Walnut shells leaving reddish haze??

rajbcpa · September 16, 2012, 05:01 AM

.....This is my first time that I am using a Lyman vibrating tumbler.

I ran it with walnut shells and a cap full on Nufinish car polish and couple of tablespoons of golf grip solvent (mineral spirits) for 4 hours. The used walnut shell media is now slightly moist to the touch.

The .40sw brass cases are clean but there is a redish haze on them. This is especially noticeable on the inside of the cases. They have not been deprimed yet.

Is this normal or did I put too much mineral spirits or too much NuFinish car polish in the crushed walnut shells?

I cannot find any crushed walnut shells or corn cob media anywhere locally. Is this a product that must be purchased and shipped from an Internet store like Cabellas, MidwayUSA, etc.? I looked locally in Home Depo and a large hobby store but neither sell walnut shells????

How long does a jar of walnut shells usually last; how many cleanings should you use it before it should be tossed?

Thx...

rajbcpa · September 16, 2012, 05:26 AM

Are walnut shells sold in pet stores?

For the first batch I loaded the tumbler with 5 large handfulls of empty .40 brass cases. However, I think I could have fit at least 10 large handfuls of brass in the machine.

Can these machines be packed out with lots of shells or do they clean better if you put fewer cases in smaller batches?

thx...

GP100man · September 16, 2012, 05:40 AM

Take the lid off & let the media tumble dry , sunlight /fan will speed it up .

The red hue ya see is dust or transfer of shell particals, it adheres easier to the carbon inside of cases.

Turn on the tumbler & watch the action of the media/cases as ya fill it ,it`ll slow as ya fill & too much will stop it , faster rolling of the media/cases means faster cleaning.

Here`s what I use from the pet stores .

Don H · September 16, 2012, 01:16 PM

rajbcpa, where did you get your walnut media? Much of the walnut media that is sold specifically for reloading is treated with rouge to enhance cleaning. Rouge tends to leave a reddish residue on the brass. I much prefer untreated media from the pet store. If I want to charge it with polish or anything else, that's my option.

tkglazie · September 16, 2012, 01:24 PM

Some strips of used dryer fabric added with each batch will absorb the dust and keep your media clean. I have been using the same batch of 50-50 walnut/corncob media with nufinish and dryer fabric added each time for a good 6 months (probably 15K cases). I just add a little more of each media once a month to replace spillage.

judgecrater · September 16, 2012, 02:37 PM

Keep in mind that all these additives you are putting in your media is now inside your case and may react in a detrimental fashion with the smokeless powder. I am sure that if you were to contact the manufactures of the powder they would strongly recommend you not mix anything with their powder. If you want to use polishing compounds, only use those that are specifically sold for reloading.

mete · September 16, 2012, 02:52 PM

Rouge is for the most part iron oxide . Another possible color source would be copper oxide which has a red/brown color.

Gerry · September 16, 2012, 03:41 PM

Why the mineral spirits? You don't want your media to get wet. Nufinish is a good additive, but again you don't want to add so much that your media gets soggy unless you let it run or something with the cover off for awhile.

dacaur · September 16, 2012, 04:00 PM

my guess would be dust from the walnut shells.... the first time I used lizard litter walnut shells mine came out covered in reddish dust.... put them back in with two used dryer sheets cut in thirds and they came out virtually dust free.

You definitely dont want your media soggy.... a "couple tablespoons" of mineral spirits is too much.... 1/3-1/2 a tablespoon is plenty.

Also, FYI, "golf grip solvent" is NOT just mineral spirits, as mineral spirits are flammable and toxic, while "golf grip solvent" is neither....

zxcvbob · September 16, 2012, 04:04 PM

Was this walnut media Lyman TuffNut by any chance? It is charged with rouge, and they use way too much of it. If you mix that TuffNut about half-n-half with plain walnut or corncob media, it's cheaper to use and it gets rid of the mess.

Adding NuFinish probably made it worse.

tkglazie · September 16, 2012, 04:11 PM

Quote:

If you want to use polishing compounds, only use those that are specifically sold for reloading.

no thanks. you go ahead any buy all the overpriced "reloading" additives you want, I will stick with the original orange bottle for my cases. Nufinish has proven itself as a legitimate reloading component, label or not.

Mac Sidewinder · September 16, 2012, 06:28 PM

I use half and half walnut and corn cob media. Then use a dryer sheet, tear it in half and put both pieces in. I only use 1/2 cap of nu-finish after about 5 or so loads. A little goes a long way. Put it in without any cases and let the tumbler run 5 to 10 mins to mix it in, otherwise you may get some inside the cases.

I have over 10,000 cases cleaned on the same media. I run the tumbler for 2 to 3 hours and it comes out great. Dispose of the used dryer sheets (which take care of all the dust) and throw in another load. I can put up to 350 9mm or 250 38s in at once no problem.

Mac

rajbcpa · September 17, 2012, 09:07 AM

.....walnut shells are Lyman media with red rouge added at the factory.... the Lyman plastic jar says this red rouge promotes a shiney polish of brass cases.

.....this is definately, where the reddish dust is comming from .....

I assume that if it is a Lyman product, the reddish rouge residue does not adversly impact the case charge.

Is this a correct assumption or should I try to redue the cases in the media and add a dryier static cling sheet to remove as much dust from inside as possible?

Thx...

zxcvbob · September 17, 2012, 10:28 AM

The rouge dust doesn't hurt anything thing but it's messy. Mix the Lyman red media with untreated media and the problem goes away -- and you still get the benefit of the polish.

mxjunky78 · September 18, 2012, 11:36 AM

I get that haze using Lyman red walnut but only when the media has some miles on it. Cap ful of nufinish every 4 or 5 batches works wonders.

Edward429451 · September 18, 2012, 03:05 PM

I quit using the Lyman media with the red rouge in it just for that reason. That stuff is terrible the way it will coat the inside of a case. Not wanting to send rouge down the barrel (it's an abrasive) I wipe it out with a q tip.

Then I switched to stainless steel media and the inside comes out looking as shiny as the outside.

September 16, 2012, 05:01 AM	#1
rajbcpa Senior Member Join Date: August 27, 2012 Posts: 321	Walnut shells leaving reddish haze?? .....This is my first time that I am using a Lyman vibrating tumbler. I ran it with walnut shells and a cap full on Nufinish car polish and couple of tablespoons of golf grip solvent (mineral spirits) for 4 hours. The used walnut shell media is now slightly moist to the touch. The .40sw brass cases are clean but there is a redish haze on them. This is especially noticeable on the inside of the cases. They have not been deprimed yet. Is this normal or did I put too much mineral spirits or too much NuFinish car polish in the crushed walnut shells? I cannot find any crushed walnut shells or corn cob media anywhere locally. Is this a product that must be purchased and shipped from an Internet store like Cabellas, MidwayUSA, etc.? I looked locally in Home Depo and a large hobby store but neither sell walnut shells???? How long does a jar of walnut shells usually last; how many cleanings should you use it before it should be tossed? Thx...

September 16, 2012, 05:40 AM	#3
GP100man Senior Member Join Date: August 1, 2007 Location: Tabor City , NC. Posts: 1,969	Take the lid off & let the media tumble dry , sunlight /fan will speed it up . The red hue ya see is dust or transfer of shell particals, it adheres easier to the carbon inside of cases. Turn on the tumbler & watch the action of the media/cases as ya fill it ,it`ll slow as ya fill & too much will stop it , faster rolling of the media/cases means faster cleaning. Here`s what I use from the pet stores . __________________ GP100man

September 16, 2012, 01:16 PM	#4
Don H Senior Member Join Date: May 8, 2000 Location: SLC,Utah Posts: 2,704	rajbcpa, where did you get your walnut media? Much of the walnut media that is sold specifically for reloading is treated with rouge to enhance cleaning. Rouge tends to leave a reddish residue on the brass. I much prefer untreated media from the pet store. If I want to charge it with polish or anything else, that's my option. __________________ Don http://www.utahconcealedcarry.com/forum/

September 16, 2012, 02:52 PM	#7
mete Senior Member Join Date: June 14, 2004 Location: NY State Posts: 6,575	Rouge is for the most part iron oxide . Another possible color source would be copper oxide which has a red/brown color. __________________ And Watson , bring your revolver !

September 16, 2012, 04:04 PM	#10
zxcvbob Senior Member Join Date: December 20, 2007 Location: S.E. Minnesota Posts: 4,720	Was this walnut media Lyman TuffNut by any chance? It is charged with rouge, and they use way too much of it. If you mix that TuffNut about half-n-half with plain walnut or corncob media, it's cheaper to use and it gets rid of the mess. Adding NuFinish probably made it worse. __________________ "Everything they do is so dramatic and flamboyant. It just makes me want to set myself on fire!" —Lucille Bluth

September 16, 2012, 05:26 AM	#2
rajbcpa Senior Member Join Date: August 27, 2012 Posts: 321	Are walnut shells sold in pet stores? For the first batch I loaded the tumbler with 5 large handfulls of empty .40 brass cases. However, I think I could have fit at least 10 large handfuls of brass in the machine. Can these machines be packed out with lots of shells or do they clean better if you put fewer cases in smaller batches? thx...

September 16, 2012, 01:24 PM	#5
tkglazie Senior Member Join Date: December 3, 2011 Posts: 558	Some strips of used dryer fabric added with each batch will absorb the dust and keep your media clean. I have been using the same batch of 50-50 walnut/corncob media with nufinish and dryer fabric added each time for a good 6 months (probably 15K cases). I just add a little more of each media once a month to replace spillage.

September 16, 2012, 02:37 PM	#6
judgecrater Member Join Date: March 6, 2012 Posts: 63	Keep in mind that all these additives you are putting in your media is now inside your case and may react in a detrimental fashion with the smokeless powder. I am sure that if you were to contact the manufactures of the powder they would strongly recommend you not mix anything with their powder. If you want to use polishing compounds, only use those that are specifically sold for reloading.

September 16, 2012, 03:41 PM	#8
Gerry Senior Member Join Date: December 24, 2010 Location: Canada Posts: 382	Why the mineral spirits? You don't want your media to get wet. Nufinish is a good additive, but again you don't want to add so much that your media gets soggy unless you let it run or something with the cover off for awhile.

September 16, 2012, 04:00 PM	#9
dacaur Senior Member Join Date: March 16, 2010 Posts: 733	my guess would be dust from the walnut shells.... the first time I used lizard litter walnut shells mine came out covered in reddish dust.... put them back in with two used dryer sheets cut in thirds and they came out virtually dust free. You definitely dont want your media soggy.... a "couple tablespoons" of mineral spirits is too much.... 1/3-1/2 a tablespoon is plenty. Also, FYI, "golf grip solvent" is NOT just mineral spirits, as mineral spirits are flammable and toxic, while "golf grip solvent" is neither....

September 16, 2012, 06:28 PM	#12
Mac Sidewinder Member Join Date: March 2, 2012 Posts: 84	I use half and half walnut and corn cob media. Then use a dryer sheet, tear it in half and put both pieces in. I only use 1/2 cap of nu-finish after about 5 or so loads. A little goes a long way. Put it in without any cases and let the tumbler run 5 to 10 mins to mix it in, otherwise you may get some inside the cases. I have over 10,000 cases cleaned on the same media. I run the tumbler for 2 to 3 hours and it comes out great. Dispose of the used dryer sheets (which take care of all the dust) and throw in another load. I can put up to 350 9mm or 250 38s in at once no problem. Mac

September 17, 2012, 09:07 AM	#13
rajbcpa Senior Member Join Date: August 27, 2012 Posts: 321	.....walnut shells are Lyman media with red rouge added at the factory.... the Lyman plastic jar says this red rouge promotes a shiney polish of brass cases. .....this is definately, where the reddish dust is comming from ..... I assume that if it is a Lyman product, the reddish rouge residue does not adversly impact the case charge. Is this a correct assumption or should I try to redue the cases in the media and add a dryier static cling sheet to remove as much dust from inside as possible? Thx...

September 17, 2012, 10:28 AM	#14
zxcvbob Senior Member Join Date: December 20, 2007 Location: S.E. Minnesota Posts: 4,720	The rouge dust doesn't hurt anything thing but it's messy. Mix the Lyman red media with untreated media and the problem goes away -- and you still get the benefit of the polish. __________________ "Everything they do is so dramatic and flamboyant. It just makes me want to set myself on fire!" —Lucille Bluth

September 18, 2012, 11:36 AM	#15
mxjunky78 Member Join Date: August 2, 2012 Posts: 61	I get that haze using Lyman red walnut but only when the media has some miles on it. Cap ful of nufinish every 4 or 5 batches works wonders.

September 18, 2012, 03:05 PM	#16
Edward429451 Junior member Join Date: November 12, 2000 Location: Colorado Springs, Colorado Posts: 9,494	I quit using the Lyman media with the red rouge in it just for that reason. That stuff is terrible the way it will coat the inside of a case. Not wanting to send rouge down the barrel (it's an abrasive) I wipe it out with a q tip. Then I switched to stainless steel media and the inside comes out looking as shiny as the outside.