Crushed Walnut, how fine?

I can't remember the number of mine. I get it at Northern Tool and it's very small. The smaller it is the less likely it will get stuck in a flash hole. I have never had that happen with 1000's and 1000's of pieces of brass.

Speedo66 wrote:
I'm wondering, is this the size I should be using, or is it too fine?

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Since you have bought it, go ahead and try it.

At lot of people find the smaller, more uniform grain size (which I presume is more comfortable for the lizards) to be too smooth and uniform for good polishing.

I bought this: https://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/item/000385020381/untreated-walnut-media-15-lbs about two or three years ago. For storage purposes, I double bagged it in some ziploc style bags. 15 pounds yielded four bags and I'm about finished with the second of the four. With my cost of tumbling media now down to around $5 a year (shipping included), I'm not really inclined to try a difference supplier.

SC_Dave wrote:
...less likely it will get stuck in a flash hole.

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Good point. The midsouthshootersupply stuff almost never gets stuck in the flash hole EXCEPT for 30 Carbine cases and it seems to stick in virtually every one of them. When I'm doing 30 Carbine, I just sort the brass out of the media with a toothpick at the ready to knock the media out.

I have been using the standard lizard litter for years and works just fine for cleaning your brass. And it never has clogged flash holes

Speedo66 said:

I went into a local pet store, I'd read they often carry crushed walnut shell for lizard bedding. They had some, but it was very fine, like fine sand.

I've not tumbled before, so I'm wondering, is this the size I should be using, or is it too fine?

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I have purchased and am using the same fine grained lizard bedding walnut shell. It has more dust than the walnut shell I purchased from reloading company walnut shell. I did wash the stuff once to remove the dust, don't know if it made any difference. This walnut will work well, cleaning up grunge and giving the case a decent polish. I tumble cases before sizing and lubing. I decap rifle ammunition before lubing and that has removed any and all walnut pieces in the flash hole. Pistol ammunition, I load that on a Dillion 550B and the decapping die knocks the primer and any walnut out of the flash hole.

The Dillon walnut media I've bought is very fine ground. Finer than sand. Doesn't clog flash holes but doesn't do well for cleaning off case lube. Corncob does better for removing lube.

SC_Dave said:

Speedo66 said:

crushed walnut shell for lizard bedding ... is this the size I should be using, or is it too fine?

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I can't remember the number of mine.

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Coarse grit (12) will get stuck in flash holes - https://www.harborfreight.com/25-lbs-coarse-grade-walnut-shell-blast-media-92150.html

Fine grit (24) will not get stuck in flash holes - https://www.harborfreight.com/25-lbs-fine-grade-walnut-shell-blast-media-92155.html

Smaller the media, more surface area for faster cleaning and better polish.

Add some Nu Finish/liquid car polish and shine really improves.

I looked last night and as BDS mentioned it is #24. Never found a piece in a flash hole. I was mistaken on where I got it, it was Harbor Freight not Northern Tool.

The crushed walnut shell for lizard bedding is cheap. It'll do nicely. Anything with the word 'gun' or 'gunsmith's' or 'reloading' in its name just costs more. Doesn't make it work any better.

Speedo66 wrote:
I'm not really concerned about clogging primer holes

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It's not a big worry.

When the media does get into the flash hole, it is a very loose fit and is easily knocked out with a toothpick. The decapping pin will also easily knock it out if you tumble before sizing.

Even if you miss it and it stays in the flash hole and the case gets loaded, it will not be a problem. When lead styphnate (the "active ingredient" in primers) ignites, its explosive wavefront is moving at about 16,000 feet per second so that little fleck of walnut is not going be an impediment.

Sunray wrote:
Anything with the word 'gun' or 'gunsmith's' or 'reloading' in its name just costs more.

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The media I get from midsouthshootersupply.com costs $13.58 for 15 pounds. You have to add shipping, of course, but that still puts it just over $1 per pound.

At chewy.com, where I get my pet food, a 7 pound bag of walnut shell bedding is $7.79 with free shipping (if I add it to my next order of Cat Chow) or just over $1 per pound.

But this does bring up a caution. Pay attention to what you are buying at the pet store. Several manufacturers now make "walnut-based" litters that have some walnut shell mixed in with other ingredients to make them clump when they get wet.

bds said:

Smaller the media, more surface area for faster cleaning and better polish.

Add some Nu Finish/liquid car polish and shine really improves.

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I would have said exactly the opposite.
I like my media coarse. In my experience that gave me more shine.
I don't like fine media, or any dust in my media because it leaves a dusty residue on the cases. In fact, when my coarse media starts to get ground down and becoming fine and dusty, that is when I get rid of it.

FWIW: I almost never tumble deprimed cases. I use the tumbler to clean the cases and to polish the cases so that I am not carrying all that grunge into my sizing die or onto/into my press. After my case prep work I run the cases through an ultrasonic cleaner to remove all the sizing wax. I use a little bit of Lemishine in the ultrasonic and the cases come out like mirrors.

But, it's nice we all have a choice and can go with what we personally like.

Speedo66 said:

I bought a bag today at the pet store. It was labeled 5 quarts, but felt to be about 10 lbs., priced at $10. The ingredient list was solely ground English walnut shells, and shockingly enough, grown and packaged in the US.

I stuck some in a small kids rock tumbler along with some loaded .38-40 rounds. Didn't have the recommended liquid wax, but threw in some Blue Coral wash and wax, and went out to dinner. Came back 5 hours later and it did a very nice job polishing the tarnished cases which had a mild wax finish to them. I'm satisfied, and again thank all for sharing their knowledge.

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I just had a similar experience; someone mentioned Lizard Litter or something for polishing media. English walnut hulls is what mine are also, and I am using a Harbor freight small rock tumbler. Although I skipped the Mother's Mag polish in the first couple batches, things came out better than the corn cob I had been using. I had been polishing small batches of brass for a long time, and the walnut shell idea was a breakthrough for me, better for me than wet polishing. Thanks to the members also for sharing hints and tips.