What Type Of Tumbling Media Do You Use?

[PistolPete]

Just curious what everyone is using for tumbling media. I've used the Corn cob for several years because it seems to last long and work pretty good. I've tried some other stuff that after a few cycles was no good and it left a ton of dust on my cases. What do you use and how does it work?

[Loves2Shoot]

I use a rice (from Costco) and corn cob (from the feed store) mix. Cheap and easy, so when it gets dirty just toss it.

[dajarrel]

I use corn cob from a grit-blasting company. I mix a tablespoon or so of Midway (Franklin Arsenal) brass polish and tumble away. About 3 hours to clean shiney brass.

FWIW

dj

[GuildSF4]

I use corn cob with a little crushed walnut shells in it and add a little bit of polish (Franklin, Dillon, whichever I have).

[spook]

1/2 corn cob 1/2 walnut shell (and some Dillon rapid polish). Works well.

[Kevin Kline]

Another vote for white rice.

[Canuck-IL]

3/4 walnut shell (reptile bedding when it's on sale at a pet store), 1/4 corn cob, 2 teaspoons mineral spirits - works as well as commercial polishes. Rice if I'm out of corn cob.

/B

PS to add, no mineral spirits w rice...it swells into a real mess...don't ask how I know!

Edited November 28, 2005 by Canuck-IL

[davidball]

Hmm . . . I guess I do it differently from the previous posts. Two sets of corn cob media. One for "cleaning," one for "polishing." Tumble dirty brass in plain (no polish) corn cob for 1 hour to remove dirt. Strain and then tumble same brass in separate batch of corn cob with Dillon polish for 1 hour. I use a cheap timer like you use for lamps and stuff so I don't have to worry about turning the tumbler off on time. I re-use the two batches of corn cob for 6 to 9 months. When the cleaning batch starts looking bad I pitch both and start with fresh.

[lynn jones]

I use a rice (from Costco) and corn cob (from the feed store) mix. Cheap and easy, so when it gets dirty just toss it.

+1

i use nu-finish car wax and mineral spirits 50/50 mix as polishing compound.

lynn

[Intel6]

I use the bulk crushed walnut shells that is sold as pet cage lining.

I run two vibratory cleaners. One I use Brasso in to clean all the crap off the cases so my polish medis lasts longer. Before anyone says you can't use Brasso because of the ammonia I say prove it. I have never seen any evidence of Brasso, used in a case polisher, cause any problems. I have been using it going on 20 years now and I haven't had any problems. When I add the Brasso I let it run for a while with the lid off and no brass to dissapate the Brasso and let ammonia evaporate.

In the second cleaner I use Nu finish and Mineral spirits to polish the cases to a nice shine.

I run both cleaners on a timer for a few hours so I don't have to remember to turn it off.

Neal in AZ

[LPatterson]

Hmm . . . I guess I do it differently from the previous posts. Two sets of corn cob media. One for "cleaning," one for "polishing." Tumble dirty brass in plain (no polish) corn cob for 1 hour to remove dirt. Strain and then tumble same brass in separate batch of corn cob with Dillon polish for 1 hour. I use a cheap timer like you use for lamps and stuff so I don't have to worry about turning the tumbler off on time. I re-use the two batches of corn cob for 6 to 9 months. When the cleaning batch starts looking bad I pitch both and start with fresh.

+1 for different. I start with walnut & mineral spirits for an hour, then switch to corn cob with Nu Finish for another hour. I am going to try some Meguiar's with the next cleaning. The media is from Petco and lasts 5-6000 rounds if I can keep the brass out of the mud.

[Cuz]

I use strictly walnut media. I use two batches, one for cleaning and another for polishing. I tumble in cleaning media for about 2-3 hours. I usually save my brass and spend the whole weekend just doing that. Then on another weekend I'll use the polishing batch of walnut media mixed with Dillon case polish and tumble for 3-4 hours. From reading everyone elses posts it appears that I may be a bit fanatical and am also spending more than the others. I may need to rethink my plan and equipment based on other posts.

-Cuz.

[AWLAZS]

I have been using walnut from the pet store and NU finish.

[JFD]

The best for me has been Lyman Tuff-Nut. However I never remember to order media, so I've been running ground corn cob from Georgia Arms. I get this at gun shows when I buy powder and primers. I usually use Lyman polish or Flitz, depending on what I have.

I've also used ground walnut from Pet Smart, IF I remember to go get it.

[bpowe]

I've always been pretty conventional when tumbling brass... but my buddy, Fred of Weird Fred Custom Guns has shown me the error of my ways. He puts about 10 lbs of crushed corncob, 2 oz ATF, 2 oz car buffing compound, and a 5 gallon bucket of sorted brass into a plastic tub cement mixer and lets it tumble for a couple of hours. Even loading on a 1050, this produces enough polished brass to last awhile!

Bill

[short_round]

Another vote for white rice.

... is it me or does anyone else feel funny about using food to polish their brass? If unpeeled new potates could polish brass to a showroom shine in less than two minutes, I still don't think I could do it.

Oh yeah ... I use walnut and dillon polish.

[kevin c]

Two to one fine walnut media from a furniture refinishing company and fine corn cob. I'm running low on the latter and have been nosing around some pet stores. The corn cob there seems coarser but I may give it a go.

Frankford Arsenal polish for the first run, rubbing alcohol afterwards.

Short Round and I have the same squeamishness about using a staple part of our diet to buff our brass.

Edited November 28, 2005 by kevin c

[Brundoggie]

Trust me on this, kitty litter does NOT work. Not even that clumping stuff.

[Patrick Sweeney]

I use corn cob, bought at the nearest feed store in 50 pound bags, and throw in a capful of dillon polish in the bowl. I wipe the bowl with a paper towel and windex every couple of batches, to clean the sludge out. The corn cob and Dillon cleaner will keep cleaning even after the mix is so nasty you don't want to touch it, it just takes longer. Thus the windex to wipe the sludge out extends the life of the cleaning media.

[R/T Performance]

Corn cob dillon or cabellas polish .Found corn media and polish cheap at the online store.

[Smokey]

A good tip I got from an old school reloader: add 1 dryer sheet torn into thirds to each bowl to keep your media clean and lasting for years! Buy the cheapest you can, $0.89 for 100 supermarket brand.

BTW, 1 more for the "different" category. 2 bowls: first with half corncob (midway) and half walnut (lizzard litter @ petsmart) to clean all the gunk off, and a second bowl full of straight corncob with Frankford Arsenal polish (re-applied every couple of batches).

-Shawn

[Viggen]

Walnut from the pet store is what I use.

It all works. Figure out what you have in the area and go the cheap route.

Rice, corncob, crushed walnut shell, etc......

[kevin c]

Walnut from the pet store is what I use.

It all works. Figure out what you have in the area and go the cheap route.

Rice, corncob, crushed walnut shell, etc......

True...

[ima45dv8]

A good tip I got from an old school reloader: add 1 dryer sheet torn into thirds to each bowl to keep your media clean and lasting for years! Buy the cheapest you can, $0.89 for 100 supermarket brand.

BTW, 1 more for the "different" category. 2 bowls: first with half corncob (midway) and half walnut (lizzard litter @ petsmart) to clean all the gunk off, and a second bowl full of straight corncob with Frankford Arsenal polish (re-applied every couple of batches).

-Shawn

Shawn beat me to it....except that I use dryer sheets that have already given their all so that I can have that fresh spring-like scent all day long.

When I pull them out of a load of freshly dried laundry they go into a box for use in my corn cob media. Throw a used sheet in and when finished tumbling, remove v-e-r-y gently. All the black crap stuck to it is the junk you don't want to breathe. Media lasts a long, long time.

...Mark

[Harmon]

i have some black crushed glass used to blast pressure vessels in chemical plants. its not real sharp, but it is aggresive.

mixed 50/50 with crushed walnut shell and a few pinto beans to lighten the mixture(the glass media is heavy heavy!) it will turn crusty range brass to like new in 3 hours.

for less than crusty brass, i use plain walnut shell w/ some form of compound...flitz brass media polish works great.