Any one know how long the media is still good generaly? I use flitz(a cap full) each time i tumble cases. I normally tumble between 80 to 150 cases ('06 length) for 6-8 hours, then 30 minuets thereafter for cleaning between reloads. What are the signs that Your media is getting old? Thanks in advance for any help. :)

There's no set law about this. Obiously it varies with the polish, the number of cases put in, how dirty they are and how long you run them. I usually dump mine when I find it taking about twice as long to clean cases as it did when it was new. The granules get smoother and have more rounded corners and the surface packs up with dark metal polishings.

One thing I do is use separate corn cob for cleaning resizing lube off cases. That helps keep the stuff with the polish lasting longer. But I will get a dozen to two dozen tumbles out usually before I change mine. Depends what I've put in it. I've heard guys claim to get 50 tumbles out, but I get impatient with waiting out the cleaning before it gets that old.

The cheapest way to buy the stuff is from an abrasive blasting supplier. They usually sell all four particle sizes to choose from. $20 will get you a 50 lb bag. They clean log cabins and other wood buildings off using this in place of sand blasting media.

Nick

Pet stores are another good source of cheap corn cob media.

Wow! Your cases must come out looking gold plated! If you are adding a capfull of Flitz at every tumbling session you will soon saturate the media and the cases will come out clean but also feeling sticky. Problem is, the media will also stick to the cases and you really don't need that. Ease up a bit on the Flitz. I only add Flitz when the media is no longer polishing the brass and getting the stains out. I seldom tumble for more than three hours. The brass comes out clean but not highly polished. My media is used for a years shooting and is then tossed. Sooner, if it is no longer functioning. I have a second tumbler in which I have walnut media. This is used for all the dirty work prior to sizing and belling. When the cases have been through the press, they go into the corn media for final polishing, The walnut media is tossed out the same time as the corn. I run my tumblers at least once a week and change media after a years useage.

If it takes more than two hours to polish your good brass, not range brass, it's time to throw it away. I use the Dillon polish stuff, capful per load, and it's worked pretty well for me...as well as the Lyman and Berry's stuff...I just have a regular supplier for the Dillon stuff and it seems to work as well as any other.

If there is a local feed mill in your area they will have the media for half, or less, what the pet store has it for. A good tip with new media is to give it a good couple to 4 caps of polishing "stuff" and let it run for an hour with just the media and no casings.

I base the 2 hour time on the fact that I run my polisher on a timer...set for 2 hours...when it fails to polish like new in that time...it goes. A 50lb bag of media, for less than $10, will polish at least 50,000 cases running 250 at a time from what I can tell...and that is not stretching it's usefulness.

Life is too short for media that takes 8 hours to polish brass.

For rough/range brass use the walnut first then finish with corn cob...corn cob will NEVER clean stained brass..it will just make shiny stained brass from what I've seen.

I use the Dillon polish stuff, capful per load, and it's worked pretty well for me...as well as the Lyman and Berry's stuff...I just have a regular supplier for the Dillon stuff and it seems to work as well as any other.

corn cob will NEVER clean stained brass..it will just make shiny stained brass from what I've seen.Dillon makes some great polish! I've used that and the brass will come out looking new. I've been using Flitz lately because it is available locally. The gunshop that carried Dillon went out of business.
For stained brass that won't polish in corncob, I use paste Flitz polish. That usually takes the stains off.

Thanks for the info Guys. I just followed the dirrections on the Flitz bottle. Not many people I come in contact with reload, so I came to Ya'll. I dont have any walnut media. Maybe I should get some for the stained brass. I scrounge it from everywhere. Its like a cumpulsion. I cant leave brass on the ground!!!! I pick up all I can.

I found out a long time ago that corn cob SUCKS for cleaning....crushed walnut shells is where the cleaning action is at!

I have two tumblers....one setup for walnut, one for corncob. They spend 30-60 mins in the walnut to get all the junk(dirt, powder residue, tarnish) off, then spend about an hour or two in the corn cob to give them a nice shine.

You can use corn cob for cleaning....it just takes forever. Before i started using walnut, i would run them probably at least 3-4 hours on new corn cob before i would call them CLEAN. The more you use it, the longer it would take to clean cases to the point to where i was leaving it on overnight. When you get to that point, its time to change out your media.

I used corn cob for a while and after trying walnut, I agree I think the walnut is more abrasive but that red powder is a pain.

You mean your supposed to change that stuff? ;)



When I got my used tumbler it came with used corncob media in it, I have no idea how long that stuff had been used but it was used a whole bunch I would guess.

I was tumbling 44 mag, 243 and 30/06, the corncob media would clean pretty good but that was probably because I usually left it run for a day while I was gone some place.

The problem came when it was time to take the brass out, in the 44 mag the corncob would dump out ok, in the 30/06 you had to shake the cases some to get it all out, but in the 243 you had to take apiece of wire and dig the crap out, it would turn into an almost solid chunk inside the case, I do not think the insides of the 243 got very cleaned.

After doing that 1/2 dozen times or so I ordered 12 or 15 pounds from a guy on Ebay, wish I had known then where to get it cheaper.


Michael Grace

The last time I ordered tumbling media from Midway, it was on sale so I got a box of both the walnut and corn. The shipping on this cost me so much that it wiped out any savings that Midway offered. I get my media locally now in bulk and at a far more reasonable price.

Corncob is only slow if it has no polish in with it. Also, if it is too large it is slow. Check with the blasting abrasive companies. They usually carry at least 4 grades (granule sizes). About $20 for a 50lb bag. The green Lyman polish seems to be fastest to use with corncob. It will clean cases in 2 hours when it is new. Faster than walnut with red rouge polish. Not quite such a high mirror finish, since the rouge is finer.

Corncop without any polish is perfect for taking sizing lube off cases.

Nick

I usually polish used cases then resize/decap. I mention decap because after sizing I run 'em in the tumbler to remove lube and granuels always get stuck in the flash holes. This is frusterating Me to no end!!! I then have to take a piece of wire or pin and "punch" out the granuels. Any body else have this problem, or do I get the lucky honors on this?

If you tumble BEFORE decapping, little pieces of media still get stuck in the flash holes. As you decap, those little pieces of media end up all over your loading tool or on your floor.
If you tumble AFTER decapping, you have to check the flash holes for pieces of media.
LOSE/LOSE situation either way so I just live with it. I keep a round toothpick handy to punch media out of the flash holes.

I usually polish used cases then resize/decap. I mention decap because after sizing I run 'em in the tumbler to remove lube and granuels always get stuck in the flash holes. This is frusterating Me to no end!!! I then have to take a piece of wire or pin and "punch" out the granuels. Any body else have this problem, or do I get the lucky honors on this?


I have found that if I use a flash hole uniformer/reamer/deburr-er type tool, I've got a Lyman and a RCBS that I've been working with, that I don't get granules stuck in the flash hole too often...almost never when using the tumbler to get sizing lube off the brass.

You might give that a try if it annoys you, I found this out through blind luck. It may be that it has a lot to do with media size also, so it may not work as well for you as it has for me.

Exactly what do you mean when you say "with polish"? I tumble all my cases in corn cob (because I keep forgetting to buy the walnut) as soon as I have punched the primers. Typically I set the timer for two hours and go to bed. The next night I clean primer pockets, risize and bell the cases and pop it into a separate batch of corn cob media and tumble for four hours. Other than checking the primer pockets for the occasional stuck grain I ready to reload. I usually use the RCBS Corn Cob Media because it is readily available and I don't have to make a separate trip to the welding supply store.
Back to my question - When you say with polish are you speaking about the media rejuvinator stuff or are you speaking about the Lyman stuff with rouge polish added? I have always wondered what that rouge would do to primers and powder.
I have only used the rejuvinator and I buy two boxes of corn cob media a year. I use it at least once a week and some of that .45 Colt brass gets really dingy with the likes of Unique or 2400. That's 50 runs a year and only abut half a bottle of the media rejuvinator. At that cost I can spring for the xpensive RCBS labeled Corn Cob Media.

Several companies make a brass polish which is added to the media in tumblers. Usually it is in a thick liquid form and it helps polish and remove stains from brass. In fact, tumble long enough and the cases come out looking gold plated! In addition, there is brass paste polish which comes in a toothpaste tube. This stuff is good for removing stubborn stains. Just make certain that whatever polish you use, that it does not contain ammonia. You are probably using media that has already been treated with a polish but many of us purchase untreated media in bulk so we may add polish as necessary.

And be sure the polish doesn't contain wax. Many do. This will affect start pressures. Flitz makes a liquid polish that is safe for tumbling (but not the tube type). The Lyman stuff is just fine. Midway sells one. Dillon sells one. They are all over the place.

The rouge is made from iron oxide. It is finer than the green polish. Very fine rouge is what jewlers use to polish things. Even telescope mirror glass was once finished with it. It seems to be added to walnut more often than other media. Not sure why?

Nick