Dry Tumble Media

[Sharpie]

I use walnut media. however I found that the cheapest source is pet store suppliers. It is used for reptile bedding and bought as such is much cheaper than anything for Firearm use.

As I said earlier. It's what I'm still using. The reptile bedding works well and for me, was no trouble to buy, firstly a small bag, to try out, then a large sack, from my local pet shop. But walnut blasting media, sieved to the optimal size, can be had for even less, if you look around.

Paying for the firearms stuff at many times the price is perhaps convenient, but I am frugal, and don't think much of buying USA made profitable stuff, shipped over the pond, import duty perhaps, importer/distributor's cut, retailers' cut, none of which I begrudge, business is business.

But if I can mix up my own concoction, which is trivially easy and not a precise matter, for maybe 1/5 or 1/7 the cost, of course that's what I do. If I can fill up my tumbler twice, for say £4 rather than £20 or more, it's a no-brainer for me. I don't think that the commercial offerings are materially different, this is mature technology. Which still works.

I've maybe put at least ten thousand cases of my own through the tumbler based on how many primers I've used, and probably the same amount for friends who don't have their own tumbler, but I have done it for them, as a favour. This is far off the scale of what an average deer stalker/fox shooter/reloader might do in a lifetime.

FWIW I have tried ultrasonic, in a small way, certainly can get everything out, ten or 15 at a time in my little thing, , but does no polishing, and can leave the brass looking bad. Adding citric acid superficially helps, but then has to be neutralised. Even when done well, dried off straightaway, after a while it still tarnishes. A dry tumble can polish it up afterwards of course. Yet to try the SS pin (or other shapes) method but that seems to me to have merit. Actually Lyman nowadays say that I can use the small bowl of my Turbo Twin, with the lid on, to use e.g. SS pins or something else, maybe ceramic, in a wet vibratory method. Might give that a try, one day, if I find some cheap pins, or can scrounge a few handfuls of some other wet media, but not top of my priority list.

 

[Sharpie]

Rouge powder seems to be £5 for 100g - not cheap, but not silly.

It's all to do with postage. The rouge is very inexpensive. Buy a small amount in a ziplock bag, maybe inside a jiffy bag, and most of that will be packaging, handling, and postage.

Buy a larger quantity, in a convenient plastic tub, and you will get far more for your money. For very little more cost.

Edit: Just checked my cupboard, and this is what I bought in a ludicrously large amount, 500g, Still only £8.85. Plus delivery. Jewellers Rouge Powder

Just checked. Delivery is £3. Basically the rouge itself costs very little. As I implied earlier.

There is of course no such thing as "free" delivery of anything, that is impossible. but even nowadays postage costs for parcels up to say 1.2 kg are rather minor, IMO. About £3. Costs the same whether you buy 50g, 100, 250, 500, even 1000 grams. It has to be factored into the price. Together with e.g. ebay and PayPal's cut. Generally you'll find it slightly less expensive to deal with the supplier directly. You'll notice that when comparing Amazon, Ebay, or direct.

 

[Danny Treacy]

Re the walnut reptile bedding, they sell it as ‘grit’ or ‘sand’ , could anyone please let me know which one is best.

Thanks

 

[Sharpie]

Re the walnut reptile bedding, they sell it as ‘grit’ or ‘sand’ , could anyone please let me know which one is best.

Thanks

Grit. Not the sand. That is too fine. Don't be sidetracked by other pet litter, walnut or corncob based, that has "anti-clumping" ingredients for e.g. cat litter, where they pee and poo on it, in quantity so other things are added to soak that up, which are not useful to us. Reptiles do a lot less of that so don't need such additions, just something to bask on, bury themselves in, and keep their scales in good nick.

Better, just buy the walnut blasting media in the correct grit size, which is what I'll do when I need some more.

 

[Danny Treacy]

Grit. Not the sand. That is too fine. Don't be sidetracked by other pet litter, walnut or corncob based, that has "anti-clumping" ingredients for e.g. cat litter, where they pee and poo on it, in quantity so other things are added to soak that up, which are not useful to us. Reptiles do a lot less of that so don't need such additions, just something to bask on, bury themselves in, and keep their scales in good nick.

Better, just buy the walnut blasting media in the correct grit size, which is what I'll do when I need some more.

Thanks for the info. The blasting media is £20 per kilo on eBay. Whereas the walnut grit reptile bedding is £19 for more than double the amount.

Is there enough of a difference to justify paying double?

Thanks

 

[Sharpie]

Thanks for the info. The blasting media is £20 per kilo on eBay. Whereas the walnut grit reptile bedding is £19 for more than double the amount.

Is there enough of a difference to justify paying double?

Thanks

Read my post #17 again. Search for blasting grit from industrial suppliers. Not stupid ebay prices. That sort of price is preposterous. No sane person would pay that much for walnut grit. I'll give you a few clues, because clearly your google-fu is lacking.

I'll repeat the link. £9 for 5kg. I.e. £1.80/kg. Walnut Shell 16/30 De Coking Walnut Shell Polishing Media ( Fine) 05-1.0mm

Even reptile bedding such as HabiStat Ground Walnut Grit, 5 Litres is under £11 for 5 litres. The stuff weighs about 5-600g per litre. So that's about £4.50 per kg or less. I paid less than that, for a larger bag, but that was a few years ago. It was very convenient for me to just pick it up from my pet shop, When I need more, I'll order blasting media from a specialist supplier, if my pet shop doesn't have any. BTW, if you follow this link, you will see that the two reviewers are actually using it in tumblers, not as reptile bedding.

Even treated commercial stuff such as Frankford Frankford Arsenal Treated Walnut Hull Media 5 lb In Plastic Tub "only" costs £29 for 5 lbs. That's about £13/kg. I'm certainly not going to pay that sort of price to fill my tumbler a couple of times.

 

[Danny Treacy]

Thanks for the links, ordered a 5kg bag just now.

 

[aris]

What liquid car wax do you use along with the rouge?