I know this question has been asked many times, but I need somoe suggestions for a good tumbler media that is easy to find and inexpensive.

I have heard about Corn Cob, Rice, Walnut shell, etc... But does anyone have a secret they would like to share?

Thanks
Frank

Industrial walnut hulls - I bought 100lb of them many years ago, they work great for cleaning the range brass - removing the powder/lead residue, range dirt, etc.
It was cheap, pennies a pound, from an industrial supply place. It's used in commercial bead-blasting and polishing operations.

Walnut hulls will not put a nice polish on brass, you will need treated corn cobs for that. I buy them from Lyman or Dillon, then add jewelers rouge polishing compound. Brass comes out of the tumbler factory-shiny.

I use rice for polishing bullets after moly-coating. Never used rice for brass.

I highly recommend getting an ultrasonic cleaner, to wash the brass after tumbling.
Works great for gun cleaning as well.
LT

quote:

Originally posted by Linear Thinker:
Industrial walnut hulls - I bought 100lb of them many years ago, they work great for cleaning the range brass - removing the powder/lead residue, range dirt, etc.
It was cheap, pennies a pound, from an industrial supply place. It's used in commercial bead-blasting and polishing operations.

Walnut hulls will not put a nice polish on brass, you will need treated corn cobs for that. I buy them from Lyman or Dillon, then add jewelers rouge polishing compound. Brass comes out of the tumbler factory-shiny.

I use rice for polishing bullets after moly-coating. Never used rice for brass.

I highly recommend getting an ultrasonic cleaner, to wash the brass after tumbling.
Works great for gun cleaning as well.
LT

LT,

May I ask what your cleaning procedure is exactly.?

I'm Mr. Cheap when it comes to cleaning brass.
I use a plastic tub of detergent water and a 1/4 of lemonjuice.
Stir 'em around and let them sit an hour or so.
Then rinse.

As for polish, either buy pre-treated corn cobb or make your own.
Fine ground corn cobb and auto polish.

quote:

Originally posted by ScreamingCockatoo:
I'm Mr. Cheap when it comes to cleaning brass.
I use a plastic tub of detergent water and a 1/4 of lemonjuice.
Stir 'em around and let them sit an hour or so.
Then rinse.

As for polish, either buy pre-treated corn cobb or make your own.
Fine ground corn cobb and auto polish.

Have you tried Walnut hulls with polish or Rice with polish before?

Thanks
Frank

Just corn cobb.
I've used walnut shells for power cleaning automobile engine parts.

quote:

Originally posted by ScreamingCockatoo:
Just corn cobb.
I've used walnut shells for power cleaning automobile engine parts.

ok, thanks SC!

kosmo1 - I used to load ammo commercially, so my brass routine is a mini version of what we did as a business.

I shoot a lot, and run matches, so I need 20-30K rounds a year, mainly 40SW nowadays.
I like to batch the work, 5-10K at a time. My procedure is:

1. Range brass gets an ultrasonic wash with Simple Green or Dawn dishwasher detergent. This gets the powder residue and range dust off. Rinse, then dump the brass on the old towel and wait for it to dry.

2. Resize/deprime - I have a dedicated 1050 for this. Commercial reloaders don't do this as a separate step, it takes too much time.

3. Tumble with walnut hulls, this cleans the brass inside and out, including the primer pocket. Sometimes, I follow up with corn-cob tumble, if I want the brass to look good. Over the years, I learned to care less as to how the brass looked, as long as it worked.

4. Another ultrasonic wash, to get the abrasive dust off the brass

5. Dry the brass, and ready to load.

I've been called a retentive once or twice over my elaborate procedures, to which I say: If it's worth doing, it's worth doing well. I haven't had a dud round in the last 15 years of reloading, so I know I'm doing it right.
LT

I have used rice, dried coffee grounds, bird seed, and walnut shells. Walnut shells really are the best. Bird seed was good though, gives you a matte finish, but the mix I used had a few sunflower seeds in it, which tended to get caught in the primer pockets. Rice is good in a pinch, but you aren't saving any money. Coffee grounds, clingy brown dust everywhere, what was I thinking?

Thanks LT!

I've read that kitty litter is good, but when I shop for it, everything is treated for odor suppression and the like, so I'm not sure if that would work or not. I can't find walnut hulls or corn cob, unfortunately.

I don't think kitty litter would work very well. I tried Turface (the baked clay granules they use on infields), which is basically finer, harder kitty litter, and it's a little too rough on the brass.

tk

If you want walnut, go to a pet store and get lizzard litter . basicly walnut tumbling media
I herad about adding bon ami, a non scratching scouring powder, it works great but it is dusty.

Used to use silca sand from Home Depot, then I read about silicacosis or lung CA from silca deposits.

No more!

quote:

Originally posted by red_zr24x4:
If you want walnut, go to a pet store and get lizzard litter . basicly walnut tumbling media
I herad about adding bon ami, a non scratching scouring powder, it works great but it is dusty.

I have a spare washing machine (I got it at a thrift store for $25) in my barn that I wash the brass in with Dawn before tumbling.
I go to PetSmart and get Lizard Litter in a 25 pound bag. I add a capful of Nu-Finish liquid car polish and tumble for a few minutes to distribute the polish before adding the brass. Tumble for 4 hours and the brass looks great!

quote:

Originally posted by red_zr24x4:
If you want walnut, go to a pet store and get lizzard litter . basicly walnut tumbling media
I herad about adding bon ami, a non scratching scouring powder, it works great but it is dusty.

Take one of those used fabric softener sheets that your wife uses in the dryer, cut it in half, and put it in with your brass and lizzard litter, and tumble away, soaks up much of the dust, one use only, throw that piece away when your brass is done.

Like somebody else already said above, I use the walnut sold as lizard litter at the pet stores. Next time though, I might try calling up an auto body shop and asking them where they get their walnut media for blasting or stripping paint.

I also use maybe a cap full of odorless mineral spirits.

I think it shines the brass up better that way. I used to use both the Nu Finish and the mineral spirits. Now, I just use the MS.

Yeah, I throw in cut up pieces of a used Bounce dryer sheet too.

The combination of the mineral spirits and the dryer sheet helps keep the dust down.

Once I am about to open the tumbler, I let it come to a complete stop first and then wait a few seconds.

Even then I can still kinda smell the dust in the air when I take the lid off. I always turn my head away too.

Just think about snorting cocaine, inhaling stuff is the one of the quickest ways to get something into your bloodstream. Whatever lead is in that tumbler dust can't be good for you.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot. I might try rice next time.

Yeah, that white kinda grain like stuff sold in bulk at Costco or where ever. I will just have to price it out first versus buying the automotive paint shop walnut media first, though.

walnut shell media:
FWIW, the "El Cheapo" Harbor Freight Tool Stores have it in stock.

Don't even think about their vibratory tumblers--they burn up very quickly.

Picked up 25lbs of walnut shells at harbor Freight today. $24.99. buck a pound + government cut.

Also picked up 5 lb vib tumbler for smaller jobs $54.99.

Harbor Freights' got some good stuff.