Case Cleaning

[JEBar]

what media do you feel works best in a vibratory tumbler :

walnut shell dry media ?

corncob dry media ?

some other dry media ?

do you add any liquid metal polish like ===> http://www.cabelas.com/product/Cabelas- ... _page%3D20


does the media you use give off a black dust ?

[CT_Shooter]

I've been doing this for a few years, a hundred cases or more per week (well, because of my wife's health issues, not for the last several months). It works really well.

I use walnut shell media that is sold for lizard bedding with a little Nu-finish car polish and mineral spirits that have been mixed in well before adding the cases. I use a kitty litter scoop to retrieve the cases from the tumbler after about 3 hours and then strain them through a colander to remove any remaining media. I blow into the case one by one (like into a whistle) before I de-cap and resize them after tumbling. They come out bright and shiny, with clean and clear primer pockets, and without any black dust. Then I prime them, box them, and record the number of times they've been reloaded for the next time.

I reload for .38 special and .357 magnum and do not mix head stamps in a box unless they've been trimmed to uniformity.

[Ojaileveraction]

Walnut hull from pet store and a white powder to make them more shiny from amazon. 3 hrs cleans and shiny. Better on the 45-70 primer hole than the 223.
Doesn't remove the carbon in the case just want ever is loose.
I dump into a plastic colander and bucket there is dust but not black. More from the hulls.

[JEBar]

how about a link to the white powder ?

[Ojaileveraction]

RCBS Polishing Compound Pack of 5

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001O ... UTF8&psc=1

[JEBar]

Link appreciated .... I like RCBS components, still have and use one of their tumblers that I bought in the mid 60's

[Steve51]

I have used walnut media and corn cob media. I have only used one kind of walnut media that I got from my LGS. I did not care for it. I have been using corn cob media and it is my preference. I have used several brands but I like the Franklin Arsenal corn cob media because it already has the polish in it. I have a bottle of their polish and sometimes add a little when the media has been used for a while.
If I have cases that are really dirty, I sometimes turn them in walnut media for a while and then finish them using the corn cob media.

I don't own a tumbler made for brass. I bought a Harbor Freight rock polisher several years ago and it still is working fine. I have replaced the belt one time.

[Squatch]

Like CT_Shooter i use the lizard bedding and 1cap Nu Finish and 2 caps of mineral spirits. A few slices of fabric softener sheets in my vibratory tumbler. Cases come out looking like a polished Henry brass receiver! I don't decap till after tumbling. I've found a short cleaning rod with a Hoppe's barrel mop does a nice job of wiping any dust from inside each case.

I'm not in a hurry and do a bit of hand work on each case. Gives me a chance to really inspect each one before reloading.

[Cofisher]

Steve51, have you tried the SS media in you tumbler?

[BigAl52]

Im cheap when it comes to this. Corn cob media and mothers car polish that you can buy at WalMart. It works great. These polishes that they sell at Cabelas and Dillon have nothing on the Mothers. Al

[JEBar]

A few slices of fabric softener sheets in my vibratory tumbler.

I've heard of throwing in some fabric softener sheets but haven't ever tried it .... do they help deal with dust ? .... do they last very lone ?

[CT_Shooter]

When I started cleaning cases with a tumbler, I also added half a dryer sheet to each batch of cases to control dust because I read that it helped. Somewhere along the way, I stopped adding it and haven't noticed any difference. I use crushed walnut shell lizard bedding.

[JEBar]

a while back I ordered some Frankford Arsenal Treated Walnut Hull Media ===> https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008J ... UTF8&psc=1 <=== so far I've used it on 3 loads of casings .... it does a good job of cleaning the casings but is really dusty .... the next time we use it, I plan to throw in a dryer sheet and see if that helps .... should the dryer sheet be new or could you use one that has been run through a dryer ?

[CT_Shooter]

a while back I ordered some Frankford Arsenal Treated Walnut Hull Media ===> https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008J ... UTF8&psc=1 <=== so far I've used it on 3 loads of casings .... it does a good job of cleaning the casings but is really dusty .... the next time we use it, I plan to throw in a dryer sheet and see if that helps .... should the dryer sheet be new or could you use one that has been run through a dryer ?

When I used them, I always used new pieces of dryer sheets; and this is the media that I use:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000O ... UTF8&psc=1

[Squatch]

A few slices of fabric softener sheets in my vibratory tumbler.

I've heard of throwing in some fabric softener sheets but haven't ever tried it .... do they help deal with dust ? .... do they last very lone ?

I think adding the Mineral Spirits and Nu finish takes care of the dust. Because it moistens the media. I use small strips of dryer sheets and change them with every load. They seem to clean the media by absorbing the filth. The dryer sheets come out black and my walnuts shells seem to last a long time.

[JEBar]

info appreciated .... how much NU Finish and Mineral Spirits per pound of media ?

[CT_Shooter]

info appreciated .... how much NU Finish and Mineral Spirits per pound of media ?

You'd just use a small amount of each; a capful of NuFinish and a tablespoon of MS is enough. Let them mix well into the media before adding your brass. I usually let the tumbler run for a few hours.

[Squatch]

Yep I use 1 cap of Nu Finish and 2 caps of MS.