using a rock tumbler for brass???

bill c68

bill c68

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I have heard of people using rock tumblers for cleaning brass. Is this true, is it a waste of time?
I have yet to tumble brass but I have a friend offering me a rock tumbler for $15, sure beats the cost of a brass tumbler.

Any advantages or disadvantages to using this?
 
Rock polishers work with the same crushed walnut shell or ground up corn cob. Some of them are small and don't hold as many empties as some of the vibratory type cleaners. They are not as dusty because they are not open.
 
BEARMAN said:
Rock polishers work with the same crushed walnut shell or ground up corn cob. Some of them are small and don't hold as many empties as some of the vibratory type cleaners. They are not as dusty because they are not open.
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Cool, so just how many emptie to media do you put in the machine? 50/50? 70/30?

Thanks.
 
Jst fill the tumbler about 1/2 full of brass then fill the container full of media, tumble for a few minutes and open , most of the media will be inside the cases,so add some more but leave some room for it to all move around. After a while you will know how much to use. The media can be reused until it seems to not work. White rice and brown rice mixed 50/50 also work as a polishing media.
 
bill c68 said:
I have heard of people using rock tumblers for cleaning brass. Is this true, is it a waste of time?
I have yet to tumble brass but I have a friend offering me a rock tumbler for $15, sure beats the cost of a brass tumbler.

Any advantages or disadvantages to using this?
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Buy it quickly before he changes his mind. I have used a rock tumbler for years for brass polishing.
 
I've been using a rock tumbler for years now... works good. I bought it for the same reason you are considering it, the price was lower.
 
I use an icecream pail spun by a drill which has a speed control. slow speed and it works. If the pail cracks, buy another and the benefits are the icecream. Pm me I will send pics. This "tumbler" is also used to lube the casings before sizing. Just change pails...
 
ceramic media makes VERY quick work out of brass cleaning in a rock tumbler. Only really good for pistol brass, though, it tends to get very very stuck in bottlenecked rifle brass
 
Winnipeg Toymaker said:
I use an icecream pail spun by a drill which has a speed control. slow speed and it works. If the pail cracks, buy another and the benefits are the icecream. Pm me I will send pics. This "tumbler" is also used to lube the casings before sizing. Just change pails...
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hmmm... now you got me thinking, my father has an ice cream maker tha he hasn't used in years, hold about a liter or two and is stirred with a paddle on a slow motor, I bet this would work!
 
m39a2 said:
I built mine from an old cloths dryer. I can do about 500 600 pistol brass at a time!

Scott
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Okay, that one deserves a picture, clothes dyers take up a fair bit of room so it is not an option. However after lots of shooting with no time to size and tumble I have considered dusting off the concrete mixer. :D
 
brass

I found a rock tumbler that was used for rocks.Do I need to just rinse it out or should it be cleaned with something before I add brass and media?
 
dgal said:
I found a rock tumbler that was used for rocks.Do I need to just rinse it out or should it be cleaned with something before I add brass and media?
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Just wash it out, and make sure that there is no sand/rock bits left. Sand or rock bits can create tiny pits in the brass and you won't get that nice brilliant shine... :D
 
In fact, all the first generation case tumblers were, for all practical purposes, modified rock polishing tumblers. This means they work just fine. Regards, Eagleye.
 
How full would you fill the case with the brass to be polished? And how full with the media (I am using crushed walnut shells - from PetsMart)? I am not using any additives at all, just brass and media. Thanks. Cheers...
 
CoKE said:
How full would you fill the case with the brass to be polished? And how full with the media (I am using crushed walnut shells - from PetsMart)? I am not using any additives at all, just brass and media. Thanks. Cheers...
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60/40 media/brass is roughly what i use. You really can't hurt anything by trying different ratios, just go for it.
 
FWIW I have a rock tumbler that I have been using for cases for 30 yrs.
Works fine.
For media I use ground walnut shells that I buy in large bags at the pet shop. They are sold as snake bedding.
Add a little NU finish car compound and it shines brass up very well.
The gunnut
 
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