Tumbling - What Media???

[sheepherder]

I have a Midway 'vortex' type case cleaner (not really a 'tumbler') and over the years I've tried crushed corn cobs, crushed walnut shells, and glass beads...None seem to get tarnished brass shiny...All they do is clean off the surface dirt...

What do you reloaders use to get nice shiny cases???

I have used Nevr-Dull and shined them individually by hand, but I would rather just chuck them in the 'tumbler' and let it run all night...

[John Sabato]

finely crushed walnut shells with powdered jewelers rouge... but I have always used a tumbler not a vibrator type polisher. But I would try it since it can't hurt anything. Rich, with your skills you can easily make a tumbler.

When I last built one I used a large-ish coffee can. Center drilled the bottom and installed a bolt to stick out that was held in a drill chuck installed on a gear reduction unit I salvaged from an old car power window mechanism and powered by a salvaged washing machine motor. Turned about 20 times a minute. The lid was the standard plastic lid that came on the can of coffee. It took years to wear out the lid...but it is easily replaced the next time you empty a coffee can.

I angled the can at abaout 45 degrees to keep the contents in the can during loading and unloading the brass. You can empty it quickly by opening the chuck and pouring it into one of those cat litter boxes that sift their contents ( I would recommend you only use this litter box for this purpose, because if you make it dual purpose and use it for cat litter your brass will smell pretty bad even after only one use!)

Cost: $0.00
Results: Priceless!
Media: useable indefinitely.

[DavidJayUden]

Try adding some "Brass-O" to the corn cob or walnut shell media. It certainly does help.
dju

[sheepherder]

Maybe I'm being unrealistic...Here's a pic of three cartridges...

First is typical before being shot...Second is after 'vibrating' all night with crushed walnut shells...Third is spin-polished with Nevr-Dull...

I don't really expect them to be bright & shiny like the third...But is the second about the best I can expect???

(All are 5.56 military cases formed to 30 Mauser)

[sheepherder]

Originally Posted by John Sabato

...with your skills you can easily make a tumbler....

Skills: Boundless
Motivation: Zilch
Result: "good enough"

... ...

I'm just looking to make them cleaner...The brown brass tarnish seems resistant to tumbling/vibrating...But is very nice as 'patina'...

Originally Posted by Patronen

+1 on the jewelers rouge, a friend turned me on to that, but after using it make sure you clean it out from the inside of the cases. I myself gave up tumbling to the point of making brass look factory but more for cleaning it up enough to reload.

Is the rouge liquid or powder??? How do you clean it out of bottleneck cases??? Compressed air???

[Patronen]

Originally Posted by sheepherder

Skills: Boundless
Motivation: Zilch
Result: "good enough"

... ...

I'm just looking to make them cleaner...The brown brass tarnish seems resistant to tumbling/vibrating...But is very nice as 'patina'...



Is the rouge liquid or powder??? How do you clean it out of bottleneck cases??? Compressed air???

A friend of mine gave me a few shavings off a small block, it is reddish in color. How to clean it out? That's why I really don't use it. 9mm which is primarily what I had used it on isn't so bad but is time consuming to clean it out. I have used one of those .38/9mm cloth type cleaning rod attachments. Bottle neck rifle cases especially something like a .223 would probably be a PITA. I haven't tried to do that yet. If there is a better way than to wipe it out from each case like using air I would like to know?

[sheepherder]

I'm 'cleaning' a batch tonight with crushed corn cobs; tomorrow I'll try a batch with glass beads and then do a side-by-side comparison to see which looks best...Hopefully, pics will show which works best in my vibrator/tumbler...

Originally Posted by Patronen

A friend of mine gave me a few shavings off a small block, it is reddish in color. ...

Here's an example of how my mind works...When I read this, I immediately thought of milling a small block Chevy engine block and saving the shavings...Duh!!!

[Patronen]

+1 on the jewelers rouge, a friend turned me on to that, but after using it make sure you clean it out from the inside of the cases. I myself gave up tumbling to the point of making brass look factory but more for cleaning it up enough to reload.

[mrerick]

I also use crushed walnut purchased at PetSmart as reptile cage liner. 20 pounds in a big bag last a long time.

I use a liquid polish in this media as well as a small square of used laundry softener sheet to pick up the dust.

The case in the middle should work fine... Marc

[rhuff]

I might suggest that you hold off using Brasso, and like products that contain ammonia. The ammonia reacts with the brass and allows deterioration/weakening. To use it now and then won't be a big problem.

Using crushed walnut shells will clean the brass, but will not polish it. It will have that matte finish. I used to use my old Thumbler Tumbler that I purchased in 1971. I used the walnut shells with jewelers rouge on it. It worked, but was a mess to deal with. I stayed with that setup for years, but was never overly pleased with it.

A few years ago I tried one of the vibrating units with corncob media which I add 1-2 cap fulls of Dillon Brass Polish. It works soooo much faster, and with better results(to me). Put the polish into the media and run the machine SANS the brass for 15-20 minutes to dispense the polish(trust me on this). Then add your brass and usually 2-4 hours will produce beautiful like new brass. I also take a sheet of Bounty paper towel and tear it into 4-5 strips and throw them in. They help keep the media clean and when they get nasty, replace it.

[sheepherder]

Thank you for your help, gentlemen!

Attached is a pic of my ~20+ year old Midway 'tumbler'. I suppose it's more accurately a vibrator. When I first got it, instructions were minimal. I filled it, dropped my cases in, and turned it on. It sort of vibrated, but even after leaving it run overnight, the cases were still dirty. By accident, I screwed the lid down tight while it was running, and lo & behold, a vortex action began!!! Media from all sides began flowing into the center, and down. I could see my cases bobbing up & down in the flow!!! Fantastic!!!

So it cleans the cases quite well, but doesn't really leave a matte finish. And it doesn't touch tarnish. So I guess the 2nd case in my pic is as good as it'll get.

I might try the crushed corn cob on another batch tonight, just for comparison.

[sheepherder]

Originally Posted by noylj

Me, 30 minutes in 20/40 corn is all I need...

James -

What does the '20/40' stand for???

Originally Posted by ithacaartist

Rochester?

David -

I haven't received the flyer in the mail yet, but historically the ESACA has it's first Rochester show in the first weekend in January...They do have one listed in the NYSRPA newsletter on 25 -26 Jan in Albany...

Originally Posted by mrerick

The case in the middle should work fine... Marc

Marc -

All three of these work fine. I'd just like them to look better. Here's a stripper clip full from 20+ years ago I keep for display. I could spin-clean them with Nevr-Dull and then use automotive paste wax to preserve the shine...I'm just looking for a better way to tumble them and get an acceptable 'matte' finish...An LGS some distance away has some that look like I want (done by a local reloader) but he won't tell me how (or who)...

Removing the tarnish is what my goal is. All three medias I have on hand work well to remove dirt/grime/powder residue, I'd just like some glitter...

[rhuff]

Originally Posted by sheepherder

James -

What does the '20/40' stand for??

That stands for the size of the corncob particles. Corncob is used in abrasive blasting of various surfaces, and the size has to match the nozzles/expected results.

In reloading, this size works very well because it does not get stuck in the flash holes(a lot of reloaders remove the spent primers before they clean the cases). If you do not remove the primes first then you can use a smaller size corncob particle as the decapping pin would remove any stuck corncob when it removes the spent primer.

[sheepherder]

I don't know what the corn cob is (been in a bucket for years) but the crushed walnut shells is '24 Grit Fine Soft Abrasive' according to the box...I used it a couple times for blasting, but it wasn't as good as the glass beads [for blasting]...IIRC, the glass beads were expensive...

Edit: I was curious as to whether cutting/resizing/bottlenecking would flake the plating off...It didn't...

[noylj]

20/40 corn, unless they are muddy and filthy--then, walnut.
Never forget, all you need to do is wipe off the exterior.

[wlyon]

Rich
I have a vibrator tumbler like yours. I use a product from Lyman " Turbo Tumbler Media." They make it in a couple types depending on what you want for a finish. Have always had excellent results. Brass comes out like new and more importantly the inside is clean. Bill

[kzullick]

I use corn cobs with a healthy squirt of Blue Magic metal polish. Works great and never had an issue.

[noylj]

I read people who worry about grit getting into their gun and clean and clean and clean. Then, they turn around and add grit to their media. Seems they may actually be putting grit in their guns.
As long as you are happy, go for it.
Me, 30 minutes in 20/40 corn is all I need and I sure don't think I need a polymer/abrasive on my cases.

[DavidJayUden]

Couple of thoughts.
Avoid using anything to lubricate, wax, or preserve the finish on your brass. A very important function of brass is its ability to expand and "grip" the walls of the chamber on firing. If you lubricate the cases of a centerfire bolt action rifle and fire it, all fo the recoil goes directly into the face of the bolt and its locking lugs, sometimes making raising the bolt handle difficult, the same symptom as high pressure. In short, lubed cases are really hard on guns, probably including old Lugers.
I'm no machinist, but I suspect that a high degree of polish is not part of reaming a chamber.
As far as Brass-O being harmful to brass, that's news to me. I've been adding a few drops to media for a long time, and have never had any reason to suspect the results. In fact, I've recently had reason (new gun) to start once again start shooting up some .223 reloads, which I just realized were last reloaded by me in 1990.
But then my goal in polishing and reloading brass is for function, not looks.
dju

[sheepherder]

Originally Posted by DavidJayUden

I'm no machinist, but I suspect that a high degree of polish is not part of reaming a chamber.

It is, for the reason you mentioned - The brass expands on firing. You don't want it 'sticking' when you're trying to extract it. I have used emery cloth to polish up a chamber on occasion, but the reamers I use leave a nice smooth surface finish [Clymer reamers].

I know the 'sticking' you're talking about on some bolt action rifles - I've seen an extractor pull chunks out of rims because the case 'stuck'. But it was a rough chamber, not a smooth cartridge...

I don't believe that a 'lubed' case is hard on actions. If it was, Winchester/Remington/etc wouldn't offer nickel plated cartridges...