What media for cheapo tumbler?

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Morne
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What media for cheapo tumbler?

Post by Morne »

So I just got my first reloading set-up and am starting to try and tumble some brass. Have a cheapo Harbor Freight tumbler and the results thus far have not been stellar. What media should I be using? Links to places it can be bought would be appreciated.
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Re: What media for cheapo tumbler?

Post by JustaShooter »

Morne wrote:So I just got my first reloading set-up and am starting to try and tumble some brass. Have a cheapo Harbor Freight tumbler and the results thus far have not been stellar. What media should I be using? Links to places it can be bought would be appreciated.
I use a 50-50 mix of fine walnut shell and corncob media, with a generous dose of mineral spirits (3/4 of a 35mm film canister full or so) mixed in and let run till the clumping stops before adding brass. Keep the lid on tight, and every few batches when the smell of mineral spirits dies down and the media starts looking dry, add a bit more mineral spirits.

I'm not looking for "like new" polish, but I do like clean and shiny. The 50-50 mix does a good job of cleaning and a bit of polishing by itself if you give it enough time, but adding the mineral spirits really makes a difference both in time and how good they look coming out. Also cuts down on dust.

I also cut up a used dryer sheet into 6 pieces or so and toss them in - helps clean the crud out of the media you are removing from the brass.

Also, do full batches - fill the bowl about 1/3 to 1/2 with media and keep adding brass till the action noticeably slows down (probably 3/4 full). Doing just a few cases at a time doesn't clean as well. With your tumbler I'd guess you could get 300 or so 9mm cases - the user guide might even tell you about how much brass it will hold, but you'll get the feel for how much to do at once time to get good results.

BTW, I've seen that some folks add a bit of Nu Finish to polish the cases, but I've never felt the need. If I did, I'd probably run corncob media without the walnut and then add the mineral spirits and Nu Finish (since corncob is more of a polishing media and walnut shell is more of a cleaning media).

I'll let others recommend where to get it - I haven't bought any in many years, having acquired a huge bucket of the stuff when a friend got out of reloading.
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Re: What media for cheapo tumbler?

Post by dangerranger6100 »

I just use walnut media, with a cut up used dryer sheet, and some Nufinish polish. Gets them pretty shiny, but all I really care about is getting the crud off.

This is what I use for media.
http://www.amazon.com/Zilla-Walnut-Shel ... lla+walnut
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Re: What media for cheapo tumbler?

Post by BigV »

Morne wrote:So I just got my first reloading set-up and am starting to try and tumble some brass. Have a cheapo Harbor Freight tumbler and the results thus far have not been stellar. What media should I be using? Links to places it can be bought would be appreciated.
Get some Zilla Reptile Bedding from Pet Smart. It's cheap and works well to clean and shine brass. If you want really shiny, crushed corncob shines them like new, but doesn't clean as well as walnut.
As stated above, Nu Finish car wax work well to add that little bit extra shine.
I have the Harbor Freight tumbler and it works just as well as my RCBS and has yet to break down (can't say that about my RCBS)!
Leave the brass tumble for 3 hours or so and they should be like new.
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Re: What media for cheapo tumbler?

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My definitive answer: http://ohioccwforums.org/viewtopic.php? ... t#p4182895" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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Re: What media for cheapo tumbler?

Post by Werz »

I've always used Lyman Treated Corn Cob Media (in a Lyman 1200), and it seems to polish everything nicely, including range pick-ups which have been exposed to the weather for a while and .30 Carbine brass which tends to be extra filthy.

I get the little dab of Nu Polish, but I don't understand the large portions of mineral spirits. I'm a strong believer of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it," and I don't want to put stuff in my media unless I'm convinced it will improve things.
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Re: What media for cheapo tumbler?

Post by Jake »

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Re: What media for cheapo tumbler?

Post by JustaShooter »

Werz wrote:I don't understand the large portions of mineral spirits. I'm a strong believer of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it," and I don't want to put stuff in my media unless I'm convinced it will improve things.
I was skeptical for years as well, but I had a large quantity of 9mm that was really dirty that just wasn't cleaning up well with my then-normal 50-50 mix of walnut and corncob. One night I (literally) tripped over a container of mineral spirits up in the attic and decided to give it a try since I kept hearing about it and was frankly amazed at the difference. It made me want to go back and re-tumble the batches I'd already run! It sold me on making mineral spirits a part of my standard media prep - and really, 3/4 of a 35mm film canister isn't all that much and it lasts for several batches as long as you keep it sealed.

Try it yourself - take a batch of nasty dirty brass, run half of it in your normal media and the other half after adding mineral spirits. If you don't like the results, run a couple of batches with the lid off of the tumbler and it will evaporate.
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Re: What media for cheapo tumbler?

Post by evan price »

Zilla crushed walnut lizard litter, for mechanical abrasion. A couple spoonfulls of Stoddard Solvent or Odorless Mineral Spirits (to remove carbon and crud.) A couple spoonfulls of NuFinish car polish, for fine polishing, and to leave a microscopic film on the brass to both prevent air oxidation, and to make it go slick in the dies. A torn in half used dryer sheet to catch the dirt and dust for disposal. I swear by this. I literally tumbled over 4000# of brass so far this year. Of course I use a much larger batch of walnut...like three 5-gallon buckets of it at a time.
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Re: What media for cheapo tumbler?

Post by JediSkipdogg »

I've have a 50/50 mix of corn cob and walnut in a cat litter container. I then add a capful of Nu-Finish the first time I run each day. Usually I run maybe 3 back to back loads. The Nu-Finish also leaves a nice smell with the cleaned brass. I also have a small cup (it's maybe about 1/2 of a cup measumement wise) and dump that amount out each time and replace it with an equal amount.

I haven't tried the dryer sheets yet but may look into trying that next time.
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Re: What media for cheapo tumbler?

Post by mbott »

Buy it by the 50lb. bag: http://gritocob.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

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Re: What media for cheapo tumbler?

Post by Sevens »

:lol: Always love the "tumbling" threads. Hilarious, if you ask 100 people, you'll get at least 106 different answers! :lol:

Tumbler: Harbor Freight is a cheap way to go... it'll work. Better: Berry's tumbler. LOVE mine. It's quiet (relatively, I mean, c'mon) and it runs like a champ and I use it heavily. Perhaps even better than the Berry's tumbler is a Cabela's tumbler -IF- you have a Cabela's anywhere in a normal travel path. Because the Cabela's tumbler is a Berry's tumbler in different colors... and with a lifetime, no questions asked return/replace warranty. Cool!

I use simple corn media that you see bagged and sold at the gun show.

I realize that I am -NOT- getting a great deal on this stuff... but I can use a couple bags of that crap for a YEAR and while I do not do the brass volume that Evan Price does, I do more than 20,000 pieces a year, so for the $15 or so I have spent on simple corn media, I'm okay with it.

I take no more than a Country Crock sized container of dirty brass & dump it in the tumbler. I then put in three squares of paper towel, 4"x4" square. Little pieces. Dump corn media on top of that, then I use NuFinish trickled on from an old Plochmann's-type mustard bottle with the little nozzle. I drizzle on in a swirl what amounts to maybe half a capful. Make no mistake, NuFinish is expensive stuff (like $8 a bottle these days! :shock: ) but a single bottle lasts a long time and does a fine job.

A simple dial-type lamp timer runs my brass for 4.5 hours. When it's done, it doesn't look as shiny as brand new, but it's not far off and it runs FANTASTIC in all my equipment and of course, in my guns. And if I get lazy and forget I have a load in there and leave it a whole day, it hits the timer for another 4.5 hour session and it's a wee-bit more pretty.
I like to swap brass... and I'm looking for .32 H&R Mag, .327 Fed Mag, .380 Auto and 10mm. If you have some and would like to swap for something else, send me a note!
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Re: What media for cheapo tumbler?

Post by Sevens »

Part 2! :twisted:

Do -NOT- decap your brass before tumbling in a vibratory tumbler.
1) it's an extra step at the bench... and while handling DIRTY nasty brass. Ugh.
2) Unless you are using a decap die (they're cheap), you're getting your dies FILTHY doing this.
3) SURPRISE! Decapped brass in the tumbler will NOT clean the primer pocket for you. Just won't! (try it!)
4) Far, FAR worse is that media can & will stick in your flash holes! This stinks:
4a) because it's an annoying pain to punch these bits of media out of flash holes
4b) sometimes the media will displace your decap rod (Lee dies) or BREAK your decap pin (other dies)
4c) media stuck in flash holes can also affect primer seating or primer burn/cartridge ignition
--> Nothing in this list makes any sense when the silly little cup doesn't get cleaned by your efforts... but the BIG secret unveiled is--->
5) You just really do not need clean primer pockets anyway. (run your own experiments and you too will cease & desist cleaning them)

Next big tip-- you've got at least one little Morne bumbling around home there. Lead poisoning is certainly something to be aware of, and most know that it can really affect children far more than adults. But the tumbler, the area around it, and more specifically -- separating the clean brass from the media is where the REAL risk is for airborne lead. Outside of chewing on lead bullets or grinding slugs up and sprinkling it on the oatmeal, this is the EASILY the part of the entire operation that children need to be clear of. Garage or basement area where the little ones don't go (or shouldn't) is a better idea here.

Next-- the ultrasonic guys and the steel pin guys!
Now these guys can & will take brass cleaning to an upper echelon. Their results look BETTER than factory new brass. It's like staring at the surface of the Sun. But there's a lot of money and IMO, a big pain in the butt drying off the brass that is run wet. In the end, their stuff outclasses my stuff by a country mile, but they couldn't possibly convince me to ever do it. My system works 100% for my needs.

Personally, I think it's fantastic that you're finally getting around to handloading, Morne. I can all but guarantee that this will become more of a hobby than you may have ever expected and it will increase your joy & interest in shooting in a MOST noticeable fashion.
I like to swap brass... and I'm looking for .32 H&R Mag, .327 Fed Mag, .380 Auto and 10mm. If you have some and would like to swap for something else, send me a note!
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Re: What media for cheapo tumbler?

Post by Jake »

I tumble in the garage.

I found that indoors, there is too much dust created for my liking.
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Re: What media for cheapo tumbler?

Post by BobK »

Sevens wrote:Perhaps even better than the Berry's tumbler is a Cabela's tumbler -IF- you have a Cabela's anywhere in a normal travel path. Because the Cabela's tumbler is a Berry's tumbler in different colors... and with a lifetime, no questions asked return/replace warranty. Cool!
Ix-nay on the lifetime Cabelas warranty.

My Cabelas tumbler gave up the ghost and I was told it was a one year warranty on the motor. My warranty claim was denied. The product FAQ on their website says the same thing.
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