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tumbling media

sirgknightsirgknight Member Posts: 109 ✭✭
edited May 2007 in Perry Shooter Competition Shooting and Reloading Forum
Anyone have a favorite media size they use? I was thinking about 14/20 for corncob and 12/20 walnut. Maybe 50/50 mix?

Thanks.
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Comments

  • sirgknightsirgknight Member Posts: 109 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    do you use treated media or do you get the untreated and treat it yourself? what do you recommend? thanks.
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  • shootlowshootlow Member Posts: 5,425
    edited November -1
    i have been useing rice for years buy bulk at Sams
    get some polish and add to it
    cheap and works great
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  • PearywPearyw Member Posts: 3,699
    edited November -1
    +1 on rice. Works good and is cheap.
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  • gotstolefromgotstolefrom Member Posts: 1,479 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    You will find many preferences, even some that change with the job at hand. I used corncob and/or walnut hulls for years without treatment. I was tumbling, not vibrating. It was simple and worked very well...I just turned it on and left it for a long time.

    When I finally went to adding some treatment I got results much faster.

    Then someone here mentioned rice. I've not bought any other media since.

    I should mention though, now I use an ultrasonic cleaner a good bit. It was made for dental appliances and I picked it up for cheap at a yard sale. Using a dilute cleaner, drop in 30 44 mag cases (de-capped), pull them out in about 15 seconds, drop into a bucket of water, repeat. When the batch is done, dry with a blast of air.
    Although this 'wet' method is really quick for a couple hundred rounds, and gets everything really clean, it will not replace my tumbler with rice for un-attended bulk cleaning. Also, you do have to change the solution after half-dozen batches.
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  • JustCJustC Member Posts: 16,056 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I treat mine with LEE water based polish. There is no ammonia in the polish and obviously won't contaminate anything as the base is inert. Toss in a dab,..run the vibrator for a while,..come back and toss in the cases and come back in about 3-4hrs. Brass looks new every time.
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  • konamtbikerkonamtbiker Member Posts: 284 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I recommend the RCBS Formula 2 corn cob media. Great for cleaning and polishing. Comes untreated but there will be a packet in the package for the polishing that you mix in with the corn cob. I run that for about 45 mins. Looks like new!
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  • sirgknightsirgknight Member Posts: 109 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Rice it is! Now, would a treatment like Comet or Ajax be a good additive to the rice for a polishing effect? Is there anything in it to damage the brass?
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  • shootlowshootlow Member Posts: 5,425
    edited November -1
    i use Dillon rapid polish
    i dont know about Comet ao Ajax
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  • Colonel PlinkColonel Plink Member Posts: 16,460
    edited November -1
    I picked up a big plastic jug of green stuf at Wally World a while back. I assume it's treated. I'm not sure even what it is, but I get three or four tumblings out of it before it'a too soft and black to do any good.

    I'm gonna try the rice, though.
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  • Smitty500magSmitty500mag Member Posts: 13,623 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I use Brasso and corncob media. Don't bother telling me about the old wives tale how amonia weakens brass 'cause I've been using it since 1963 and it works just fine and very fast.[:)]

    Smitty
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  • wcoxy2003wcoxy2003 Member Posts: 306 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    i had treated corncob media and figured after so long i needed to replace it. and then i read on here sometime ago about someone saying to just ad a cap full of nushine car wax to it. let it tumble for about a half-hour by itself to let it mix into the media. so i did and have been using the same stuff for some time now. it cleans the brass up really nice. but the rice thing has got me interested. didnt read though what your supposed to add with it.
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  • sirgknightsirgknight Member Posts: 109 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    I completed my first tumbling job today. I used rice as my media and added a little brasso for polishing affect. It worked great with one exception. Rice got stuck inside all 250 pieces of .223 casings and every primer hole had a grain of rice in it. It took forever getting the rice out. Not too bad on the 30-06 but the primer holes got a piece of rice stuck too. Does all media do this or is there a media that easily removes itself from the brass? I first tumbled the brass to clean it, then I deprimed and sized it and then tumbled it again to clean it. Brass came out just great but not sure I'm sold on rice yet.
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  • rongrong Member Posts: 8,459
    edited November -1
    I have been using the same
    treated media for 20+ years
    and just recently added
    "rejuvenator" to it.
    I added too much and had to
    spread it on a board to dry.
    I also learned years ago not
    to mix 45/44 shells with 9mm
    and 38/357 shells as well as
    decapping after tumbling.
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  • DocBAEDocBAE Member Posts: 22 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    The only media I know of that doesn't get caught in the primer pockets is the ceramic type. It's small cylinders, pointed on both ends. It actually cleans primer pockets! Lasts just about forever. However, the drawbacks I know of are: that it is heavy, it is a wet media. For that reason a heavy duty air cooled tumbler is required, as it will fry a standard duty machine. From what I've seen, I prefer the Thumblers.
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  • sirgknightsirgknight Member Posts: 109 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Does anyone use vermiculite? It's the material you use to spread on concrete floors to absorb grease, oil, etc. It is sold at Walmart in 25 lb bags for $3.50. It is a fine granular compound. Have any of you ever tried using this material as a tumbling media?
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  • ColoradoGuyColoradoGuy Member Posts: 3 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    I would not use Vermiculite.

    It is an asbestos mineral and has caused health problems for people working with it.
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  • Smitty500magSmitty500mag Member Posts: 13,623 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by ColoradoGuy
    I would not use Vermiculite.

    It is an asbestos mineral and has caused health problems for people working with it.


    Not hardly. They've not used asbestos in this stuff in many many years. I can't think of one product that a person can buy these days with asbestos in it. Especially for material that will be placed where people will be in a work place. Talk about law suits.

    Smitty
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  • codenamepaulcodenamepaul Member Posts: 2,931 ✭
    edited November -1
    Have so far, tried rice (worked okay) rice with sweeping compound (worked great) and plain corn cob media. The corn cob gave me a better shine and smoother feel. I can't say anything worke quicker than anything else tho' I have walnot shells, but haven't reied yet.

    Where do I get some dry polishing compound to try?
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  • franksremotefranksremote Member Posts: 7 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Plain crushed walnut mixed with a bit of corncob. Half capful of nu-finish and 2 capfuls of 90% rubbing alcohol
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  • codenamepaulcodenamepaul Member Posts: 2,931 ✭
    edited November -1
    What is the alchohol for?

    Best mix so far is bird cage crushed walnut shells (5 bucks for 8# at Wally world) with 3 laps of Brasso and left to mix for an hour. I added half a # of mid grit walnut too (bought by mistake)

    Works great. overnight in the tumbler and the shells look brand new.
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