I'm curious, do people commonly tumble in walnut first, and then tumble again in corncob for extra shine? I was dreaming about getting a larger tumbler in general, and thinking that is what people do with their spare tumbler. Is it worth the extra effort?
Tumble once or tumble twice?
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I just do corn cob with polish. I do keep a separate tub of polish free corn cob to tumble brass after lubing/sizing. I just swap it out in the tumbler. I pour the stuff with the polish in a bucket while I am using the polish free cob.
Honestly I use a 50/50 mix of both at the same time......Not sure if this is smart or not but my brass usually looks great after 2 hrs....I also use Nu Finish
I didn't vote, but:
I tumble in walnut & case polish before sizing & depriming.
Then I tumble the loaded ammo again for 30 minutes to remove lube, die marks & finger-prints. Sometimes with walnut, sometimes with corncob.
rc
I tumble in walnut & case polish before sizing & depriming.
Then I tumble the loaded ammo again for 30 minutes to remove lube, die marks & finger-prints. Sometimes with walnut, sometimes with corncob.
rc
rc,
Kinda like askin' if a pistol is better'n a revolver. Personally, I use Pets Mart lizard litter for my tumbling, you can get an 10 lb. bag for about $7.00, the litter is crushed walnut. Then, I go to an auto parts store and get some Turtle Wax polishing compound, its ammonia-free. I have a larger tumbling bowl, fill it 1/2 full of litter, then squeeze about 3-4 tablespoons of polishing compound into the litter, while running, making sure the compound is well absorbed into litter, throw in the cases and let 'er rip.
I tumble before depriming and resizing, after the afore mentioned process, I toss back into tumbler for 30 min. to remove case lube, then prime and reload. In wanting to keep the cases fingerprint free, I use a thin, throw away nytrile gloves, Harbor Freight has them, for handling the case during and after reloading, just my way of doing it to prevent prints also.
rc, your last stage, tumbling "loaded" rounds to remove lube, fingerprints, die marks. I've read, and heard this is a "NO-NO"!! Doing this breaks down the powder granules, changing the molecular structure of the powder, and can cause higher pressures in the chamber when firing. I'm not here to tell you to stop poste haste!, I am not an molecular engineer, just someone who's reloaded for 30-some years, not wanting to be a wet blanket on this forum, this is why I mentioned this, others may tell you to go ahead and continue, just looking out for a fellow reloader.
Regards,
Ham
Kinda like askin' if a pistol is better'n a revolver. Personally, I use Pets Mart lizard litter for my tumbling, you can get an 10 lb. bag for about $7.00, the litter is crushed walnut. Then, I go to an auto parts store and get some Turtle Wax polishing compound, its ammonia-free. I have a larger tumbling bowl, fill it 1/2 full of litter, then squeeze about 3-4 tablespoons of polishing compound into the litter, while running, making sure the compound is well absorbed into litter, throw in the cases and let 'er rip.
I tumble before depriming and resizing, after the afore mentioned process, I toss back into tumbler for 30 min. to remove case lube, then prime and reload. In wanting to keep the cases fingerprint free, I use a thin, throw away nytrile gloves, Harbor Freight has them, for handling the case during and after reloading, just my way of doing it to prevent prints also.
rc, your last stage, tumbling "loaded" rounds to remove lube, fingerprints, die marks. I've read, and heard this is a "NO-NO"!! Doing this breaks down the powder granules, changing the molecular structure of the powder, and can cause higher pressures in the chamber when firing. I'm not here to tell you to stop poste haste!, I am not an molecular engineer, just someone who's reloaded for 30-some years, not wanting to be a wet blanket on this forum, this is why I mentioned this, others may tell you to go ahead and continue, just looking out for a fellow reloader.
Regards,
Ham
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CoRoMo
Member
Once, in walnut only. I have yet to try out the corncob or adding polish, but I've been known to "wash" lubed/sized brass with any one of a few chemicals.
NO, it actually doesn't if tumbling is kept to a reasonable length of time. I said 30 minutes, not all night.
Military ammo gets more vibration & tumbling riding around in a Humvee or Blackhawk for a month then any case polisher can produce in 30 minutes.
For that matter, factory ammo is tumbled after loading to give it that nice shiny finish in the retail box.
See this about that:
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=489229&highlight=tumbling+loaded
rc
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That's the method I use. + 1 cap full of Nu Finish...and a used dryer sheet, ripped into 4 pieces.
THe Dove
BOOMER SOONER!!!
For gross contamination I use walnut. For shine I use corn cob. Normally I don't go for shine though.....
The Dove
The Dove
Sure you're using enough TW polish? Why not use 1/4 of the bottle. Seriously you're using WAY to much polish, course it your tumbler, media, and brass.
No! No! No! Tumbling loaded rounds will not degrade the powder, or hurt the loaded ammo in any way. Do a search, this has been hashed to death.
How do you think the ammo mfg. get that nice shining look?
I'm not interested in pretty brass but do consider myself a pro "even tho my targets don't show it" and take pride in my work, plus bright brass is easier to find in the grass.
Now in saying that I'm not implying you're not taking pride in your work, just giving my viewpoint with my reloading.
BTW I remove the case lube by swishing the brass around in a large coffee can of white gas. Now before you'all jump on me about how dangerous this, I do it outside, and I also use gas to fill my lawnmower, and no I do not smoke.
Otto
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Ok, I did the search...
A: No. Placing ammunition in a tumbler can be very dangerous. The risks are detonation inside the tumbler or changed powder characteristics that can result in serious injury during firing.
http://www.federalpremium.com/resources/faqs.aspx
Hodgdon: It is the policy of Hodgdon Powder Co. to recommend against ever tumbling or vibrating loaded or reloaded ammunition. Vibration for even short periods of time may degrade propellants or change their burn characteristics. Vibrating propellants may cause coatings to wear off and edges or
ends to erode. Dave Campbell Hodgdon Ballistician.
RCBS: Do not attempt to clean loaded ammunition. To do so could result in cartridge detonation causing serious personal injury.
http://www.rcbs.com/downloads/instructions/SidewinderCaseTumblerInstructions.pdf
Lyman: Q: Can I tumble loaded ammo?
A: No, this can be very dangerous. Tumbling loaded ammo can break down the powder causing extreme pressure problems. http://www.lymanproducts.com/lyman/faqs/tumblers_faq.php
Sierra: Q: I have some loaded ammo that is pretty badly tarnished. Can I just put it in my tumbler and clean it up?
A: No. The deterrent coating of the powder may be damaged, which speeds the burning rate. The simple answer here is, "No, don't do it."
http://www.sierrabullets.com/index.cfm?section=techservice&page=faq
Federal: Can I put unfired ammo in a case tumbler?
A: No. Placing ammunition in a tumbler can be very dangerous. The risks are detonation inside the tumbler or changed powder characteristics that can result in serious injury during firing.
http://www.federalpremium.com/resources/faqs.aspx
Hodgdon: It is the policy of Hodgdon Powder Co. to recommend against ever tumbling or vibrating loaded or reloaded ammunition. Vibration for even short periods of time may degrade propellants or change their burn characteristics. Vibrating propellants may cause coatings to wear off and edges or
ends to erode. Dave Campbell Hodgdon Ballistician.
RCBS: Do not attempt to clean loaded ammunition. To do so could result in cartridge detonation causing serious personal injury.
http://www.rcbs.com/downloads/instructions/SidewinderCaseTumblerInstructions.pdf
Lyman: Q: Can I tumble loaded ammo?
A: No, this can be very dangerous. Tumbling loaded ammo can break down the powder causing extreme pressure problems. http://www.lymanproducts.com/lyman/faqs/tumblers_faq.php
Sierra: Q: I have some loaded ammo that is pretty badly tarnished. Can I just put it in my tumbler and clean it up?
A: No. The deterrent coating of the powder may be damaged, which speeds the burning rate. The simple answer here is, "No, don't do it."
http://www.sierrabullets.com/index.cfm?section=techservice&page=faq
Bought some walnut for the tarnished stuff many many years ago but don't recall using it more than once. The corn cob seems to work fine with nufinish, so I'm not looking to make any changes.
The ammo makers do it.
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=495611
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=498890
Some reading material.
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=495611
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=498890
Some reading material.
Otto
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Some commercial ammo makers do it but that doesn't make it safe for the hobbyist.The ammo makers do it.
If factory ammo is tumbled, it's done in a controlled environment using industrial vibrators under strict supervision by qualified personnel.
Commercial ammo makers also blend powders, by your logic that would be ok for reloaders as well.
Frankl03
Member
For pistol, I tumble once in crushed walnut. For rifle, I tumble to get the dirt off and again after sizing & depriming. I use a cap full of new finish initially. I don't use corncob.
I don't tumble my loaded ammo.
I don't tumble my loaded ammo.
Twice in walnut. First before resizing to keep the carbon, dirt, etc out of my die. Then a second time after resizing -- it helps to do more shining, removes any lube and also does a small amount of cleaning in the primer pocket. I originally bought corn when I first started reloading but then found it to be only good for that "final bright finish" that I don't really care much about. Corn with cleanser additives as suggested above might be good but I've never done it.
Asherdan
Member
It goes in the tumbler with corn cob when I get in from the range. If it's a brass that gets lubed for sizing/depriming it goes back right back in for 20-30 minutes after that step. I keep stuff in bins depending on what stage it's at to keep things straight.
jcwit said:
No implication taken, and no implication meant in this reply:
I've heard the "pride in work" in relation to shiny brass before, but I'm not sure what it actually means. I don't understand how to take pride in the purely cosmetic work that the tumbler does. If one likes shiny stuff - fine, but one must realize that they are taking pride in the ability to flip a switch.
Over the years I've tried just about everything possible to clean cases. Walnut, cob, Iooso or other liquid, brand A tumbler, brand B tumbler, ultrasonic, and a combination of all... I think that's about it, and while they will all work satisfactory, I always go back to plain 'ol crushed walnut I buy at Pet Smart, a good ammonia free polish (I've tried many of these too) and tumble a couple hours in a Berry's tumbler.
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