Caughey100
Well-Known Member
Hi folks what's the best media for a dry tumbler and where is the best place to buy it online?
Dry Tumble Media
- Thread starter Caughey100
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nun_hunter
Well-Known Member
I found rice always got wedged perfectly in the flash holes and I spent ages trying to get them out. Maybe in hindsight some risotto rice would have been better
I bought a 10kg bag of walnut blasting media on eBay for less than 1kg of "proper" walnut tumbling media from a gun shop.
If you do look on eBay you can spec what size granuals you want so either big enough not to get stuck in primer pockets and flash holes or small enough that they just pour out like sand.
Ebay is your friend, Walnut media for abrasive cleaning and corn cob for polishing. You can just use corn cob, just leave it in longer, if you want to add a polishing compound just use Autosol or similar with no ammonia.
I've only recently started reloading, 550 rounds in but I learnt on my course that the quality of a shooter can be judged by the quality of his brass, so I have been getting mine really shiny. I find that decapping, followed by 30 minutes of ultrasonic cleaning with citric acid (to get rid of carbon and clean the primer holes first) and then three or four hours in the tumbler using 10/14 grit corn cob brings them up beautifully. I add a bounce dryer sheet to the tumbler and a pea-sized squirt of autosol, the dryer sheet pulls out the dust and excess polish.
Whatever you do, don't use a handy bag of cat litter, which is also corn cob media, don't ask me how I know this!
I've only recently started reloading, 550 rounds in but I learnt on my course that the quality of a shooter can be judged by the quality of his brass, so I have been getting mine really shiny. I find that decapping, followed by 30 minutes of ultrasonic cleaning with citric acid (to get rid of carbon and clean the primer holes first) and then three or four hours in the tumbler using 10/14 grit corn cob brings them up beautifully. I add a bounce dryer sheet to the tumbler and a pea-sized squirt of autosol, the dryer sheet pulls out the dust and excess polish.
Whatever you do, don't use a handy bag of cat litter, which is also corn cob media, don't ask me how I know this!
I think Autosol has ammonia in it.
There’ll be lots who disagree with that sentiment and have formed that view over many years of practical experience rather than something someone told them on a course.
I like clean brass but under no illusion it makes me a better shooter and know plenty of folk who can out shoot me all day long with dirty brass!!
Why? The manufacturer says it doesn't
Well, I'd be a bit of a dumbass if I paid and attended a course and then I thought I knew better. If it's important enough for them to mention it, it's probably important enough for me to pay attention, rather than going with random info off the internet.
Everyone else can do what they like, I was told it was important to have clean brass in order to check it for splits and damage, so I have clean brass.
I used corncob, with a dollop of Brasso, for several years, in a dry vibrating machine, Cases came out nice after about an hour, but I still needed to clean the primer pockets, and brush the insides.
Switched to a wet tumbler, with SS pins, does a far better job, but at a price.
Switched to a wet tumbler, with SS pins, does a far better job, but at a price.
MSDS says Ammonia Water. Perhaps that is something different.
That's a 14-year-old MDS, might I suggest referring to the one published in 2020?
OK - how about we go straight to the manufacturers website instead of info blurb on the Australian reseller website.
Ammonium Hydroxide is "Ammonia water". May or may not be detrimental to brass compared to straight ammonia. From what I can see it is basically just a solution of ammonia in water.
The Australian MSDS mentions an characteristic 'ammonia odour' but didn't list it in the ingredients.
Perhaps the ammonia water falls under the "other non hazardous ingredients" line.
Maybe they do different formulations depending on the country. If the one you have says 'no ammonia' on the pack - then I would think it is correct. I've had the same tube of Autosol for about 10 years or so (I use it for polishing metal - not tumbling) - you don't need much and it lasts for ages.
Found the "British" MSDS:
MySDS
ulmysds.com
No ammonia listed - but it does mention an "Ammoniacal" odour which is the scent of ammonia. Does it come from ammonia? Who knows.
MSDS only have to list the "dangerous ingredients".
Of which, in the case of Solvol Autosol, ammonia, as in ammonium hydroxide, is not one, being in a lower concentration than that considered dangerous to human health. You can buy "Household Ammonia" with up to 10% over the counter, and very useful, but smelly, stuff it is too.
Gets brass super shiny, also gets copper out of bores very well. By chemical action. Also dissolves other alloying elements in such things, either in bulk or across grain boundaries. It's very inexpensive, and works.
Solvol does contain some. It smells of it. The manufacturer says it is an ingredient.
https://autosol.de/media/dsp/DSP-Metal_Polish-EN.pdf
Here is a recent MSDS: https://www.partinfo.co.uk/files/SDS-0400-0402-v1.pdf
The primary concern, if using Solvol, is that it is basically fine silica, compounded into a paste, with a bit of ammonia. Pretty benign when used as intended, but put it into a dry tumbler, let it dry out in there, breathe in the dust, and silicosis might be a risk. Mind you, there can be other worse things in the dust from a dry tumbler as well. Lead from primer residue being just one,
No mention of ammonia, because it is not present at a high enough concentration to be dangerous to human health.
Is this ammonia content enough to embrittle, or just accelerate cracking in the highly stressed regions, neck, shoulder, web area ? I don't know, but it is avoidable by not using it. Nor stuff like Brasso. Great stuff for polishing doorknobs, aluminium alloys,, chrome plate, but maybe not in more technical applications.
Back to the point:
I use "ground English walnut shell", sold as reptile bedding in my pet shop, works well. To which I add a small amount of jewellers rouge (that is an oxide of iron), and a splosh of liquid car polish, based on carnauba wax. No ammonia there. This combination not only abrades the external grot, but gives a good polish as well. I have no need for corncob for a polish, the treated walnut media does it all, efficiently, at minimal cost. Eventually the media bluntens, but still keeps on polishing, together with minute additions of rouge, car wax, and sometimes just a bit of white spirit to keep the wax from totally drying out.
Dry tumbling will not totally clean inside the case, or inside the case neck, nor the primer pockets. Nevertheless it knocks out the worst of the loose internal deposits which soon reach an equilibrium. I do however first run an old bore brush through the neck, and subsequently run a scraper into the primer pocket to help it. Otherwise my old Lyman vibratory tumbler still does the business, and keeps my brass super-shiny, no worries about dies getting scratched and the cases inspectable.
I do it in two goes. Firstly the fired cases go into reasonably fresh and sharp, walnut media, primers in, to rub the dirt and "soot" off the body and outside necks A quick brush through the inside necks to get that minor grot out. 1/2 to one hour.
Lube up, resize/deprime, scrape primer pocket, trim, deburr if necessary for that batch. Doesn't have to be done every time, unless that is what you like to do.
Back into the tumbler, sometimes with an older batch of media,. Basically just removes the case lube. Then polishes them up to super shiny, inspect,
Keep on top of this and it's only another hour or so to finish. Do this sensibly and it takes no time at all. Whilst the tumbler is rumbling you can be doing other things.
Wet methods require rather more attention, time, equipment, potions, and faffing about. Not least drying the cases afterwards. Better job overalll ? That's unquantifiable IMO.
Then come back, load powder, seat bullet.
We are not all shooting corroded range-pickup mixed brass in large quantities in volume, where different methods might make more sense.
Of which, in the case of Solvol Autosol, ammonia, as in ammonium hydroxide, is not one, being in a lower concentration than that considered dangerous to human health. You can buy "Household Ammonia" with up to 10% over the counter, and very useful, but smelly, stuff it is too.
Gets brass super shiny, also gets copper out of bores very well. By chemical action. Also dissolves other alloying elements in such things, either in bulk or across grain boundaries. It's very inexpensive, and works.
Solvol does contain some. It smells of it. The manufacturer says it is an ingredient.
https://autosol.de/media/dsp/DSP-Metal_Polish-EN.pdf
Here is a recent MSDS: https://www.partinfo.co.uk/files/SDS-0400-0402-v1.pdf
The primary concern, if using Solvol, is that it is basically fine silica, compounded into a paste, with a bit of ammonia. Pretty benign when used as intended, but put it into a dry tumbler, let it dry out in there, breathe in the dust, and silicosis might be a risk. Mind you, there can be other worse things in the dust from a dry tumbler as well. Lead from primer residue being just one,
No mention of ammonia, because it is not present at a high enough concentration to be dangerous to human health.
Is this ammonia content enough to embrittle, or just accelerate cracking in the highly stressed regions, neck, shoulder, web area ? I don't know, but it is avoidable by not using it. Nor stuff like Brasso. Great stuff for polishing doorknobs, aluminium alloys,, chrome plate, but maybe not in more technical applications.
Back to the point:
I use "ground English walnut shell", sold as reptile bedding in my pet shop, works well. To which I add a small amount of jewellers rouge (that is an oxide of iron), and a splosh of liquid car polish, based on carnauba wax. No ammonia there. This combination not only abrades the external grot, but gives a good polish as well. I have no need for corncob for a polish, the treated walnut media does it all, efficiently, at minimal cost. Eventually the media bluntens, but still keeps on polishing, together with minute additions of rouge, car wax, and sometimes just a bit of white spirit to keep the wax from totally drying out.
Dry tumbling will not totally clean inside the case, or inside the case neck, nor the primer pockets. Nevertheless it knocks out the worst of the loose internal deposits which soon reach an equilibrium. I do however first run an old bore brush through the neck, and subsequently run a scraper into the primer pocket to help it. Otherwise my old Lyman vibratory tumbler still does the business, and keeps my brass super-shiny, no worries about dies getting scratched and the cases inspectable.
I do it in two goes. Firstly the fired cases go into reasonably fresh and sharp, walnut media, primers in, to rub the dirt and "soot" off the body and outside necks A quick brush through the inside necks to get that minor grot out. 1/2 to one hour.
Lube up, resize/deprime, scrape primer pocket, trim, deburr if necessary for that batch. Doesn't have to be done every time, unless that is what you like to do.
Back into the tumbler, sometimes with an older batch of media,. Basically just removes the case lube. Then polishes them up to super shiny, inspect,
Keep on top of this and it's only another hour or so to finish. Do this sensibly and it takes no time at all. Whilst the tumbler is rumbling you can be doing other things.
Wet methods require rather more attention, time, equipment, potions, and faffing about. Not least drying the cases afterwards. Better job overalll ? That's unquantifiable IMO.
Then come back, load powder, seat bullet.
We are not all shooting corroded range-pickup mixed brass in large quantities in volume, where different methods might make more sense.
Jeweler’s rouge is popular amongst the old boys at my club. I wet tumble myself
Yes, jewellers rouge powder. I overdid the amount at first, used a heaped teaspoonful. Which I think was a bit more than necessary.. Start off with maybe 1/2 of that. You can always add a bit more later. Likewise I bought too much of it, 500g ISTR but it is inexpensive from e.g. Amazon. And I have since found other uses for it as well. The walnut shell without any additions does the cleaning work, the rouge and polish just make it more shiny. Walnut is IMO a better medium than corncob for cleaning the cases, acts faster but doesn't give the super-shiny finish that corncob can with longer tumbling times, unless you treat it with e.g. rouge. I started with commercial corncob, then tried the walnut from my pet shop as an experiment and found it much quicker to work.
Here is an article explaining the difference: Which Polishing Media Should You Use?
What is Walnut Shell Media?
What I do is put new walnut shell media in, sprinkle the rouge on top, mix it in with a spoon, switch it on, then slowly dribble in the liquid car polish, put the lid on and let it tumble for an hour or so to mix in and impregnate the walnut. It becomes a distinctive reddish brown colour.
It lasts for ages. I occasionally freshen it up with either just a splash of white spirit, or a splash of car polish, which also keeps the dust down. However I don't try to make it last forever, it becomes contaminated with the grot from inside the cases, which I also understand to be contaminated with lead from the primer materials. So I chuck it when it starts to look obviously dark and dirty, well before it has worn out.
The stuff I use is not expensive, by comparison with commercial tumbler material.
This is for my Lyman Turbo Twin, which takes about 1 kg of media in the large bowl. The smaller bowl takes half that amount. 1kg of walnut shell media is about 2 litres. I keep mine in an old 2 litre milk bottle, which is a bit more than the tumbler needs.
The stuff I bought is "Zilla" brand, this: Desert Blend | Bedding | Zilla in a large sack. My pet shop doesn't sell Zilla anymore, but "ProRep" walnut grit, which they tell me is similar, so when I run out, which won't be for a while, I'll try that, or probably buy walnut blasting media of the optimal size. Meanwhile the Zilla stuff I use seems a pretty good size, no issues with it getting caught inside the case or primer pockets, just sometimes have to poke out a piece from the flash hole with my tool (unbent paperclip).
Here is a source for media. £9 for 5 kg. 16/30 size (0.5-1.0mm). Walnut Shell 16/30 De Coking Walnut Shell Polishing Media ( Fine) 05-1.0mm Elsewhere I have read that walnut in about 18/40 grit, or corncob in 14/20 size is optimum for vibratory tumbling of cartridge cases.
By comparison, I see that Hannams are selling Lyman Tufnut Plus (i.e. treated walnut) at £17 for 3 pounds. £12.50/kg. Enough for 1.5 fills of my tumbler.
Whereas the walnut blasting media costs £1.80/kg. 1/7 the price. My additions cost very little.
It varies. ISTR, but that seems about right. I paid about £5 for my huge pot, but that was probably eight years ago. It's quite a lightweight sort of material, a teaspoonful is probably only a few grams.
I just did a quick search for "jewellers rouge powder" as a reality check.
E.g.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cooksongold-Essentials-Jewellers-Silver-Polishing/dp/B072MJFR5W/ref=sr_1_1 120g for £6 delivered.
JEWELLERS ROUGE POWDER / 200g GLASS SCRATCH REMOVAL - FREE POSTAGE | eBay 200g £11.50 delivered.
Buy Red Rouge Abrasive Polishing Powder 250g - Maddisons UK 250g £5 plus £3 delivery. This looks like a good bet, it is the coarser version rather than the usual fine sort, but I would expect it to work as well if not better on cartridge brass. Rather than fine silver and gold jewellery, watch glasses etc.
100g would treat quite a lot of media, 250g for not a lot more would be even better, if you get into this.
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
Last edited:
Sonicdmb73
Well-Known Member
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.
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