media and polish

[GlockBlocker]

so if i understand this correctly, walnut media is more abrasive and for dirtier brass, while corn cob is more for a finishing touch?

do people that use walnut, then re-tumble the brass in corn cob?

should you use case polish in both? or just corn cob? ... or do you even use case polish?

how dirty do you let the media get before you replace it? the manual says as soon as you see any black accumulating on the sides. that sound right?

[killshot44]

Meh.....

I have used both and found the best media is the "Zilla" crushed walnut from PetCo. Cleans great, polishes great, doesn't stick in primer holes and one bag will fill your tumbler twice.

I tumble before decapping/sizing and again after sizing and trimming. The second timble is short and includes a little NuFinish. Half a torn up dryer sheet tossed in with the media keeps the powder down.

I get probably 3,000 rounds tumbled before I replace the media.

[XDRoX]

I use corn cob with a cap of nu-finish. It takes a little longer than walnut, but doesn't leave a walnut residue on the brass. The most important thing to use that a lot of people don't realize are dryer sheets. Take a dryer sheet (I use Bounce) and cut it into strips. The dryer sheets suck all the black dust and filth out of the media and the media will last 10 times longer because of the dryer sheets.

[GlockBlocker]

Petco? what is crushed walnut used for besides tumbling?

great tips for nufinish and dryer sheets too, thanks!

[Suhleen]

Petco? what is crushed walnut used for besides tumbling?

great tips for nufinish and dryer sheets too, thanks!

It's used for lizard and other reptile bedding.

I use walnut for the initial cleaning as it is more abrasive and cleans the brass in less time. Add a few capfuls of mineral spirits and NuFinish and they come out looking good. After sizing/trimming I tumble the brass in corn cob with a few capfuls of Dillon's Rapid Polish to get them where I want them to be. Nice and shiny!

[BigBronco]

I run through walnut with a polish added. The shells are clean but not brigt and shiny. So I run through a second tumbler with corn cob with polish added. I would switch to nu-finish once my Dillon polish is used up.

[Pubert]

Nice to know the dryer sheet trick! Thanks for that.

I tumble with Harbor Freight crushed walnut medium and use a cap full of NuFinish every 3rd or 4th tumble. My brass comes out looking brand new - nice and shiny!

What does adding mineral spirits do?

Only problem (though resolved while decapping) is that the medium gets stuck in the primer hole...

[Lead Waster]

Petco? what is crushed walnut used for besides tumbling?

great tips for nufinish and dryer sheets too, thanks!

'Zilla is a Lizard bedding.

You can get corncob bird bedding too, but the stuff I got sucked because of the size (large bits getting stuck in cases). I use Zilla crushed walnut with the nufinish, but I only tumble once. Range bag to tumbler then that's it.

[sequoia_nomad]

I got some crushed corn cob kitty litter at Petco, it works pretty good, although I had to sift it with a wire strainer to get the very fine particles and dust out of it. About $7 yields a Dillon 750 full after sifting out the pith.

[Bill Steele]

I use corn cob with a cap of nu-finish. It takes a little longer than walnut, but doesn't leave a walnut residue on the brass. The most important thing to use that a lot of people don't realize are dryer sheets. Take a dryer sheet (I use Bounce) and cut it into strips. The dryer sheets suck all the black dust and filth out of the media and the media will last 10 times longer because of the dryer sheets.

Excellent.

[Suhleen]

Nice to know the dryer sheet trick! Thanks for that.

I tumble with Harbor Freight crushed walnut medium and use a cap full of NuFinish every 3rd or 4th tumble. My brass comes out looking brand new - nice and shiny!

What does adding mineral spirits do?

Only problem (though resolved while decapping) is that the medium gets stuck in the primer hole...

Mineral spirits is good for removing carbon and other material from metal. I typically only use it on the really dirty brass scrounged from an outdoor range.

[Synergy]

I buy my walnut at Harbor Freight. It is in their sandblasting section. Its fine 24 grit. I throw in some metal polish and my brass comes out bling bling!

[Enter_the_Dragon]

Walnut w/polisher for 2 hours -
30 mins. w/untreated corn cob

[Fyathyrio]

OK, I keep forgetting to toss the drier sheet pieces in when tumbling...but I do have a question on that. Must they be new sheets or will the already run through the drier ones also catch the dust?

[bruceflinch]

I buy my walnut at Harbor Freight. It is in their sandblasting section. Its fine 24 grit. I throw in some metal polish and my brass comes out bling bling!

Yea but please don't wear your "Brass" necklace to the next CGN outing...