Case cleaning question??? Help!

[blutch]

Can anyone tell me how much 9mm brass I can load into a Harbour Freight tumbler? I have never done this and have no idea how much media or how much brass I can do in one load.

Thanks

B

 

[okdkranch]

I use Flitz with corn cob for most of my polishing. For REALLY grungy brass I have some old corn cob media mixed with a little super fine glass beads to clean before polishing

 

[jtischauser]

I was told to add a little Mineral Spirits in with the Nu-Finish and it works well. I haven't compared it to Nu-Finish by itself yet but I like so I may never try it.

Where do you guys buy you corn cob and walnut media? Anything local in OKC?

I bought some bird/lizard cage litter/corn cob media at oneof the local pet stores and it is really course. I would assume a finer media would produce a much better shine wouldn't it?

 

[Shadowrider]

I was told to add a little Mineral Spirits in with the Nu-Finish and it works well. I haven't compared it to Nu-Finish by itself yet but I like so I may never try it.

Where do you guys buy you corn cob and walnut media? Anything local in OKC?

I bought some bird/lizard cage litter/corn cob media at oneof the local pet stores and it is really course. I would assume a finer media would produce a much better shine wouldn't it?

The bird/lizard cage litter/corn cob media will clog .223 cases something awful. I had to unpack about 250 of them once. I finished that and took the bucket straight to the trash. I got my last batch of corncob at H&H. It's a bit pricey, but it works well and they will cut you some slack if you bring your plastic jug back. The walnut lizard litter seems to be OK so I use that on the really dirty range brass.

And the Nu-Fininsh/mineral spirits thing works good in either media too.

 

[Spiff]

Hey Jesse, if the coarse stuff is just about the same size as the necks on your rifle brass, DO NOT USE IT! Don't ask me how I know.

 

[338Shooter]

My walnut is fine like sand. Nu Finish makes my brass shine and nothing gets clogged.

 

[blutch]

Is 500 pieces of 9mm to much to do in the Harbor Freight tumbler? How long should I let it go?

B

 

[blutch]

Also.. how do I separate it from the walnuts? I just took a peek.. after 30 mins I don't see much difference in the brass.. maybe i overloaded it.. It wasn't that dirty to begin with though.

B

 

[Shadowrider]

Hey Jesse, if the coarse stuff is just about the same size as the necks on your rifle brass, DO NOT USE IT! Don't ask me how I know.

I know how you know! Come on fess up, how many did you have to ice pick?

Is 500 pieces of 9mm to much to do in the Harbor Freight tumbler? How long should I let it go?

B

Blutch, it all depends on how big your bowl is. For a vibratory fill it about 2/3 to 3/4 full of media. Turn it on and drop in brass until the movements starts to slow appreciably then stop. You will have to experiment to find out. And I think 500 would make my Lyman 2500 choke, but I can do 300 no problem. FYI, the walnut media is heavier by volume, so you can probably get more cases per load if running corn. With my Lyman it seems to be the weight that stops the vibratory action.

And you can run it for hours if needed, you aren't going to hurt the brass at all. I've forgot mine and left them running overnight several times.

 

[Spiff]

I know how you know! Come on fess up, how many did you have to ice pick?

Ehm....well....it definitely wasn't less than 200.

Jeweler's screwdriver works pretty well for .223. >_<