Couple of questions i cant find good answers to...

[nick89rs]

1. vibrating media...corn cob and walnut whats the difference and how long should i run the cases through each? till they are polished isint an answer im looking for. im sure alot of you just have a set amount of time you leave each type running im wondering what that is.
2. how do i know when its time to get a fresh batch of the media because mine is not longer good?


any insight would be appreciated thanks.

 

[EMorr]

Re: Couple of questions i cant find good answers to...

I only use walnut and get good results, but the way it was described to me is walnut is a little better for removing large amounts of fouling, dirt or stains where corn cob will give a higher finish shine but may not remove heavy stains as well as walnut.

I don’t think there is a definite answer as to when to change out you media such as a round count, a lot of it has to do with how dirty the brass is that you are tumbling. At some point the media will become saturated and lose its effectiveness. I’m fairly new to reloading but the 12lbs of walnut I bought when I first started has cleaned over 2000 mixed pieces of .45, .40, 9MM, 38 Special, 30-06 and .223 and is still going strong. I know that is not a very high round count compared to some who reload but I’m happy and feel I got my money’s worth out of the media.

 

[wburke2010]

Re: Couple of questions i cant find good answers to...

I use both walnut and corn cob. The walnut is a little finer so I use that now but didn't see much of a difference between the two. I add a little bit of polish each time I run a batch, and by a little bit I mean a cap full. I usually let them run for 8 hours or so. Turn it on when I leave the house in the morning and turn it off when I get home from school.

One thing that I have noticed is that the media works better after a few batches. Also you don't have to change out the media that often even if it turn black. Only change it out when you let it run for a regular run cycle, like 5-8 hours or how long you usually run to get them as clean as you want, once you pull them out and they are not clean it's time to change the media.

Walter

 

[nick89rs]

Re: Couple of questions i cant find good answers to...

thanks for the answers guys

 

[wburke2010]

Re: Couple of questions i cant find good answers to...

No problem if you have any other questions about it feel free to pm me. I'll help any way I can.

Walter

 

[ranger1183]

Re: Couple of questions i cant find good answers to...

I use Lyman's green corn cob media for dry tumbling and use it until it's pretty well black (and it's no longer cleaning well) before I change it.

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/541305/...-pour-container


But, if you can afford to, I recommend you buy the stainless steel tumbling media instead and use a Thumlers Tumbler instead.

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/426185/...umbler-110-volt

And you'll need to use this media with it.

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/635839/...-media-5-lb-bag

It's a more expensive initial investment, but the end results are much, much better.

But for the ultimate, don't buy anything and just let killshot44 do all the hard work for you!

http://www.snipershide.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=2623200

 

[shootist2004]

Re: Couple of questions i cant find good answers to...

when the walnut media gets old you can add a cap full of polish to it to extend the life.

http://www.dillonprecision.com/content/p/9/pid/23664/catid/8/Rapid_Polish_290__8_oz__Bottle_

 

[nick89rs]

Re: Couple of questions i cant find good answers to...

thats good stuff ranger TY. been considering using the stainless media and tumbler for a while now....

 

[former naval person]

Re: Couple of questions i cant find good answers to...

I've tried "lizard litter" but it is too fine grained and blocks too many of the primer holes...i.e., more work. I think the Lyman is better. Still inspect the flash holes but usually only 1 or 2 out of a hundred cases need the extra poking. JMHO

 

[aloreman]

Re: Couple of questions i cant find good answers to...

Ive found if you put a few strips of drier sheet and paper towel you cob lasts forever. Ive tumbled 15k handgun and 3k rifle rounds and havnt changed the media. Once ever 3 or 4 batches i put in a squirt of frankford arsenal polish

 

[BuzzBoss915]

Re: Couple of questions i cant find good answers to...

I did not like the aggressive results of walnut. Corn cob does exactly what I want, and if a few cases need more time, that's okay too. Also, corn cob seems to last forever? I have yet to see it turn black? Maybe I'm not enough of a high volume user? It won't remove the black from the necks, if you need that, for some reason, but a couple twists with 0000#steel wool takes care of it rather nicely. The stainless media thing seems to work but appears to be much trouble.

I might try a dryer sheet, if I had any just for the heck of it? BB

 

[Fuzzball]

Re: Couple of questions i cant find good answers to...

Tumbling isn't rocket science, there is no right or wrong way to do it; most anyone can get it done with just a little experience.

We have both nut and cob media because both work, there's so little effective difference that it makes no difference. Of course some guys agonize over it so much they make a mix, just to be sure they get it 'right' I suppose.

Run the tumbler until the cases are clean and as polished as you wish but glitter is only eye candy, it means nothing to the quality of your ammo.

Adding metal polish every time you run it will result in the pores of the media being clogged with the excess. You'll soon have a gray, glazed, dry polish layer over the media that will kill it long before it 'wears out.' Once you get two-three caps of polish in the media don't add more polish, just add an ounce or so of mineral spirits to loosen/soften the existing dried polish a bit.

Replace the media when it quits working like it should.

 

[BuzzBoss915]

Re: Couple of questions i cant find good answers to...

No, it sure is not rocket science. I wish I knew how old my tumbler is, but the motor quit on me a couple years ago and I had to take extreme measures to breathe a little more life in to it and it has been purring away ever since. I think I just lubed the bearings or bushing but it has to be over twenty years old, maybe more?

I used the polish in the walnut, once. Maybe that was what convinced me that I much preferred corn cob and have never varied, since that time. Of course, we are talking very carefully handled and processed cases, that never touch the ground, and I don't use range brass so there is not very much required of the tumbler or the media. BB