Author Topic: Tumbling media question (Read 1662 times)

GH1 · « **on:** June 10, 2010, 02:13:48 PM »

Can I use clay oil dry/kitty litter as a tunbling media? Also, do I need a vibratory tumbler or can I use a rotary tumbler? I have a rotary tumbler for rock polishing along with assorted polishing grit and I was wondering if I could use it. I assume the rock polishing media would be too aggressive, would it not? I have 4 different sizes of grit, mayber I can use the finest. Any input is appreciated.
GH1

Castaway · « **Reply #1 on:** June 10, 2010, 02:28:43 PM »

A rotary tumbler will work. Never tried kitty liter but my guess is that it isn't
abrasive enough. Try rice until you get to the store and get your walnut or corn media. Personally, I've used rice exclusively for the past 8 years or so and am very satisfied with it.

necchi · « **Reply #2 on:** June 10, 2010, 02:38:46 PM »

I ~~was~~ use a rotary, Thumlers Tumbler, works great!

But your rock polishing media, even the fine, is going to be too aggressive for brass. It would just eat the cases away.

Also, clay cat litter would be too soft and the brass will turn it too mush, it might work for a few hours, and that's all ya need for once fired or mildly dirty cases, but it might have to be replaced alot.

I use Lizard litter

, it's finley crushed walnut hull, it's actually finer than the walnut they sell for vibratory tumblers and dosen't work as well in those, but with the rock polishers it's fantastic stuff, they are even making cat litter from corn husk now a days, and that might work as it's also a media sold for vibratory

Steve P · « **Reply #3 on:** June 10, 2010, 03:01:05 PM »

The corn cob parrot litter from the pet stores will work also. It is a little larger than typical tumbling corn cob, but that means you have less chance of having it stick in the primer pocket, and a little more chance of it filling a case on smaller bore like .224 and 250.

Steve

GH1 · « **Reply #4 on:** June 10, 2010, 04:15:30 PM »

Thanks for all the input everyone. Looks like I'll be tunbling some brass this weekend. Any idea how long I should run my tumbler for? Of does time vary depending on media used.
GH1

dpe.ahoy · « **Reply #5 on:** June 10, 2010, 04:32:59 PM »

Your time will vary according to how dirty your brass is and if you want it to look "new" or just clean it. Walnut cleans faster than corn cob media. DP

bkraft · « **Reply #6 on:** June 10, 2010, 04:48:27 PM »

Was I dreaming or did I read here that some of ya'll ad Nu-Finish car wax to your media?

necchi · « **Reply #7 on:** June 10, 2010, 05:05:28 PM »

Ya folks add stuff, They make and sell a Brass polish for tumblers, but many car wax products will work. Just a capfull or teaspoon.
Anything that DOES NOT contain AMMONIA.
Ammoinia breaks down copper, brass is copper and zinc in it's basic compound.

wncchester · « **Reply #8 on:** June 11, 2010, 03:35:36 AM »

Do your tumbling with the proper media, nut or cob, really not enough difference to make a difference.

The reason case tumbler makers don't sell sand, clay, rock polishing grit, etc, is it's bad to blow any internal residue from the cases down your bore. Seems like a good thing to avoid to me too but it's your bore.

PawPaw · « **Reply #9 on:** June 11, 2010, 09:57:11 AM »

The guys around here use lizard media they get from the pet stores.

charles p · « **Reply #10 on:** June 11, 2010, 10:38:05 AM »

Last walnut shell I bought was from a guy on eBay. He sold a bag that was about the size of a shoe box. Freight was more than the cost of the media, I'm sure. I live on an Island a long way from a pet or sporting store, so its nearly always cheaper for me to buy on eBay.

My wife put piece of colored glass in my vibrator to knock the sharp edges off, and it did. Might have been from the glass pieces contacting each other.

Siskiyou · « **Reply #11 on:** June 11, 2010, 05:38:06 PM »

I bought 50-pounds of fine ground Walnut shell at the local feed store for $11. I donated a few pounds to a granddaughter for pets. It works great. Walnut shell come in a number of grinds from course from flour grades, extra fine, fine, medium, coarse, and extra coarse. I suspect the extra fine is too dusty. As suggested in one of the tags I put a couple used dryer static sheets in the tumbler.

I did some high production case cleaning this spring. The cheap stuff with a cap of car wax did a good job.

My wife bought some ground corncob from the pet store form. It is two or three times the diameter of the commercial polishing corncob. It plugged up the interior of the cases and packed in rather tightly. It was a chore getting it out of the cases. I wrote that off to a lesson learned and dumped it in the garbage. If I go looking for corncob again I will check the product out before buying. I will be looking for a product similar to the commercial product

To make handling and storage more to my liking I put the contents of the bag into two five gallon buckets.

GH1 · « **Reply #12 on:** June 12, 2010, 12:36:24 PM »

It seems like there's many ways to polish cases. Has anybody tried dried peas, beans, etc?
Also, I have some rounds already loaded that I'd like to pretty up, can loaded rounds be tumbled? Or is this too dangerous.
Again, thanks for all the input everybody.
GH1

DalesCarpentry · « **Reply #13 on:** June 12, 2010, 03:55:27 PM »

Quote from: GH1 on June 12, 2010, 12:36:24 PM

It seems like there's many ways to polish cases. Has anybody tried dried peas, beans, etc?
Also, I have some rounds already loaded that I'd like to pretty up, can loaded rounds be tumbled? Or is this too dangerous.
Again, thanks for all the input everybody.
GH1

In the words of David Tubb. Quote to tumble loaded ammo would be asking for trouble I believe. Dale

Lloyd Smale · « **Reply #14 on:** June 13, 2010, 02:53:36 AM »

Local feed store sells crushed walnut for bird bedding in a 25 lb bag cheaper then a 2 lb bag youd buy in a gunshop

buck460XVR · « **Reply #15 on:** June 13, 2010, 03:49:20 AM »

Quote from: GH1 on June 12, 2010, 12:36:24 PM

It seems like there's many ways to polish cases. Has anybody tried dried peas, beans, etc?
Also, I have some rounds already loaded that I'd like to pretty up, can loaded rounds be tumbled? Or is this too dangerous.
Again, thanks for all the input everybody.
GH1

I used rice one time in a pinch....worked well. regular rice tho, not Minute Rice. You can safely tumble loaded ammo, ammo manufacturers do it all the time. I even tumble bulk jacketed bullets sometimes before loading if they haven't been already.

qajaq59 · « **Reply #16 on:** June 13, 2010, 03:52:52 AM »

Quote

I live on an Island a long way from a pet or sporting store, so its nearly always cheaper for me to buy on eBay.

Just look for rice when you go grocery shopping. That'll do the job for you, and you wont have to pay for shipping.

billy_56081 · « **Reply #17 on:** June 13, 2010, 04:45:08 AM »

Quote from: DALESCARPENTRY on June 12, 2010, 03:55:27 PM

Quote from: GH1 on June 12, 2010, 12:36:24 PM
It seems like there's many ways to polish cases. Has anybody tried dried peas, beans, etc?
Also, I have some rounds already loaded that I'd like to pretty up, can loaded rounds be tumbled? Or is this too dangerous.
Again, thanks for all the input everybody.
GH1
In the words of David Tubb. Quote to tumble loaded ammo would be asking for trouble I believe. Dale

From what I have heard Remington tumbles their loaded ammo. I have done it many times before with no issues.

qajaq59 · « **Reply #18 on:** June 13, 2010, 05:02:18 AM »

Tumbling live rounds is something that has been argued for years in the forums, and will probably continue to be.

Siskiyou · « **Reply #19 on:** June 13, 2010, 05:48:21 AM »

I visited large commercial loaders operation years back. At the time he was running large batches of JHP 357 ammunition. He had five or six cement mixers turning with loaded rounds in them with treated corn cob medium. I have to admit that it made me a little nervous. They are a good outfit and still in business.

I get tempted to polish some old ammunition every once and while but I back off. This spring I checked on how much a replacement tumbler would cost me. Replacement cost approximately $300. If I had an event that result in a fire, the fire department would let my place burn down to ash, and wet down adjacent structures and wildland.

I was investigating a wildland fire involving marijuana growing when a stash of AK ammo was set off by the fire. After the area cooled down I checked out the ammunition and equipment cache. Most of the bullets were laying within a couple inches of the cases. But I am aware of a different outcome. A friend’s engine crew was making initial attack on a brush fire when 22LR ammunition left on the ground some other time started going off. He was struck on the cheek and received a nasty cut.

Bottomline a round going of inside the heavy walls of a cement mixer present less of a hazard than the thin walls of my tumbler.

GH1 · « **Reply #20 on:** June 13, 2010, 10:30:56 AM »

Well, I went out and bought a big bag of rice this morning and I'm tumbling as I type. I didn't add anything to in the way of polish. How long should I let these things tumble before I inspect them?
GH1

qajaq59 · « **Reply #21 on:** June 13, 2010, 10:45:08 AM »

I usually run my tumbler about 3 hours before I bother looking at them. But it is a tumbler, not a vibrator. If you're using the vibrator it may be quicker.

GH1 · « **Reply #22 on:** June 14, 2010, 02:20:13 AM »

I checked them yesterday after about 4 hours or so and they cleaned up unbelievably well. I was quite amazed & impressed, now I just need to get some sort of set-up for seperating brass from media. Next time though I'll leave the primers in efore I tumble, as I have quite a few with rice in the primer holes.
Thanks for all the advice everone.
GH1

qajaq59 · « **Reply #23 on:** June 14, 2010, 02:50:08 AM »

I went to a couple of tag sales and bought a huge bowl and one of those sieve things from a clothes washer. Works like a charm and takes about a minute to use. Cost? How about a quarter, LOL

super mario · « **Reply #24 on:** July 17, 2010, 10:51:19 AM »

The problem with tumbling live brass isnt the chance of it going off. Its the breakdown of the powder.
If the powder in your case is cylindrical it has a specific burn rate, after tumbling it could break down to to fine pistol powder and your burn rate is going to be a lot faster and could cause major pressures.

kevinsmith5 · « **Reply #25 on:** July 18, 2010, 04:35:16 AM »

You wanna clean loaded ammo, use 0000 steel wool or possibly Brasso. Might have to check on whether Brasso would do any unexpected things to the chamber though, not sure. You can also wet a paper towel with vinegar, wipe the brass, wait five minutes, then wipe with a slightly damp (water) paper towel. You'll be surprised how clean it gets.

Reverend Recoil · « **Reply #26 on:** July 18, 2010, 11:26:16 AM »

20 years ago I tried cleaning casings with clay oil-dry granuals treated with polishing compound. It made the worst mess you can imagine. Take my word, forget the kitty liter and such. I now clean spent-primed 45ACP and 30 cal rifle with treated corn cob. 223 Rem and everything de-primed is cleaned with pet-store crushed walnut shells. Brass casings only have to be clean. They do not need to look bright as new.

GH1 · « **Reply #27 on:** July 18, 2010, 12:41:19 PM »

I threw in a handful of cornmeal into my rice, along with a little bit of salt. It improved the cleaning action of the rice quite a bit. I imagine eventually I'll get come corn cob or walnut but for now the rice is doing the job.
GH1

Lloyd Smale · « **Reply #28 on:** July 18, 2010, 03:26:29 PM »

years ago i did a couple tests and left rifle rounds loaded with ball and stick powder in a tumbler over night and chronographed them and the velocitys and spreads were identical to rounds just loaded. Now that was an extreem test and i dont recomend you leave live rounds overnight in your tumbler but an hour or two sure isnt going to hurt anything.

Hooker · « **Reply #29 on:** July 18, 2010, 03:54:12 PM »

Quote from: GH1 on July 18, 2010, 12:41:19 PM

I threw in a handful of cornmeal into my rice, along with a little bit of salt. It improved the cleaning action of the rice quite a bit. I imagine eventually I'll get come corn cob or walnut but for now the rice is doing the job.
GH1

Sounds like your making Chinese cornbread

Salt can't be good for the brass especially if any moisture can get to it.

Pat