Cleaning brass

[Venus Pax]

I bought a Lyman tumbler to clean brass. (pictures below.) I'm using Lyman's corncob green as a cleaning agent. How often do I need to change out the cleaning agent?

[nuparadigm]

VP,
You'll need to change the media when it starts to get black and is not longer putting a good polish on the brass. You'll also have to wipe out the black residue from the inside of your tumbler.

Some people use hamster litter (ground walnut shells) bought in box-type pet supply stores. A short internet search will reveal numerous sources of straight corn cob media or walnut hull media. You can get some Dillon's Rapid Polish http://dillonprecision.com/template/p.c ... n=0&dyn=1&, add it to the straight media and obtain some really great looking brass with it.

[longtooth]

Good job maam. That is a really good tumbler.
Nothing to add to the above at all.
I use corncob & since you posted this I wonder how many use corncob, walnut, or the green. I have a friend that uses the green & is all he will use.

[TX Rancher]

Good job maam. That is a really good tumbler.
Nothing to add to the above at all.
I use corncob & since you posted this I wonder how many use corncob, walnut, or the green. I have a friend that uses the green & is all he will use.

I use corn cob LT...I just add a little of the Dillon polish and let er' rip.

[mrbug]

To get really nasty brass clean I use white rice with some rubbing compound. Cleans great and puts a nice satin finish on them. Walnut shell with some swirl remover (once again from the auto section) gives a mirror shine.

[phddan]

I go to Petsmart and get a bag of Lizard Litter. Way cheaper than gun store media.
I've always gotten better results with walnut than corn.
You can tell when you need to change out when it takes longer than usual to clean.

Dan

[Charles L. Cotton]

I buy 50 lb. bags of crushed walnut hulls from Clemtex in Houston for about $20 per bag. That quantity lasts a long time! If you want walnut hulls, let me know and I’ll go get you a bag. It’s no place for a lady, even one with a .45 ACP.

I also use Rooster Labs. Rooster Bright brass polish. It does a great job and has no ammonia. I buy it by the gallon and it also lasts a long time. Single gallons are $50, a 5 gal. pale is $150. Five gallons would last forever, but it’s a cheap way to for a few people to order and split it.

Here’s the website: http://www.roosterlabs.com/

Chas.

[KD5NRH]

To get really nasty brass clean I use white rice with some rubbing compound.

Seconded; it really seems to get the rice filthy, but for the price of 20lbs of rice, and a bottle of polish that lasts nearly forever, I can justify changing it out every 750-1000 rds.

OTOH, now that I've gone through all the brass I had laying around, and none of it qualifies as nasty anymore, my media doesn't seem to get bad so quickly as when I had 1200 .45ACP hulls that had been sitting in a garage, then in a closet for years getting less and less brass-like.

Now I just gotta get more cheap bullets for all of them. If we can get some more advance notice on the next group buy, I'd probably be up for a case of 185gr LSWCs. Anybody know a good source for cheap .30 cal bullets? (.308 150 or 180gr for an '06, that is)

[Venus Pax]

I buy 50 lb. bags of crushed walnut hulls from Clemtex in Houston for about $20 per bag. That quantity lasts a long time! If you want walnut hulls, let me know and I’ll go get you a bag. It’s no place for a lady, even one with a .45 ACP.

Chas.

I may take you up on that. Just let me know before you go to the area so I can send you some money.

Thanks for all the replies.

[Smokewagon]

Put a fresh dryer sheet (Downy or whatever) in your tumbler each time you use it and it will collect a lot of the residue. In dry areas like mine it eliminates static electricity. Just carefully remove it so as not to shake the residue loose and throw it away. Media will last much longer.

Makes your brass smell nice and fresh too!

[Venus Pax]

Put a fresh dryer sheet (Downy or whatever) in your tumbler each time you use it and it will collect a lot of the residue. In dry areas like mine it eliminates static electricity. Just carefully remove it so as not to shake the residue loose and throw it away. Media will last much longer.

Makes your brass smell nice and fresh too!

Now THAT's something I have on-hand. (Dryer sheets are even in the same room with my press!) Did you know that they have many other uses? I don't use them in my dryer that often.

[Charles L. Cotton]

Now I just gotta get more cheap bullets for all of them. If we can get some more advance notice on the next group buy, I'd probably be up for a case of 185gr LSWCs.

I haven't sent in the order, so there is still time to get in on this one. Send me an email with the information on the bulk order sticky. I'll be sending everyone an email tonight with an update.

Chas.

[Jeremae]

I tumble for about an hour with Walnut media with jewelers rouge to clean then another hour with corncob media with polish to make em slick and shiney. I use about 2/3 used media and 1/3 new media each time and have yet to buy more media or rouge or polish but will use the pet store as source for media and home depot / dollar general for rouge and polish.

[CaptDave]

I haven't sent in the order, so there is still time to get in on this one. Send me an email with the information on the bulk order sticky. I'll be sending everyone an email tonight with an update.

Chas.

Sounds Good...

BTW: Where is that bulk order sticky???

[KD5NRH]

I haven't sent in the order, so there is still time to get in on this one.

I've got some other commitments for the next couple paychecks, but after that I'll start setting back cash in anticipation of future buys.

Part of the expense lately is getting our land ready, including 25 & 50yd berms near where the shop will be, so I'd hate to delay that.