Alternative media??

[Nomad47]

I seem to recall that there is a commonly found product (maybe in the pet section) that can be used in place of walnut shell or corn cob media in tumblers.

What are you guys using if not corn cob or walnut shell for your media?

 

[KMart]

I use lizard litter (crushed walnut shells) from the pet store.

 

[ar10ar15man]

not normally in a size that works well.
get together with a couple of friends and buy a bag of blasting media from drill spot..either of the two grits they have..its a 40 lbs bag for 35 bucks...i use a bag every other month...i doubt you will..i am in the brass biz

 

[coonhunter70]

I've heard that rice works well but never have tried it.

 

[Nomad47]

Thanks, Guys. I went to Petsmart and bought a 10 quart bag of crushed walnut lizard litter. It appears to be finer grains so maybe it won't clog in the flash holes. But at $14 for a 10 quart bag which appears to weigh 13.5 pounds I don't know if it is a bargain. Midsouth is selling 15 pounds of untreated walnut for $9.20.

 

[DukeDuke]

I use lizard litter (crushed walnut shells) from the pet store.

I do the same, and it's working very well!

 

[ar10ar15man]

i will point out..AGAIN.
that i am in the brass business and have been for about 6 yrs...
when it comes to dry media..every retailer/wholesaler/ammo maker i know uses FINE GROUND CORN COB/
not a single one uses walnut.....
if there was a cheaper better way we would use it.....
my wholesale and retial sales exceeded $130,000 last yr...thats a stack of brass..
( and no i do not do internet sales)

 

[Nomad47]

And I will point out ...AGAIN. I use walnut.

And I am in the retired business. That means I have been around the block a time or two.

 

[amlevin]

Best "Alternative Media" I have found is the Stainless Steel Pins (Cut Wire Shot).

Buy it from a place like Pellets LLC and it's less expensive than the stuff sold by the Reloading Supply Marketers.

No Dust
Clean inside
Clean and shiny outside
Clean Primer Pockets
No more media replacement when it's worn out and not doing the job
No more polish to purchase

Now that's what I call a real alternative.

 

[ar10ar15man]

FROM WHAT I HAVE SEEN the ss pins work very well for the hobby shooter
but not so for volume brass seller....
adds time fro drying
cannot do lagre lots
i actually plan on getting some for my own shooting brass....
one of these days....

how do the ends of the short cut wirre compare to the ends of the pins ??
my big concern with the pins is work hardening of the brass..., with the cut wire i would be concerned with the finish as well

 

[amlevin]

FROM WHAT I HAVE SEEN the ss pins work very well for the hobby shooter
but not so for volume brass seller....
adds time fro drying
cannot do lagre lots
i actually plan on getting some for my own shooting brass....
one of these days....

how do the ends of the short cut wirre compare to the ends of the pins ??
my big concern with the pins is work hardening of the brass..., with the cut wire i would be concerned with the finish as well

First, the "work hardening" from pins is a myth. They weigh less than .5 gr each and in order to work harden brass you have to "Work" it. You get more of that from any tumbling action with case on case action than you will ever get from pins.

Second, "Hobbyists" only? I know of those who process their brass in large industrial sized tumblers using "pins" with some of the "larger hobbyists using small drum type cement mixers with rubber pads on the paddles and rubber plate inserts covering the drum.

As for the ends of the cut wire comparing with the pins, that's where the "pins" come from. They shear off pieces of stainless steel wire.

Finish? Here's a batch I did yesterday. What's wrong with the finish on these cases. They are some Winchester brass that I've been shooting uncounted times since about 2008. Nice clean primer pockets, clean insides, and how much more shiny do you want or need? (Note: all the cases look the same. Because I didn't set up "studio lighting" you see shadows that look like dark cases. Not so, all nice and shiny as the brightest in the pic).

Sorry, but personally I have no more use for "Ground Iowa Toilet Paper" or "Lizard Litter".

Oh by the way, drying is no problem. Separate and rinse using a standard media separator then off to the annealing process. Funny thing. Annealing tends to dry cases in no time at all. If not annealing, just set up a fan and blow air over the brass and tumble large quantities in a basket like one of those "bingo ball" tumblers or a "raffle drum".

In closing, to me it's not how shiny you make the outside, it's how complete the cleaning process is.

FWIW, some of the local bench rest shooters are starting to use ultrasonic cleaning with their cases. One I shoot with has even collected data on how much carbon a case can accumulate after a firing or two.

 

[bigedp51]

Tumbler - Large Volume (this on uses dry media)
http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php?900373-Tumbler-Large-Volume

Homemade wet tumbler for stainless steel media
http://forums.1911forum.com/showthread.php?t=341762