I have a Lyman tumbler. It came with a corncob media that has a green color. This color gets inside of my brass. I wipe off the outside, but when I lube the necks of my brass, I get this green stuff all over my brush. Do I need to do something to clean the inside of the brass? Does this hurt anything if I leave it in? Thinking of switching to a walnut hull media. Any suggestions? Bulldog...
I also switched to walnut media. Wipes off easily, no residue. I was concerned about blasting corrosive media residue through the barrel. Regards, George.
I'm a cheap bugger, so I go to the pet supply store and buy crushed walnut hulls that are used for "bird litter". Very finely ground, rarely gets caught in flash holes. Much less expensive than the walnut media sold in gun shops...
Posts: 497 | Location: Lewistown, PA USA | Registered: 21 December 2000
I clean the brass before I de-prime and size. This way any media that works into the flash hole is punched out with the spent primer.
As you may be thinking that leaves the lube residue to deal with. That I've been washing off with acetone. I find a pint (US) to be good for several hundred rounds, before it becomes saturated with lube. After sizing I put the brass in one of those large mouth fabric softener jugs (Snuggle makes a nice large jug) save an extra cap and drill a few 1/4" holes in it to act as a strainer. Add the acetone slosh it around for about 30 seconds, switch caps, pour off the acetone and dump the brass into a old towel and allow to dry.
I recommend you do this in a well ventilated area or outside.
------------------ Abe
If everyone thought like me, I'd be a damn fool to think any differently!
The pet supply store will see me tomorrow. The rice is a nice idea, I wonder if popcorn would work (unpopped of course). I tumble for a second time after sizing to remove the lube (Lyman's book recommended this). The problem is as stated, you have to pick every dang flash hole, and handling the brass, your hands get very dirty from the stuff Lyman put in with the corncob media. After seeing how dirty my hands got, I wondered if the residue inside of the brass was polishing my barrel every time I shot and what effect it has on the powder? Also if I didn't get it all off the outside, could that cause a problem in the chamber?
I initially decap all of the brass, then I give that batch an ultrasonic bath (heated deionized water [120 degrees F] & plain old laundry detergent).
I am actually able to use the batch immediatly. If I choose to polish it, I use corn cob media with either Lyman or Iosso brass polish. The Lyman renders a high luster [used for rifle] whereas the Iosso has a dull sheen [used for pistol].
Since I give all of the brass an acetone bath and high-pressure air hosing upon completing the polishing cycle, I have never ran into any problems.
Best regards, Alex
Posts: 902 | Location: USA | Registered: 01 March 2001
Rice will leave a gummy substance on cases, gluten, I believe. I rejected it after a few tries.
Have tried raw wheat and raw grain sorghum. They work, but are hard to get clean enough initially and are too course to clean the insides of necks of small calibers (where you need to get out the lube).
I have found walnut worse than corncob for leaving residue (a brownish, fine dust inside cases).
Use plain corncob with a polishing agent like Lyman or plain old automobile polishing compound. This is the cleanest media that I've yet found, but for a waste product, it sure is over-priced!
Posts: 13232 | Location: Henly, TX, USA | Registered: 04 April 2001
I saw the lyman media on a store shelf and thought this stuff looks real aggressive for that older brass. I bought a bottle and IT IS HORRIBLE. Leaves a residue, sticks in the flash holes, and overall no better cleaner than walnut. I hate corncob to for the above reasons. To "freshen up" the cleaning action of the walnut with a few drops of flitz metal polish in the media for ea. tumble
I use walnut media mixed with Fritz metal polish. After tumbling, I rinse the cases in a warm H20 bath, then I use an air hose (helps get rid of moisture and any residue that may still be hanging on) to dry the cases. Works great!
Plain corn cob with a teaspoon of Hoppes No.9 is about the best and most economical media I've found. When it starts to take a little to long to polish just add another teaspoon of Hoppe's.
Walnut creates too much dust for me and if you don't change it fairly often it will begin to leave a red gummy residue on some cases.
I use 1/3 tufnut(red) and 2/3 corn cobb. leaves no residue and does not plug the flash holes very much ( a few out a hundred will have a some in it) works the best so far. cleans the best as well
I would get so frustrated with both corn and walnut media that I looked for somthing better and found it. With a watertight tumbler (thumbler, RCBS Sidwinder...) I use boiling water with a 1/4 cup of granular dishwasher degergent. This completely cleans the inside and outside of the case and leaves no residue at all.
Posts: 1239 | Location: Golden, CO | Registered: 05 April 2001
You've left yourself wide open on this one (so to speak if you know what I mean!)
But if you reall want to know how to clean your "brass" with toilet paper I can point you to some other websites.... After all, we are a family oriented board here!
LOL, first good chuckle in 3 days now...
Posts: 7763 | Location: Between 2 rivers, Middle USA | Registered: 19 August 2000
I have an old Thumbler's Tumbler, originally made for rock polishing. Been using it for 30 years. I use about a pint and a half of steel BB's, a cup and a half of water, and ONE DROP of dish detergent. An hour in the tumbler, a quick rinse in hot water, a couple hours in the hot sun and I have sparkling clean cases with no residue inside the cases.
------------------ Don't tread on me! Pennsylvania Frank
Posts: 1961 | Location: The Three Lower Counties (Delaware USA) | Registered: 13 September 2001
I've been using auto rubbing compound (white -- fine) added to my walnut media and it works just fine. I have a Lee military decapper in my left hand as I unload the cases to pop chunks out of the flash holes as necessary. I've used corn cob and it leaves more residue that walnut. Take an old bath towel, squirt a little charcoal lighter or paint thinner in the middle, dump your polished cases on it, fold it lengthwise into thirds (with the cases in the middle), pick up each end of the towel, and see-saw back and forth. The cases will be quickly cleaned of residue and will dry rapidly. I don't think there's enough residue left inside the cases to be of concern (given that you've removed the chunks and granules).
