip seated in the second container peripheral rim, with a space between the first container bottom surface and the second container bottom surface.

A system for cleaning ammunition casings using stainless steel pin polishing media, comprising:

• a rotary tumbler having a reclosable jar for receiving a mixture of ammunition casings, stainless steel pin polishing media, water, and optionally a detergent product, and a cradle having motor-driven wheels for rotating the jar to agitate the mixture;
• an upper first container, said first container having a bottom surface with sidewalls extending upwardly therefrom to an upper opening, said first sidewalls having a height, said first container bottom surface being provided with a plurality of openings smaller than the casings and larger than the stainless steel pin polishing media whereby the casings may be separated from the stainless steel pin polishing media, said first container upper opening having a peripheral lip having a lip cross-sectional profile, said peripheral lip extending outwardly from said sidewalls;
• a lower second container, said second container having a bottom surface with sidewalls extending upwardly therefrom to an upper opening, said bottom surface having a mesh insert having a plurality of openings which are smaller than the stainless steel pin polishing media whereby the stainless steel pin polishing media may be retained in the second container, said second container having a peripheral rim having a rim cross-sectional profile contoured to receive the first container peripheral lip cross-sectional profile, said peripheral rim extending outwardly from said sidewalls, said second container sidewalls having a height which is greater that the first sidewalls height, whereby the first container may be nested within the second container with the first container peripheral lip seated in the second container peripheral rim, with a space between the first container bottom surface and the second container bottom surface;
• said stainless steel pins being retained in said second container in the space between the first container bottom surface and the second container bottom surface.

A method for cleaning brass ammunition casings using stainless steel pin polishing media, comprising the steps of:

• tumbling a mixture of brass ammunition casings, stainless steel pin polishing media, water, and optionally, cleaning products, in a reclosable jar seated in motor-driven wheels of a rotary tumbler to agitate the mixture;
• transferring the mixture to an upper first container, said first container having a bottom surface with sidewalls extending upwardly therefrom to an upper opening, said first sidewalls having a height, said first container bottom surface being provided with a plurality of openings smaller than the casings and larger than the stainless steel pin polishing media, said first container upper opening having a peripheral lip having a lip cross-sectional profile, said peripheral lip extending outwardly from said sidewalls;
• agitating the first container whereby the casings are separated from the stainless steel pin polishing media and retained in the first container while the stainless steel pin polishing media escapes from the first container through the plurality of openings;
• collecting the stainless steel pin polishing media in a lower second container, said second container having a bottom surface with sidewalls extending upwardly therefrom to an upper opening, said bottom surface having a magnetic mesh insert having a plurality of openings which are smaller than the polishing media, said second container having a peripheral rim having a rim cross-sectional profile contoured to receive the first container peripheral lip cross-sectional profile, said peripheral rim extending outwardly from said sidewalls, said second container sidewalls having a height which is greater that the first sidewalls height, whereby the first container may be nested within the second container with the first container peripheral lip seated in the second container peripheral rim, with a space between the first container bottom surface and the second container bottom surface, whereby the stainless steel pin polishing media is collected in the second container in the space between the first container bottom surface and the second container bottom surface while the water and optional cleaning products are drained from the second container through the mesh insert;
• separating the first container containing the casings from the second container containing the stainless steel pin polishing media.

A method of separating stainless steel pin polishing media from ammunition casings, comprising the steps of:

• providing two stage sifter including:
• an upper first container, said first container having a bottom surface with sidewalls extending upwardly therefrom to an upper opening, said first sidewalls having a height, said first container bottom surface being provided with a plurality of openings having a maximum size of 0.250 inch in at least one dimension whereby the openings are smaller than the casings and larger than the stainless steel pin polishing media such that the casings may be separated from the stainless steel pin polishing media, said first container upper opening having a peripheral lip having a lip cross-sectional profile which is circular and wherein the peripheral lip is generally cylindrical, said peripheral lip extending outwardly from said sidewalls;
• and
• a lower second container, said second container having a bottom surface with sidewalls extending upwardly therefrom to an upper opening, said bottom surface having a mesh insert having a plurality of openings which are smaller than the stainless steel pin polishing media whereby the stainless steel pin polishing media may be retained in the second container, said second container having a peripheral rim having a curved groove rim cross-sectional profile for receiving the generally cylindrical peripheral lip, said peripheral rim extending outwardly from said sidewalls, said second container sidewalls having a height which is greater that the first sidewalls height, whereby the first container may be nested within the second container with the first container peripheral lip seated in the second container peripheral rim, with a space between the first container bottom surface and the second container bottom surface;
• wherein said first container has two first container handles extending upwardly from said first container peripheral lip;
• and said second container has two second container handles extending laterally outwardly from said second container peripheral rim, each first container handle being generally vertically aligned with a corresponding second container handle;
• placing a mixture of stainless steel pin polishing media, ammunition casings, and optionally water and cleaning products into the first container;
• holding the two first container handles and the two second container handles and agitating the two stage sifter such that the stainless steel pin media passes through the plurality of openings in the bottom surface of the first container and the ammunition casings are retained in the first container;
• separating the first container from the second container.