tumbler media?

[sevensix2x51]

ok, im mostly bored, and just wanting to get a consensus on tumbler media... i was taught, as a lad, to use treated walnut media first, followed by UNtreated corn cob media. do y'all tumble twice? is this the best way to get high quality brass tumblin's? thanks for the insight!

[C.W.M.V.]

I just use straight treated corn cob media. I tried the process your talking about and the treated corn cob does just as good a job in less time and is less complicated, for me anyway.

[anto]

There was a thread on here a while back about using plastic media. IIRC it cleaned up the cases very nicely.

[sevensix2x51]

I just use straight treated corn cob media. I tried the process your talking about and the treated corn cob does just as good a job in less time and is less complicated, for me anyway.

do you treat it out of a bottle, or buy it treated? im pretty lazy, and i like buying pretreated media... thanks for the insight! ive had decent enough luck with just using untreated cob, (as in enough cleaning to safely running it through the dies) but i like shiny, clean brass.. ive never used a treated cob...

There was a thread on here a while back about using plastic media. IIRC it cleaned up the cases very nicely.

ill have to look into that.. thanks!

[C.W.M.V.]

I just buy it treated, I get the frankford arsenal (cheap) stuff from midway. My brass comes out looking brand new and unfired.

[reloader714]

Have been doing walnut first then corncob. Only drawback to walnut is all that dust it sucks. Just ordered some stainless steel media cant wait to try it out.

[Rwnielsen]

I used walnut from the pets store for a while and it gives a nice satin finish. I recently switched to corn cob (also pet store) and get a much brighter finish. In both cases I add a shot of Meguires's cleaner/wax and let it run from 4-6 hours

[Memnok]

Have been doing walnut first then corncob. Only drawback to walnut is all that dust it sucks. Just ordered some stainless steel media cant wait to try it out.

I like the idea of the stainless or ceramic media. From the photos I have seen, it sure makes for bright brass. But I also tend to believe that corncob with a little car polish (Nu Finish) leaves a bit of wax to prevent tarnish. Anyone ever compare how long it takes for wax polished brass to tarnish vs. un-waxed?

[Revoman]

I also use the Nu-Finish in regular walnut media. Not only does it shine the brass very well in a short time, but it seems to go through the sizing die much slicker with less resistance. Dunno about the less tarnish comparison, but it takes much less time to polish it after using the car wax in subsequent cleanings.

[SVRider]

There was a thread on here a while back about using plastic media. IIRC it cleaned up the cases very nicely.

I tried that experiment, but stopped. After a few cycles (I can't remember exactly how many right now, but I want to say about 5 or so), I started getting gummy stuff on the cases, presumably from the plastic, so I stopped...I still have a bunch of the plastic media. I should probably use it to run like 2 cycles and throw it out, just to use it up. When it's new though, it worked pretty well....

[killshot44]

I do plain PetCo lizard walnut before sizing and NuFinish+walnut after sizing.
Looked into using SS, but my low level of OCD doesn't justify the money for the media and a rotary tumbler.....

[Revoman]

I also tried the ceramic balls, don't really think that they are very good either. Use them with water and soap, most I got was a lot of suds and needed to rinse and dry them out without much actual cleaning going on.

I phoned Lyman to ask a couple of questions about running the ceramics and they stated that they do not recommend their use, only walnut or corncob media. Said that the machines will work fine, but that the ceramic are mostly used for other purposes and is more time and money than what they are worth. It was at least a valuable lesson not to use them for empty brass cleaning.

So my take on SS would be the same, they are prolly fine for specific other uses, but not necessarily for cleaning brass cases.

[Suhleen]

For the initial cleaning I use the walnut Lizard Litter with some mineral spirits and Nu-Finish. After loading I use corn cob with Dillon's Rapid Polish for a final shine.

[sevensix2x51]

thanks for all the replies! ill have to give the nufinish a try...

[Enter_the_Dragon]

Walnut treated w/dillon polish and then untreated corn.