Anyone else's dry tumbled brass look like this?

Fire_Moose · May 25, 2013, 04:15 PM

See they are quite clean but dull. They don't have the sparkle of new brass.

This is once fired ppu next to tumbled. Tumbled on the bottom.

I'm using corncob bird litter with nu finish.

TXGunNut · May 25, 2013, 04:19 PM

Looks good to me, will darken a bit with age.

WWWJD · May 25, 2013, 04:56 PM

Agreed; looks fine to me. I use corn cob media and mine comes out looking the same as yours. I think there's some that add polishing compound to their media; I've never bothered to try it. It all shoots the same.

trobin · May 25, 2013, 05:21 PM

Wipe with dry towel and roll with it.

jcwit · May 25, 2013, 06:49 PM

Looks OK. I add auto cleaner polish, most any brand ias OK, many recommend Nu-Finish. The one thing polish does do is keep the cases from tarnishing.

lee n. field · May 25, 2013, 07:21 PM

Quote:

See they are quite clean but dull. They don't have the sparkle of new brass.

I had some come out that way once. There was dirt that had worked its way into some of the cases.

jepp2 · May 25, 2013, 07:25 PM

As mentioned you can wipe them off. Another option is to tumble them plain corn cob with no additives. It will put a shine on them like you wouldn't believe.

chiefr · May 25, 2013, 07:30 PM

I too see nothing wrong.
I quit using corn cob media many years ago and switched to ground walnut hulls. Walnut is more aggressive and cuts down your tumbling time.

Fire_Moose · May 25, 2013, 09:07 PM

Sounds good... wasn't worried, just wondering if its the corn cob. I do use the nu-finish with it.

Maybe ill try straight up corn cob on some of them and see the difference.

Thanks.

farnorthdan · May 25, 2013, 09:31 PM

I use Zilla lizard bedding from the pet store with a couple table spoons of Nu-finish and mine come out looking better than new.

Fire_Moose · May 25, 2013, 11:43 PM

I have yet to find that product around me. Only zilla I can find is wood shavings or sand.

zxcvbob · May 26, 2013, 12:18 AM

I ordered a big bag (25 lbs?) of crushed corn cob blasting media from Grainger a few years ago -- same as drillspot.com. I mix that with a little Lyman's Tuff Nut red media. If I ever run out of the Tuff Nut, I can just use red rouge from the local lapidary shop.

BTW, don't use the Tuff Nut media by itself. It has *way* too much rouge added and makes a huge mess.

boondocker385 · May 26, 2013, 09:57 AM

Yes.... I usually empty the media and the retumble with an old washcloth in the tumbler.....takes the dust off.....

trobin · May 26, 2013, 10:02 AM

I think the dull finish is due to the dust. The dryer sheets really help.

Fire_Moose · May 26, 2013, 01:06 PM

Ya, had about 2.5 ripped up dryer sheets in there too.

tahunua001 · May 26, 2013, 01:08 PM

I tumbled about 15000 casings of assorted stuff this spring most looked like that when they were done... you're fine.

Once Fired · May 26, 2013, 02:49 PM

I thought I was the only one using wash cloths / towels to control dust. hahahahahah

They don't fit too well in tumblers, but there's room for a blanket in my mixer if I wanted to go that route. lol

It certainly soaks up dust well. I spritzed mine with water just a touch before sending it into the walnut vortex. Alas, it didn't seem to make a dent in how much dust still came out of the mixer. Gonna have to try a lot more cloths. Shop towels to the rescue!

ZAG

TXGunNut · May 26, 2013, 03:01 PM

I think my dust level went down when I changed over to walnut shells, media certainly lasts longer. I don't use much polish because quite frankly it doesn't take much, I think polish residue is sometimes a dust issue. I use paper shop towels on occasion to keep dirt and dust levels down.

TwentyToo · May 26, 2013, 03:15 PM

Who says they have to be shiny? Function over form!

Eppie · May 26, 2013, 03:18 PM

Your brass looks good to me. How long do you keep them in the tumbler?

I'm not looking for a shine on my reloads just accuracy. Regarding the dust comments, I use walnut media from Harbor Freight. My tumbler comes with a lid and I use it and dust has been a non issue.

Fire_Moose · May 26, 2013, 05:20 PM

Usually over night.

Eppie · May 26, 2013, 05:38 PM

Wow, I usually set my timer for 20 minutes. You may be wearing out your media fast

Paul B. · May 26, 2013, 05:57 PM

Your brass looks like mine. I tumble using the chepest white rice I can find, although now it's a very uniform gray. If I leave it over night, wiping down with a clean rag when they're done makes for some very pretty brass. I also have two different grits of walnut shells and some corn cob as well.
Helpful hint. If you've resized and deprimed your brass and tumble to remove case lube, get one of those universal decapping dies and use tht to get tumbling media out of the flash holes rather than trying to pick ot poke it out.
Lot faster and a lot easier.
Paul B.

Constrictor · May 26, 2013, 06:09 PM

The dull look is from tumbling too many cases. Its clean and fine just not as shiney.

SVTCobra306 · May 26, 2013, 10:21 PM

Sometimes it seems I'm the only one who uses Tuff nut without dust or issues.. yes it gets stuck in the flash hole, I use a tiny Ace Hardware drive pin punch to get it out (if I ever break it it's under lifetime warranty..).

I have little to zero dust, and I get very shiny brass after tumbling overnight. I tumble a couple hundred cases at a time, or more if I mix in some 9mm brass.

Rouge discoloration is only a problem for me if I leave the brass in the media for a while (over an hour) without separating it. If it happens I just run the tumbler for a half hour or so and it's gone. I have noticed very little media "wear", after several thousand cases, though the old media is getting blacker and blacker from all the carbon mixed in off fired casings. It does take longer now to clean, but still gets the job done.

May 25, 2013, 04:15 PM	#1
Fire_Moose Senior Member Join Date: January 16, 2013 Posts: 211	Anyone else's dry tumbled brass look like this? See they are quite clean but dull. They don't have the sparkle of new brass. This is once fired ppu next to tumbled. Tumbled on the bottom. I'm using corncob bird litter with nu finish.

May 25, 2013, 04:19 PM	#2
TXGunNut Senior Member Join Date: January 16, 2010 Location: If you have to ask... Posts: 2,860	Looks good to me, will darken a bit with age. __________________ Life Member NRA, TSRA Smokeless powder is a passing fad! -Steve Garbe I hate rude behavior in a man. I won't tolerate it. -Woodrow F. Call Lonesome Dove My favorite recipes start out with a handful of used wheelweights.

May 25, 2013, 04:56 PM	#3
WWWJD Senior Member Join Date: February 9, 2011 Location: Central KY Posts: 552	Agreed; looks fine to me. I use corn cob media and mine comes out looking the same as yours. I think there's some that add polishing compound to their media; I've never bothered to try it. It all shoots the same. __________________ *~Mark* NRA Endowment FTW

May 25, 2013, 06:49 PM	#5
jcwit Senior Member Join Date: October 28, 2007 Location: Upper Indiana Posts: 609	Looks OK. I add auto cleaner polish, most any brand ias OK, many recommend Nu-Finish. The one thing polish does do is keep the cases from tarnishing. __________________ U.S. Army Veteran NRA Certified Range Officer

May 25, 2013, 09:07 PM	#9
Fire_Moose Senior Member Join Date: January 16, 2013 Posts: 211	Re: Anyone else's dry tumbled brass look like this? Sounds good... wasn't worried, just wondering if its the corn cob. I do use the nu-finish with it. Maybe ill try straight up corn cob on some of them and see the difference. Thanks.

May 25, 2013, 05:21 PM	#4
trobin Senior Member Join Date: February 26, 2013 Location: Louisiana Posts: 133	Wipe with dry towel and roll with it.

May 25, 2013, 07:25 PM	#7
jepp2 Senior Member Join Date: December 24, 2008 Location: Loveland, CO Posts: 1,476	As mentioned you can wipe them off. Another option is to tumble them plain corn cob with no additives. It will put a shine on them like you wouldn't believe.

May 25, 2013, 07:30 PM	#8
chiefr Senior Member Join Date: January 27, 2010 Location: AR Posts: 1,401	I too see nothing wrong. I quit using corn cob media many years ago and switched to ground walnut hulls. Walnut is more aggressive and cuts down your tumbling time.

May 25, 2013, 09:31 PM	#10
farnorthdan Senior Member Join Date: December 3, 2007 Posts: 371	I use Zilla lizard bedding from the pet store with a couple table spoons of Nu-finish and mine come out looking better than new. __________________ Believe NONE of what you hear; HALF of what you see and ALL you believe Accuracy is king,penatration is queen but why not jack'em in the process if you can.

May 25, 2013, 11:43 PM	#11
Fire_Moose Senior Member Join Date: January 16, 2013 Posts: 211	Re: Anyone else's dry tumbled brass look like this? I have yet to find that product around me. Only zilla I can find is wood shavings or sand.

May 26, 2013, 12:18 AM	#12
zxcvbob Senior Member Join Date: December 20, 2007 Location: S.E. Minnesota Posts: 4,720	I ordered a big bag (25 lbs?) of crushed corn cob blasting media from Grainger a few years ago -- same as drillspot.com. I mix that with a little Lyman's Tuff Nut red media. If I ever run out of the Tuff Nut, I can just use red rouge from the local lapidary shop. BTW, don't use the Tuff Nut media by itself. It has way too much rouge added and makes a huge mess. __________________ "Everything they do is so dramatic and flamboyant. It just makes me want to set myself on fire!" —Lucille Bluth

May 26, 2013, 09:57 AM	#13
boondocker385 Senior Member Join Date: March 6, 2013 Posts: 640	Yes.... I usually empty the media and the retumble with an old washcloth in the tumbler.....takes the dust off.....

May 26, 2013, 10:02 AM	#14
trobin Senior Member Join Date: February 26, 2013 Location: Louisiana Posts: 133	I think the dull finish is due to the dust. The dryer sheets really help.

May 26, 2013, 01:06 PM	#15
Fire_Moose Senior Member Join Date: January 16, 2013 Posts: 211	Re: Anyone else's dry tumbled brass look like this? Ya, had about 2.5 ripped up dryer sheets in there too.

May 26, 2013, 01:08 PM	#16
tahunua001 Senior Member Join Date: July 21, 2011 Location: Idaho Posts: 7,839	I tumbled about 15000 casings of assorted stuff this spring most looked like that when they were done... you're fine. __________________ ignore my complete lack of capitalization. I still have no problem correcting your grammar. I never said half the stuff people said I did-Albert Einstein You can't believe everything you read on the internet-Benjamin Franklin

May 26, 2013, 02:49 PM	#17
Once Fired Member Join Date: October 26, 2011 Location: Texas Posts: 62	Wash clothes instead of paper towels I thought I was the only one using wash cloths / towels to control dust. hahahahahah They don't fit too well in tumblers, but there's room for a blanket in my mixer if I wanted to go that route. lol It certainly soaks up dust well. I spritzed mine with water just a touch before sending it into the walnut vortex. Alas, it didn't seem to make a dent in how much dust still came out of the mixer. Gonna have to try a lot more cloths. Shop towels to the rescue! ZAG __________________ Video games are for when you need to escape from reality. Responsible firearm ownership is for when you can't. Zombie Apocalypse Games Once Fired Lake City Brass Texas Security Guard Jobs

May 26, 2013, 03:01 PM	#18
TXGunNut Senior Member Join Date: January 16, 2010 Location: If you have to ask... Posts: 2,860	I think my dust level went down when I changed over to walnut shells, media certainly lasts longer. I don't use much polish because quite frankly it doesn't take much, I think polish residue is sometimes a dust issue. I use paper shop towels on occasion to keep dirt and dust levels down. __________________ Life Member NRA, TSRA Smokeless powder is a passing fad! -Steve Garbe I hate rude behavior in a man. I won't tolerate it. -Woodrow F. Call Lonesome Dove My favorite recipes start out with a handful of used wheelweights.

May 26, 2013, 03:15 PM	#19
TwentyToo Member Join Date: November 15, 2012 Posts: 41	Anyone else's dry tumbled brass look like this? Who says they have to be shiny? Function over form!

May 26, 2013, 03:18 PM	#20
Eppie Senior Member Join Date: January 7, 2010 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 802	Your brass looks good to me. How long do you keep them in the tumbler? I'm not looking for a shine on my reloads just accuracy. Regarding the dust comments, I use walnut media from Harbor Freight. My tumbler comes with a lid and I use it and dust has been a non issue. __________________ "Socialized Medicine is the Keystone to the Arch of the Socialist State.” -Vladimir Lenin "I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them." - Thomas Jefferson (An early warning to Obama care) Last edited by Eppie; May 26, 2013 at 10:20 PM.

May 26, 2013, 05:20 PM	#21
Fire_Moose Senior Member Join Date: January 16, 2013 Posts: 211	Re: Anyone else's dry tumbled brass look like this? Usually over night.

May 26, 2013, 05:38 PM	#22
Eppie Senior Member Join Date: January 7, 2010 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 802	Wow, I usually set my timer for 20 minutes. You may be wearing out your media fast __________________ "Socialized Medicine is the Keystone to the Arch of the Socialist State.” -Vladimir Lenin "I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them." - Thomas Jefferson (An early warning to Obama care)

May 26, 2013, 05:57 PM	#23
Paul B. Senior Member Join Date: March 28, 1999 Location: Tucson, AZ Posts: 3,802	Your brass looks like mine. I tumble using the chepest white rice I can find, although now it's a very uniform gray. If I leave it over night, wiping down with a clean rag when they're done makes for some very pretty brass. I also have two different grits of walnut shells and some corn cob as well. Helpful hint. If you've resized and deprimed your brass and tumble to remove case lube, get one of those universal decapping dies and use tht to get tumbling media out of the flash holes rather than trying to pick ot poke it out. Lot faster and a lot easier. Paul B. __________________ COMPROMISE IS NOT AN OPTION!

May 26, 2013, 06:09 PM	#24
Constrictor Member Join Date: February 19, 2013 Posts: 49	The dull look is from tumbling too many cases. Its clean and fine just not as shiney.

May 26, 2013, 10:21 PM	#25
SVTCobra306 Senior Member Join Date: March 18, 2013 Posts: 434	Sometimes it seems I'm the only one who uses Tuff nut without dust or issues.. yes it gets stuck in the flash hole, I use a tiny Ace Hardware drive pin punch to get it out (if I ever break it it's under lifetime warranty..). I have little to zero dust, and I get very shiny brass after tumbling overnight. I tumble a couple hundred cases at a time, or more if I mix in some 9mm brass. Rouge discoloration is only a problem for me if I leave the brass in the media for a while (over an hour) without separating it. If it happens I just run the tumbler for a half hour or so and it's gone. I have noticed very little media "wear", after several thousand cases, though the old media is getting blacker and blacker from all the carbon mixed in off fired casings. It does take longer now to clean, but still gets the job done.