This is a combination of a question and, quite possibly, some good info for savings for fellow reloaders...Depending on your experienced answers.

Once again, I'm just getting back into reloading and have a lot of my old stuff from about 5 years ago. One of the items is my RCBS tumbler which is full of walnut media which I would like to replace.

Last year, my wife came home with a 7 pound bag of walnut litter for our pet cockateil bird. I had to buy some more and picked up a 25 pound bag. I just checked prices and it looks like you can get the 25 pound bag of walnut litter for the same price you pay for a 5 pound box of the RCBS media. Has anyone ever used the walnut litter instead of the much more expensive RCBS media and have you had any issues with it? It seems I remember there being a little pack of polishing agent to add to the media. If I use the walnut media, can I substitued something else for the polishing agent? I thought about using a table spoon of baking soda but have a concern it could be corrosive to brass.

Please, let me know all your comments as it will all be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

this is a correction to my post: I said "If I use the walnut media, can I substitue something else for the polishing agent?" What I meant to say was "If I use the walnut litter, can I substitue something else for the polishing agent?" It seems I remember the polishing agent coming with the 5 pound RCBS media. Sorry for the typo.

You can use just about any liquid polishing compound with the walnut (or any other) media. Just don't use a compound containing ammonia. And you don't have to use much, a tablespoon or so per load is plenty.

Bon-Ami roger

I've never used walnut litter. I poured liquid polish onto walnut media once and never again...it didn't seem to do any good so I thought it was a waste. I have read where some folks complained the bits of walnut shell from the pet store were larger than the reloading media and tended to stick in the primer pockets more frequently.

I vibrate/tumble in 2 steps. The walnut is course so it knocks off the burnt-on-crust, usually on a rifle case neck. Then the batch of cases goes through a sifter into a second bowl of corncob media doctored with liquid polish, which is much more effective in putting a high luster on the brass.

So the way I do it, the walnut gets them clean and the corncob gets them shiny.

Neither gets the primer pockets really clean. That process is either done mechanically on my trimmer or a batch of cases is dunked into a heated solution of water, dish soap, and vinegar and ultrasonically fizzed clean. Although perhaps I don't give them long enough to process. I rarely let a batch run for more than 1 hour. The exterior gets plenty clean in that amount of time.

I have used walnut litter. There are at least two styles; one is about what we normally use, i.e. Lyman or RCBS, and the other is like sand. One is for birds and one is for lizards and such.

It works just fine as it is without polishing agent. You can buy little 5-paks of the RCBS pouches if you want though.

"Polishing agent" just speeds the action of the media. Either corn cob or walnut shells will do fine by themselves, it just takes untreated media a little longer to do the job. If you're going to drop them in the tumbler overnight, anyway, it is irrelavant whether they got to the right degree of shine at 2 AM or 5 AM, now isn't it?

However, the walnut media you buy for pets vs. that you purchase for case tumbling is somewhat different. It differs in much the same way prescription medicines differ in Canada vs. the U.S. -- only in price.

The cheapest source of walnut media I've found is Harbor Freight and Tool where they sell a 25 lb box for a fraction of the price per pound of Lyman or RCBS media. Sometimes you can catch it on special and it is rediculously affordable compared to that which our reloading equipment friends like to market to us.

In regard to treatment -- whatever you do, stay away from jeweler's rouge. It is nasty stuff that leaves a red residue on and inside your cases that is nigh impossible to remove.

Plain old car polishing compound is essentially identical to Lyman's white media adjuvant and works fine if you want to use an additive; but as Roger says, Bon Ami will also do the trick.

I have no use for the liquid treatments as they attempt to utilize a chemical as opposed to mechanical action on the cases. Your tumbler doesn't need chemical help -- it will get cases clean and shiney just by the scrubbing action.

Anyone who sends Bon Ami down the tube will not have an accurate rifle nearly as long as without it!

Talk about whacked out advice!!!

quote:

Originally posted by Boss Hoss:
Anyone who sends Bon Ami down the tube will not have an accurate rifle nearly as long as without it!

Talk about whacked out advice!!!

How does this apply to cases???

quote:

Anyone who sends Bon Ami ...Talk about whacked out advice!!!

Not so wacked. Bon Ami is NOT like other cleansers, it has a very soft cleaning agent no more abrasive than any other metal polish.

quote:

Originally posted by ledvm:

quote:

Originally posted by Boss Hoss:
Anyone who sends Bon Ami down the tube will not have an accurate rifle nearly as long as without it!

Talk about whacked out advice!!!

How does this apply to cases???

Residue left on the inside of the case!!

The pet stores around here look at me stupid when I ask for walnut litter.

Sorry Boss, you're in the weeds on this one.

Any of the tumbling additives will be more abrasive than Bon Ami. Jeweler's rouge is considerably more abrasive and is the only additive I've found that actually sticks inside the case. Regardless, there is no correlation between tumbling media/additive and bore erosion. None.

There are better products for it now, but Bruce Hodgdon was a believer in Bon Ami for cleaning bores (used much the way one would use JB Paste). Bon Ami, Lyman Tumbling Polish, car polish, rubbing compound, polishing compound, RCBS green gunk -- it just doesn't matter. None of them will have any adverse effect on bore wear -- at least not when used in polishing cases.

Ok---if you say so. I am very glad that you have jumped to the conclusion that the Only thing to worry about is throat erosion...

Only use plain corn cob media---untreated. Bought 50lbs in 2004 and still have some left.

I agree about using Bon Ami. It is such a mild cleaner it is safe for glass. We used to clean our microscope slides with it before mounting tissue sections.

I tumble with walnut with three or four caps full of mineral spirits and a couple of tablespoons of Bon Ami. It really cleans my black powder cases better than anything else I've tried in a tumbler. I seems ceramic media would be better but it requires a rotating drum tumbler and it does cost.

Jerry Liles

Geez, Am I the only one that has plain, old, garden variety corn cob media in his tumbler? Dump the cases in until the resizing lube is off and then load 'em up and shoot 'em.
Ain't no extra points awarded for shiney brass nor does it kill stuff deader. Whilst you're waiting around for you brass to get shiney, you could be getting some trigger time which'll do you more good than shiney brass.

quote:

Originally posted by wasbeeman:
Geez, Am I the only one that has plain, old, garden variety corn cob media in his tumbler? Dump the cases in until the resizing lube is off and then load 'em up and shoot 'em.
Ain't no extra points awarded for shiney brass nor does it kill stuff deader. Whilst you're waiting around for you brass to get shiney, you could be getting some trigger time which'll do you more good than shiney brass.

Nope---I do... My brass is clean and pretty shiney actually.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Boss Hoss:
Ok---if you say so. I am very glad that you have jumped to the conclusion that the Only thing to worry about is throat erosion...

Only use plain corn cob media---untreated. Bought 50lbs in 2004 and still have some left.[/QUOTE}
Well I'll be something else again
I even use the Bon-Ami to MILDLY lap some of my barrels. Far less abrasive than a lot of the stuff sold for lapping. Better check the batteries in your pace maker, Hoss. roger

Here is my latest and most evolved technique.Use lyman treated walnut.Tumble for two hrs.Then use compressed air to blow out the loose residue and clear flash hole.Lube,resize and then remove lube off each individual case with a paper towel.Neck size,trim,chamfer,polish neck with steel wool,blow out again,prime,load,seat and crimp bullet.IMO,it is the fastest and smartest way to do it.Corn cob just takes way too long and gives a dull finish-so does tumbling again to remove lube.

+1 or 2 or however many on the Bon Ami--also Comet-- I've used it for years to clean all kinds of brass including brass for my BR rifles, and along with walnut media it does all you need to have done to clean up cases. And it does not gunk up your media so it lasts and lasts.......

quote:

Originally posted by wasbeeman:
Geez, Am I the only one that has plain, old, garden variety corn cob media in his tumbler? Dump the cases in until the resizing lube is off and then load 'em up and shoot 'em.

Your not the only one who uses plain, old,corn cob media. That is what I use, but I like to let cases tumble till they have a little shine.

quote:

Originally posted by bartsche:
[QUOTE]Originally posted by Boss Hoss:
Ok---if you say so. I am very glad that you have jumped to the conclusion that the Only thing to worry about is throat erosion...

Only use plain corn cob media---untreated. Bought 50lbs in 2004 and still have some left.[/QUOTE}
Well I'll be something else again
I even use the Bon-Ami to MILDLY lap some of my barrels. Far less abrasive than a lot of the stuff sold for lapping. Better check the batteries in your pace maker, Hoss. roger

Lap means removing material!

Might give that some thought there oh wise one.

I use regular corn cob media with a spoonful of NuFinish liquid car polish. Works fine. Slightly dirty cases are clean and looking good in 1 - 2 hours in the vib. tumbler. Four hours for real dirty cases. Flash holes not a problem,I decap after cleaning. Bon Ami is less abrassive than other scouring powders. It works great for cleaning road film from your vehicle's windshield. It will polish up the glass w/o scratching it.

The typical "red" colored abrasive added to Commercial Walnut brass tumbling media is Iron Oxide, the active ingredient in "Rouge" (french for "red") Jewlers Rouge also contains either wax or oil as a binder to hold the dry powder together.

the typical "green" color of Corn Cob tumbling media is from the Chromium Dioxide abrasive.

I've tumbled brass in plain corn cob media to which I've added 0.1Micron Alumina powder (made as a finishing abrasive for optical/laser lenses)

AD

quote:

Originally posted by 375fan:

quote:

Originally posted by wasbeeman:
Geez, Am I the only one that has plain, old, garden variety corn cob media in his tumbler? Dump the cases in until the resizing lube is off and then load 'em up and shoot 'em.

Your not the only one who uses plain, old,corn cob media. That is what I use, but I like to let cases tumble till they have a little shine.

Shitty day outside here. I was planning on tumbling a bunch of cases, but my media seems to be contaminated after I tried the drier sheet trick, someone suggested. Long ways from the store, so I was considering using barley, instead. Would seem to have most of the characteristics of broken up corn cob and there is a bin full, across the road. Gonna work?

Grizz

You can try, but I suspect you'll just end up with dehydrated oatmeal.

I'd suggest getting a couple sheets of paper towels instead of drier sheets. Take 2 paper towels and tear each one up into 4-6 strips and just toss them in there.

I buy Lizard Litter at the local pet shop.

Works great.

quote:

Long ways from the store, so I was considering using barley, instead. Would seem to have most of the characteristics of broken up corn cob and there is a bin full, across the road. Gonna work?

Now we're really "going native".

I've used both milo (grain sorghum) and wheat and both work reasonably well as a tumber medium. Don't see why barley wouldn't do much the same.

Some people recommend bagged white rice, but it leaves a starchy residue that I guarantee you won't like.

I have used everything known to man as a tumbling media. Now, with experiences both good and bad and ugly, I use the pecan hull medea exclusively. I tumble them until they are free of any spots and have a radient shine, without anything but the medea. Tumble them long enough and it will clean your primer pockets and holes very nicely without residue. Good shooting.

Whereabouts would a feller who was so inclined find them crushed pee-can hulls?

Stonecreek ----- I get mine at the local shooters supply store, Mid-South should stock it as well as Midway. Good shooting.

quote:

Originally posted by onefunzr2:
I vibrate/tumble in 2 steps. The walnut is course so it knocks off the burnt-on-crust, usually on a rifle case neck. Then the batch of cases goes through a sifter into a second bowl of corncob media doctored with liquid polish, which is much more effective in putting a high luster on the brass.

So the way I do it, the walnut gets them clean and the corncob gets them shiny.

Neither gets the primer pockets really clean. That process is either done mechanically on my trimmer or a batch of cases is dunked into a heated solution of water, dish soap, and vinegar and ultrasonically fizzed clean.

I use basicly the same drill. Waknut to clean cases that are really dirty. I do that step prior tp resizing to prevent introducing dirt into my dies.

After resizing, I use corncob treated W/polish to remove sizing lube & put a purdy shine on the cases.

I use a primer pocket uniforming tool to clean the primer pockets. It does a great job of scraping the bottom of the primer pocket & the sides (of the pocket) don't need any cleaning since the primer has shielded them.

quote:

Originally posted by wasbeeman:
Geez, Am I the only one that has plain, old, garden variety corn cob media in his tumbler? Dump the cases in until the resizing lube is off and then load 'em up and shoot 'em.
Ain't no extra points awarded for shiney brass nor does it kill stuff deader. Whilst you're waiting around for you brass to get shiney, you could be getting some trigger time which'll do you more good than shiney brass.

I stop one step shorter than you wasbeeman.

I gave my tumbler away years ago.

I size the brass and wipe off the lube with a rag, prime, load, shoot...

My brass gets "cleaned" once in a while in hot water and a touch of Tide if they are dusty or have hit the dirt. Of course, when I anneal, I first spin the case while holding the neck in a green scrubbie. That's the most cleaning they ever get.

Not one of them has complained.

Of course, woods individually hand polishes his cases even on the inside and names each one of them when they are done just before loading. He runs out of names when he hits "Z" in the alphabet and has to start with the "A" names for the 27th case but with a different vowel or consonant or he can only load 26 at a time.

quote:

Originally posted by rcamuglia:

quote:

Originally posted by wasbeeman:
Geez, Am I the only one that has plain, old, garden variety corn cob media in his tumbler? Dump the cases in until the resizing lube is off and then load 'em up and shoot 'em.
Ain't no extra points awarded for shiney brass nor does it kill stuff deader. Whilst you're waiting around for you brass to get shiney, you could be getting some trigger time which'll do you more good than shiney brass.

I stop one step shorter than you wasbeeman.

I gave my tumbler away years ago.

I size the brass and wipe off the lube with a rag, prime, load, shoot...

My brass gets "cleaned" once in a while in hot water and a touch of Tide if they are dusty or have hit the dirt. Of course, when I anneal, I first spin the case while holding the neck in a green scrubbie. That's the most cleaning they ever get.

Not one of them has complained.

Of course, woods individually hand polishes his cases even on the inside and names each one of them when they are done just before loading. He runs out of names when he hits "Z" in the alphabet and has to start with the "A" names for the 27th case but with a different vowel or consonant or he can only load 26 at a time.

RC, you might look up the formulas for mixing white vinegar, lemon juice, and touch of dish soap for cleaning brass. The stuff really works wonders.

Bon Ami is one of the few cleaners recommended back in the days to clean a car's windshield when there weren't so many products out there to do so. I won't hurt or scratch the glass.

I think you want to stay away from vinegar and dish soap and anything acidic because of the reaction with the copper in the brass.

quote:

Originally posted by rcamuglia:
I think you want to stay away from vinegar and dish soap and anything acidic because of the reaction with the copper in the brass.

It's a very mild solution and you rinse with hot water...doesn't hurt a thing. Instead of looking for negative, look for positive RC.

Not looking for something negative at all.

A poster named Homebrewer authored a thread some time ago about some blueish green color in his brass cleaning solution and it turned out to be the copper in the brass reacting as I said.

Do a search for the thread. I'm on a phone right now.

Don't have to do a search. He done something wrong. You don't leave them in the solution long, you don't make the solution strong, and mostly you rinse it off.

...but you're the expert RC.

No smokinj,

Just relating what he found out and what others who replied to the thread said because I think it's important. I will continue to not use any solutions that may react with any metals contained in brass compostition because it makes so much sense. If you use an acetic solution, don't leave the brass in too long.

Dezincification of brass


Thanks for the info though.

quote:

Originally posted by rcamuglia:
No smokinj,

Just relating what he found out and what others who replied to the thread said because I think it's important. I will continue to not use any solutions that may react with any metals contained in brass compostition because it makes so much sense. If you use an acetic solution, don't leave the brass in too long.

Dezincification of brass


Thanks for the info though.

Yes impressive article and very aware of it being I was in engineering in the Navy. They are talking a whole different thing then cleaning your brass with a very mild solution of white vinegar, lemon juice, and soap. Then rinsing thoroughly. I've been and lots other have been doing it for years without any problems what so ever. In that article you'll notice that the problem solution was in contact with the metal involved continuously, like the hull of ship. Not the same thing RC.

There are always folks that get on the internet and dig up articles like because they don't like someone's idea.