Tumbling brass

[norwestalta]

I've been reloading now for a while and I've never ran my brass thru a tumbler. So I've got a couple questions.
Do I size first?
After the process do I blow it out with air?
do you reuse the polishing grit?

Thanks in advance.

[elkhunter11]

I size first, and tumbling removes all lube. If you want brass that looks as good as new inside and out, look at wet tumbling with steel pins.

[Dick284]

Dry media?
Wet media?
Stainless steel pins?

I'm old school and use dry nut shell media.(red rouge Lyman)
I tumble before sizing(saves needless wear on your sizing die)
I simply pick 3 or 4 cases from the tumbler while its running, get the necks pointed down, hold them lightly on the rim of the tumbler, a second or two of vibration, and they are empty.
Place them in the loading block.
Carry on till done.
Lube and size.
Back to my fine media bowl(fine walnut sand blast media)
Repeat.
Trim
Uniform pockets
Uniform flashole
Chamfer
Deburr
Prime
Load

[norwestalta]

Dry media?
Wet media?
Stainless steel pins?

I'm old school and use dry nut shell media.(red rouge Lyman)
I tumble before sizing(saves needless wear on your sizing die)
I simply pick 3 or 4 cases from the tumbler while its running, get the necks pointed down, hold them lightly on the rim of the tumbler, a second or two of vibration, and they are empty.
Place them in the loading block.
Carry on till done.
Lube and size.
Back to my fine media bowl(fine walnut sand blast media)
Repeat.
Trim
Uniform pockets
Uniform flashole
Chamfer
Deburr
Prime
Load

I think it's the red rouge stuff. Got it at cabelas.

[norwestalta]

Dick its Lyman's tufnut.
How long do you tumble for?

[Dick284]

Oh ya the media is totally re useable.
Run it till you're tumble time nearly doubles, then replace it.
I'm only on the first third of my second jug of the tuff nut.
The first jug lasted a very long time(15+yrs) 1/3 at a time.

[gitrdun]

Whether I use the dry media (rouge) or wet tumble with stainless pins, I always do that first to keep my dies clean. I also anneal first as the very first step. When done, I blow out the inside with compressed air. Wet or dry, I let it go for 1.5 hours. When wet tumbling, I push out the primers with a decapping die. The wet media and pins really clean up the primer pockets nicely.

If you're going for the dry media, grab a sheet of dryer sheets, cut it into small 2" squares and throw it in with the media. It cleans up the dust off the brass as you go.

I have the vibratory cleaner with the rouge stuff, the ultrasonic cleaner and the Frankford Arsenal big arsed tumbler. Nothing beats the wet media and pins for ultra shiny brass, clean inside and out.

[norwestalta]

With this tufnut stuff, how long do you tumble for? A couple hour or days?

[Dick284]

With this tufnut stuff, how long do you tumble for? A couple hour or days?

That's highly dependant on how grimy and oxidized your brass is.

Anywhere from 30 mins to over night.

Your own observations will tell you how long.

[norwestalta]

Thanks fellas much appreciated.

[double gun]

I size first, and tumbling removes all lube. If you want brass that looks as good as new inside and out, look at wet tumbling with steel pins.

X2

[Eagle Trapper]

Someone had mentioned using once a year vehicle polish on here before, tried it with nut shells and it works great to get that shine if your into that kind of thing. Bout a cap full

[densa44]

Dick when you say tumble do you mean vibrate? If yes I think that is a great way to get the media out of the shells.

I was told here to use 1/2 sheet of fleecy and it works great to collect the dirt and make them shiny.

[Skytop B]

I still use corncob media and fitz. When the media gets dirty I wash it and it is like new again, been using the same batch of Lyman Green corncob for almost 3 years now. Just wash it every couple months. I use an RCBS media separator, got tired of sifting through the media and dumping out all the cases, most usually all the media comes out of the brass, if it doesn't I just use a dental pick thing.

[qwert]

I still use corncob media and fitz. When the media gets dirty I wash it and it is like new again, been using the same batch of Lyman Green corncob for almost 3 years now. Just wash it every couple months. I use an RCBS media separator, got tired of sifting through the media and dumping out all the cases, most usually all the media comes out of the brass, if it doesn't I just use a dental pick thing.

Thank goodness, I thought that I was the only one cheap enough to wash my crushed walnut (which I buy from Manus in Calgary for ~$22/50lb bag).

After washing it gets used for primary cleaning (after depriming) before sizing then polishing in clean walnut & polish. I use dryer sheets in my primary batch but not in the polish walnut.

For polishing, I use a new batch of walnut with a cap-full of NuFinish polish mixed with mineral spirits 50/50. When it gets dirty I wash it in dish detergent & hot water, then several hot water rinses and dry in the sun on an old bed-sheet.

I have a Lyman tumbler with a 'sifter lid', I just invert it over a cut down 5 gal pail while still running, a couple of seconds and all the media is separated from the brass.

Good Luck, YMMV.

[gitrdun]

That'll be the day when chicken grow teeth or pigs fly when I wash corn media. Pfffttt. Seriously?

[Skytop B]

Thank goodness, I thought that I was the only one cheap enough to wash my crushed walnut (which I buy from Manus in Calgary for ~$22/50lb bag).

After washing it gets used for primary cleaning (after depriming) before sizing then polishing in clean walnut & polish. I use dryer sheets in my primary batch but not in the polish walnut.

For polishing, I use a new batch of walnut with a cap-full of NuFinish polish mixed with mineral spirits 50/50. When it gets dirty I wash it in dish detergent & hot water, then several hot water rinses and dry in the sun on an old bed-sheet.

I have a Lyman tumbler with a 'sifter lid', I just invert it over a cut down 5 gal pail while still running, a couple of seconds and all the media is separated from the brass.

Good Luck, YMMV.

I just drilled a couple hundred tiny holes in a 5 gal bucket, I dump it in there with some dish soap and blast it with the garden hose till the water draining out the bottom is clean. Then dump it on a screen to dry. I pick up a lot of grimy pistol brass and do a lot of it so washing saves lots of money!

[Skytop B]

That'll be the day when chicken grow teeth or pigs fly when I wash corn media. Pfffttt. Seriously?

It's not like it is a complicated job, I usually shoot 300 rounds a day on my 2 weeks off, my tumbler goes 24 hours a day, yes, I am serious.

[Skytop B]

Yeah, I am cheap

[qwert]

I just drilled a couple hundred tiny holes in a 5 gal bucket, I dump it in there with some dish soap and blast it with the garden hose till the water draining out the bottom is clean. Then dump it on a screen to dry. I pick up a lot of grimy pistol brass and do a lot of it so washing saves lots of money!

I wash in a pail then rinse and drain in a thrift shop colander that holds a scrap of landscape filter cloth, then spread out to dry in the sun. It actually reduces the dust that often comes with new media, and works great for dirty range brass. I have a big tumbler for primary use and a second for polishing.

I find that cases polished with NuFinish do not seem to oxidize in storage, and clean up a lot faster after firing. When shooting single loads off the bench, my brass never hits the floor and stays very clean. If I wipe the carbon off the necks while it is still warm and soft from firing, then my brass often requires little or no cleaning before neck sizing & loading. I use carbide pistol dies and TiNitride neck bushings which require no sizing lube.

Good Luck, YMMV

[qwert]

Yeah, I am cheap

I prefer to call it frugal. It is a lifestyle that avoids excessive consumption, in order to have the money for top quality optics and tools with lasting value, and give me great pleasure and satisfaction in use.

Many people who accuse others of being cheap are actually deep in debt.

Good Luck, YMMV.

[Skytop B]

Yes, I got the idea from a Jerry Miculek video and tried it. After seeing how good it worked I can't believe I used to toss it after it got dirty. The guy uses a bloody concrete mixer for cleaning brass.

Here is the video, hardcore!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5y_dsP3dsM

[ForwardBias]

Yes, I got the idea from a Jerry Miculek video and tried it. After seeing how good it worked I can't believe I used to toss it after it got dirty. The guy uses a bloody concrete mixer for cleaning brass.

Here is the video, hardcore!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5y_dsP3dsM

He has lots of useful videos that I have found helpful/entertaining.