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Just got a brass tumbler need help

DENWADENWA Member Posts: 390 ✭✭✭
edited December 2001 in General Discussion
1. I used rice with brasso and it made the brass real clean.2. Used regular corn cob to polish .How do you get all the rice/ cob out of the brass between tumling? Picking Each one out by hand with a tooth pick is a pain.thanks
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Comments

  • badboybobbadboybob Member Posts: 1,658 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Denwa are you depriming the brass before tumbling? Big mistake.Clean the brass first then proceed with reloading. Also you don't need two mediums to clean the brass unless it's very dirty.Just a 4 hour tumble with treated corn cob makes the brass look nearly new
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  • jonkjonk Member Posts: 10,121
    edited November -1
    Everyone has their own opinions on this. To answer your question first, several retailers sell brass/media seperators. A simple prospector model- a tray with slots that you dump the brass in and shake it until all media is gone- sets you back about $7. A fancier tumbler crank model costs about $20. I like midwayusa stuff, check out their websight, www.midwayusa.com As for my opinion, I polish first with untreated walnut media to remove all dirt, soot, etc., before resizing mainly to protect my dies. This cleans but doesn't polish. After resizing/depriming, I tumble in corn cob media treated with brass polish- Brasso is probably as good as any- and then BE SURE to check each primer hole before reloading to make sure they are empty. Rice works fine, keep doing what you're doing, just get a tumbler.
    "...hit your enemy in the belly, and kick him when he is down, and boil his prisoners in oil- if you take any- and torture his women and children. Then people will keep clear of you..." -Admiral of the Fleet Lord Fisher, speaking at the Hague Peace Conference in 1899.
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  • Shootist3006Shootist3006 Member Posts: 4,171
    edited November -1
    Denwa, a word of warning - don't use Brasso!!! It contains ammonia which WILL weaken your brass, eventually to unsafe levels.To clean the media out, I use a flat collander the same size as the opening on the top of the vibrating cleaned. Pour the brass and media into the collander (after fixing it to the top of the vibrator), turn the vibrator on and let it shake out all the tumbling media which falls back into the vibrator.BTW, I suggest never using rice as the cleaning compound will turn it into a gooey mess.If you are having to pick the media out, you are using too much cleaning compound. I use Midway's cleaner and only about 2 or 3 tablespoons will treat the corn-cob media (which will be good for MANY cleanings).
    Quod principi placuit legis habet vigorem.Semper Fidelis
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  • Shootist3006Shootist3006 Member Posts: 4,171
    edited November -1
    Saxon - try replacing the media every year or two! What are you using for media and what for polish/cleaner agent?
    Quod principi placuit legis habet vigorem.Semper Fidelis
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  • robsgunsrobsguns Member Posts: 4,581 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Just a word of warning, its kind of funny now. My wife gets tired of hearing my tumbler after about the first 5 seconds. I decided one day, after hearing her complain long enough, that I'd go ahead and cover up the tumbler with a blanket to muffle the noise enough to appease her. Well, here is the warning. Do not cover you tumbler with anythhing to muffle the noise. The heat generated by the tumbler's motor is great enough that if it isnt dissipated it can build up to a level great enough that it will begin to melt the coating on the motor, and when you shut it off, it cools and hardens, thus preventing the motor from operating. I thought I had broken mine by doing this. Fortunately, all I had to do was take it apart and break the motor free and it works good as new, to this day, and that was over a year ago. Thank God it didnt get hot enough to cause a fire. The funny thing is, I told my wife I'd broken it trying to keep it quiet for her, and before I took it apart, I already ordered another one, so now I have two. Life is good.
    SSgt Ryan E. Roberts, USMC
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  • RosieRosie Member Posts: 14,525 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Saxon, Fill half full of sand, half your brass of choice, turn on, go on vacation for a few days. I can personaly guarantee you won't have to worry about your brass being clean when you get back! Rosie the helpful
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  • Matt45Matt45 Member Posts: 3,185
    edited November -1
    Yeah, but Rosie, now he'll have to worry about green sand!
    Reserving my Right to Arm Bears!!!!
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  • IconoclastIconoclast Member Posts: 10,515 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I use a very small grain walnut media which I believe is treated w/ jeweler's rouge. I have a vibrating bowl device which I mounted on a board w/ foam pads for feet. Keeps the noise down to a dull hum that is just above the threshold of awareness for the family & not too annoying - almost white noise. I have a homemade shaker pan that mounts on top of a pail. Dump the bowl on it, start the next load, stir the finished brass, turn each upside down to make sure it's empty and away we go. Perhaps 5% have a piece of media trapped in the flash hole, but they come out when I deprime, no sweat. This arrangement doesn't remove serious staining, but it does take care of anything that would harm the dies and I'm not putting these rounds out for display .
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  • Shootist3006Shootist3006 Member Posts: 4,171
    edited November -1
    Iconoclast, jewelers rouge is an abrasive and WILL eventually harm your dies. Suggest you get rid of it and get some regular polishing agent - Midway and Dillon's both sell a pretty good one, abrasive and ammonia free.
    Quod principi placuit legis habet vigorem.Semper Fidelis[This message has been edited by Shootist3006 (edited 12-28-2001).]
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