Add What? to Tumbling Media

Status
Not open for further replies.
rondog:
I received my ceramic polishing kit today from Cabela's, I'll be giving that a try in the next couple days, I have high hopes for it.
Click to expand...
I have heard a lot of good things about that lately. Let us know how it works for you.
Rusty
 
I have heard a lot of good things about that lately. Let us know how it works for you.
Rusty
Click to expand...

I will, but I have to get another tumbler first. I was carrying my tumbler in a box with some other stuff, and fell down the stairs. I'm OK, but the tumbler broke two of the springs loose. They were all just hot-glued in, so I figured I'd re-glue them with JB Weld. Guess I did it too good, now it doesn't vibrate as vigorously as it did, not flexible enough I guess.

Sportsman's Warehouse has Lyman tumblers on sale, I'm headed there right now.
 
It don't much matter. Use nothing and you still get clean brass, that's what the ammo factories do. Some reloaders want shiney brass but that helps nothing at all. Cob or nut? It really makes no difference to the brass.
Click to expand...

What polish does do is give a pretty good wax coating over the brass that lasts a very long time. I've got more brass than bullets, primer, and powder so the cases sit in plastic zip loc bags for a very long time. I can tell which ones go polished and which ones didn't. You're correct in saying they don't need it, but neither does waxing a car.
 
I use a tablespoon of Simoniz white rubbing compound in my walnut hull media.
 
Lizard litter and a bit of NuFinish does fine for me.
Click to expand...
It's cheap and works for me also.
I've got two tumblers now, 1 small one that works fine but can't hold the cases I want to run and one of those 18 pounders I got at HF the other day. I've been dumping 200 .308's in that thing and they're done in just a couple of hours. :D My little one takes all night sometimes. :(
 
ar10 you're right in using car wax/polish. The wax is what keeps the brass from tarnishing. Hope you have good luck with that H/F tumbler, I had 3 or 4 before I got my money back. The motors only had sleeve/bronze bearings and didn't hold up, this was the smaller one tho.
 
I have found using any kind of wax eventually leads to a dirty tumbler with some tough to clean build-up. Nu-Finish doesn't have wax in it, so that isn't an issue.
 
Thats why I say wax/polish. BTW a Rag/Cloth dampened with paint thinner, mineral spirts, lamp oil, kerosene, coleman fuel, a little gas, will clean the wax right out of the tumbler bowl. I"ve done it, usually when replacing the media after running it for 18 months and cleaning thousands & thousands of rds.
 
Anybody that has used Brasso and is afraid that their brass is going to self-destruct, PM me and I will give you disposal instructions. You're better safe than sorry! :)
 
New to reloading

I've just ventured into pistol reloading,I have a carbibe sizer die and the mfg recommends not to clean the brass.If the brass is too clean it may gaull the brass.
 
Never heard of that before.
Who is the die manufacture?

I always clean my brass, and generally use just a spritz of case lube spray anyway.

But when I don't use case lube, I have never seen a carbide die gall clean shiny brass, never, ever.

rcmodel
 
I had 3 or 4 before I got my money back. The motors only had sleeve/bronze bearings and didn't hold up, this was the smaller one tho.
Click to expand...
I wore my RCBS out, Not sure whether I loaded it too heavy or just put too many cases thru it. It did manage to get through over 30k cases, running pretty much every day. Guess I'll find out on the big one soon enough. I'm maxing the thing out daily. If this one goes South I'm doing the cement mixer.
 
Mineral Spirits...

If you are going to use mineral spirits, be sure to use the unscented version. If you run your tumbler indoors or in an attached garage, you'll quickly understand why not to use the regular stuff as the odor will take forever to dissipate. I add about a tablespoon to the media before tumbling the brass.
 
brasso question

I just watched my brother brasso his brass frame colt style .36 black powder pistol. Will this harm the frame or finish? I was thinking of doing the same to my Rem style .36 but I can deal with the tarnish if it causes problems.

His did come out pretty as heck though.

Another question and this might be the wrong thread but does anyone have a solution for the hard carbon crusting on the brass besides wearing what little fingernail I have left off?
 
I just watched my brother brasso his brass frame colt style .36 black powder pistol. Will this harm the frame or finish? I was thinking of doing the same to my Rem style .36 but I can deal with the tarnish if it causes problems.
Click to expand...

Brasso contains a relatively small amount of ammonia which chemically attacks brass and with cartridge cases can make them brittle resulting in cases cracking before their time. It doesn't really damage the cases that fast but will reduce the number of reloads you get before they crack and have to be discarded.

A black powder revolver frame is a rather large piece of brass and isn't worked by sizing and expanding like a cartridge case that's being reloaded. Using Brasso on the brass frame of a black powder pistol won't hurt it any more than if used on a brass lamp.
 
anyone tried the birchwood casey liquid case cleaner? I got some the other day and tried it...not too bad! ...Although it didn't work as good as my usual: silicone Taco Red beads used for floor texturing. (We've got about a ton of that stuff in my shop.)
 
Galling caused by clean brass?

I've just ventured into pistol reloading,I have a carbibe sizer die and the mfg recommends not to clean the brass.If the brass is too clean it may gaull the brass.
Click to expand...

What? :what: WHO said THAT? I've been reloading over 40 years, and that's the very first I've heard that. Okay, I don't know everything, but still.... Honest, I'd like to know who said that. Dirty brass doesn't do your dies any favors and certainly don't do the chambers of firearms any favors either.
I don't insist on cleaning to the point of "Bling Sparkle" but I do like to get the crud off my brass before I do anything else with it.

Besides, if you picked it up on the range... ya never know where it's been. :D
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

O
  • Locked
What to add to Tumbler Media?
2 3
Replies
57
Views
3K
Oyeboten
O
B
  • Locked
Tumbling Media Question.
Replies
8
Views
764
Ares45
A
T
  • Locked
confused on adding polishing agent to tumbling media
Replies
8
Views
619
Rollis R. Karvellis
Rollis R. Karvellis
S
  • Locked
Tumbling Media?
Replies
8
Views
626
Hondo 60
Hondo 60
M
  • Locked
Questions on tumbling media. Help!
2
Replies
28
Views
3K
redneck2
redneck2
Back
Top