how to get that super shiney factory finish on my brass?

well i just got a lyman 600 vibratory "tumbler".... and in the same order i also got a new pack of winchester .204 brass and WOW its super shiny!

fir the last day or two i have been tumbling my 45 acp cases mixing a half cup of the green lyman media that came with the tumbler and 3 cups of corncob stuff from walmart. this works well for a matte-clean finish, which was a lot nicer than my 1/2lb rotary rock tumbler did, but today i finally decided to open the bag of .204 brass and load a box with new brass, and it looked so good that i decided to go to THR instead and ask WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO GET MY BRASS THAT SHINY?

 

I can get that buy using walnut and nu-finish followed by cob and just a little nu-finish.

 

Most of us are getting as shiny, if not shinier, brass then factory. I get shinier brass (except for the burn stains that form over several loadings and those I ignore or steel wool away). My formula? Finely ground (passes through flash holes like sand through an hour glass) corncob mixed with chromium oxide. Some even add a solvent or polish. But be careful about adding an abrasive to the tumbler mix. My tumbler? 22 year old Lyman Turbo 1200...

 

Add a capful of Nu-Finish car polish to your corncob and tumble for a few to 6 or more hours, It hasn't failed me yet to bring up brass shiney like new and better even.
Be warned sunglasses maybe required when viewing your brass in brightlight situations though.

 

the surefire way to shiney, shiney brass is to pick up some powdered red rouge and put a couple of teaspoons in with your media. i have tried a lot of stuff, all of it works decently. but nothing works as fast or as well as the red rouge. i bought mine on ebay.

 

so is walmart(1/8"-1/4") corncob not so good for cleaning brass?

im not too big on ebay, any store you know of where to find it or what its intended for? is it car polish or something for jewelry polish?

 

I'm not really enjoying the wallmart corncob. It's OK, but it will get stuck inside cases and primer pockets. Which means it also won't adequately clean the nooks and crannies. When my bag is used up, I'm going to get the small grit stuff from graingers.

 

50/50 Grainger fine grit corn cob and pet shop walnut shell. Add a capful of Nu-Finish car polish every 1.5k pc count and a capful of Mineral Spirits and 1 used dryer sheet cut into 4-6 pcs every batch.

BLING!!!

LGB

 

My brass comes out of the vibratory tumbler much more shiny than the brand new factory loaded rounds. I use Lyman's red "Turbo Tumbler" media, which seems to have a huge amount of jeweler's rouge in it.

 

I add a half dozen stays of orange clean or similar to the tumbler media to get that sparkle. A cap full o mineral spirits work well too

 

A friend of mine who reloads said he uses iguana litter? (I think, he said he got it from petsmart or any pet store) Does this get it as shiny as you guys are talking about?

 

No, that's ground walnut shells, also sold as Kaytee brand bird litter at PetSmart. That stuff is good for cleaning dirty brass, but will leave a matte finish, not shiny. It's more abrasive than corncob. You can add NuFinish to it and get a little shinier results, but I personally have better luck using the walnut to clean first, then re-tumbling a second time using the fine corncob from Graingers with a capful of NuFinish in the corncob.

You have to add the NuFinish slowly, and let it mix around in the c/cob for awhile before putting the brass in. You want the particles coated, not just a clump of polish floating around.

 

Awesome, thanks for the advice. I'll be sure to give that a go to see how it goes.
Is this the corncob you were referencing? http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/items/6A901

How long does it take to get that nice shiny finish? Overnight?

 

cleaning brass that is very tarnished, 15 minutes in vinegar maximum and only once, wash etc., etc., then tumble to clean, I do not use kitty litter, kitty litter is made of clay, clay is abrasive because of silica, I use corn cob media, I seldom use walnut.

When I want to shine I use case spinners that I make, not because I have to have shiny cases but when loading for a chamber and I do not want to tumble I spin the cases, it is faster to spin 20 cases than it is to tumble, I keep tumbling equipment in a foot locker, 2 tumblers case separator and media on a shelf about 5 feet high.

F. Guffey

 

I haven't been mixing up my own polish media, but the Lyman red rouge treated walnut has done well for me, unmodified.

 

i also ordered a 6 pack of RCBS powder polish, it is a package of 6 .6oz bags, its a very fine white powder but left my brass very dusty and not too shiney after an hour or so, any ideas on using it? if not ill take a ride in town for dryer sheets and nufinish tonight

 

Get lizard litter aka crushed walnut at the pet store. Go to the parts store and get a bottle of NuFinish car polish. Fill your tumbler 2/3 to 3/4 full of lizard litter then add 2-3 capfulls of NuFinish and let er run for half hour 45 min without any brass. Then add in your brass and 1 used dryer sheet cut in 1/4's or so. then run over night. No need for any corn cob media at all. Will come out looking like new brass.

 

Iosso in corn cob is a sure fire way to get Bling Bling Brass! Flitz is in the same league when added to CC. Remember that red crap aka jewelers rouge can be hard on your dies. Walnut cleans better and CC polishes better!

 

Naw, get the big bag of the fine stuff, it won't stick in the primer pockets. 40 lbs. for ~$25, if you pick it up. http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/items/2MVR5

 

put a couple capfulls of mineral spirits in with your media and that will eliminate the dust.

 

I use straight lyman green media with a few strips of used dryer sheet tossed in and just about all of my brass comes out "you need sunglasses" bright and shiny.

 

Did this yesterday with my new tumbler, but only ran it about 4 or 5 hours. Wow! Brass is SUPER shiney, has just a sheen of slipperyness to them, and those .38 Special hulls are now standing tall & proud instead of slumped over and embarrassed.

Q

 

Why~?

a super clean, factory finish on a cartridge case is ONLY used for bragging
rights, amongest your fell'a shooter's and friend's~! DITTO- "I did this"~!

So long as the cartridge case is clean (not shiney) and free of defects,
you are good too go my friend~! Yes, I went through the same dilimenia
early own; wanting everthing too be PERFECT. I soon found out that I
was wasting time polishing cases; when I could have been churning out
more ammo~! :banghead:

 

+1 to what Ala Dan said...

About an hour in the tumbler with a mix of walnut and corncob and a couple of capfuls of Nu Finish gets mine as clean as they need to be. They're not as shiny as new brass, but they're clean and that's all that counts. I don't understand why they need to be as shiny as new brass anyway; they're just going to get dirty again...