Tumbler Media- Try this

[Warz]

Seen a lot of post about corn cob, walnut, rice, adding car polish etc.

I bought a red polishing stick and sanded it down with course paper to get a fine powder. I add about 1/8 teaspoon to my media, but also do this....Try it......grab a few dryer sheets and cut them up into 1"x2" strips and toss that in whatever media you use.

Works wonders

 

[fkimble@charter.net]

The red stick is most likely red rouge, a polishing compound. The dryer sheets have been used forever to remove dust and dirt from the cleaning media. I cut a x slit in the middle of the sheet and place in over the center hold down on the bottom of the tumbler. This way all fine dirt etc falls down on the dryer sheet. Seems to collect and hold more dust and dirt.

Frank

 

[NorCalMikie]

Polishing media in the tumbler? If the brass didn't come from the factory with polishing media on it, it doesn't need it now.

 

[STS]

Why would you introduce a “coarse abrasive” to your case prep protocol when you can buy it in powder form for $5 or $6 per pound? I don’t believe I would take the risk of the sanding abrasive making its way into a barrel.

 

[dcali]

The cheapest and simplest thing I've found is rice with a squirt of car polish. Works plenty good, easy to clean up, doesn't get stuck in flash holes, and you can eat what you don't use. No need to complicate things.

 

[jlj1948]

I use a little brasso with walnut

 

[Walt Krafft]

IIR, a bunch of barrels got wrecked when red rough was put in walnut media. It migrated to the barrel when bullets picked it up when they were seated.

 

[pertnear]

I don't use my vibrating polisher much anymore. It always seems to leave some media dust inside & outside on the brass. It doesn't deep-clean primer pockets like a SS pin tumble does either.

I started using my F.A.R.T. WITHOUT pins. I bought an extra drum that I use strictly without pins. Using just Turtle Wax carwash & a dab of Lemishine the tumble does a good job of polishing, degreasing & removing-media-dust from the brass. An hour is usually sufficient. Emptying the container without worrying about pins makes the job ultra-easy & convenient. I use a hair dryer to start the drying process with brass spread out on a towel.

 

[Matt_3479]

I don't use my vibrating polisher much anymore. It always seems to leave some media dust inside & outside on the brass. It doesn't deep-clean primer pockets like a SS pin tumble does either.

I started using my F.A.R.T. WITHOUT pins. I bought an extra drum that I use strictly without pins. Using just Turtle Wax carwash & a dab of Lemishine the tumble does a good job of polishing, degreasing & removing-media-dust from the brass. An hour is usually sufficient. Emptying the container without worrying about pins makes the job ultra-easy & convenient. I use a hair dryer to start the drying process with brass spread out on a towel.

You use water, lemi shine and turtle wax? Any water spots or tarnish after dry

 

[pertnear]

You use water, lemi shine and turtle wax? Any water spots or tarnish after dry

Nope, the Lemishine takes care of the spots & the T. wax coats against tarnish.

 

[tommeboy]

brasso has ammonia in it. dont use it ever in brass cartridges

 

[Matt_3479]

You use water, lemi shine and turtle wax? Any water spots or tarnish after dry

How much turtle wax and any particular one?

 

[pertnear]

How much turtle wax and any particular one?

​

Turtle Wax Brand - Car Wash and Wax​

2 table spoons - it's a thick green liquid
1/8 tsp Lemishine (DO NOT OVER-DO)

 

[JimSC]

I went back to the basics in my FART. No pins, just hot water and a automatic dishwasher tab. no pins or tumbler media to sift out. Fifteen minutes in , then I dry it and size it. I just want clean and couldn't care less about shiny. My only concern is that it has nothing that will scratch my dies or chamber

edited because the spell check bit me on the butt

 

[marchboom]

I tried corn cob media that was treated with that red rouge stuff and the brass came out with a red residue on it. I don't remember any reloading manuals stating that cases should be coated with red rouge. Needless to say, I stopped using that media. Soak in Lemishine water for 45 mins, dry, then 1 hour in walnut media with a small amount of NuFinish. If that doesn't get your brass shiny enough then buy new brass.

 

[Bottom Fodder]

Maybe if we started tumbling our bullets in some of this stuff they would come out shiny, lubricated, pointed and ready to load

 

[Webster]

I went back to the basics in my FART. No pins, just hot water and a automatic dishwasher tab. no pins or tumbler media to sift out. Fifteen minutes in , then I dry it and size it. I just want clean and couldn't care less about shiny. My only concern is that it has nothing that will scratch my dies or chamber

edited because the spell check bit me on the butt

I started writing my replies in word doing a spell check then pasting it in. Only takes seconds. Word suggest the correct spelling . I have bad typing skills.

 

[Walt Krafft]

Brass Juice is the same type stuff the ammo plants use to put the shine and protection on brass. If you are wet tumbling it is the bees knees.

 

[HighlandLofts]

I have the larger Frankford Arsenal wet tumbler. I use hot tap water, about half a teaspoon of Lemishine Booster, a cap full of ArmorAll Wash n Wax and a small squirt of Dawn Dish Soap.
Let it run an hour.
Drain & rinse in the drum.
Then fill up the drum again with hot tap water and add a cap full of the ArmorAll Wash n Wax.
Let it run for fifteen minutes.
Drain it and place the brass & pins in a small bucket with warm tap water.
I'll grab some cases in left hand.
Then take two cases and swish them in the warm water with the case mouth facing down to release the stuck pins held in the case by water retention

Then place them on my home made drying racks.
I deprime before tumbling
After they are placed on the drying racks I'll hit them with the air hose to get the excess water off of the cases and any remaining ss pins.
I don't tumble until I get a bunch of dirty brass.

 

[Dave M.]

Not sure why people spend so much time, effort and money trying to make their brass shiny and new when it has now effect on accuracy (and some will argue it can have a negative effect). I RARELY put any brass in my Lyman vibe bowl, and never tumble any brass. On the rare occasions when I do put brass in the vibe bowl, I use lizard bedding (finely crushed walnut shells available in 10lb bags at most pet stores for about $7) with a SINGLE large drop of turtle wax chrome polish & rust remover. The brass comes out very shiny each piece requires emptying residual material and I use a tiny needle blower hooked to an air line to blow the brass out through the primer hole.
Personally, none of my competition brass ever goes in the vibe bowl. There is far too many world class shooters that never clean their brass, and my own results have proved to me this is a highly overrated step in highly and just isn’t conducive to being able to achieve maximum accuracy.
I’m sure there will be 1-2 examples of world champions and fantastic shooters from multiple disciplines that have proven they are extremely successful while at the same time they are cleaning brass; but these shooters will likely be anomalies, as opposed to the norm.
Dave