Anybody using rice to tumble?
- Thread starter Zback
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I use corn cob media with a liquid polish added during tumbling. Not had any problem with that and I'm getting great results and consistency so it'd take a lot to change my mind. I'm sure rice would work fine.
VooDoo
VooDoo
He mentioned a "few articles." Maybe mine was among them. I wasn't aware there were others.
I stopped using all media. Its a waste of time.
Corncob - Mess and PITA to clean out
Walnut - Mess and a PITA to clean out
Russian Groats - Mess and a PITA to clean out
Rice - Mess and a PITA to clean out
Wet Tumble with SS pins - Great way to peen your necks and beat up your brass, Have to make sure you flush every one out or you gona trash a barrel.
Wet Tumble with No media and some lemishine & Dawn is all you need.
Gets them clean enough without tearing up brass or wasting god knows how much time trying dick around with media and getting shit out of the cases.
Corncob - Mess and PITA to clean out
Walnut - Mess and a PITA to clean out
Russian Groats - Mess and a PITA to clean out
Rice - Mess and a PITA to clean out
Wet Tumble with SS pins - Great way to peen your necks and beat up your brass, Have to make sure you flush every one out or you gona trash a barrel.
Wet Tumble with No media and some lemishine & Dawn is all you need.
Gets them clean enough without tearing up brass or wasting god knows how much time trying dick around with media and getting shit out of the cases.
Years ago there was a guy on a 1911 forum that swore by it but I never tried it.
This is the way. Though Brass Juice seems to make slightly prettier brass than Lemi and soap. No idea what they put in it.
What is this Brass Juice you speak of?
I am always up for a chemical solution to a physical problem
I've tried damn near every dry media I can think of, including the rice Orkan recommended. I went back to corn cob from Berry's.
https://www.thereloadingstation.com/products/brass-juice-case-wash I use about 1/3 cup in a full FA Tumbler. It is more expensive, but the results are great. Good lube too, though I generally roll my own for that.What is this Brass Juice you speak of?
I am always up for a chemical solution to a physical problem
T
Looks good. Just watched a video on it will give it a shot. $75/gal is a bit steep tho.
It may have a little salt and vinegar in it. A while back I saw a recipe that had lemon juice, vinegar, and salt. The lemon juice contains citric acid which is what lemishine is.What is this Brass Juice you speak of?
I am always up for a chemical solution to a physical problem
I never tried it but an old guy once told me a cup of ERA laundry detergent in a gallon of hot water worked great. Soak the brass in it overnight.
My wife is a chemist, maybe I should ask her
Is salt used as a mechanical cleaner in this solution? It works well in other applications as an abrasive cleaner. Obviously it needs to be suspended in a liquid that doesn't dissolve it.
I was cleaning cases with an ultrasonic cleaner. It was a great tool for the lazy man like me.
Recently I tried the rice media method. It seems to get them nearly as clean, all be it in a longer amount of time. What it does vs ultrasonic is it seems to leave just a touch of slickness to the brass. That can't be a bad thing as far as seating goes.
YMMV
Recently I tried the rice media method. It seems to get them nearly as clean, all be it in a longer amount of time. What it does vs ultrasonic is it seems to leave just a touch of slickness to the brass. That can't be a bad thing as far as seating goes.
YMMV
The starch coating from the rice. I can't imagine having extra "glue" in there is good either, but I've never tested it.
I tried it once. The rice got stuck in flash holes and got packed into the necks.
I use rice in a Lyman tumbler, works just fine. Same rice that @orkan recommends.
I don't clean primer pockets or flasholes, spent primers are still in the brass when I tumble. So no issues with getting rice stuck in flasholes, and can't say I see any degradation in performance with this method.
I don't clean primer pockets or flasholes, spent primers are still in the brass when I tumble. So no issues with getting rice stuck in flasholes, and can't say I see any degradation in performance with this method.
Wait…you guys clean your brass? Are we back to that now? I just want to make sure I’m up on the latest trends and fads, even though I hate to admit I still wrap my thumb around the pistol grip.
We used to use lemonade mix (unsweetened) to soak brass fittings when I was in the Navy. (When we couldn't get the bulk citric acid powder)It may have a little salt and vinegar in it. A while back I saw a recipe that had lemon juice, vinegar, and salt. The lemon juice contains citric acid which is what lemishine is.
I never tried it but an old guy once told me a cup of ERA laundry detergent in a gallon of hot water worked great. Soak the brass in it overnight.
My wife is a chemist, maybe I should ask her
Amazon product ASIN B004NRLAVY
This wasn't too bad on the 308 Lapua cases I did. Maybe 25% I had to clear.
Thank you. That’s about what my bag from Sams does. I appreciate your help.
I guess the bigger question it why are you looking to use rice. Cost? Performance? Like i said before, i tried it and its a huge mess. I wet clean now and still use walnut at times.
Medium grain. Its wide enough to not get stuck in a flash hole but small enough to get in close to rub on the case.
In the article it even has a link
Thank youMedium grain. Its wide enough to not get stuck in a flash hole but small enough to get in close to rub on the case.
In the article it even has a link
View attachment 7782576
And what you dont use in the tumbler is a pretty good white rice sorta close to sushi rice. I used it 50/50 tumbling and eating
So, if you use fried rice, does it lube your cases while cleaning?
Sorry...I know....not very funny but I'm desperately trying to entertain myself!
Sorry...I know....not very funny but I'm desperately trying to entertain myself!
No man... don't.Medium grain. Its wide enough to not get stuck in a flash hole but small enough to get in close to rub on the case.
In the article it even has a link
View attachment 7782576
Just let them use different rice and then claim the method doesn't work.
I've been using rice for a couple years now, and I like it. $18 for a 50lb bag of it from Costco.
I don't deprime before cleaning cases anymore so that flash hole problem isn't an issue. I use a Lyman tumbler and the top has holes in it, so while the tumbler is still running I just grab it and turn it over in a bucket. It vibrates all the rice out and theres usually no issue, maybe give it a few shakes and let it run for 30s more; all good to go.
I tumble on the far side of my shop, and mice were an issue. Now I just put the bag of rice on a bucket away from anything else and haven't had any problem. The old/used rice I'll put in a bucket by the wall with other crap. Mice get in it then can't get out. They die and I throw em out lol.
This is why I don’t do it. In the West here, rodents can carry and spread hantavirus and the plague, as well as other disease. Hantavirus can spred to human via dust from droppings, while the Plague spreds via rodent’s fleas to human, or to pets, then to human.
Park county deputy dies of Hantavirus
PARK COUNTY, Colo. — A sheriff’s deputy in Park County has died after catching Hantavirus, deputies said Thursday. Deputy Joseph Hamilton was 29 and in good health before he was infecte…
kdvr.com
Plague activity identified in Colorado | Department of Public Health & Environment
Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, in cooperation with local public health agencies, is investigating plague (Yersinia pestis) activity. Currently, there have been laboratory confirmed reports of plague in animals and fleas from six counties.
Caution urged after plague found in six Colorado counties, linked to death of 10-year-old child
Plague is caused by bacteria and usually is transmitted by bites from infected fleas. Prairie dogs, squirrels, chipmunks and other rodents many carry the fleas and become infected themselves, so ev…
www.denverpost.com
You got mice in your house whether or not you're tumbling with rice. The rice just exposes them.
On a side note, I've had a bag of rice in my garage for about a decade and only this past month or so did mice get into it. I set traps right next to the hole they created and never got one there. I eventually got one along the wall where they travel.
On a side note, I've had a bag of rice in my garage for about a decade and only this past month or so did mice get into it. I set traps right next to the hole they created and never got one there. I eventually got one along the wall where they travel.
I got some of it also. The lack of dust compared to walnut media makes it so much better to work with. I can remove it in my loading room instead of taking it outside. I used Orkan's method of leaving the tumbler running and hold the case against the side of the bowl. Did not make any worse mess than walnut.
First load tumbled some Lapua small primer 6.5 Creedmoor and had no rice stuck in flash holes. Next did some LC 5.56 and did get some stuck in flash holes. Also it got packed into some of the cases. Wasn't too hard to remove though. Lapua brass has smaller flash holes so that is probably why. Maybe the rice started breaking down some causing it to get in the LC brass. I'm going to continue using rice for now anyway.
I also have a wet tumbler and use brass juice with it but now mostly just use that for really dirty range brass.
We have an industrial sonic tank. And we use the boretech solution made specifically for cleaning brass in ultrasonic.
Right or wrong, our philosophy and experience is that chemicals specifically mixed for something perform much better than “garage brews.” Most of the complaints we see with wet tumbling or ultrasonic cleaning comes from those using home brews.
It will get things a bit cleaner than people who prefer to leave carbon in the necks. Which is a popular and/or valid theory. We just use other things to either replace the carbon or lubricate things.
