My new cabelas tumbler is churning away on the floor right now.

I got a big bag of some stuff that looks like saw dust or something. I've got that in the tumbler and put about 100 casings in it.

But my tumbler also came with polish - when am I supposed to do the polishing thing on the cases? It came with next to no instructions. I also got this big plastic thing that I guess is for sifting once the tumbling is finished. What should I shift the dry media into? can I just put it back in the bag and reuse it?

Help a newbie out!

The media is crushed corn cob....
1)Put the media in the tumbler, up to about 1/2 the way up.
2)Turn on
3)Squirt some polish in the media while it's turned on. About 4 or 5 table spoons.
4)Let dissolve for about 5 min.
5)Throw your cases in. They should be moving freely...tumbling
6)When they are shiny and bright. About 2-3 hours, depending on how dirty.
7)Use the media seperator....
...I'm not sure how yours works, but if you cant figure it out, post again, and I'll try to help you.....sakofan...Welcome to the slippery slope!!

I'd sift it into a bucket, dishpan, or whatever is handy instead of putting it back into the bag. Eventually the media will become contaminated with the crud it is removing from the brass and it will need to be thrown out and replaced with new media.

WOW!!

After 2 hours in the tumbler the cases look like friggin' NEW!

and with no effort on my part, that's the best part!

The only problem you will find with any tumbler is you will question yourself about how in the hell you got along without it for so many years. You will find that the tumbler will become as an important piece of reloading equipment as your press is. Just be prepared for one day, as all things, it will die. When my RCBS tumbler went south-bad motor-I went ape-s#!X until the new motor arrived. I wouldn't even think of reloading or shooting any case that was not cleaned in a tumbler now. You'll be surprised at how easy it is to catch flaws that before went unnoticed with unclean brass.

[ 06-03-2003, 05:29: Message edited by: Big Bore ]

I'm presently tumbling some cases that have already been deprimed and sized - is there anything wrong with this? I guess I'm worried about the polishing media getting in the primer pocket and messing up the ignition process...??

I use a basket from a deep fryer to sift my caseings into a cut down 5 gal bucket,then dump it right back in the tumbler,mine is a lyman and I haved used for a good many years,its also good for jewlery,I remember when I bought it my wife was a little pissed off,but when I showed her how nice of a job it did on some jewelry and some silver trinkets,she wasent so mad and I still use it to polish other things besides caseings.

Progrmr,

Congratulations on your new tumbler. I'll address my comments to a different facet of tumblers, that of how much cleaning media to use. Use more than a teaspoon or two and you'll end up with hazy cases from the dampness. You'll also find it's a major cause of the media sticking inside the case and causing a lot of heartache to remove it. Each successive time you use the tumbler with the same media just add a little cleaning agent to spiff it up. The old stuff is still there and working for you. You'll get differing opinions as to when to change the media, change part or all of it, use corncob or walnut media. The list can become quite long. I personally prefer walnut media, but that's just me. Best wishes.

Cal - Montreal

Actually, a big plastic colander with big holes works best. I usually use a paper grocery bag, under the colander and pour in the cases and cobs.
a few shakes and you have just clean cases left.
If there is a company in your area that sells industrial abrasives, you can buy a 50 pount bag of "Grit O' Cob" that will last you and your children for ever! Also go to the pet store and get some "Hamster bedding" crushed walnut shells. A bit faster that corn cobs and a whole lot cheaper than the gunstore media.

Rusty
We band of brothers!

A word of advice...

Be careful to not breathe in the dust from the tumbling media, nor allow it in an area where food is prepared. That dust will eventually have high lead levels (from primer residue).

A small spoonful of mineral spirits ("Varsol") will help keep the dust down.

jpb

I use a carnuba car wax for my polish...works great, mho...sakofan..

For some years, I didn't deprime before cleaning. Then afout 7/8 years ago, I scratched 3 sets, of carbide dies-- Yes they can be damaged. The only thing I could trace it to, was something jarred loose from the primers. Since that time, I deprime ALL brass BEFORE, cleaning, or any thing else. Yes, it can be a pain, but not as much pain as replacing those carbide dies. Also, even if you are not going to use the brass, it should be cleaned and put away. If nothing else, a covered coffee can., I now use a combination, of four gallon buckets from cat litter/or food/or both., and these new soup&salad size Glad containers. Everything stays clean, and neat. Then when going to be used, I final polish what I am going to need. I keep several thousand pieces of brass this way, and it works. I should say also, I use 3 different tumblers. One,red rouge, for the 1st polish, 2final polish,treated corncob, 3- untreated walnut as a final clean up of any residue.

[ 06-03-2003, 21:38: Message edited by: Tusker10mm ]

I have a Lyman tumbler. I like the crushed walnut shell media.

I get it at the local pet shop for $2-$3 for a big bag and then disolve a few grape sized pieces of red jewlers rouge in acetone, turn on the tumbler and drizle the stuff in. The acetone evaporates in 15 minutes or so and you get the same stuff Lyman charges an arm and a leg for. I don't like the corncob because it tends to compact in the cases and on bottle neck rifle cases it is a pain ti dig out. Maybe I'm using the wrong stuff?

mho,
A colander is a bowl shaped strainer.

The holes need to be large enough to let the media through and retain the cases. If you can't find one over there, let me know and I'll send you one!

Rusty
We band of brothers!

The Lyman Turbo has a Colander like lid, sieves by turning the tub upside down and shaking. works quite well.

progrmr:

I have learned a lot handloading and do things different than the ways I was taught, which was basically out of the manuals at first.

I have learned other ways that are easier for me and I have others I told about it like them.

First: Can the Corncob Media. Walnut shells will do in 2 hours what it takes CornCob media 24 hours to do once it gets a little used.
Second: Skip the Big Company stuff in boxes. Most good gun shop have someone locally that sells this stuff in bags for cheap. I buy it in a 7 pound bag, and it last so long it is ridiculous. I replace it when I have spilled enough on the floor emptying the tumbler that I need to add some more. Guess like changing the oil when the oil light goes on, but atleast lack of media won't seize up your tumbler.

The regimine I developed that works for me.
( You experienced guys don't freak out on me)

First I take the decaping pin out of all of my sizing dies.

To Lube my cases I went down to the Walmart equivalent in town, and bought a camping frying pan. I throw 20 to 40 cases in it depending on caliber and case size. I then spray a few good shots of WD 40 into the frying pan. ( Will someone please revive some of the old handloaders or just call them an ambulance)

With the decapping pin out of the die, I do not have to lube the inside of the case.

I size each case in the die, giving the shoulder the "bump" or camming motion RCBS customer service told me about.

I do a lot of this in the evening, and then turn on the tumbler ( located in the garage) and turn it off in the morning. My cases with the walnut media, on all night, look better than new. They look like the polished ones in the Ammo catalogs.

I have a round blue tub that I bought at Wallie World (walmart) for about $2.00 to $3.00 that is plastic. I also have a Colander that you Non USA types can order on line thru MidwayUSA. ( www.midwayusa.com).
Dump the brass in there, and then just shake it a few times and bounce it a couple of times. Except for the 22 caliber stuff, this empties about 99 % of the media out of the cases.

Then they still have the old primer in the cases tho. For this, one of the smartest $10.00 I spent was for a Lee Universal Decapping Die. It does not touch the case walls and the decapping pen is a lot tougher than the ones that are in the die sets. I decap primers from 223, to 444 Marlin with the same unit.

I got one, because I got tired of having stuck cases and could not unstick them because of the decapping unit stuck in the case. I have had a lot less stuck cases since I took the decapping pins out and then if I do, I use a RCBS Stuck Case Removed 2 on it. Basically a stout rod and a wack with a hammer and the stuck case is unstuck.

For the purists:

Without the decapping pin in, I have necks that have been out of round from being stepped on etc.
with only a few exceptions, they have corrected the problem when being sized.

Also as far as the neck being sized too tight,,since the neck did not have the capping rod to come back over.: this has not been a problem with boat tail bullets at all.
For Flat Based Bullets, I camfer the necks and it presents no problems.

Developing this route just made it easier for me to avoid some of the problems I was having.

I handload a lot, 200 to 300 rounds a week. but i use a Rockchucker. I use Lee powder dippers and a RCBS trickler to weigh my charges. Did not care for the Dillon although I don't knock it for the guys who use it,. Just is not my flavor.

Hope we had no heartattacks over this. If so would someone please call 911 for the guy?

One other thing. You'll think that, since you can get cheap ground walnut, maybe the brass polish at the store (cheaper than that sold by tumbler mfgs) would work too. DON"T! Most store brass polishers contain ammonia. Yep, the stuff we use to get brass fouling out of barrels. This can end up causing damage to your cases. Make sure any polish that you use is ammonia free.

Prof242:

If that response was in my direction: I don't use brass polishing.

When I throw my brass in the tumbler before I go to bed and take it out the next morning when it has been in the walnut media for 7 or 8 hours,
it is as shiny as the emblems on my army uniform was just before inspection when we had been polishing them with Brasso for a couple of hours.

I try to keep my stuff to the basics, and admire simplicity and keep away from something trendy unless it actually happens to work or will actually do something for me.

I am such a "the old stuff worked back then" kinda guy, people are amazed at the number of 4 power scopes I use to hunt with, even at 300 yds.
Or the rifles I use a 6 power on.

Just to keep my skill kean, not competing with anyone but myself, I use a 6 power to shoot a rock at our range that is about 725 yds. It is about the size of a 2 drawer file cabinet.
Play with that and it makes something at 300 yds seem like a chip shot.
Heck I even use several 1.5 x4 shotgun scopes on some of my deer rifles in the 243 or 260 class.
Good field of view and quick on target aquisition.

I DON'T USE A COLANDER TO SEPARATE CASES FROM MEDIA. I GOT A SCOOP USED TO CLEAN CAT BOXES AT THE PET DEPARTMENT AT WAL MART. DOES A DANDY JOB OF SCOOPING THE CASES OUT OF THE THUMBLERS TUMBLER.A COUPLE OF SHAKES AND ALL YOU HAVE IS BRASS TO COLLECT OFF THE SCOOP.YA THAT LITTLE PROBLEM OF MEDIA IN THE FLASH HOLES IS A STINKER.

tasco:

Like your suggestion of the cat scooper. Great hassle from solution.

As far as the media in the flash holes, I have a decapping pin out of a sizing die ( since I don't use the decapping pin, I use a Universal decapper after they have been cleaned in the tumbler and I am ready to reload them).

I actually just have the entire decapping rod and pin, just a quick poke at the flash hole and it falls right out.

Hope that is a fair trade for the cat scooper idea.

I ALWAYS LEAVE MY PRIMERS IN THE CASES AND REMOVE THEM AFTER THEY ARE TUMBLED. THAT WAY THE PRIMER PUNCH TAKES EM OUT WITH THE PRIMER.

THE SECOND AMENDMENT PROTECTS US ALL..........

I'M SORRY I WAS TALKING ABOUT THE LITTLE BITS OF MEDIA THAT GETS STUCK IN THE FLASH HOLE. SOME TIMES I THINK ALOT FASTER THAN I TYPE AND ALL THE THOUGHT DON'T GET TO THE SCREEN.

THE 2ND AMENDMENT PROTECTS US ALL..........