Tumbler media

[wworker]

Rather than hijack another man's thread, I'm starting this new one to ask more questions about the media used in tumbling.

You old timers probably hate to see another new guy with questions, but hey, who else can I learn from on reloading.


Media question:

What about the corn cob media itself. I've read about suggestions in this forum that a person can obtain corn cob or walnut media from the pet store (at less expense), so I bought a 25 lb bag of crushed corn cob last week. I also noticed this corn cob media is much larger and coarser than the corn cob media intended for use in tumblers.

How much difference does it make to use the larger media in a tumbler verses using the smaller granular corn cob media supplied by the various reloading companies?

What I noticed on my own is that the larger media is hard to get out of .223 cases. Getting the media out of pistol cases was not an issue.



Tumbler question:

Since I didn't have a tumbler right away, I used the old cement mixer method mentioned in another thread. The brass did come clean, but my concern would be the steel in the cement mixer would scratch up the brass too much.

My Lyman tumbler arrived yesterday, so I put it to work right away to further clean some of the brass that wasn't fully cleaned in the mixer, to see if it would do a better job.



When to change the media:

In another thread, I was asking the question about when to change the media. I've noticed the fine black dust when emptying the brass out of the tumbler into a bucket and my media is looking very dirty, a medium shade of gray.

As far as judging how the media is working, I'm to green to know for sure yet. Some of the cases were really tarnished and they probably would never completely come clean and shiny.

TIA for any comments and suggestions.

 

[RustyFN]

What I noticed on my own is that the larger media is hard to get out of .223 cases. Getting the media out of pistol cases was not an issue.

You beat me to it. I was going to warn you about that. Thats why I use walnut. Walnut works faster and shines the case good enough for me. You will want to add some kind of cleaner or polish to the media. I use Nu Finish car polish because it's cheap and works good. I add one cap full every other batch. Add one cap full and let run for five minutes before you add the brass. I also add a paper towel tore into about 2" squares to help keep the media clean.
Rusty

 

[nelson133]

I like the lizard bedding made from walnut shells, it is much finer than the corn cob bedding and I bought my last 25 lb bag for $18. When the media turns black and greasy, I pitch it, but you can extend the life of your media by adding a couple or three used drier sheets, torn into pieces. You'll be surprised at how much crud they will absorb. Just change the sheets every load and your media will last at least twice as long.

 

[ReloaderFred]

There are generally two grades of ground corn cob available in feed stores, etc. The most common is 1/4" size, which is too big for bottleneck rifle cases. The one you want is the 1/8" size, which is what is normally used in tumblers. Your supplier can get it, but you may have to ask them to order it for you.

You won't be able to grind the corn cob you have any finer. I've tried an antique coffee grinder, a new motor powered coffee grinder and a food processor, but the cob is too light and just swirls with the blades. In the coffee grinder, it was too soft to grind and just crushed, instead of shearing.

The bottom line is you can use the larger grind of corn cob for straight walled cases, but for the bottleneck rifle cases you need the 1/8" grind.

Hope this helps.

Fred

 

[The Bushmaster]

wworker...You change the media when you feel it's time (it's cheap). After you notice that it takes longer to get them clean as the first time you tumbled in new media. I would recommend that you cut a paper towel into 2" squares and add at least 2 of them to your media when you tumble. They will help you keep the media clean longer...

 

[PsychoKnight]

Corn cob is available at pet stores; but generally they don't carry the finer granulation which you need for reloading. It has to specifically say on the packaging "Finer Grain" or "Smaller 1/8" Size!" Same brand as the regular size.

I've only seen it once at a Petco almost a year ago, and it was a one-time thing.

If you really want to insist on bulk corn cob, you can get any size you want, but you have to order it in mega quantity to make up for shipping. Some people who live near each other have set up group buys for this purpose, then split the product and shipping costs. Our local reloading store buys in bulk and repackages them in 5# bags for $5. That's good enough for me.

 

[jfh]

What RustyFN does is exactly what I do. I add the auto polish less frequently, however.

Fine-crushed (not ground) walnut works best for me, and I rarely have clogging problems. The few .223 rounds I've cleaned so far were not clogged, either.

Jim H.

 

[Shoney]

I buy the bulk bags of walnut and cob. I guess i was lucky enough to get a finer grind of corn cob. I eventually started mixing the two and steeled on a 60% cob to 40% walnut. The walnut cleans and the cob polishes.

I have experimented with car wax added to the mix. Nufinish was good, but I got a lot of Turtle Wax at garbage sales for a quarter or less, and it workds as well. A teaspoon every other load does it for me.

 

[Jeeper]

Rice and dryer sheets works great

 

[MrsFosforos]

My husband is into reloading and has looked, but never found corn cob at the petstores. About getting pet store quality to a finer consistency -- what about using a food processor to grind the coarser cob into a finer media? I've used one for making cracker crumbs for cooking with.. so it was just a thought.

He does add a little nuFinish car wax to the media he uses and has been happy with how shiny the brass comes out.

 

[JCT]

I also use a mix of about 60% corn, 40% walnut. It's been much quicker than one or the other and gives a great clean and polish.
I use 1 cap of Flitz and 2 caps of Cabelas polish. Brass comes out new looking, inside and out.

 

[jenrob]

Shoney
I buy the bulk bags of walnut and cob. I guess i was lucky enough to get a finer grind of corn cob. I eventually started mixing the two and steeled on a 60% cob to 40% walnut. The walnut cleans and the cob polishes.

As stated here walnut cleans and cob polishes. I keep a small bucket with walnut in it set aside most of the time I use the cob. but if my brass starts coming out less clean I run it through with the walnut and the an hour in the cob.
I bought a 40lbs. sack of 2040 Grit-o-cob by the anderson,s for $16 from Harmon distibuting http://www.ecoblasters.com/ They have sister company other places so might be something to look into. Also they distribute to Nosler

 

[WildeKurt]

PetCo

Petco here carries the bigger corn cob media for bedding. It does on get stuck in .38 cases so I have to be careful to check all my cases to see they are empty before reloading otherwise they jam up the deprimer which is no big deal, but a hassle none the less.

 

[RustyFN]

MrsFosforos: My husband is into reloading and has looked, but never found corn cob at the petstores. About getting pet store quality to a finer consistency -- what about using a food processor to grind the coarser cob into a finer media? I've used one for making cracker crumbs for cooking with.. so it was just a thought.

Yes you can. I have talked to many reloaders that run the corncob through a food processor to make it finer. Just be careful not to make it to fine. You can buy different courses of cob online at Grainger. Probably Harbor Freight and Tractor Supply also but I haven't looked there. If you have a feed store near you they will grind it to whatever size you want.
Rusty

 

[DBR]

Corn cob media can be obtained at most industrial suppliers that sell "blasting media". It is used for certain types of abrasive blasting and for fur cleaning in tumblers. Look up "sandblasting supplies" in the yellow pages. There are a number of on line suppliers as well.

I haven't bought any recently, but I used to pay about $14 for a 40# bag. You want to buy "2040 grit". Trying to reduce the size of corn cob is not an idea that is likely to work well. The cob is surprisingly hard and the sizes will not be consistent enough to work well.

Personally, I like walnut shell which is also available from industrial supply houses. Get "crushed" as it has sharper edges than ground. Again, "40 grit" is recommended.

IMHO, I would forget the polish. It just leaves residue that can drag in the sizing die. We are trying to get the brass clean aren't we not produce exhibition pieces. Besides, it is the polish that holds most of the crud in the media.

 

[DBR]

double post

 

[evan price]

PetSmart has crushed fine size corncob or walnut available in the Birdcage or Lizard cage supplies.

 

[qajaq59]

You old timers probably hate to see another new guy with questions, but hey, who else can I learn from on reloading.

Even old timers weren't born knowing anything about reloading. We had to ask too, although it was harder to have someone to ask before the web was invented. But it is better, and certainly safer, to ask anything and everything you're not sure of before making a mistake. 99.999% of the guys in here are happy to help.