Author Topic: What is it??? (Read 665 times)

Tom W. · « **on:** July 18, 2004, 01:52:48 PM »

Last year at the gun show a dealer was selling a crushed, light green colored abrasive "rock" that was to be added to the media in my tumbler in a small amount, which was to help clean the brass better and faster. It works great. He was selling it in small zip-lock bags. Wouldn't say what it was....

He wasn't at the show this weekend, so I couldn't buy any more.

Does anyone have an idea what this stuff is? I'd sure like to get some more...

Flash · « **Reply #1 on:** July 18, 2004, 02:26:08 PM »

It is jeweler's rouge, which is made for lathe polishing metal. The red is made for steel, the green for brass and bronze and the white for aluminum. You should be able to find it on the net using a search engine. If you find it in chunk form, a small kitchen chopper should pulverize it enough to add to your media. The draw back is that it can stick to the cases and then you need to hand rub them all. The commercial corn cob media is already impregnated with the green rouge. Try www.widgetsupply.com

Tom W. · « **Reply #2 on:** July 18, 2004, 03:54:28 PM »

Thanks!

Donna · « **Reply #3 on:** July 19, 2004, 12:33:31 AM »

All I've ever seen was the corncob with red jeweler's rouge, never the green. But the jeweler's rouge which ever the color has a big draw back to it and that is it will cake on the inside of the case shoulder and get baked on during the firing and after a time will gradually build up and reduce case capacity and increasing pressures until dangerous level is reached and bad things can happen. Washing the cases after using the jeweler's rouge will prevent this unhappy problem.

Donna

Chuck White · « **Reply #4 on:** July 19, 2004, 03:30:20 AM »

I'm with Donna on this one, at least in part!
I've never seen green or white jewelers rouge either! The dictionary's definition of rouge is red and red is the only color I've ever seen! Now, I'm not saying the green and white don't exist, just that I've never seen either of them!

Now, as far as build-up inside the case!!! When you add jewelers rouge to the tumbling media, you only add a very small amount and then you run the tumbler without brass in it so that the rouge will mix evenly with the media! I have never had a problem with any kind of build-up! I hold my chunk of jewelers rouge over my media and take a "course" file and just file off a light dusting into the media! This works for me!

Flash · « **Reply #5 on:** July 20, 2004, 12:29:59 PM »

My days of using the jeweler's rouge go back to my high school days in machine shop. My corn cob media is green and I only seen the red on walnut hulls. Since school days, I've seen the white in a few different shops that did some engine work for me(I used to be a motor head in the 70's)but haven't seen it for several years.

Reed1911 · « **Reply #6 on:** July 20, 2004, 01:18:42 PM »

I've seen all three at the local wholesale hardware stores. (steve's and Harbor Frieght)