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polishing Brass

Twowings2UTwowings2U Member Posts: 90 ✭✭
Just lucked into a bunch of ground walnut hulls, which don't seem to
clean very well.by themselves..I have some red iron oxide (rouge) that I would like to mix with it.. how do you make it stick to the walnut?
or will it attach itself dry ??
--spray lightly with water ?? deodorized kerosene,(lantern fuel) & how much ?? or would you add a little, mix a while & look for a color change?? 2wings

Comments

  • RobOzRobOz Member Posts: 9,523 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    This is going to sound funny. When my walnut media looks dirty I cut up a dryer sheet and throw it in for a cycle or two.
  • Twowings2UTwowings2U Member Posts: 90 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    So do you run the walnut media with no additives?
  • RobOzRobOz Member Posts: 9,523 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I never used any.
  • dcs shootersdcs shooters Member Posts: 10,969
    edited November -1
    I put liquid auto polish in mine [;)]
  • RobOzRobOz Member Posts: 9,523 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by dcs shooters
    I put liquid auto polish in mine [;)]


    Does that help with dirty media, or just get the brass shinny?
  • dcs shootersdcs shooters Member Posts: 10,969
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by RobOz
    quote:Originally posted by dcs shooters
    I put liquid auto polish in mine [;)]


    Does that help with dirty media, or just get the brass shinny?


    Polishes very good [^]
  • Sky SoldierSky Soldier Member Posts: 460
    edited November -1
    I don't add anything to my walnut shells when cleaning brass because the brass has already been vibrated in corn cob and copper polish and the walnut shells are just to pretty them up.

    SS
  • victorj19victorj19 Member Posts: 3,642 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    The instructions I got with rouge is to add a small amount of mineral spirits. Found it is better not to have the brass in the mix. turn on the machine for a minute or two after adding the rouge and mineral spirits then add the brass. Indoors, I prefer the low odor mineral spirits. Turpentine also works.

    If your brass is very dirty, use white rouge first. Change the media and use the red rouge next for a shiny finish.
  • FrancFFrancF Member Posts: 35,278 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Walnut-Cleaning/heavy crud
    Corncob-Polish/finish.
  • RobOzRobOz Member Posts: 9,523 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by dcs shooters
    quote:Originally posted by RobOz
    quote:Originally posted by dcs shooters
    I put liquid auto polish in mine [;)]


    Does that help with dirty media, or just get the brass shinny?


    Polishes very good [^]


    how much you put in?
  • dcs shootersdcs shooters Member Posts: 10,969
    edited November -1
    A cap or two is all you need. When it stops polishing good add one more.
  • RobOzRobOz Member Posts: 9,523 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    thanks for the info. I got cans of the stuff from when I was younger and cared what my truck looked like.
  • Twowings2UTwowings2U Member Posts: 90 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Thanks,Fellers,for all the good tips..
  • Twowings2UTwowings2U Member Posts: 90 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    P.S.

    I have a big vibrating tumbler--I loaded it with what works as a full
    load of ground walnut hulls, sprayed it while running with 2~4 oz
    (vol) of lamp oil I had---It was changing color fairly uniformly,
    ran it a while & sprinkled in about 2 oz (vol) of red iron oxide.
    When that looked uniform I tossed in 15-20 .38 spl cases---Ran about
    4 hrs..they cleaned up nice except a few spotted ones,that had been attacked chemically..
    Then I put in 150-200 .38 cases & turned it on & forgot & left it on
    10 hrs.---WOW did they come out polished !! even nice inside too.

    After unloading the mix & sieving out the cases, I turned vibrator on
    and noticed a small amount of what appeared to be iron oxide itself
    climbing up the sides of the bowl & waterfalling back down---I'm
    assuming that some of the oil evaporated,or soaked into the hulls
    releasing some of the Iron oxide---Next time I use it I think I'll
    spritz it with a little more oil & see the shells will pick up the
    released FeO3.---- Jerry
  • cbyerlycbyerly Member Posts: 689 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    All tumbling media will become ineffective if there is sizing lube on the ctg cases. Adding additional polish will only gum up the media. If you want to extend the life of the media, you must remove the sizing oil or wax before polishing. Just wash the cases in hot water with Simple Green or 409. Dry and then tumble. Your tumbling media will last nearly forever and you won't have to add much polishing compound as time goes by. By the way, red rough is a very poor polish for brass. A cheap and readily available polish is Brasso available at all hardware stores.
  • bartman45bartman45 Member Posts: 3,008 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    I made a deal with the neighborhood squirrels - they keep the walnuts and I'll wet tumble with ss pins....
  • perry shooterperry shooter Member Posts: 17,390
    edited November -1
    Buy the cheapest 20 pound bag of Rice . This does a great job of cleaning and acts as almost a dry lube[^] does not contaminate the inside of case POWDER CHARGE when loading
  • gunnut505gunnut505 Member Posts: 10,290
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by perry shooter
    Buy the cheapest 20 pound bag of Rice . This does a great job of cleaning and acts as almost a dry lube[^] does not contaminate the inside of case POWDER CHARGE when loading

    +10
    Just be certain the flash holes are empty before you load 'em!
    Rice seems designed to exactly match the size of a flash hole!

    I used to use a pillowcase and a dryer to tumble all my brass in rice until I finally caught up with technology and got a tumbler & separator.
  • yonsonyonson Member Posts: 892 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Please be aware that stress corrosion cracking can be an issue when polishing brass with substances containing ammonia (this includes Brasso and Flitz). Will this be an issue with YOUR cartridges? Depends.
  • Twowings2UTwowings2U Member Posts: 90 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Thanks, yonson

    I've been a little leery of any chemical polishes--Inter-Jerrygranular corrosion ya Know---
  • Okie743Okie743 Member Posts: 2,580 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    To extend the life of any brass hull polishing media degrease the hulls before throwing them in the media.

    When using red rouge and walnut media I throw in couple of antistatic dryer sheet every once in awhile to get rid of the dust. You can also run one sheet with the brass if you have a small tumbler.
  • Twowings2UTwowings2U Member Posts: 90 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    OKIE

    Where do de dust go???----Stick to de drier sheeets??

    I built an air float cleaner for the raw media-(it was purty dusty)
    _6" tube 'bout 5' tall with acouple of 2 liter pop bottles (cylindrical sides only) extended above that--so you can see how high the is media is lifting. ?" hail screen & layer of flannel on the bottom,
    Tube mounted on a box & fed with vacuum cleaner outlet with
    adjustable throttle valve to keep from blowing the whole mess out.
    Use outdoors to get rid of dust.--Batch feed it ,about a coffee can at a time.
  • Okie743Okie743 Member Posts: 2,580 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by Twowings2U
    OKIE

    Where do de dust go???----Stick to de drier sheeets??

    I built an air float cleaner for the raw media-(it was purty dusty)
    _6" tube 'bout 5' tall with acouple of 2 liter pop bottles (cylindrical sides only) extended above that--so you can see how high the is media is lifting. ?" hail screen & layer of flannel on the bottom,
    Tube mounted on a box & fed with vacuum cleaner outlet with
    adjustable throttle valve to keep from blowing the whole mess out.
    Use outdoors to get rid of dust.--Batch feed it ,about a coffee can at a time.


    Yep, the dust sticks to the antistatic dryer sheets. You'll be surprised at how much is removed just using one or two every once in awhile and also the static is removed from the sides of the bowl. I also use a antistatic sheet on plastic powder funnels or anywhere I see reloading powder flakes trying to stick.
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