Length of time in tumbler

Great info, will definitely try that out

Thanks:)

MJL said:
Bit of a sidetrack on topic, but as a Newbie, you will be looking for tumbling media sooner or later and you will get tired of the prices you get from gun shops and on-line will kill you for shipping.

Go to the yellow pages and look up any company in your area that sells abrasives to the sandblasting industry. You can buy it for about $1/lb, though you may need to buy 30 or 40 pounds at a time, it will last a lifetime. I split the cost with a few buddies. The grain size matters and at the moment I cant remember exactly what sieve sizes I used. Best to go to the counter and have a look at the samples. Take some of what you are using now as a comparative, because once you get there, they all look the same ...trust me on this one ... :redface:

I posted this elsewhere earlier this week, but if you are in the Toronto area, Spectrum Abrasives is just north of the airport off the 427, and it is where a number of us have purchased the media in the past.

Spectrum Abrasives Ltd.
3687 Nashua Dr.
Mississauga, ON , L4V 1V5

Phone: 905-678-1060
FAX: 905-678-1216
Toll Free Phone: 877-299-4905

You can get both walnut and corn cob from Spectrum,

My favourite mix is about a 50:50 mix of walnut and corn cob, with a capfull of Lymans brass polishing goo, my theory being that the walnut cleans (harder) and the corn absorbs the Lymans and does the polishing bit.YMMV

One final tip - throw a used dryer sheet in the tumbler. Gives your cases a Spring Time Fresh smell ;) but also traps the dreaded black dust. The less of that you have to inhale, the better your blood lead counts will be.

Welcome to the addiction ... :D:D:D
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I guess I have been lucky. I have been cleaning 9mm over the last year and the results after ½ hour have been more than adequate.

“A true expert is someone who know how much dynamite to jam up a bulls back-side, to blow of the horns, but not to make the eyes blood-shot!”
 
Try a bit of turtle wax in the actual form of wax. It helps clean and obviously polishes the brass. It also helps with the storage of the brass by protecting it for a longer period of time. I have also noticed the next time that the brass goes through the tumbler after shot, it speeds up the process. I run mine for half hour and done.
 
Would not the turtle Wax, wax the inside of the cases. Could this be a problem if layers of wax build up after subsequent cleanings?
 
Johnn Peterson said:
I've mentioned it before but when I got a tumbler I opted for thr RCBS SideWinder. In most cases, corn of walnut shell media can be used and for the tougher jobs, there's a concentrated liquid cleaner RCBS puts out. The SideWinder has the flexability to be able to use either 'process'.

I had some cases that were on the 'difficult' side and I can't remember exactly where I got the info/suggestion, so I thought I'd try it, and it works well. That suggestion was to add a few tea spoons of Brasso to the walnut media. At later batches of cleaning, once the time required increases noticably, add a few more spoons of Brasso. Also, that small addition of Brasso also seems to moisten the media enough to cut down on the dust factor. After I cleaned with the media and Brasso, I changed that mixture out and used more media with the polish in the packet RCBS sends in conjunction with the walnut shell.
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I have heard that things like Brasso can contain ammonia which might be harmful to brass. Something about ammonia making brass brittle (or something like that).
 
Foxamaphone said:
Hey guys, Another newbie question here, and I'm sure this has been discussed in the past, but, how long do you leave your brass in the tumbler?
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Reminds me of a time my son was 5, having a similar conversation with a friend about when the oil in my motorbike gets replaced.

Looking up at us from the black oil draining into the pan he exclaimed, "when it gets dirty". :)
 
KDX said:
I have heard that things like Brasso can contain ammonia which might be harmful to brass. Something about ammonia making brass brittle (or something like that).
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You are correct sir,
brasso with eat away at brass
weekening its integrety.
unless of course you clean cases with it and a rag one case at a time to
clean off residue.
 
KDX said:
I have heard that things like Brasso can contain ammonia which might be harmful to brass. Something about ammonia making brass brittle (or something like that).
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In theory only, in practise, you will never notice. The ammonia evaporates very quickly and there isn't enough to do any damage. Your case necks will split from firing long before you ever notice any damage from ammonia. (you would have to see media turn blue from the copper/ammonia reaction to have damage)

I use walnut with the Lyman Polish (not the recharger stuff) or occasionally Dillon polish.

Depends on how dirty the brass is. Old outdoor range pickup can take a day of tumbling.

I have accidentally left the tumbler on for a week, and because of the abrasive additives, it polished almost all the nickel off nickel plated cases.... :eek:
 
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leadslinger said:
You are correct sir,
brasso with eat away at brass
weekening its integrety.
unless of course you clean cases with it and a rag one case at a time to
clean off residue.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info, I wasn't aware of that:). I think the last time I ever used Brasso was on brass buttons and hat badge when I was in army cadets, and that was a few years ago;). What I have done following case tumbling/cleaning with the walnut shell media & Brasso is I've tumbled again with just walnut media. What are you thoughts on that? Also, after tumbling with the walnut shell and two tea spoons of Brasso added, I didn't notice any residue but I thought the follow up tumble with just walnut shell media should take care of anything along that line.
 
I've yet to see brass so bad that overnight in the tumbler with a tsp. of brasso wouldn't polish.

Brasso will not harm your brass. Ever see a warning that your candlesticks may become weak and brittle after prolonged use?:p
 
polish

I've been using NuFinish polish in my cc media for a couple of years now. Brass comes out looking great after 1 hour(2-3 hours for dirty brass I pick up at the range)....no sign of brittle brass. Using a rotary tumbler 60 -70 rpm.
 
i tumble cleanish brass for 4 hours in my Lyman 1200 Turbo tumbler....if its like black looking range brass sometimes 24+ hours:)....
 
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