[utbrowningman]

I have reloaded a bit in the past and have a Lee kit. I'd like to add a tumbler to the mix but have questions. Cabela's has the Lyamn 1200 on sale for $40.

- Do you always add additive (Nu Finish, etc.) to the media?
- How long does the media last?
- Do you then rinse all brass to remove dust?
- Tumble outiside to minimize lead residue in the air?

Shoot, deprime, tumble, dry? What am I missing?

What are your steps? I do not have a local source (or dad that reloaded) to help me on this one.

[rcmodel]

Some media comes pre-treated with polish, some doesn't.

If it isn't pre-treated use polish in it.

I never worried about the dust at all.
There is more lead in the dirt along every highway then there is in your tumbler.

There is no dust in the air as the tumbler has a tigtht fitting lid on it.
I don't even worry about it when I dump the contents.
I use a shop vac to clean up around it when I get done.

Never wash the brass as wet brass adds another days busy work drying it, and then you got those dreaded water spots on your crystal.
Wait, never mind, that was the wine glasses.

When to replace.
I notice a marked change in effectiveness as the media wears smooth.
At that point I dump it and start over with new media again.

Remember:
Walnut media is for case cleaning.
Corn-cob is for final polishing.

rc

[cfullgraf]

I sometimes add a polish, sometimes not. I usually will add a little as the media ages.

Media lasts me about a year shooting 5000 rounds or so a year. I change it when it stops cleaning.

When dry tumbling with crushed walnut hulls, I do not rinse the cases.

I put the cover on the tumbler when it is running. I do not find any dust in my reloading room due to the tumbler.

[jcwit]

Add polish every 5/6/8 tumblings.

Many folks complaining about "dust" are using way to much polish, in other words the "dust" is the excess polish.

How long does the media last? When the cases take longer and longer to get clean/shinney.

[utbrowningman]

So, does anyone mix 50/50 walnut and corn to do both jobs at the same time?

[joecil]

I have a Franklin Arsenal Tumbler and use nothing any more but walnut that I buy from Harbor Freight. I add a bit of Franklin Arsenals polish to it as well as a lint cloth for a dryer. I save that and use it a number of times and add a teaspoon or so of the polish. I've never had or felt the need to wash the brass after done. I do decap all brass before tumbling and also with some powders (black mostly) soak the brass, dry it before tumbling.

[jcwit]

Here's one of the best places to get media. Shipped right to your door for less than $35 bucks for a 40 lb. bag, and fine enough so there will never be any clogged primer pockets or flash holes.

http://www.drillspot.com/products/521055/econoline_526040g-40_40_lbs_blast_media

[utbrowningman]

What is the purpose of the dryer sheet?

[rcmodel]

So, does anyone mix 50/50 walnut and corn to do both jobs at the same time? I have tried it.
But it doesn't clean tarnish as fast as walnut, and it doesn't polish as shiny as corncob.

What is the purpose of the dryer sheet?Supposed to collect up all the dust.

I have tried that too, and didn't find it to be worth the bother myself.

rc

[jcwit]

I agreee with RC in regards to the dryer sheets. Plus for the cost of less than a dollar a lb. why bother.

[dragon813gt]

So, does anyone mix 50/50 walnut and corn to do both jobs at the same time?

Defeats the advantages of both individually. I personally see no need to use corn cob. The walnut blasting media from Harbor Freight puts plenty of shine on the brass. And since tumbling really isn't needed I see no need to have a high shine.

As far as adding polish. You can't really put a round or cycle count on it. It's dependent on how dirty the brass is and how much you are filling up the tumbler. W/ range pickups I add it every time as it decreases the run time needed to clean them up. If it's revolver rounds that went from the ammo box-revolver-ammo box then I don't need to add it every time. Try it every few cycles at first and see how it works. If it's not to your satisfaction then increase/decrease when you add it.


Brought to you by TapaTalk.

[GLOOB]

- Do you always add additive (Nu Finish, etc.) to the media?
I do. Just a little. What polish you add should theoretically last nearly forever. But the polish gets gunked up with brass and powder, so adding a little for each batch seems to work better for me.

- How long does the media last?
I'm working on "forever," with my controversial rinsing and reusing regimen. A batch of media starts to noticeably "slow down" after maybe 3-6 full tumbler loads, depending on how dirty the brass is and how long you leave them tumbling.

- Do you then rinse all brass to remove dust?
On my brass, the dust is trapped by the Nufinish. It transfers to your hand when you handle the ammo. I wear gloves while reloading, and I don't handle the ammo until I shoot it, and then I have to wash my hands, anyway. The only brass I rinse off is my rifle cases, after sizing, to wash off the lube. I use denatured alcohol for that.

- Tumble outside to minimize lead residue in the air?
This is a very good idea. Lead residue doesn't really hang in the air too long. But you don't want it settling on the floor in your house. In the reloading hobby, most cases of lead poisoning occur from ingestion, not inhalation. Some people tumble indoors with the lid on, but they only dump the brass outside. Some people tumble and separate their brass indoors, but I don't think that's a good idea. You'll know why after you look at your tumbler bowl after you've run a few batches.

Shoot, deprime, tumble, dry? What am I missing?
It certainly doesn't hurt to also wash off your brass before putting it in the tumbler. I shoot outdoors, so I use my media separator to get out the rocks and most of the dirt. Then I lower the separator into a bucket of water and swish around. Then take it out and shake out the excess water before dumping it in the tumbler.

Mineral spirits added each batch can help, too.

I don't personally see the sense of decapping before tumbling, but it's an option. It should reduce the amount of primer dust that ends up in your press's spent primer collection system. But it will increase the amount of primer dust in your media and potentially clog flash holes. After I size/decap, there always collects some primer dust in the bin of cases. If I have enough I might toss them around in my media separator for a bit to get out the majority of this dust before reloading. But usually, I just wipe the dust out of the bin once I'm done loading, and of course, I avoid handling the loaded ammo unless I need to, and never while eating.

Walnut is generally considered better at removing crud, but not as good at polishing. But you can always add polish to your walnut. As you can add mineral spirits to corn cob. So they both work. Which works better might depend on how dirty your brass is.

Never wash the brass as wet brass adds another days busy work drying it, and then you got those dreaded water spots
If you want to wash off the tumbler dust, I'd suggest you use denatured alcohol. Either straight, or cut with water. It'll dry quickly and leave no spotting. You can collect the cases with your media separator and put the solvent back in the jug for next time. Then take the cases and roll them in a paper towel, so any residue comes off instead of just drying in place. Another variant is to put a paper towel into the bottom of a metal bin and soak it with solvent. Then roll the cases around in it. Works very well for straight walled cases and you don't need to wipe them off or even wait for more than a minute for them to dry.

[BYJO4]

I've used the Lyman case cleaner for 35 plus years (had to replace motor about 2 years ago) with excellent results. I use Lyman's Corn Cob media and do not add anything to it. I tumble my brass for 3 hours and then size/deprime. There is no need to wipe off brass.

[Ehtereon11B]

- Do you always add additive (Nu Finish, etc.) to the media?
Not always. I only add polish or some other additive to the media when I am using new media. I polish in the media and let it run for a few minutes without any brass to let it soak in a bit.
- How long does the media last?
Until it doesn't clean anymore. And that is determined by how much brass is cleaned at a time or how dirty the brass you clean is. My media lasts around 300 or so rounds.
- Do you then rinse all brass to remove dust?
I put a drier sheet in the tumbler and that cuts down a large amount of dust.
- Tumble outiside to minimize lead residue in the air?
Lead dust is minimal when tumbling. Otherwise all tumblers would have warnings about using it outside.

[Coldfinger]

I use a Franklin Arsenal sonic cleaner with Horandy sonic (case) solution. After I roll them around in an old towel I toss them in my Franklin Arsenal vibratory filled with 50/50 & a small squirt of Franklin polish. I have found this process time consuming but I enjoy cleaning cases. Odd I know. However sonic first will help keep your media clean longer I have never had dust be an issue but the walnut will plug a pocket from time to time.

[StretchNM]

Utbrowningman, I have that same Lyman tumbler. I use nothing but green corn cob media, and I have not tried any additives (except the dryer sheet, which I don;t usually use anymore).

What I do is decap my brass, clean the inside of case mouth and primer pocket, then tumble for about 2, sometimes 3, hours. I remove the brass and tap each one a little on the side of the tumbler bowl to get the media out. Then, each one gets a couple of shots of compressed air and the flashholes are checked for any media. On very rare occasion, there'll be a piece of stubborn media that the compressed air won't get out, and I'll shove it through or pick it out with a dental pick.

Then each piece gets a quick wipedown with a blue shop towel before sizing and trimming.

The truth is, I don;t always tumble anymore. After decapping and scrubbing the inside of the case mouth, more often than not I'll spin the case in a cordless drill and use a grey, nylon pad to clean the outside.

[ArchAngelCD]

I add polish every few times I tumble but not every time. The media will last different lengths of time governed by how much you use it. Like said above, when the effectiveness of the media declines it's time to change it. There is no reason whatsoever to wash off brass. Again like said above, it only adds an additional step and time to the process. I tumble in my loading room and don't worry about dust because my tumbler has a cover. Keep the cover on when tumbling and you won't have a problem.

All IMO of course...

[StretchNM]

I thought about washing my corn cob media awhile back. Here I had a whole bowlfull, after putting a fresh batch in, and I thought I could fill up some pantyhose with it, and dunk it in and out of soapy water in a bucket. I never did it after reminding myself how cheap the media is. Also, even though dirty media does impart a little of its dirt to the case, the real factor is the cutting edges, as has been said above. Once they get dull, clean or not, the media just doesn;t clean well.

I still have that hose-filled "sack" of dirty media, but subsequent bowlfulls were thrown away after they stopped cutting.

[dragon813gt]

My media lasts around 300 or so rounds.

Are you talking total cases cleaned? Because that's an extremely small number. Even if you added another zero it would be small compared to how many cases I clean per batch of media.



Brought to you by TapaTalk.

[GLOOB]

30-06 or 9mm? That might make a big difference.

I probably run between 500-1000 before I swap out my media and clean the bowl. More than half rifle cases. It's not an exact science, or anything. But I like the speed and cleanliness of fresh media. It's addicting.

[ArchAngelCD]

Heck, I run my media a long time because I add used dryer sheets to remove a lot of the dirt from the media. Not only is the media cleaner it aids in the longevity because less dirt means less wear on the media itself.

[Ehtereon11B]

After 300 cases I rotate the media out to put through a fine strainer and wash is what I meant.

[readyeddy]

I add car polish and take a wet paper towel and rip it into quarters and throw it in the tumbler. It picks up the dust and the water seems to help polish the brass. Also helps to keep the media clean and there's no need to dust the brass when finished tumbling.

[G11354]

I use a Franklin Arsenal tumbler with crushed walnut as my media. I've never used any additives and had good results, though the use of crushed corn cob might be something to consider if you want your brass bright and shiny.

[gpjoe]

I have a Lyman 1200 Pro and use corn cob with Nu Finish car polish added every few loads.

When I first started tumbling I wasn't worried about the dust until I noticed that it had covered everything in the near vicinity of the tumbler. The problem with the Lyman 1200 Pro tumbler is that the lid is slotted - to be used as a sort of strainer to separate the media from the brass. Well, that allows a TON of dust (and lead contaminants, I imagine) to escape while tumbling the brass.

I bought a plastic dinner plate at the dollar store drilled a hole in the center and use it as a sealed lid. No more dust.

So, yes, if you have the Pro model with the slotted lid you will get A LOT of dust and whatever is mixed with it, including polish and lead.

[RustyFN]

So, does anyone mix 50/50 walnut and corn to do both jobs at the same time?

Yes. I used to use walnut with Nu Finish and tumble for 1.5 hours. The cases came out clean and what I thought was shiny. I now use 50/50 walnut/cob with Nu Finish and in 1.5 hours they come out clean and very shiny.

[Ironbar]

As I posted on another thread, I use a Thumler's Ultra-Vibe which is super quiet. Corn cob media came with the tumbler, and this is the first time I've used it.

http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q314/IronBar66/Brass.jpg

On the left is brass tumbled with walnut and about a teaspoon of Mother's Mag Wheel polish. On the right is the same type of brass only tumbled with corn cob and Mother's. You can see how much better the corn cob did.

[ArchAngelCD]

I have found Walnut media will remove heavy soiling from brass while Corn Cob media will polish the brass better. Walnut seems to clean faster while Corn Cob makes it nice and shinny...

[thump_rrr]

I can't believe this has gone 28 posts with nobody suggesting wet tumbling instead.
The equipment cost is higher initially but there is no long term media cost since the media is stainless steel pins.
Wet tumbling produces no dust the way corncob or walnut media does.
Wet tumbling also cleans the interior of the cases as well as the primer pockets and flash holes unlike traditional tumbling with corn cob or walnut.

What is required for wet tumbling is a rotary tumbler such as the Thumler Model B and 5 pounds of stainless media. Sinclair's sells the tumbler with the media as a kit.

[Ironbar]

Oh I thought seriously about doing wet media tumbling, but decided against it because it seems like it's a major PIA going through all the steps.

[thump_rrr]

Oh I thought seriously about doing wet media tumbling, but decided against it because it seems like it's a major PIA going through all the steps.
1) Dump brass into drum.
2)Fill drum with water.
3) Squirt in a bit of soap
4) Srinkle in a bit of Lemishine
5)Close lid of drum
6)Set drum on tumbler
7)Turn it on and walk away

8)Unplug tumbler
9)Take drum to the sink.
10)Open the drum
11)Pour out the dirty water.
12)Rinse with clean water (Hot is preferable)
13)Pour the contents of the drum (water and all) into a media separator.
14) Spin for 10 seconds
15) Dump brass into a large towel and dry off the outside of the cases.

I use the RCBS media separator because it has a cover so the pins and water don"t go flying.
I don't use my clean brass right away so there is no need for me to dry the inside of the cases.
I dump them into plastic buckets for storage.
I also don't follow the maximum 15lbs for the tumbler.
1 gal. of water weighs 8lbs. + 5 lbs. of SS Pins = 13lbs.
This leaves only 2lbs. for brass.
I put between 5-6lbs. of brass.
The motor is still drawing less than its rated amperage which means that it will not overheat.
The motor is also thermally protected just in case it does.

It took me longer to describe the process than it would have for me to run a batch.
Another advantage is that the sound is not annoying like a vibratory tumbler.
I can work in my garage with the Thumler Model B running unlike my vibratory tumbler.

[MrCountyCop]

Just to add a little bit more. I add nu-finish and two old shotgun cleaning patches to mine and after 4 hours, the patches come out black. Another good way to help keep your media clean.

[Utefan96]

Using the Cabela's tumbler and the corn cob that came with the kit worked great. Switched to red walnut and now everything, bowl, inside brass and hands have red dust. Does anyone know why the walnut has the red coloring? Why would I want to have red residue on everything when I can use corn cob and keep things cleaner?