Bula
Member
Drillspot has great a great price on that media, $21 SHIPPED for a 40 pound bag! I just ordered a bag and I don't even need it!!
HELP ! Flash hole plugged with media - Drives me bananas!
- Thread starter MinnMooney
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rcmodel
Member in memoriam
I know this is blasphemy, but my feeling is a spec of walnut in the flash hole is purely a cosmetic blemish.
If you think about it, a grain of organic nut shell stands about as much chance of surviving a white hot jet of high pressure gas from the primer explosion as a fart in a hurricane.
It takes almost zero force to poke them out with a scribe, and they would be instantly consumed in the fire once blasted into the case full of burning powder.
I clean them out during case inspection in the loading block.
But I always am thinking in the back of my mind what a total waste of time it is.
rc
If you think about it, a grain of organic nut shell stands about as much chance of surviving a white hot jet of high pressure gas from the primer explosion as a fart in a hurricane.
It takes almost zero force to poke them out with a scribe, and they would be instantly consumed in the fire once blasted into the case full of burning powder.
I clean them out during case inspection in the loading block.
But I always am thinking in the back of my mind what a total waste of time it is.
rc
Greg Mercurio
Member
RC: maybe you could do a field test for the rest of us and report back on the results of your supposition?
rcmodel
Member in memoriam
I think somebody crono'd some a couple three mounths ago here.
As I recall there was no measurable differance.
rc
As I recall there was no measurable differance.
rc
tom357mag
Member
Go to your local pet store , they have what they call lizard litter. Nothing but ground up walnut but its like sand , and it cost about $7.00 for a 6-7 lb bag. Works great. Also add a capful of Nu-Finish car wax to it , and make sure you have your sunglasses on when you take it out !!!!!!!!
I tumble first. Then lube and resize. I have found that a quick rinse in Acetone (available anywhere paint supplies are sold, I get mine at Walmart) will completely remove the lube. It dries in just a few minutes. Leaves brass squeaky clean. The only problem is that it is flammable, so be careful.
W.E.G.
Member
This and a spaghetti colander.
Air dry.
Maj Dad
Member
On The Larger Grit That Gets Stuck,
I poke it out with a Lee decapper; if using the 20/40 corncob grit, I almost never get stuck pieces. And if you really want the 40# bag, get it from Drillspot ( http://www.drillspot.com/products/499763/econoline_526020g-40_40_lbs_blast_media ): I ordered it on a Wednesday and it arrived Saturday, drop-shipped from Grainger, $21.61 delivered to the front door, no tax, total. I wish I could find other really heavy stuff to buy from them, and I'm still looking...
I poke it out with a Lee decapper; if using the 20/40 corncob grit, I almost never get stuck pieces. And if you really want the 40# bag, get it from Drillspot ( http://www.drillspot.com/products/499763/econoline_526020g-40_40_lbs_blast_media ): I ordered it on a Wednesday and it arrived Saturday, drop-shipped from Grainger, $21.61 delivered to the front door, no tax, total. I wish I could find other really heavy stuff to buy from them, and I'm still looking...
jcwit
member
I do the same other than I use white gas AKA Coleman fuel or Naptha. Here in No. Indiana I buy it off the pump for less than $3.00 a gal., because of the Amish. Does that make up for all the Horse Crap I drive thru, NO!
Uncle Chan
Member
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I get around this by not tumbling deprimed cases. Simple. Problem solved.
Hondo 60
Member
+1 Another satisfied user of Grainger media.
I mentioned it earlier in this thread. I have tested both with chrono and for accuracy, cases that had bits of media stuck in the flash hole vs those without. There is no discernible difference.
For serious stuff I still individually check cases but for everyday loads I don't bother anymore and I reload between 500 and 1000 a week.
David Wile
Member
Hey folks,
I feel like this is going to be pushing the rock up the hill, but for whatever it is worth to anyone, I will explain my methods for different cartridges.
For pistol cases using carbide dies, I don't use any lube at all. I simply reload the cases and then put the finished cartridges in the vibratory cleaner to clean the brass. I do the same thing with cast or jacketed pistol bullets. There are no exposed lube grooves on my pistol bullets.
For cases that must be lubed before sizing, I still use the case lube pad with the same old sticky case lube. It may be messy, but I very rarely have a lube dent, and I can't remember the last time I had a case stuck in a die using the lube pad. I have used the spray stuff, but it is expensive and I use more than necessary to keep from getting a case stuck. Once the cases are lubed, I load them as usual either on a single stage press or my progressive LNL.
When they are finished cartridges, they are still stick messy cases, and I do not put them in the vibratory cleaner to remove the lube. In my experience, it ruins the media which is additional expense to me. Instead, I fill a 3 pound coffee can about half full of gasolene and rinse a handfull of cartridges at a time for a few seconds, and then I place them on a towel to air dry. The gasolene rinse removes all lube, and when they are dry, I then put the finished cartridges in the vibratory cleaner to polish the brass.
For those whose ideas of safe work practices are immediately offended, allow me to suggest that using a small amount of gasolene as a solvent can be done in a relatively safe manner - it depends on the person performing the task. I, my father, and his father have been using gasolene as a cheap solvent for cleaning parts as long as I can remember, and there was never any fire or explosion. As far as the toxic aspects of exposing one's bare skin to gasolene, it would seem that my brother, father, grandfather, and myself are quite tolerant to gasolene over the ages. I do know some folks who are quite sensitive to skin exposure to gasolene and can develop varying degrees of rash and dermititis. One has to know one's limitations.
In any case, if you can get past the idea of washing lube off with gasolene as a solvent and the idea of cleaning finished cartridges in a vibratory cleaner, you can save a lot of time reloading and expense in using media to remove lube.
Best wishes,
Dave Wile
I feel like this is going to be pushing the rock up the hill, but for whatever it is worth to anyone, I will explain my methods for different cartridges.
For pistol cases using carbide dies, I don't use any lube at all. I simply reload the cases and then put the finished cartridges in the vibratory cleaner to clean the brass. I do the same thing with cast or jacketed pistol bullets. There are no exposed lube grooves on my pistol bullets.
For cases that must be lubed before sizing, I still use the case lube pad with the same old sticky case lube. It may be messy, but I very rarely have a lube dent, and I can't remember the last time I had a case stuck in a die using the lube pad. I have used the spray stuff, but it is expensive and I use more than necessary to keep from getting a case stuck. Once the cases are lubed, I load them as usual either on a single stage press or my progressive LNL.
When they are finished cartridges, they are still stick messy cases, and I do not put them in the vibratory cleaner to remove the lube. In my experience, it ruins the media which is additional expense to me. Instead, I fill a 3 pound coffee can about half full of gasolene and rinse a handfull of cartridges at a time for a few seconds, and then I place them on a towel to air dry. The gasolene rinse removes all lube, and when they are dry, I then put the finished cartridges in the vibratory cleaner to polish the brass.
For those whose ideas of safe work practices are immediately offended, allow me to suggest that using a small amount of gasolene as a solvent can be done in a relatively safe manner - it depends on the person performing the task. I, my father, and his father have been using gasolene as a cheap solvent for cleaning parts as long as I can remember, and there was never any fire or explosion. As far as the toxic aspects of exposing one's bare skin to gasolene, it would seem that my brother, father, grandfather, and myself are quite tolerant to gasolene over the ages. I do know some folks who are quite sensitive to skin exposure to gasolene and can develop varying degrees of rash and dermititis. One has to know one's limitations.
In any case, if you can get past the idea of washing lube off with gasolene as a solvent and the idea of cleaning finished cartridges in a vibratory cleaner, you can save a lot of time reloading and expense in using media to remove lube.
Best wishes,
Dave Wile
jcwit
member
Right on Wile!!
stork
Member
A trick I've used for 30+ years.
1. Take your loaded rounds, still with the lube on.
2. Lay 20-30 rounds on an OLD BATH TOWEL(don't take mama's new ones).
3. Grab the 4 corners of the towel and lift to gather the rounds together in the center.
4. Squirt some lighter fluid onto the oiled loaded rounds.
5. Roll the towel together lengthwise and twist the ends slightly, to make a long cylinder of cloth.
6. Alternate raising the oposite ends so the rounds slide back & forth allowing the towel to rub off the lube.
A fellow reloader showed me this trick a looong time ago. I've used it ever since.
FWIW
1. Take your loaded rounds, still with the lube on.
2. Lay 20-30 rounds on an OLD BATH TOWEL(don't take mama's new ones).
3. Grab the 4 corners of the towel and lift to gather the rounds together in the center.
4. Squirt some lighter fluid onto the oiled loaded rounds.
5. Roll the towel together lengthwise and twist the ends slightly, to make a long cylinder of cloth.
6. Alternate raising the oposite ends so the rounds slide back & forth allowing the towel to rub off the lube.
A fellow reloader showed me this trick a looong time ago. I've used it ever since.
FWIW
I don't tumble brass at all. I hate dealing with the media mess. I clean all my brass with Iosso brass cleaner and a cheap ultrasonic cleaner. Throw them in the basket run the cleaner for 5 minutes, rinse in hot water, put in a mesh bag and hang them up to dry for a few days. Not as shiny as tumbling but cleans off powder and lube residue really well.
Kent
Kent
Maj Dad
Member
I use Stork's basic method but with Prestone Brake Cleaner - not flammable and just as effective. I usually clean them before loading, even on the Dillon 550, but it works both ways. I put an old towel on a cookie sheet stolen from the kitchen (several years ago; mine now, don't cook on it, brain not fried yet...), spray it with brake cleaner (again, I use Prestone - there some out there with alcohol or something hygroscopic in them that makes them damp) and roll them around on it with my palms. I usually wear nitrile gloves to avoid the drying effect and to keep my baby soft hands luxurious, and soft to the touch... 
bonza
Member
I'm surprised at the number of posters here that are tumbling loaded rounds.....is that kosher?!
qajaq59
Member
That's a discussion that has filled a LOT of threads. Some think it is, and others don't. And never will it be settled.
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jcwit
member
No comment!
Maj Dad
Member
Depends on whether your range rabbi is conservative, orthodox or reformed...
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