How to wash tumbler media

[Certaindeaf]

I used to hate lugging my used motor oil to some place for re-use.
Now, around here, you just put it in a plastic milk or water jug and put it by the regular garbage for pickup. sweet

 

[jcwit]

And how much have you gone through, and how much did the bag cost?

Cost $20 bucks IIRC. Still have about half or little more left.

I only use liquid auto polish, any kind works, I never ever add any at every tumbler fill of cases. Once added its good for many tumblings.

It's the sharpness of the polishing particles in the Nufinish and the solvent properties of mineral spirits that turbo cleans and polishes brass!

Absolutly untrue, do as you wish, but if you do not believe me try it once without ANY polish of any kind. Just media alone. I have and it does work, may take longer but does work. Tumbling time is of no concern to me as it does its thing while I sleep or while I'm reloading, or while I'm at the range, or actually while I'm doing whatever.

the waxes/oils (or polymers) in the polish.

An indication ones using way to much polish. If in fact this is an issue switch to just an abrasive like rouge.

Same difference. Reused, repurposed, w/e. The oil is fundamentally changed after it's used long enough, but it's still a slurry of mixed hydrocarbons and impurities, just like the stuff that comes out of the ground.

OK, then I guess burning paper is recycling it? Burning wood is recycling trees. Gotcha!

 

[GLOOB]

Absolutly untrue, do as you wish, but if you do not believe me try it once without ANY polish of any kind. Just media alone. I have and it does work, may take longer but does work.

Of course it works. There's one or two sharp points on each piece of media that contact the case at any one time. Leave them in for 6 hrs, and you get sparkly clean brass.

Versus the dozens or hundreds of sharp particles in the polish on each piece of media that contact the brass. 1 hr, and the brass is sparkly. My media gets by just fine without that extra sharp point or two.

An indication ones using way to much polish. If in fact this is an issue switch to just an abrasive like rouge.

Even so, you will eventually get build up of powder residue. More and more will stick to your brass. And if you are one of those people that don't get any dust on your brass, show me a picture of your fingers after you load 100 rds.

OK, then I guess burning paper is recycling it? Burning wood is recycling trees. Gotcha!

Yes, if the paper was already used once, and you were going to burn it anyway. I'm not sure about the tree analogy, though.

 

[Steve2md]

Wow guys, really? This looks like it's getting ready to be one of these...

 

[Hondo 60]

Wow - Gloob - I think that's just a bit over the top.

But if you wanna, go for it.

Me? heck I bought a 40# bag of 20/40 corn cob from drillspot 2 years ago.
It's about 1/2 gone (and I reloaded & shot about 11,000 rds this year)

 

[jcwit]

This goes to the old adage of ripping out the seat of your $40.00 pants to pick up a nickle.

There comes a point when recovering whatever is no longer cost effective and way to labor intensive.

Obviously never worked in a position controlling production as far as labor and efficient productions of machinery and materials.

But if some folks are happy wasting time and materials at their own expense who am I to stop them, it only allows all the more new material for the rest of us.

We are in the win, win group.

 

[GLOOB]

? What's so labor intensive?

Takes less than 5 min to do this to a tumbler full (maybe 3 lbs) of media, and I haven't broken a sweat, yet. Then it's good to go for another half dozen or so tumbler's full before it no longer meets my standards. I really don't get where people are finding this labor intensive, time consuming, or gross. It's fast, I don't get out of my chair, and I don't touch anything but a plastic bag and a scoop. And once the media is wet, there's no dust to breathe or spread.

That's 12x3 = 36 pounds per hr, if you wanted to make it your full time job. At 80 cents per lb for Drillspot stuff, that's what? 28ish dollars an hr? Heck, if you scaled it up and used a bigger bag and drying tray, you could do 200 lbs an hour. If you didn't care about the lead and just washed it down the sink/bathtub (like I've read other people doing it) or hosed it down in your yard, I suppose it would go even faster and better.

No, I wouldn't want to make that my full time job, but neither would I want to make reloading my job. How much money do you save per hr of reloading? I don't save anywhere near as much as my job pays, else I'd start thinking about reloading for a living!

wasting time and materials

So what materials am I wasting, again? Oh, yeah, water. And a couple coffee filters... right...

Obviously never worked in a position controlling production as far as labor and efficient productions of machinery and materials.

Is this really necessary? If we all really took this statement seriously we'd be investing in top of the line automated equipment, hiring illegal immigrants to reload for us, and selling the excess ammo.

We are in the win, win group.

I'm very happy for you (all)! And I really do have a big smile on my face right now. As long as you're happy!

 

[Cleftwynd]

Why not just toss in about half of a used Bounce sheet saved from the clother dryer when tumbling! It collects all the dust and particles and keeps your media nice and clean. Just toss it in the trash when you sift out your brass, and toss in another half with the next batch!

 

[GLOOB]

Darn, I keep hearing about this, but I don't clean my own clothes. I pay someone to wash and fold and put away my laundry. This is easily the best $100 I spend every month. I'd wash media for an hour a week to pay for that!

 

[jcwit]

No, I wouldn't want to make that my full time job, but neither would I want to make reloading my job. How much money do you save per hr of reloading? I don't save anywhere near as much as my job pays, else I'd start thinking about reloading for a living!

Don't have a job, haven't had a job for 12 years, retired at the ripe old age of 57, retired from my wifes and my wholly owned business. My time is never taken into consequence at to what I save, retirement is good, all medical expenses are taken care of, house is paid for, all vehicles are paid for. Everything I own is paid for. Life is good.

Is this really necessary? If we all really took this statement seriously we'd be investing in top of the line automated equipment, hiring illegal immigrants to reload for us, and selling the excess ammo.

Prior to going into my own business with my wife, I handled production, she handled sales, I was a Production Foreman and Plant Superintend for a metal stamping company. We upgraded machinery and tripled production, never hired illegals but hired quality folks who wished to work for money earned, if an individual couldn't cut it the door was in the same place he/she walked in and went both ways. Did I work people hard, dam right, did I award and pay them for it, must have cause they backed me and more than accepted it.

So what materials am I wasting, again? Oh, yeah, water. And a couple coffee filters... right...

And polishing compound.

By reading all the other replies here you seem to be on the loosing end, but if you're happy fooling around washing media go for it.

Am I smiling, you bet I am, but not for the reasons you think.

 

[jcwit]

Darn, I keep hearing about this, but I don't clean my own clothes. I pay someone to wash and fold and put away my laundry. This is easily the best $100 I spend every month. I'd wash media for an hour a week to pay for that!

Unbelievable!

But to each his own!

 

[GLOOB]

Unbelievable!

But to each his own!

Well, I'm not married. I pay a nice retired lady to do this for me, cuz folding laundry is my idea of hell on earth. I was paying a cleaning company to pick it up and drop it off. But when she found out, she undercut them. AND she puts the clothes away for me.

Don't have a job, haven't had a job for 12 years, retired at the ripe old age of 57, retired from my wifes and my wholly owned business. My time is never taken into consequence at to what I save, retirement is good, all medical expenses are taken care of, house is paid for, all vehicles are paid for. Everything I own is paid for. Life is good.

A sincere and hearty congratulations, sir. You are definitely in the win-win group. I think I have a much better idea of where you're coming from, now. By all means, eat nothing but steak, drink nothing but wine, and use nothing but the finest virgin media if that so pleases you! You, sir, have earned it!

Since we're sharing, I own my own business, started from nothing, in a cottage industry that I created. And I have no guarantees for the future. But so far I'm doing just fine. How fine is between me and the IRS. But I will say I'm fairly certain I will be able to afford another bottle of Nufinish when this one runs out in 20 years. And if and when I retire, whether it be in a motel room or even a mansion plated in gold, I'm fairly certain I'll still be just as interested in reusing/recycling, tinkering/inventing, ripping out the seat of my pants picking up any interesting-looking nickel I see, and even eating the occasional bowl of Kraft macaroni and cheese with cut up hot dogs.

God bless, and please accept this message in peace and harmony with the understanding that I write it with the utmost sincerity and respect.