Tumbler Questions

mmattockx

mmattockx

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I have been reloading since January, but have not used a tumbler before today. I picked up one of the Rockford Arsenal units a while ago and just picked up some ground walnut from Princess Auto today.

I ran a batch of mixed rifle brass through for a couple of hours and they turned out OK, but I have some questions.

1) Additives. I know some people use Brasso or other liquids to help with the cleaning/polishing action. Do I need to use something or are the plain walnut shells OK?

2) The walnut media is quite dusty and I spent 45 minutes picking brass out of the media and wiping it down to get the dust off. Will using an additive cut down on the dust?

3) After tumbling, there is a bit of dust left inside the case necks. Should I bother to run a brush through the necks to clean that out?

4) How long does media last? The 50lb bag is going to be a lifetime supply for me unless I am changing media on a regular schedule.

5) How do I know if I have piled in too much brass? The first batch seemed to get bound up with each other and didn't move around much. I have a second batch of 30-06 in right now and it is moving much better and looks like it is a better amount of brass.

Any tips/experiences/comments on tumbling and cleaning brass welcome.

Thanks,
Mark
 
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I used to use Brasso until they changed the formula. Now I use the Lyman Turbo Brite polish. Nu Finish or similar liquid car wax will also work. The added polishing compound is more to make the brass shiny than something that is needed for cleaning.

Try throwing a fabric softener sheet into the tumbler to pick up the dust. A used sheet will work. I wouldn't worry too much about dust inside the case necks.

Media should last for quite a few loads. Replace it when it doesn't clean well anymore. I use plastic beads that I got from Bedrock Supply, which can be washed when dirty.

With a vibratory tumbler, the cases should circulate freely through the media.

If you don't have one already, you will definitely want one of the crank type media separators. They do a much better job of knocking the media out of the inside of the cases than a simple hand sieve.
 
The Frankford Arsenal tumbler does not have the same tumbling effect as my Lyman so I tend to use it as a backup or for double duty tumbling.

Nu-Finish car POLISH (not wax) will work as a polishing compound and should, in theory, help expedite cleaning since polishing compound has an abrasive in it.

I always run a brush through my necks after tumbling as the tumbler will not remove the carbon from the inside of the neck, brushing it will help your sizing button and/or bullet slide easier through the neck.

Depending on what brass it is you are cleaning I find the Frankford works best when not loaded to the nuts, ,where my Lyman will easily take 200-250 6BR cases the Frankford will do 125-150 comfortably and still tumble properly. It can definitely handle more but expect to leave it running longer if you stuff 'er full.

Media changing will depend on how much brass you are cleaning and how often. I sometimes change mine once a month if I am tumbling lots. At $18/50lb bag I can afford to change it regularly.

I use a cut up dryer sheet to help with the dust, 1 sheet per load. It does not eliminate it, but it will absorb some of it.

I will second the Media Separator, I have one and I would be lost without it. 30 seconds and your walnut shell is in the separator and your brass is media free.
 
The dryer sheets pick up a lot of the garbage - some have considerable more color that other batches.
I use my air compressor to blow the media dust out of the brass. Watch where you are doing it as a piece of walnut stuck in the flash hole comes out with considerable velocity.
Just like shooting, point it in a safe direction. The amount of dust coming out varies from round to round. Every flash hole has to be checked as the media will not dislodge from the primer pocket and needs to be reversed by applying the air from the case mouth end.
 
CyaN1de said:
I always run a brush through my necks after tumbling as the tumbler will not remove the carbon from the inside of the neck, brushing it will help your sizing button and/or bullet slide easier through the neck.

Depending on what brass it is you are cleaning I find the Frankford works best when not loaded to the nuts, ,where my Lyman will easily take 200-250 6BR cases the Frankford will do 125-150 comfortably and still tumble properly. It can definitely handle more but expect to leave it running longer if you stuff 'er full.

Media changing will depend on how much brass you are cleaning and how often. I sometimes change mine once a month if I am tumbling lots. At $18/50lb bag I can afford to change it regularly.

I use a cut up dryer sheet to help with the dust, 1 sheet per load. It does not eliminate it, but it will absorb some of it.

I will second the Media Separator, I have one and I would be lost without it. 30 seconds and your walnut shell is in the separator and your brass is media free.
Click to expand...

I will run the brush through, just for peace of mind if nothing else.

I have run a few loads through now and am getting a better feel for how much to put in and how well everything is moving around. Should be no problems now that I have a bit of experience with it.

I will have to pick up a media separator, digging the cases out by hand is quickly becoming a PITA.

horseman2 said:
Every flash hole has to be checked as the media will not dislodge from the primer pocket and needs to be reversed by applying the air from the case mouth end.
Click to expand...

I am tumbling with the spent primers in place, so the flash hole is not getting plugged and the decapping rod should push anything out when I size and deprime.

Mark
 
If you want to save a few bucks on the media separator head on down to the dollar store and get a collander and a bowl that fit inside each other. Give it a shake and the media separates from the brass. Total cost 3 bucks. My lyman has a separator lid but I didn't like it.
 
old enfields said:
If you want to save a few bucks on the media separator head on down to the dollar store and get a collander and a bowl that fit inside each other. Give it a shake and the media separates from the brass. Total cost 3 bucks. My lyman has a separator lid but I didn't like it.
Click to expand...

Hey, cheap is even better. I will have to take a look for a big collander and bowl tomorrow. I have 250-300 pieces of 9mm in the tumbler right now and was not looking forward to picking those out by hand.

Mark
 
old enfields said:
If you want to save a few bucks on the media separator head on down to the dollar store and get a collander and a bowl that fit inside each other. Give it a shake and the media separates from the brass. Total cost 3 bucks. My lyman has a separator lid but I didn't like it.
Click to expand...

That's exactly what I did, except I already had a small bucket laying around at home, and the cheap dollar store colander fit in perfect.The original cover/separator does not work well, and I found that when using walnut, you end up with a find dusting on the floor. I emailed Lyman, and they sent me a solid cover for free, and voila, no more walnut dust.
 
"...are the plain walnut shells OK?..." Yep. Cases need to be clean, not shiney.
"...bother to run a brush..." No. Doesn't hurt, but it's not necessary.
"...How long does media last?..." Mostly depends on how dirty your brass gets. Change it when it takes an extraordinarily to clean the cases. 50 lbs won't last a lifetime, but it will be a long time.
"...too much brass..." The manual that came with the tumbler will tell you how many is suggested for your tumbler.
 
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