cleaning brass

[357magnum]

I use Lyman corncob green media with a shot of NuFinish.

[klewan]

OP, if you're using walnut and feel it's not clean; YOU'RE DOING SOMETHING WRONG! That's what I've been using for 20 years, and after 3 hours in the tumbler, it's just as shiny as new. Try some new media, it doesn't last forever.

[diveRN]

Walnut media and Nu-Finish for about 2-3 hours gets pistol brass looking brand new. I separate media/brass with a cullender and an old Christmas popcorn tin. I clean then decap, which usually forces any media out of the flash hole.

[Enfield47]

I use corn cob media with some Cabellas case polish and my brass comes out nice and shiny every time. I let it tumble for a couple of hours because I like the shine.

[Syntax Error]

Corn cob for range-fired brass and clean-enough for resizing and trimming if necessary. Final stainless steel tumbling to get the lube off and clean the case throughout. It's the stainless steel tumbling that lets you get brass looking like this:

[Oceanbob]

I have the Dillon vibrating tub which works ok. But I recently picked up 30,000 cases of 5.56 once fired Lake City....

Went out to Lowes and bought a cement mixer. Built it in a couple of hours over the Holidays. Bandsawed a door skin round to fit over the hole. Held on with Tywraps. Bought one bottle of walnut, one of corncob. Mixed about 1/2 of each bottle together, a couple caps of Dillon polish, three or four dryer sheets and a shot glass of water with some Lemon-shine powder in it. (Wally world)

I can polish 1000 rounds at a time. Yes, it's noisy.....takes about 3 hours and the brass is clean and shiny. I use a salad colander to sift the brass and dump into the Dillon rotary cage.....

I am quite happy with this system. I don't deprime until the cases are on my Dillon 1050, which deprimes and swages the primer pockets automatically during reloading. Easy 1000 rounds per hour if I'am prepared (primer tubes. Etc) and nobody bothers me..

Sorry for the mess. I've since moved it to the back of my reloading room after the Holidays.

[uhlan1]

^^^That is pretty cool.

[XDmax]

What about these tumblers?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000BUXY0W/ref=ox_sc_act_image_8?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A2HUFQYBB8LM3

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00IOE5K5Y/ref=ox_sc_act_image_7?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A2Q6HOGU76W91J

[t_johnson]

thanks all... never heard of the car wax with walnut... my grandfather taught me just walnut. the cases are clean but never got the super shiny finish

[sl0re10]

I have a tumbler with walnut shells but my brass doesn't get real clean.. was wondering what machine and media every one was using

Walnut and extra brass.

I put some extra 9mm brass in I don't intend to use for reloading in and leave it. It provides extra abrasion for the brass I am reloading. It makes a big difference.

Also; a little nufinish (little!) so that the shine doesn't oxidize and tarnish away in a second.

[AandO]

thanks all... never heard of the car wax with walnut... my grandfather taught me just walnut. the cases are clean but never got the super shiny finish

t_j

Save your dryer fabric softener sheets after being used. Toss one in with the brass and it will act like a magnet to remove the dirt from your media.

Triples or quadruples the life of your media, maybe more......

Replace the sheet with each batch of brass

Works great and it's free.....

[Kablemodem]

I usually tumble my brass for two hours and it comes out bright and shiny. I accidentally left my tumbler on overnight the other night and the brass shines like jewelry now. I use crushed walnut with a little Nu-Finish.

The front part of a Lake City case is normally brown, but now they are golden all over. This photo doesn't really capture how brilliant they shine (not that that was my goal, but that's what happened).

[ER308]

The 'coarse' walnut shell media from harbor freight will leave a 'dull' finish to your shells. They also sell a 'fine' walnut media for same price and this will get you the 'shiny' results.

[echo884]

Zilla Ground Walnut Reptile bedding and a little nu-finish works for me.

[Toy4Rick]

I also use the walnut shells from Petco, add a bit of Nu Finish and/or brass polish and about 2 hours is all it takes

Have fun
Rick