[Raptorq7r13]

I'm just getting started in reloading, so I don't have a whole lot of experience. In doing my research for a quality vibrator, I found that some people prefer a standard rock polisher, claiming it lasts longer and/or works better. Does anyone have any experience with both? Which works better, a vibratory cleaner, or a rotating-drum style cleaner?

I'm also interested in what reloaders prefer for media. I know corn cob is the most popular, but have seen ceramic and metal filings used.

[rcmodel]

I can't say which one will last longer, as my Dillon vibrator is only about 25 years old and still going strong.

Drum tumblers run quieter, and can be used with liquid case cleaner chemicals.
They take many times longer to clean cases then vibrators do.

Most rock tumblers that are big enough for case cleaning cost a lot more money then a similar size vibrator.

rc

[1858rem]

rc... how long does it normally take to turn an 45 ACP shell from dark brown varnish to like new brass shine when using corn cob in a vibratory cleaner, no additives though. i have a half lb drum style rock tumbler and i have not been able to get rid of the varnish yet....:banghead::cuss::fire::mad:

[rcmodel]

A long long time!
But with with no additives?
Maybe forever.

Corn cob with no additive is not at all abrasive. Soft in fact.
With additive, it is used for the final high polish following walnut.

Walnut hull with red rouge is what you want to get rid of tarnish stains.

And even that may not do it, depending on how deep the stain is.

rc

[Raptorq7r13]

How long does the vibrator take to get to a satisfactory clean? Hours, days, weeks?

[rcmodel]

Vibratory:
Two - three hours if they are really dirty.
Longer if they are really tarnished brown / black.

I run untarnished once-fired brass for an hour.

15-20 minutes more after loading to remove case lube and fingerprints.

A drum tumbler takes overnight at least, or longer.

rc

[Raptorq7r13]

Thanks rcmodel!

It doesn't take as long as I thought it would. I also wouldn't have thought to put finished cartridges in there to polish off the case lube. I'll be sure to do that.

[rcmodel]

Your mileage will vary depending on the type of media you use.

I see folks recommending everything from kitty-litter, to rice, to Nu-Finish car wax, to charcoal lighter fluid.

I use nothing but the real deal pre-treated media from RCBS, Lyman, or others.

And add a little case polish to each batch to keep the media cutting.

Flitz tumbling polish is not only the most expensive, but the absolute best additive I have used.

I'd suggest you start out with pre-treated walnut & corncob media, just so you know how it is supposed to work.

After that, you can try anything you want and have a basis of comparison.

rc

[RM]

You may want to read this:
http://www.surplusrifle.com/shooting2005/liquidcasecleaner/index.asp

I originally bought the Thumbler's Tumbler and recently bought a vibratory tumbler. Although I have not had much experience with my Cabela's tumbler yet, I would say that the advantages and disadvantages of each tumbler are about equal. With each, I run it about 3 hours, and the brass comes out clean. Both require about the same amount of effort, i.e. for most of the time I can do something else while the tumbler is working. I do about the same amount of brass in each- about 250-300 rounds of .38 Special. The Cabela's tumbler is cheaper to buy, and it polishes the brass with the addition of nu-finish: the Thumbler's doesn't polish brass. On the flip side, the Cabela's tumbler takes up more room with the added stuff: extra concob media and a media sifter to sift the brass. The tumbler/media sifter makes more mess to be cleaned up, maybe less so when I have more experience using it. My original plan was to sell the one that I liked the least, but now I'm thinking to keep both.

[Jim Watson]

I have an old Midway vibratory - actually made by Thumler, you can see their two-pulley trademark molded into the bowl, just not painted. I use walnut hull blasting media from the welding shop with a little car body polish added. It cleans the empties but does not polish them bright, which is ok by me. Takes a few hours depending on the age of the media.

I also have a Thumler Model B rotary which I use exclusively with wet ceramic for my black powder brass. They come out shiny as new in 3-4 hours but must be rinsed and dried.

[jfh]

I've only used a (Lyman 1200) vibratory tumbler. Crushed walnut works best, and I recently started adding a capful of NuCar polish now and then.

As Jim Watson pointed out, the freshness of the (walnut) media matters somewhat.

Jim H.

[editingfx]

50/50 cob & walnut + a cap of NuFinish, tumble 2 hrs, load.

[Raptorq7r13]

Does the NuFinish mix in well with the vibrators? Unless I have some other type of NuFinish, it seems rather creamy. How do you keep it from gumming up in a small clod of media?

[Rembrandt]

I have both, Dillon CV2001 and a RCBS Sidewinder tumbler. Dillon uses walnut media, cleans much faster, 2-4 hours depending on how dirty the brass is. RCBS uses porcelain ceramic media wet, 4-5 hours, does nice job, small capacity, about a third what the Dillon can do.

[editingfx]

NuFinish - i just drip the capful around the media BEFORE putting in brass. Run for a minute, then dump in brass. I guess the vibration keeps it from clumping. I tried tossing brass on top of NuFinish on top of media, and when done, found a handful of brass that had clumped wax & media inside. No problem done 1st way.

[rondog]

You have to let the NuFinish mix around in the media for awhile so that it coats the media well. I let mine run for 15 minutes before putting any cases in.

I also do it in two steps. First, I use dry walnut shell bird litter from PetSmart, Kaytee brand. This will clean cases pretty well, but doesn't shine them much. Then, I run then in fine corncob (I get the 20/40 grade in 40lb. bags from Graingers). The corncob is what I put the NuFinish Liquid Car Polish in. Just a capful, let it mix in for awhile.

[jcwit]

Does the NuFinish mix in well with the vibrators? Unless I have some other type of NuFinish, it seems rather creamy. How do you keep it from gumming up in a small clod of media

Shortly after adding the Nu-Finish to the media the liquid carrier will evaporate. Whats left is a polish and a wax or polimer (sp) finish that will help keep the cleaned and polished brass from tarnishing. Actually most any liquid car polish will work ie: Turtle Wax, Mothers, Mcquires, ect., ect. I don't time my tumbler/viberator type, just fill it up before I go to bed and in the morning its done. Mine (Cabelas) sits on a cement block and just hums, if I overload it it rattles, solution take some out, not rocket science. Also if one uses the corn cob 20/40 grit available from Grainager's there is none cloging up the flash holes or primer pockets.

Grainager's sell their 40 # bags for about $25, will last a heck of a long time.

[pinkymingeo]

I use walnut/NuFinish in my Thumlers rotary, same as I did when I had a Frankford Arsenal vibratory. The Thumlers is a high speed unit, and cleans at
about the same pace the old FA did. I got the rotary for low noise, and that's what it provides. Actually, it's spoiled me. I've come to expect brass that looks like it just came from the factory. The tumbler is so quiet, I just let it run 24hrs or longer at a stretch until the cases, even really dirty range pickups, gleam. I can do 450-500 45acp at a time, so I don't need to be in any particular hurry.

[RM]

A big +1 on the 40# bag 20/40 grit cob from Graingers. My first purchase was "World's Best Cat Litter" which I saw recommended here by someone. That Sh-- gets a big -7.

[Seedtick]

editingfx - 50/50 cob & walnut + a cap of NuFinish

What he said. :)

I've started letting mine run all night with this recipe. I actually forgot about it the first time I let it run all night. I found that the extra time makes the inside of the brass (9mm and 380) shine much better. The better its shines the more light it reflects making it easier to see how much powder is in them.

ST

[Hey_Allen]

I've been running a FA vibratory tumbler with Lymans treated walnut shell, and a few hours turns just about anything I've thrown at it bright and shiny.

I found that it is a little noisy, depending on what it's sitting on and how much brass/media is in it. I just ended up putting a sheet of light ply and a piece of foam under it, to keep from annoying the downstairs neighbors when I was running it in an apartment.

[tommysempra]

NuFinish works great, but i learned today that putting it in with brass already in the media (ran an hr or so the other day and not shiny) sure did clump up the walnut in the casings of a few LOL. lesson learned there :)

[Idaho_Elk_Huntr]

I got a Thumlers Model B High speed and a Thumlers UV18 for fathers day. I also have a Frankford Arsenal. I buy the corn cob and walnut from the pet store and add red jewlers rouge. Makes an easy quick job out of it.

[Raptorq7r13]

Good to hear the tricks of the trade guys. I appreciate it. I've kept nufinish in the garage for a long time. Some of it is going to get rerouted. ;)

I've narrowed it down to a few vibrators. Frankford Arsenal quick-n-ez, cabelas, and the lyman 1200. As long as they are quality, I plan to go with the cheaper ones, since I won't have that much brass to clean on a regular basis. I know the tumlers come highly recommended, but I don't really want to spend that much. I will if I have to in order to get good quality. Any thoughts on those three?

[rondog]

Lyman Turbo Pro 1200 - rocks.
Frankford Arsenal - sucks.

I've had both. No comparison between 'em.

NuFinish works great, but i learned today that putting it in with brass already in the media (ran an hr or so the other day and not shiny) sure did clump up the walnut in the casings of a few LOL. lesson learned there

Yep.

Let me add that they work best on a hard surface, like a concrete floor. Putting them on carpet will absorb a lot of the vibrating action and kill the efficiency a lot. Also affects the airflow, which can overheat and burn out the motor.

[evan price]

iirc the Cabela's tumbler is a Berry's just in a different colour. Works pretty good.

Add a couple used dryer softner sheets (Bounce, for example) torn up into silver-dollar sized chunks. Used, not new. This absorbs the dirt and crud from the tumbler and makes the media last longer. Paper towels and such work too but leave them in too long and you have paper crud in the media.

I let a tumbler run all night while I sleep. Wake up to nice brass. I use PetSmart lizard litter (walnut) with NuFinish added.

The really brown stuff that's been on the ground all winter won't come clean without days of tumbling, and I find that it quickly will split anyway. This is due to chemical leaching of the zinc out of the brass alloy, this weakens the brass. If it looks pinkish or reddish after you clean it, toss the case- it is weakened chemically and is not worth reloading.

[jcwit]

Cabelas tumbler=Berry's tumbler

Cabelas customer policy--You WILL be satisfied so guarantee works forever. With that said mine is 5 years old and runs weekly, still just humes along. For $40/$50 bucks you can't beat it. IMO

[lordgroom]

I have the FA tumbler which I chose because of cost. It was worked flawlessly for me. I run a batch for 2 hours in Walnut media and add Flitz polish every so often. I also add squares of used dryer sheets to keep the dust down.

I am thinking long term about adding the large Dillon tumbler to my collection because of the large capacity.

I really like the RCBS media separator. It may cost a little more but it is totally enclosed and no dust. The sticky at the top says to watch out for lead dust in the tumbler media, which comes from the spent primers. Because of that warning, I use a Lee universal deprime to deprime before tumbling and have never had a problem with media in the flash hole.

[Raptorq7r13]

I've been told by a friend that the local wal-mart has the lyman 1200 tumbler for sale. There's a graingers in town somewhere and a petsmart. I'll stop by in the next day or so and get the vibrator and media.

Along with nufinish, I've got some brasso around the house. Does it work ok?

[The Bushmaster]

1858rem...Have you tried water soluble paint remover? Rinse well, dry and tumble...

[lordgroom]

IIRC- the general consensus is to avoid using Brasso because it weakens the brass. I have read that some here use it all the time but personally, I avoid it.

[jcwit]

Brasso only is harmful to the brass as long as the ammonia is in the mix. As soon as it evaropates there is no problem. With that said why do you want to use Brasso? After the ammonia evaperates what you have left is the polishing compound, more than likely the same stuff as whats in the Nu-Finish.

Once again, dried out Brasso will no harm.

[mooseracing]

Drum tumblers run quieter, and can be used with liquid case cleaner chemicals.

HF sells a vibratory bowl with a drain tube that is supposed to handle liquids. Haven't tried it, my vibratory bowls are a garage door motor and a fan motor.

[jcwit]

Drum tumblers run quieter

Not in my experience. My Cabela's vibe is much quiter, just hums.

[Raptorq7r13]

Yeah, I've heard about using the all liquid approach to cleaning cases. I plan to stick to the dry media. Otherwise it seems to have the need to add a "rinse and dry" cycle.

[Raptorq7r13]

Ok, one more question. I got the tumbler today. Lyman 1200. I'm wondering just how clean the insides need to be. Should I tumble until shiny clean, not worry about it, or use a brush anyway?

[jcwit]

Not worry about it, maybe a light brush out on the neck if we're talking bottle neck rifle brass for bench rest or target shooting.

[Seedtick]

Raptorq7r13 Ok, one more question. I got the tumbler today. Lyman 1200....

Did you get the Turbo-Flo model? I sure like mine.

ST

[Raptorq7r13]

Nope, just a standard bowl, with a sifter lid on the top. I found that after I take the bowl off, I can fit a 3 inch bolt through and screw that on to hold the lid on properly. Then shake for a few minutes. Easy.