xsquidgator
Member
- Joined
- Jan 14, 2007
- Messages
- 835
I just recently got into reloading and am still learning the ropes. I started with a loaner RCBS single stage press and components from a friend and am now using my own Lee turret press and equipment.
Everything's fine except my ability to use a tumbler, or as I suspect, I have rotten selection of cleaning media perhaps. My friend loaned me a vibrotumbler with untreated corncob media, into which he'd put some brass cleaner. I tumbled about 1000 cases of old brass clean with his, no problems, just put the stuff in and let it go. The cases came out not only clean but almost new shiny.
So I get my own tumbler (a Lyman 600) over the internet. It came with a bag of treated corncob media (was greenish looking rather than the yellow color of my friend's media). Didn't work too well - the cases got cleaner but were very dull, not shiny in the slightest.
I replaced the treated media with walnut (or walnut shell whichever it is) media and tried that. The cases get cleaner but are still not shiny - they have a very very fine coat of reddish powder on them that I have to wipe off by hand if I want them to get sort of shiny. I tried adding a couple tbsp of the case cleaner to the media per the instructions, but it didn't help - still have this coating on the cases.
Is it supposed to be this hard? My tumbler works fine - as an experiment I emptied out my tumbler and put in media from my friend's tumbler, and it cleaned and shined the cases up just fine. But, I can't find any untreated corncob media around here, it's either treated corncob or the walnut shell stuff. Has anyone here ever had these annoyances with your tumbler?
Everything's fine except my ability to use a tumbler, or as I suspect, I have rotten selection of cleaning media perhaps. My friend loaned me a vibrotumbler with untreated corncob media, into which he'd put some brass cleaner. I tumbled about 1000 cases of old brass clean with his, no problems, just put the stuff in and let it go. The cases came out not only clean but almost new shiny.
So I get my own tumbler (a Lyman 600) over the internet. It came with a bag of treated corncob media (was greenish looking rather than the yellow color of my friend's media). Didn't work too well - the cases got cleaner but were very dull, not shiny in the slightest.
I replaced the treated media with walnut (or walnut shell whichever it is) media and tried that. The cases get cleaner but are still not shiny - they have a very very fine coat of reddish powder on them that I have to wipe off by hand if I want them to get sort of shiny. I tried adding a couple tbsp of the case cleaner to the media per the instructions, but it didn't help - still have this coating on the cases.
Is it supposed to be this hard? My tumbler works fine - as an experiment I emptied out my tumbler and put in media from my friend's tumbler, and it cleaned and shined the cases up just fine. But, I can't find any untreated corncob media around here, it's either treated corncob or the walnut shell stuff. Has anyone here ever had these annoyances with your tumbler?