A new brass tumbling question

[v-man]

I heard someone mention having multiple tumbler tubs used in stages. 1 has used, partially dirty media, 1 has pretty clean media with cleaner/polisher in it and 1 has new, clean media with nothing added. I thought he put them in that order. Can anyone elaborate on this?

[Questor]

It seems a bit over-guru'ed for general use, but if you want them to sparkle, that ought to be a great approach.

[stimpylu32]

v-man

That will give you a very shi-neeee case , but why , brass that looks like brand new will not shrink my groups and the deer are not going to get any deader . A clean case will keep your dies from getting scratched up but it does not need a mirror polish to shoot any better .

stimpy

[Savage]

Wow! I just run my brass thru walnut media for an hour or two to clean the brass! I've had two tumblers going for the last two days trying to get caught up as it is. Sounds like someone doesn't clean much brass, and spends a lot of time doing it!
Savage

[corbanzo]

If I want really clean brass... I just leave it for an extra hour or two.   I always put the brass in a tub and run a rag back and forth through it get any left over dust stuck to it off. 

[Questor]

Maybe adding the question  "how to you get your brass to shine like factory new?" would be a good answer to get in this thread. I've never tried  it, but have read that some use corn cob media with a little Dillon case polish added to it. From what I've gathered it will give you an "acceptable shine", whatever that means. In the context of what I read the author said he wanted his autos to function reliably and to prolong the life of his die.

It's not a joke or a snide remark, but if I wanted "presentation grade" cartridges for some reason, I'd start with new brass, then make my cartridge, then hand polish it with Simichrome polish.

[qajaq59]

I heard someone mention having multiple tumbler tubs used in stages. 1 has used, partially dirty media, 1 has pretty clean media with cleaner/polisher in it and 1 has new, clean media with nothing added. I thought he put them in that order. Can anyone elaborate on this?

I'd say the media is probably the cheapest thing I buy when it comes to my shooting, so I just change it often. I certainly wouldn't bother with all that shifting of cases from one media to another to save that little bit of money.

[Lloyd Smale]

look at my response in the lead poisoning thread. Get rid of dirty media. Dont try tricks like washing it or try to get the last mile out of it. there are some nasty things in it and its to cheap to try to save a penny. You can go to a feed store and buy a 50 lb bag of it for less then the price of a box of shells at walmart.

[Swampman]

Rice works really well.  I think the lead thing is way over blown.

[PA-Joe]

I use walnut to clean cases before sizing and then use corn to remove the sizing lube. Same tub just use two diff media!

[corbanzo]

I just leave the sizing lube on, I don't really care about the flat look of it.  And if anything it will: making the cartridge feed and extract better from the firearm - and, add protection from rust and deterioration if the cartridge sits for a long long while. 

[Swampman]

It also increases bolt thrust because the case wall doesn't grip the chamber wall like it should.

[Coyote Hunter]

Tumbling brass serves several purposes for me.

1. It removes grime and grit from the brass before running the brass through my dies.  More true when I first got my tumbler than today because the brass is tumbled at least once every reload cycle. Still true for straight-wall pistol brass that gets resized with carbide dies.

2. It removes the sizing lube after running the brass through the dies. 

3. It gives the brass a nice polish and in the process helps clean out the primer pockets.

My technique is fairly inexpensive.  I buy walnut media from Hammons in Springfield, MO.  They are the world's largest processor of black walnuts and sell walnut shell in various grit sizes.  But Pet Smart has stuff that will work.  I throw in a couple capfuls of Berry Brass Brite into each new batch of media and another capful on occasion.  When the media looks grungy I replace it.

[Willum241]

I tumble my brass before and after sizing.  The second tumbling is for about two hours and leaves the brass is nice and shiny.  I shoot at a pretty busy public range, and will occasionally eject a a few cases over the rail into the other brass that's accumulated there. The like-new look makes it easier for me to retrieve mine.

Besides, I think it looks cool. Washing my truck doesn't make it any faster, either.

[Jim n Iowa]

Heres how I do it. I use corn media + 10% walnut add some liquid car wax (no ammonia) and tumble before and after sizing. I take the used anti cling squares the wife uses in the dryer,  cut up in squares add to the mix. After tumbling you discard the dirty squares that have cleaned a good portion of your media.
Jim

[gypsyman]

I use a 50/50 mix of corn and walnut. If after I've used it a bunch of times, and the brass isn't as shiny as I'd like it, I'll add a couple of tablespoons of the Flitz media additive. Then, after I've done that a couple of times, and it starts not coming out as shiny, I have a 3 hour rule. If the brass hasn't cleaned up and got a nice shine to it, I pitch the media, and start a fresh mixture.  gypsyman

[HL]

Running cases for hours and hours in a tumbler, as pretty much stated above, is a wast of time. If I want spit shine cases quick, I use liquid case cleaner in my Sidewinder. Under normal conditions, I just use dry media and tumble for just a few hours prior to sizing.

Shooting time is more valuable to me than cleaning time.