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ceramic for brass polishing????

bsdoylebsdoyle Member Posts: 279 ✭✭
edited November 2011 in Ask the Experts
Did I hear or read where you can use a ceramic bead or chunks or sumpin to polish brass in my Midway tumbler. If so has anybody tried them and how do they work. Thanx
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Comments

  • Hawk CarseHawk Carse Member Posts: 4,367 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I use ceramic tumbler media to clean my black powder brass. It works great but it is a wet process and more work than I want to do on smokeless, so those get dry walnut.

    A friend wore out a Lyman vibratory tumbler with about two batches of heavy wet ceramic, a rotary is better. Most of us use Thumler Tumbler Model B.
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  • nononsensenononsense Member Posts: 10,928 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    bsdoyle,

    Ceramic media has been used for cleaning every type of metallic object that can be polished right down to fine jewelry given the proper bead size and shape. Even custom rifle actions are now polished with ceramic media when a fine, high polished surface is desired.

    Here are the various types of media available from the industry:

    http://www.kramerindustriesonline.com/tumbling-media.htm

    Here are some videos to see the effects:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uipc5ZZLm30&feature=youtu.be

    The problem as pointed out is the destruction of the typically plastic bowls by the ceramic media when used in the vibratory cleaners which are so prevalent today. The best product to use is a tumbler as mentioned especially since this is a wet process for the most part.

    I don't use the ceramic media since I opted for the stainless steel product now available to the general consumer. It doesn't wear the tumbler but is still very efficient when it comes to getting the brass cases completely clean.

    http://www.stainlesstumblingmedia.com/

    Best.
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  • USN_AirdaleUSN_Airdale Member Posts: 2,987 ✭
    edited November -1
    personally i want the inside of my brass to be as clean as the outside, so would not use ceramic media, i use stainless steel pins that are about .220 long and .040 diameter, two table spoons full of "Tide" laundry detergent, plus a tea spoon full of "Lemi-Shine" in my "Thumlers Tumbler", i fill the tumbler to about an inch above the brass, seal it and tumble for about two hours. the brass after a thorough rinsing looks like factory new, primer pocket is as clean as if a primer was never fired.

    walnut, corn cob and any other "organic" media is worthless for cleaning inside the brass cases, after reloading i will put my loaded ammo in a vibratory cleaner for about a half hour to remove the case lube and make them look "Factory New"
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  • cbyerlycbyerly Member Posts: 689 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    If you are looking for economy, try white rice with a little brasso in it. A 25 lb bag is realy cheap and it works fine if you don't require a high luster polish.
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  • Alan RushingAlan Rushing Member Posts: 9,002 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    The very best system that I have found, I did not discover, nor did I find it on my own. It was passed on to all of us by Nononsense right here on GB Forums as per above:

    http://www.stainlesstumblingmedia.com/

    If there is anything that can top it, I sure want to hear about it! Thanks again, nononsense.

    ( Near as I can figure, the only thing that would top this system would have to be a never ending supply of virgin brass that has been processed by a bevy of retired, neurotic, obsessive-compulsive champion benchrest shooting nincompoops, with nothing better to do than to make the perfect batches of matched pieces of brass, for top-of-the-day high fun.)
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  • bsdoylebsdoyle Member Posts: 279 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Thanx all for the info. Great info on videos. Sumpin new to try.
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  • JustjumpJustjump Member Posts: 644 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Never use brasso or anything that contains ammonia to clean cartridge brass.
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  • bsdoylebsdoyle Member Posts: 279 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    OK I hadnt heard that before. What is the reason??? Maybe someone else will want to know why. Thanx
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  • BHAVINBHAVIN Member Posts: 3,490 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    I just went to the SS media website and they say not to use this in vibratory cleaners. Too bad I got excited there for a minute.
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  • tsr1965tsr1965 Member Posts: 8,682 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by BHAVIN
    I just went to the SS media website and they say not to use this in vibratory cleaners. Too bad I got excited there for a minute.


    Spend the money for a rotary tumbler like Thumblers Tumbler, use the stainless media, and you will not be sorry. You will get clean cases inside(cut one in half after you clean them with walnut or corncob media, and you will find that not only the primer pocket is not clean), and out, and not have any of the abrasive grit/dust that the walnut media leaves behind. That stuff will eat your dies over time, unless you wash and dry your cases, after you polish them in the vibratory cleaner.

    Best
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