Globs of media polish inside my tumbled cases, how to remove?

yober · May 25, 2015, 01:22 AM

OK, newbie bonehead move here. I put some of the media polish supplied in Franklin Armory's tumbler kit on top of the brass/media mixture at the very start, instead of putting it in ahead of time and letting it disperse. Out of 300 pieces I got about 10% with caked up media or a semi-dried white residue inside. I plucked them out, picked out the media globs, and tried to remove as much residue as practicable with the pick, and re-ran them for an hour or so by themselves. While the media was gone and some of the residue was smoothed out, enough remains against the side of the walls that I think it might affect the pressures. Anyone encounter this before, and is my only resort to inspect each and every case for this phenomenon and scrub them out with a bristle brush?

skizzums · May 25, 2015, 01:38 AM

put in 5 gallon bucket....add boiling water and soap, dry in sun or oven

I generally do a precursory wash before resizing and tumbling. I use a mix of hot water and white vinegar and salt. cleans anything. swish it around with a toilet brush, maybe not one that has been used in the toilet, although they say a toilet is cleaner than your keyboard.....

Rondog · May 25, 2015, 03:28 AM

Load 'em and shoot 'em. It'll go away.

dahermit · May 25, 2015, 05:11 AM

Quote:

Load 'em and shoot 'em. It'll go away.

He can't. The stuff will not allow him to de-prime the cases. He will have to remove the gobs of stuff first...been there, done that.

yober · May 25, 2015, 12:26 PM

Quote:

Load 'em and shoot 'em. It'll go away.

He can't. The stuff will not allow him to de-prime the cases. He will have to remove the gobs of stuff first...been there, done that.

How'd you find THAT out? 8^)

mikld · May 25, 2015, 02:50 PM

OP stated he "picked" out most of the goop and there is still some on the interior walls. I might just reload 'em and shoot 'em. Since the polish prolly has a petroleum base, I'd rinse them in mineral spirits.

Grizz12 · May 25, 2015, 02:53 PM

put them in an old sock, tie off the opening and toss them in the washer with other clothing, on hot, and you will be fine

yober · May 26, 2015, 06:50 PM

Although I'm tempted to put them in the old sock just to see what it would sound like in a washer, I soaked them for a couple of hours in a solution of vinegar and salt. It seemed to flatten everything up but left a white "stain" where the goop had been. Decapped and sized a couple with no hangups. I think I will try the mineral spirits, however.

skizzums · May 26, 2015, 07:04 PM

I wouldn't worry about the stain. it will work itself out eventually. just shoot em a few times.

TimSr · May 27, 2015, 09:26 AM

Quote:

I soaked them for a couple of hours in a solution of vinegar and salt.

Why the salt?

yober · May 27, 2015, 10:22 AM

Quote:

Why the salt?

The little voices in my head told me to....

Actually, somebody on this thread suggested it. See post #2.

Doyle · May 27, 2015, 10:30 AM

Before washing with soap, I'd try to figure out if the media polish was water soluble or petroleum soluble. If it is petroleum based, you might need something more potent to get it out (like mineral spirits or alcohol).

skizzums · May 28, 2015, 05:44 PM

just google: vinegar salt water, you'll see lots of people that use it for metal cleaning. I was turned onto it by this forum as well, I forgot the magic ingredient though....lemon juice.

Mobuck · May 28, 2015, 07:21 PM

NEXT TIME make sure your polish gets fully mixed in the media before putting cases in tumbler.

yober · May 28, 2015, 07:40 PM

Quote:

NEXT TIME make sure your polish gets fully mixed in the media before putting cases in tumbler.

Yeah, I figured that. This stuff seems like it wouldn't mix that easily after 15 min., but it was free....

Horseman · May 29, 2015, 10:56 AM

Mail them to me and I'll run them through my stainless media tumbler.

yober · June 2, 2015, 10:44 PM

OK, so I pour a generous amount of the polish this time and run it for a half hour and check on it -- it's still clumpy, large ones, like cat turds in a litter box. Moist, too. So I have to stick my hands in and find and break up the cat turds. Surely this is not the right way to do this.

Jim243 · June 2, 2015, 11:15 PM

^^^^^^^^^^^ Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha.

condor bravo · June 5, 2015, 11:44 AM

Yober
Yes, insert a hand into the media while the tumbler is running, without brass added of course, and break up the clumps with the fingers. Nothing wrong with doing it that way and will get the job done much faster than just letting the tumbler run on its own.

MarkGlazer · June 5, 2015, 11:50 AM

You can do without the media polish next time. Use Zilla (pet store bedding for lizards - less expensive than what you find at the local gun retailer) or something comparable for 2 1/2 hours or longer. You won't know the difference between the media with or without the polish. Oh yeah, don't forget the dryer cloth, makes a world of difference picking up the dirt.

I like the "sock" idea, protect the finish on the washing machine, gains movement and hopefully shakes out the caked-in media.

Good luck.

May 25, 2015, 01:22 AM	#1
yober Member Join Date: May 7, 2015 Posts: 21	Globs of media polish inside my tumbled cases, how to remove? OK, newbie bonehead move here. I put some of the media polish supplied in Franklin Armory's tumbler kit on top of the brass/media mixture at the very start, instead of putting it in ahead of time and letting it disperse. Out of 300 pieces I got about 10% with caked up media or a semi-dried white residue inside. I plucked them out, picked out the media globs, and tried to remove as much residue as practicable with the pick, and re-ran them for an hour or so by themselves. While the media was gone and some of the residue was smoothed out, enough remains against the side of the walls that I think it might affect the pressures. Anyone encounter this before, and is my only resort to inspect each and every case for this phenomenon and scrub them out with a bristle brush?

May 25, 2015, 02:50 PM	#6
mikld Senior Member Join Date: February 7, 2009 Location: Southern Oregon! Posts: 2,891	OP stated he "picked" out most of the goop and there is still some on the interior walls. I might just reload 'em and shoot 'em. Since the polish prolly has a petroleum base, I'd rinse them in mineral spirits. __________________ My Anchor is holding fast! I've learned how to stand on my own two knees...

May 26, 2015, 07:04 PM	#9
skizzums Senior Member Join Date: July 1, 2013 Location: Douglasville, Ga Posts: 4,615	I wouldn't worry about the stain. it will work itself out eventually. just shoot em a few times. __________________ My head is bloody, but unbowed

May 28, 2015, 05:44 PM	#13
skizzums Senior Member Join Date: July 1, 2013 Location: Douglasville, Ga Posts: 4,615	just google: vinegar salt water, you'll see lots of people that use it for metal cleaning. I was turned onto it by this forum as well, I forgot the magic ingredient though....lemon juice. __________________ My head is bloody, but unbowed

June 2, 2015, 10:44 PM	#17
yober Member Join Date: May 7, 2015 Posts: 21	More globs ... OK, so I pour a generous amount of the polish this time and run it for a half hour and check on it -- it's still clumpy, large ones, like cat turds in a litter box. Moist, too. So I have to stick my hands in and find and break up the cat turds. Surely this is not the right way to do this.

May 25, 2015, 01:38 AM	#2
skizzums Senior Member Join Date: July 1, 2013 Location: Douglasville, Ga Posts: 4,615	put in 5 gallon bucket....add boiling water and soap, dry in sun or oven I generally do a precursory wash before resizing and tumbling. I use a mix of hot water and white vinegar and salt. cleans anything. swish it around with a toilet brush, maybe not one that has been used in the toilet, although they say a toilet is cleaner than your keyboard..... __________________ My head is bloody, but unbowed

May 25, 2015, 03:28 AM	#3
Rondog Member Join Date: March 15, 2009 Posts: 61	Load 'em and shoot 'em. It'll go away.

May 25, 2015, 02:53 PM	#7
Grizz12 Senior Member Join Date: December 11, 2012 Posts: 527	put them in an old sock, tie off the opening and toss them in the washer with other clothing, on hot, and you will be fine

May 26, 2015, 06:50 PM	#8
yober Member Join Date: May 7, 2015 Posts: 21	Although I'm tempted to put them in the old sock just to see what it would sound like in a washer, I soaked them for a couple of hours in a solution of vinegar and salt. It seemed to flatten everything up but left a white "stain" where the goop had been. Decapped and sized a couple with no hangups. I think I will try the mineral spirits, however.

May 27, 2015, 10:30 AM	#12
Doyle Senior Member Join Date: June 20, 2007 Location: Rainbow City, Alabama Posts: 7,167	Before washing with soap, I'd try to figure out if the media polish was water soluble or petroleum soluble. If it is petroleum based, you might need something more potent to get it out (like mineral spirits or alcohol).

May 28, 2015, 07:21 PM	#14
Mobuck Junior member Join Date: February 2, 2010 Posts: 6,846	NEXT TIME make sure your polish gets fully mixed in the media before putting cases in tumbler.

May 29, 2015, 10:56 AM	#16
Horseman Senior Member Join Date: February 1, 2006 Location: Midwest Posts: 1,067	Mail them to me and I'll run them through my stainless media tumbler.

June 2, 2015, 11:15 PM	#18
Jim243 Senior Member Join Date: January 5, 2009 Location: Just off Route 66 Posts: 5,067	^^^^^^^^^^^ Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha. __________________ Si vis pacem, para bellum

June 5, 2015, 11:44 AM	#19
condor bravo Senior Member Join Date: August 23, 2014 Location: Nevada/Ariz/CA Posts: 1,753	Yober Yes, insert a hand into the media while the tumbler is running, without brass added of course, and break up the clumps with the fingers. Nothing wrong with doing it that way and will get the job done much faster than just letting the tumbler run on its own. __________________ Ouch, the dreaded "M-1 thumb", you just know it will happen eventually, so why not do it now and get it over with??

June 5, 2015, 11:50 AM	#20
MarkGlazer Senior Member Join Date: February 19, 2013 Location: Atlanta, Ga Posts: 329	You can do without the media polish next time. Use Zilla (pet store bedding for lizards - less expensive than what you find at the local gun retailer) or something comparable for 2 1/2 hours or longer. You won't know the difference between the media with or without the polish. Oh yeah, don't forget the dryer cloth, makes a world of difference picking up the dirt. I like the "sock" idea, protect the finish on the washing machine, gains movement and hopefully shakes out the caked-in media. Good luck. __________________ non ministrari sed ministrare