Tumbling - Alternative Media

Jarlath

Jarlath

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Has anyone tried using something other than Cob or walnut media?

I was thinking of trying granular salt (cheap and never need worry about flash hole clogging). Salt is hard and sharp enough to clean I would think.

Just wondering.
 
media

Since salt crystals are cubic with sharp edges and that, combined with the fact that they are not very hard would very quickly wear down, creating a very fine salt dust that would get into every tiny crevice in the case and subsequently into the chamber of the gun. :eek: Salt (NaCl) is also hygroscopic (absorbs water). Water (even moisture in the air) plus salt powder would create a corrosive mixture that would not do the brass or the chamber/barrel any good at all. Non-reactive materials like jewellers rouge added to tumbling media do a much better job and do not damage the brass.
 
A squirt of Jiff (its water based) in the media works well for me. Some also use Brasso in the media. .45-90
 
I tried rice a few years back. I broke two de-capping pins in the first two batches of brass I tumbled.Seemed to be the odd grain of rice that really likes flash holes.....


The rest of the bag is still in the shop, don't know what to do with it......


Something wrong with corncob or walnut?
 
Go to your local "box store" type Pet Store and buy the biggest bag of crushed walnut bedding for reptiles & snakes you can find. Works exactly like the crushed walnut tumbling media sold by Lyman, RCBS, etc...only you pay pennies on the dollar. Definitely stay away from salt & rice, unless you're planning a stir-fry or something!:)
 
TUMBLER MEDIA;
Hardwood sawdust is great, not fine powder but rathe coarse stuff....

It should not clump in your hands, if it does, dry it until it flows freely....

Add a little of you favorite polishing material, Brasso or whatever....

Polishes great....
John
 
I get my corncob media for FREE from a local company that makes copper fittings.
They buy it by the SKID LOAD at .32 a pound!!

It is dustier than normal but with a squirt of polish the brass comes up great!!

I get a bucket once a year or so.
 
I ran out of corncob once and used kitty litter before the cat got to it:rolleyes:.
It scratched up the brass so bad maybe I should have used her old stuff:eek:.

Rich
​
 
joe-nwt said:
I tried rice a few years back. I broke two de-capping pins in the first two batches of brass I tumbled.Seemed to be the odd grain of rice that really likes flash holes.....


The rest of the bag is still in the shop, don't know what to do with it......


Something wrong with corncob or walnut?
Click to expand...

I wanna know how rice broke your decapping pins :confused:
 
I have used rice and all it did was make a dusty mess that I had to clean off the cases and then I tried using some good old No 1 hard spring wheat straight outta the granery and it did the same thing.I just use either the corncob or walnut and it will do thousands of rounds esp if you put in a bit of brasso or car polish every 2nd or 3rd time you put a batch of cases inthe tumbler.

Bearcat
 
As stated, go to a pet store and buy some walnut bedding...It's cheap and works well...

I can't believe anyone woudl want to destroy thier firearm by using salt, to save $5 per year.:D
 
Media frenzy

Now dont jump on me but Ive heard from several other shooters that they find walnut too fine,and that it requires cleaning the primer flash hole.So most the people I know use corn cob.Now if I could get it for free like stormbringer...:D
 
I've used both, hated corn cob.

I clean the cases before sizing and decapping, so the decapper pin pushes out any media.

If you wan tot clean afterwartds, then yes, you need check primer holes. Small price to pay to avoid corn cob, IMHO.:)
 
CanAm said:
There are several sizes of walnut. I use the size that is like course sand and never blocks the FH.
Click to expand...

Tell me the source/brand of your small size walnut media.

I was asking about various media for 2 reasons. One is flash hole cleaning is a pain when you are doing it for several hundred brass at a time. Second is always cost (Buying "tumbling Media" at $25 or so a jug is a pain in the ass.)
Hell, people here have used rice (which is funny to me for some reason). I used salt as an example. I can see now that I mis-stated myself in my initial post but I won't bother fixing it :)

BTW I like to use a media that actually would go into a .17 neck, so media that is too coarse just doesn't cut it. (Jam up some media in a .17 neck and you will have a grand old time trying to get it out.)
 
I;ve been using corn cob media from the pet store. a healthy squirrt of automotive polish paste, and everything comes out shiny and clean.
 
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