Rice for media
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bbqreloader
Member
Do a forum search on the tool bar for the subject, a bunch of posts. Heres the most recent I could find.
https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/play-with-your-food-clean-brass-with-rice.807795/
https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/play-with-your-food-clean-brass-with-rice.807795/
LiveLife
Member
Repost from linked thread - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...n-brass-with-rice.807795/page-2#post-10321432
"Several years back when I was running low on walnut media, I tried some long grain and shorter grain from Costco to see how they worked.
Results using Berry's and Frankford Arsenal tumblers:
- Dry rice DOES work to CLEAN dirty brass fouling but will not POLISH brass.
- If rice collects moisture, it will lose effectiveness so results in drier climate may be better.
- Unlike crushed walnut/corn cob media, rice loses cleaning effectiveness on subsequent batches (Walnut/corn cob tend to go a long time before cleaning/polishing performance starts to degrade).
- If you are using lubed lead bullets, rice is not a good media choice as grains got coated with lube residue and left brass gummed up.
- I would say rice with harder surface (not polished rice) will do a better job of cleaning brass as long grain rice with less polishing did a better job than shorter grain rice that was polished more.
- You cannot add polish (like NuFinish) to rice - you will have a gummy mess.
- When I bought fine grit walnut media from Harbor Freight, just dry media did a remarkably faster and better job of cleaning AND polishing the brass. When NuFinish was added, it was Model T vs Corvette Z06/ZR1. Sure rice worked, but walnut/NuFinish worked waaaaaay better.
Since my testing with rice, I don't ever plan on using rice again unless there's a worldwide shortage of walnut/corn cob media. But if rice is all you got, it will work to clean your brass. Heck, even Model T will get you from point A to point B but don't expect speed, A/C, power brakes, 1 G lateral turns, etc.
"
ArchAngelCD
Member.
We have discussed this several times already and it's not a good idea, it just doesn't work.
FROGO207
Member
When I bought a used Thumlers rotary tumbler some years ago at an auction it was filled about 1/2 full. One hundred LC67 5.56 brass, a cup or two of rice and another grain I could not ID but the outside of the brass was clean. So I can agree that it will work. I use SS pins and they are much faster and more shine.
ArchAngelCD
Member.
Oh great, now I'm hungry for Sweet & Sour pork!
Reloadron
Contributing Member
Back around '72 I used rice. My first days and I wanted to clean the brass so I used rice and an old kid's rock tumbler. It worked but as mentioned while it did clean the brass (44 Remington Magnum) it does not really polish the brass. I had dull looking but clean brass.
Your call as to now or wait. Will it work? Yes, in a word.Ron
Rice isn't a good media for the reasons already listed.
If you'd like to try something different, I'd heard so good results from folks using Toasted Buckwheat
If you'd like to try something different, I'd heard so good results from folks using Toasted Buckwheat
Varminterror
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Been using rice for years. No dust, cleans inside, out, and primer pockets well. Does plug flash holes which can be annoying, and does require more than rolling in the separator to clean out small caliber cases (I pick mine out and rattle them against the sidewall, mouth down). I have never cared about a high luster finish, so I’ve never added polish to it, but for cleaning, I’ve found rice to be as good as any other media. It does polish to a much brighter finish than I have ever gotten with any recipe of ultrasonic cleaning. I ran about 5,000 38spcl, 2,000 5.56, and 1,500 6 Creed through my latest batch of rice - I only replace the rice when it’s BLACK, I have never lost cleaning effectiveness, it just looks nasty enough to compel me to change.
To each their own.
To each their own.
LiveLife
Member
It must have been a particularly hot and muggy summer.And my oh my, how well that thread turned out!
A classic
I think national heat index was hitting new records as county I used to live in set new historic high of most days above 100F.
LUCKYDAWG13
Member
well this would be better then rice go to your pet store https://www.chewy.com/zilla-ground-...MI76jd2ZuM3gIVCoFpCh3ORw59EAQYASABEgJVcPD_BwE
I've found lizard bedding to be very dusty
LUCKYDAWG13
Member
Pet shop also has corn Cobb bedding
I use walnut blast media from Harbor Freight.
https://www.harborfreight.com/25-lbs-fine-grade-walnut-shell-blast-media-92155.html
The 25lb box nicely fills a five gallon bucket leaving just enough room for the lid.
https://www.harborfreight.com/25-lbs-fine-grade-walnut-shell-blast-media-92155.html
The 25lb box nicely fills a five gallon bucket leaving just enough room for the lid.
Bixster_inc
Member
Anyone ever tried fine beach sand?
An old timer I ran into at the store I buy my supplies told me his dad used it 50 something years ago and you can mix polish in with it like any other media and it lasts forever.
It's been a while since I've purchased it but I want to say it was under $10 for a 50lb sack at Home Depot where as two tumbler loads is costing me $15 currently.
Because what's currently in my tumbler has about 8 loads on it I set aside some junk brass to test the practice on before I reload it with corn cob. I'll share the results unless someone tells me it's a bad idea that shouldn't even be tried.
An old timer I ran into at the store I buy my supplies told me his dad used it 50 something years ago and you can mix polish in with it like any other media and it lasts forever.
It's been a while since I've purchased it but I want to say it was under $10 for a 50lb sack at Home Depot where as two tumbler loads is costing me $15 currently.
Because what's currently in my tumbler has about 8 loads on it I set aside some junk brass to test the practice on before I reload it with corn cob. I'll share the results unless someone tells me it's a bad idea that shouldn't even be tried.
LiveLife
Member
Don't do it. Any residual silica (think sand dust) on brass will act like sandpaper and scratch your brass and more importantly, your dies.
Besides, there is a good reason why reloaders use lightweight walnut and corn cob media. Vibratory tumbler work by moving light media around tumbling brass. Faster media moves, faster brass gets cleaned and polished. Using heavier media (like rice) will slow down the tumbling action and could overwork the motor.
Industrial manufacturers use ceramic and other heavier media to deburr metal products but they often use industrial vibratory tumblers (that are really noisy) with heavier duty motors.
Bixster_inc
Member
All valid points.
Not to be argumentative but I always end up blowing off stuck on corn cob media with the air compressor anyways even after giving a good sifting.
My LC 308 brass comes out of the tumbler looking more and more like WW2 surplus despite extended tumbling with polishing compound. Is this important? No as it still fires fantastically but does leave something to be desired.
That's why I liked what the old man said because I thought a slightly abrasive beach sand would really shine things up.
thomas15
Member
My experience also. But I use it anyway, I fill a shot glass half with Nu-Finish car polish and then mineral spirits, mix then tumble alone for 15 minutes. No dust and works fairly well. Once in a while I add more via the shot glass.
FROGO207
Member
That's why the commercial media has red rouge in it. It will continue polishing well after the sharp corners of the corn cob or walnut are worn off. The beach sand dust will be a breathing hazard similar to asbestos. Both are abrasive to the barrel over time as you can't get all of it out of the inside of the brass easily. Blowing it with compressed air will just contaminate the air and anything around you it will land on. I went to a Thumlers tumbler and SS media using the wet method. LOTS faster and much brighter IMHO. If I want more shine like a mirror it goes into a vibratory tumbler with Nu Finish and corn cob media for a half hour after wet polishing.
jmorris
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I have tried it as well as just about everything thing else out there or I ever heard of. The only ones I use now are corncob, walnut, stainless steel or nothing but brass.
Rice won’t hurt anything, it’s just not as good as others. Kitty litter was a disaster though.
No need to have to wait for anything though, just get a rag and wipe them off, you will be fine. You could wash them with soap if you like but you will have to dry them at that point.
Rice won’t hurt anything, it’s just not as good as others. Kitty litter was a disaster though.
No need to have to wait for anything though, just get a rag and wipe them off, you will be fine. You could wash them with soap if you like but you will have to dry them at that point.
LiveLife
Member
Absolutely, like shooting sand paper bullets.
Actually, crushed walnut shell is quite hard and sharp edges will hold for quite a while. I found even after several months of hard use, walnut media won't "wear" rather just get dirty and becomes less efficient. Once I washed a bowlful of walnut media that was dark gray in color (which was slow to clean/polish brass) with Dawn dish soap and water. After drying, cleaned walnut media almost looked like new (edges sure looked sharp) and tumbled brass like new.
Corn cob on the other hand do not hold the edge as well but as many others posted, polishes better than walnut. If you just need to remove black fouling from brass, walnut does a great job fast. If your brass needs polishing, corn cob does a great job. Many mix walnut/corn cob for best of both worlds.
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