Lyman tumbler media report

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rcmodel

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The last two days I have sized, deprimed, & belled 600 9mm cases.
Ready for final polish!! :D

Decided to change out the old Petco Zilla Brand lizard litter tumbler media, as it was pretty well used & dirty.

So, I found a gallon of Lyman Green Corn Cob media I forgot I had.
Couldn't remember why I never used it after I bought it years ago???? :confused:

Lyman media 1.jpg

Now, I Remember!!! :banghead:

I now have 600 9mm cases with plugged flash holes, and primer pockets packed solid as a rock with Lyman green tumbler media!! :fire:

Cant even pick it out with a dental pick!!

Lyman Media 2.jpg

Gonna let it run all night, sift out the media and tumble some more with just the cases to see what shakes loose.
But I'm not holding my breath while hoping for the best!

rc
 
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OUCH! Sorry to hear about that mess RC!

I'd guess that just the brass banging together without
any media would knock much of it out! I'll raise a glass
to hope for that working!

But it says right on the label "you'll love it"!

(Must be operator error) ;)
 
What are the pet store cost?
My supply is/has been Harbour freight,
25# course walnut that I tink cost me 18-20$.

It has lasted forever and still lots left.
 
I was just doing the same thing, with 9mm brass and new green media!

I used a decapping pin I messed up to pick through it. My brass was wet from a as tumble and assumed it clogged up because some of it expanded due to moister. I got it out, but I had to pick each one
 
No, that's just the nature of it I think.

My brass has never been wet, and was tumbled in Zilla Lizard Litter before I sized it all.
No problems what so ever with it day before yesterday.

The Lyman coated media is way too big to start with.
And the green coating is almost sticky feeling, even when it is sealed up in the jug it came in for 10 years.

rc
 
rcmodel

Can't remember what brand of treated media I tried long ago, but had the same exact problem..!!!
It was either the Lyman or RCBS treated stuff which I will never buy again.
I did not like the residue left on the brass either....very messy. :banghead:

I wouldn't even take it if it was free...too much work.
If I did take it, I would find a way of washing all the ¢rap off of it first.

That loose brass will make a big racket in the shop.
I tried that too. :)
It took pretty much of it out. (along with a pick or two )
HOW DOES IT PACK SO DANG HARD????

TxD
 
When I first started tumbling many years ago, you could buy treated walnut at any gunshow or from Midway for next to nothing.

It was ground walnut, or corn cob, treated with red or white rouge powder.

The last time I got some years ago, the walnut came untreated, with a little plastic bag of red rouge powder you added yourself.
(A little dab will do Ya!)

That stuff worked better faster then anything you can buy today with any kind of brass or car polish added to it.

Rc
 
Last Sunday my Lyman Turbo 600 vibratory case cleaner wasnt cleaning as it should & I found it had lost it's nuts :what:

After inspection the nuts that hold the springs to the base had vibrated away.

Was surprised they were not sealed to prevent their vibrating loose. SO after finding suitable replacements they are now lock-tightened on.

Sooooo guys you may want to check your nuts for tightness :evil:
 
That's why I tumble first and then decap and resize after, I also think clean brass is easier on my dies.
 
Sooooo guys you may want to check your nuts for tightness
Click to expand...
At 71 in two weeks?
I don't even need to check mine anymore.
I already know they are loose. :eek:

I tumble first and then decap and resize after, I also think clean brass is easier on my dies.
Click to expand...
I deprimed first with a universal die to get the mud, spiders, and grunge off & out of them.

Then tumbled for an hour before sizing, & expanding.

Then tumbled again in this Lyman disaster to finish them out.

Never had a problem before like this with Lizard litter media.

rc
 
I use that stuff all the time. It works great for me.

But you definitely don’t want to tumble your brass without primers in them. You also don’t want to let your brass set around long with that stuff inside or you won't be able to get it out at all.
I turned off my tumbler one night with about a hundred 223 cases in it. Never did get that stuff out. Ended up tossing them.

You gotta admit it cleans fast.
 
all I use anymore is Lyman RED walnut , it's what I started with 17 years ago , and keep going back to it , I've done the bedding , kitty litter , ect , even mixed Lyman with Pine kitty litter (that was a mess) , the polish I ad is for there Corn-cob media , just a tea-spoon every 4 or 5 runs and all is good ,
 
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Follow-up:

Finished polishing in Lyman Green all night (12 hours)and they still were not looking good.
Then spent all morning picking media out of 620 primer pockets and flash holes with a dental pick.

So, I threw away all the Lyman media, and all the old Lizard litter, and filled up the tumbler with fresh Zilla brand Walnut Lizard Litter, enough iron oxide powder to turn it red, and a dash of Flitz case polish.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Iron-Oxide-...404?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2c975d5984

One hour later, I dumped this out on a towel.

Only one of 620 case's had a speck of media in the flash hole, and it fell out tapping it on the table.

9mm cases 1 (800x657).jpg

9mm cases 2 (800x614).jpg

rc
 
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I can't stand that green corn cob Lyman media, it does the same thing when I use it, which is to say jams up in the pockets and flash holes, and it doesn't do anything for the brass.

I'm still trying to get my HF walnut media to work for me, but in the time being I picked up an new bottle of Lyman walnut media, good stuff, but terribly expensive.

I just checked my nuts, and holy cow, I'm missing one?

GS
 
I'm in California. We have lots of nuts here. If anybody needs some come by and take a couple home with you!


I'd send you some but the Post Office machines says you can't ship dangerous items in FRBs.:D

Never tried the green stuff, sure won't now. I have used the Red walnut for cleaning before I deprime, it will sometimes get stuck in the pocket of deprimed cases. Frankford corncob with Flitz sems to put on a nice shine and is the right size not to get stuck. (it comes untreated).
So walnut for cleaning, corncob for clean+polish.
 
Man you guys with lost/loose nuts need to go to the nut house..!! (Try FASTENAL)
I've had my nuts loose and lost a spring before....That sucks when you look at it and it's vibrating sideways loudly.:uhoh:

I'm going to just stick to plain walnut media (think it's 14-20?) with Nu-Finish and a splash of mineral spirits.
That formula is the best combo I've found in years.
But you don't have to take my word for it, I'm just saying...

I just didn't like the extra rouge in/on everything.
Maybe I had a bad batch with too much? I only tried it once and moved on.

I'm kinda stuck in my ways if it works for me.:)

TxD
 
I have had tremendous luck with the Harbor Freight walnut...so long as it's eithe new or I add just a tough of polishing agent. Always use a driyer sheet and the media lasts me 20-25 cleaning cycles. Have been very happy with it.
 
Yea well, I built my own media separator in 1970 something, way before RCBS invented them.

This thing will shake anything out of everything, in about ten spins or less.

Except Lyman Green media welded in the primer pockets.

image.jpg

rc
 
A long time ago I did a trade for some reloading stuff. With it came a Lyman 1200 tumbler and some Lyman media just like that. It did the same thing. I couldn't wait to use it up.

Looks like you have some primer crimps to remove.
 
Yes I did.

Turned out I had nearly 200 MM-42 and MM-43 cases in the bunch with crimped primers.
(WWII Canadian stuff I think?)

I finally just set up the RCBS swager die and knocked them out in short order.

rc
 
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