What polish or cleaner to use in Frankford Arsenal Quick n'Easy Case Clearing Bowl Vibrator

Thank You to everybody that recommended Varsol and liquid car wax. I am in the process of cleaning and sorting approx. 3,000 pcs of 45 ACP brass using a Dillon CV 2100 and bulk medium grit walnut media. 3-4 hours produces great results, even on cases that are quite dirty or tarnished. No more dust. Glad I tried it.
 
pweb said:
Thank You to everybody that recommended Varsol and liquid car wax. I am in the process of cleaning and sorting approx. 3,000 pcs of 45 ACP brass using a Dillon CV 2100 and bulk medium grit walnut media. 3-4 hours produces great results, even on cases that are quite dirty or tarnished. No more dust. Glad I tried it.
Click to expand...
Once you try it you’ll never go back to using walnut media without adding it, for volume though a wet tumbler with ss pins is hard to beat for speed and cleanliness.
 
The results I've seen with the wet / stainless pins are excellent. I find that dry tumbling gives satisfactory cleaning, is well suited to my setup and space, and lets me begin sorting as soon as a batch is done in the tumbler.
 
Brasso does contain ammonia, which can weaken brass over time due to a process called season cracking—especially in high-pressure rifle cases. While some reloaders use it sparingly in tumbling media, it’s generally not recommended for long-term case life. If you’re set on using it, a very small amount (a few drops or a light mist if diluted) might be okay, but I’d personally avoid it for anything that gets reloaded multiple times.

For a brighter polish, a few options work really well:

  1. Walnut media – Cleans better than corn cob and gives a slight polish. Works well with a splash of Varsol, mineral spirits, or Nufinish car polish.
  2. Corn cob media – Polishes better but takes longer. Works great when mixed with Flitz polish, jeweler’s rouge, or a metal polish like Iosso.
  3. Two-stage method – First tumble in walnut for deep cleaning, then in corn cob with polish for high shine.
  4. Wet tumbling with stainless steel pins – This is the gold standard for the brightest finish, but requires a rotary tumbler.
For dry tumbling, I’ve had great results with fine corn cob media + a small squirt of Flitz polish + a capful of mineral spirits. Cases come out bright and shiny in 3–4 hours.

Let us know what you end up trying!
 
I mix together corn and walnut media, it cleans and polishes at the same time. Leaving it in for longer periods of time will enhance the brightness.
 
I have a separate Dillon CV 750 that I use for polishing after cleaning and sorting, if desired. I considered trying a squirt of varsol to keep the dust down with it as well. Will try now based on your recomendation. Also found a bar of Walter's polishing compound in the garage. Will add a bit of that to a small batch and see what happens.
 
I use 50/50 walnut and cob from pet store No polish.
Usually run overnight
Cut strips of bounce sheet, tied in loose knots.
Bounce sheets are pretty dirty after a few batches and get changed out.
Brass comes out clean and shiny.

Sam
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom