Need a little help with tumbleing

[Beardawg1]

hey guys just started re-loading. just wondering about media. does it wear out. about how long does it last and how will i know when to change it. probably dumb questions but i have no idea. thanks John

[Notenoughguns]

I bought some crushed walnut shell "bedding" in the pet section at wally world. only cost a few bucks. I add some tumbling polish from midway usa and use for a long long time. Just changed it recently as I could tell it just looked dirty.

[FredT]

I like the Lyman green stuff. It is not too costly, readily available and works well. When it gets black, takes a longer time to clean or leaves wipeable residue on the cases, pitch it. A guy once sold me some stuff he makes that looked like very fine walnut impregated with something, but the brass came out looking like gold. I since lost his phone number. I know that line does not help, but there are a lot of good media out there to try. Lyman just seems to be my go to stuff.

[amamnn]

if you don't gunk it up with useless polish and/or other crap, walnut shell can last practically forever. If you want your cases to look a little better than just clean, you can add a dash or two of scouring powder to the media.

[CrustyFN]

I can only comment on the crushed walnut, I haven't used anything else. I have been reloading for two years. I changed my first batch of walnut after one year and thousands of cases. It depends on the shape of the brass you put in and how well you take care of the media. I use crushed walnut from the pet section at Walmart. I add 1/2 cap full of Nu Finish car polish every batch and a used dryer sheet or paper towel cut into ten pieces. The polish will help clean faster and shine the brass and the paper towel will help keep the media clean. I don't put in muddy or real black brass.
Rusty

[TonyAR308]

Just starting reloading. If I buy new brass or already processed brass when do I need to clean it. After each shoot? What if the brass never hits the ground?

[DaveInPA]

Tumble it after every firing before running it through your resizing die. Anything on the brass can damage the die.

[10 Spot Terminator]

Tumbling medias goes something like this ,,,

crushed walnut hulls for the heavily tarnished/ dirty brass,,
corn cob media for that bright and shiney or light cleaning,,
yes it does get dirty over time but take a couple of old dryer sheets , cut them into quaters , put them in your case tumbler and they will remove most of the dust and crud and greatly prolong the life of the media, change them each time you tumble brass. If you want to add some polishing agent Nu Finish 2000 car cleaner works very well and is cheap, A couple of tablespoonsful slowly poured over the media while running (vibrator type tumbler) or mixed slowly into the media before adding to a rolling tumbler is plenty, let the tumbler run a few minutes before you add the brass. Cleaning your brass even if it doesnt hit the ground is always a good idea as it removes the powder residue from the cases and if for no other reason keeps your dies nice and clean to help prevent burrs in them that can scratch the brass and reduce buildup in the neck and shoulder areas of the brass. Tumble your brass before you deprime it to help keep the primer pockets and flash holes as free of media as possible. If your old media starts to feel somewhat sticky to the touch scrap it or you will spend hours picking and brushing the stuff out of your cases. Pet centers are a good source for the media as they use it for pet bedding and is cheaper as a rule than the shooting retailers. You can wash walnut media in a bucket with a little dish soap and drain it through a fine wire strainer, rinse same way, put on a cookie sheet and put in a warm 150 degree oven to dry . Corn cob media is not as water friendly.

[sserdlihc]

When it starts getting black, toss it out. One word of caution for you. Do not mix your brass. I made this mistake one time It seemed like it took me for ever to get my 9s' out of my 45s'.

[TonyAR308]

Thanks Dave.

[armedtotheteeth]

I got a dumb question... How full is full? I mean how do you know you have put too much brass in your tumbler?? Its still rotating, not as fast, but still going. Reason I ask, I got a lot of brass. I run the thing while Im at work and my wife has to listen too it, not me . Anyways, I have a Frankford Arsenal "quick N ez" tumber with 260 308 cases in it. Wondering where to stop.
I too use paper in my tumbler. Paper towels work pretty good. Seems to keep the crud out. I add a little flitz polish and let it run about 10 minutes before loading it up with brass. I use Walnut media from RCBS. Next time i might try something cheaper, but this stuff has lasted 2 years so i cant whine about it.
AS for tumbling before i load, I dont.
I wash my cases with soapy water and let dry.
Size, deprime and trim. Anneal them if it is time. Tumble them without primers in them to clean the pocket , just a little bit.
Then comes the fun part of removing the stuck media in EVERY DAMN CASE! Oh well, gives me something to do.

[PCJim]

Armed, get yourself an appliance/light timer, those 24 hour dial units that turn the lights on and off when you're away from home. Set the trips for 2 hours or so, plug in your tumbler, turn the dial until it just comes on and head off to work. Your wife may appreciate your thoughtfulness.

[armedtotheteeth]

pC- THAT WOULD TAKE ALL THE FUN OUT OF IT GOOD thought though. You know it says on the label " do not leave unattended"

[PCJim]

Armed, Ron Popeil says that too about that "set it and forget it" rotisserie (sp) that he sells when you read the manual. Look at it this way, the timer is the attendant... All the best, Jim