Tumbling media question...
- Thread starter phronq
- Start date
You have to change it?!
Seriously, I have never changed my media, I just top it up a little when I need to and every once in a blue moon I will take out about a cup and replace it fresh media that I have mixed with a little Flitz.
Seriously, I have never changed my media, I just top it up a little when I need to and every once in a blue moon I will take out about a cup and replace it fresh media that I have mixed with a little Flitz.I find that after a while the tumbling media just doesn't shine as well as it used to no matter how much metal polish I put into it. The tumbling starts to take longer and longer too to reach the same results. Putting in new media usually makes a huge difference. Great shine in shorter time.
As for how many times you can use it, it depends on how hard you're working the media. If you're cleaning cases that have a fair bit of fouling on them, then the media won't last nearly as long as if you were just cleaning up a little bit of fouling around the necks or something similar. If you're not sure if your media needs replacing, just pour your old media into a plastic bag or bucket and save it. If you don't notice much of a difference when you put in new media, then you can always use your old stuff when the new stuff eventually wears out.
As for how many times you can use it, it depends on how hard you're working the media. If you're cleaning cases that have a fair bit of fouling on them, then the media won't last nearly as long as if you were just cleaning up a little bit of fouling around the necks or something similar. If you're not sure if your media needs replacing, just pour your old media into a plastic bag or bucket and save it. If you don't notice much of a difference when you put in new media, then you can always use your old stuff when the new stuff eventually wears out.
Ah, cool... the big jug of media I bought today should last me a while then.
One more question... now that I've tumbled some brass, I see that in many of the primer holes, there's a little chunk of media lodged in there that won't release with gentle tapping.
Do folks usually go after those with some sort of pick, or is it ok to just let the decapping die take care of it?
It may have made more sense for me to decap the cases before tumbling, now that I think about it... but the press isn't in my hands yet.
One more question... now that I've tumbled some brass, I see that in many of the primer holes, there's a little chunk of media lodged in there that won't release with gentle tapping.
Do folks usually go after those with some sort of pick, or is it ok to just let the decapping die take care of it?
It may have made more sense for me to decap the cases before tumbling, now that I think about it... but the press isn't in my hands yet.
... If you're looking for a source of cheap "crushed walnut" polishing media...check your local Pet Store for "Lizard Litter" . 'Same stuff at a little over half the cost (and bigger bags available! ) ... David K.
I find that my polishing media lasts forever,but I clean my brass after every firing I also find that the ground walnut cleans better than the corncob, but I use both( I have 2 tumblers).As far as the media in the flash holes I just let the decapper do the job but I'm loading 95% pistol bullets on a progressive press,if I was doing precision target rifle loads I would probably be a little more fussy.
Media Use
Keep running the media it until it does not polish the spent cases to your satisfaction. The dismembered Bounce sheet, with Gelgloss in the tumbler, makes a real difference - Not my idea but one that works very well indeed producing nice mirror finish cases.
Keep running the media it until it does not polish the spent cases to your satisfaction. The dismembered Bounce sheet, with Gelgloss in the tumbler, makes a real difference - Not my idea but one that works very well indeed producing nice mirror finish cases.
I put the Bounce sheet in the bottom of my RCBS media separator case so that the media won't stick to the plastic case when I pour it back into the tumbler bowl.PeterB said:
As for corn cob vs walnut, keep in mind that the walnut does the tough cleaning while the corn cob gives it the shine. I normally use roughly 3/4 corn cob and 1/4 walnut. Too much corn cob and the media won't clean aggressively enough. Too much walnut and you get a dull finish and lots of dust.
Sgt Striker
CGN Regular
- Location
- Great White North, Eh!
I use both as well (if you can afford it, buy 2 tumblers, one for each) I use the walnut, with jewellers rouge for cleaning, and the corn cob for polishing. There is a liquid that you can buy for the corn cob help it polish better after time. And just to be cheap, I have "wash" some old corn cob in the past, let it dry in the sun, and added some of that liquid, and it worked great...
Also for rifle casings that have been sized and are all gooey, I wash them in solution with Birchwood Casey's "Brass Cartridge Case Cleaner". Works great, takes the sizer off, and they come out nice and shinny. The only pain is making sure they're good and dry before reloading ( I use the oven for that)
Cheers
Dean
Also for rifle casings that have been sized and are all gooey, I wash them in solution with Birchwood Casey's "Brass Cartridge Case Cleaner". Works great, takes the sizer off, and they come out nice and shinny. The only pain is making sure they're good and dry before reloading ( I use the oven for that)
Cheers
Dean
