Tumbling media

steviegee

Member
Hi,
Just picked up a second hand lyman tumbler, has anyone got any suggestions for the best media for cleaning. I.e corn cob / walnut what size and best place to purchase

Thanks in advance
 
Hi,
Just picked up a second hand lyman tumbler, has anyone got any suggestions for the best media for cleaning. I.e corn cob / walnut what size and best place to purchase

Thanks in advance
Try doing your homework and searching first. This question comes up frequently.

E.g. maybe read this discussion: Dry Tumble Media

Simple enough to know how much, nominally, to use. Read the manual. Here it is, that wasn't too difficult surely ? https://www.lymanproducts.com/amfile/file/download/file/56/category/731/

1660315633318.webp
 
Hi,
Just picked up a second hand lyman tumbler, has anyone got any suggestions for the best media for cleaning. I.e corn cob / walnut what size and best place to purchase

Thanks in advance
Mucky brass, Walnut, it is harder so seems to clean better but doesn't finish to a high shine.
Clean-ish brass, corn cob is softer and gives a higher shine.
Where to buy, look online for lizard bedding.
I add a cap full of Nu-Finish wax polish to both which seems to help prevent the brass from tarnishing, after using the media 5 or 6 times, add another cap.
Add it to the media let the tumbler run for 5-10 minutes then add your brass.
Add strips of used tumble dryer fabric conditioner sheets to the tumbler, this attracts dust and muck.
If your brass if filthy use Walnut and add some jewellers rouge, but you may have to use a Ultra sonic afterwards or put the brass in an old wool welly sock and tip it from the toe end to the twisted calf end for a few minutes to get rid of the external residue.
Don't be tempted to add Brasso to your media, Ammonia + Brass = Bad medicine.
 
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Ultra sonic with citric acid and a splash of washing up liquid. Come out like bars of gold
Which is of what relevance? The chap has bought a second hand Lyman vibratory tumbler. Good choice, I have been running a Lyman Turbo Twin for over 15 years now and have felt no desire to change. Fads come, and they go. US was then the bees knees, but then came wet SS pins in a rotary device for much money. Together with all the chatter about home made cocktails, how the commercial reloader targeted stuff was a rip-off (correct, just as with their dry tumble media). Of course those who have bought such things think they are brilliant and like to compare primer pocket cleanliness. As if that matters much really. Hint, it is not absolutely, or even the least bit necessary to have surgically clean primer pockets. Nor the insides of the cases. A twist with a scraper and maybe a stroke through the neck with an old bore brush is all that is needed. ISTM it's a weird obsession, based on absolutely no hard facts and data.

The older I get the more I appreciate simple things that work, reliably, with minimal faff and effort. Younger folk seem to regard messing about with wet methods as a goal in itself, irrespective of the waste of time and effort involved. I have far better things to do with what time is left to me than waste it fannying about with alternative methods, clutter, expense, etc.

@steviegee is very new here, 13 posts, of which seven have been about cleaning brass, The first six about ultrasonic. This, his most recent one, about how to use his new (to him) vibratory tumbler.

Let's help him. OK for whatever reason he has decided that he needs to clean his brass. Now wants to know what to put in his tumbler. I presume he doesn't want to spend maybe seven times as much to load it up with fancy proprietary media. Instead of using pretty much the same stuff bought for industrial, or even pet care purposes. Frankly it staggers me that anyone buys that stuff, unless they are not financially constrained.

Maybe the nuances of how to get the shiniest shine on it are a bit secondary (they certainly are to me).

AS I said, I am supportive of steviegee so far.

But probably this will as usual veer off into other digressions which are not necessarily constructive.
 
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I thought this was a forum where you could share your views/methods. U/Sonic is an alternative method is all. I use it to return my brass to new condition time and time again as shoot long distance Fclass and BR and its all about consistency. These things matter when trying to go sub half moa at 1000yds.
You can get a U/Sonic cheap and its hardly a faff to put brass and fluid in it and switch it on.
We all do what we want to do regards brass prep to suit our needs. There's really no wrongs or rights as long as you don't affect the integrity of your brass.
 
Which is of what relevance? The chap has bought a second hand Lyman vibratory tumbler. Good choice, I have been running a Lyman Turbo Twin for over 15 years now and have felt no desire to change. Fads come, and they go. US was then the bees knees, but then came wet SS pins in a rotary device for much money. Together with all the chatter about home made cocktails, how the commercial reloader targeted stuff was a rip-off (correct, just as with their dry tumble media). Of course those who have bought such things think they are brilliant and like to compare primer pocket cleanliness. As if that matters much really. Hint, it is not absolutely, or even the least bit necessary to have surgically clean primer pockets. Nor the insides of the cases. A twist with a scraper and maybe a stroke through the neck with an old bore brush is all that is needed. ISTM it's a weird obsession, based on absolutely no hard facts and data.

The older I get the more I appreciate simple things that work, reliably, with minimal faff and effort. Younger folk seem to regard messing about with wet methods as a goal in itself, irrespective of the waste of time and effort involved. I have far better things to do with what time is left to me than waste it fannying about with alternative methods, clutter, expense, etc.

@steviegee is very new here, 13 posts, of which seven have been about cleaning brass, The first six about ultrasonic. This, his most recent one, about how to use his new (to him) vibratory tumbler.

Let's help him. OK for whatever reason he has decided that he needs to clean his brass. Now wants to know what to put in his tumbler. I presume he doesn't want to spend maybe seven times as much to load it up with fancy proprietary media. Instead of using pretty much the same stuff bought for industrial, or even pet care purposes. Frankly it staggers me that anyone buys that stuff, unless they are not financially constrained.

Maybe the nuances of how to get the shiniest shine on it are a bit secondary (they certainly are to me).

AS I said, I am supportive of steviegee so far.

But probably this will as usual veer off into other digressions which are not necessarily constructive.
As I'm new I haven't quite figured out the site yet so didn't see his posts about U/Sonics
 
Mucky brass, Walnut, it is harder so seems to clean better but doesn't finish to a high shine.
Clean-ish brass, corn cob is softer and gives a higher shine.
Where to buy, look online for lizard bedding.
I add a cap full of Nu-Finish wax polish to both which seems to help prevent the brass from tarnishing, after using the media 5 or 6 times, add another cap.
Add it to the media let the tumbler run for 5-10 minutes then add your brass.
Add strips of used tumble dryer fabric conditioner sheets to the tumbler, this attracts dust and muck.
If your brass if filthy use Walnut and add some jewellers rouge, but you may have to use a Ultra sonic afterwards or put the brass in an old wool welly sock and tip it from the toe end to the twisted calf end for a few minutes to get rid of the external residue.
Don't be tempted to add Brasso to your media, Ammonia + Brass = Bad medicine.
Many thanks for the great info 👍
 
Which is of what relevance? The chap has bought a second hand Lyman vibratory tumbler. Good choice, I have been running a Lyman Turbo Twin for over 15 years now and have felt no desire to change. Fads come, and they go. US was then the bees knees, but then came wet SS pins in a rotary device for much money. Together with all the chatter about home made cocktails, how the commercial reloader targeted stuff was a rip-off (correct, just as with their dry tumble media). Of course those who have bought such things think they are brilliant and like to compare primer pocket cleanliness. As if that matters much really. Hint, it is not absolutely, or even the least bit necessary to have surgically clean primer pockets. Nor the insides of the cases. A twist with a scraper and maybe a stroke through the neck with an old bore brush is all that is needed. ISTM it's a weird obsession, based on absolutely no hard facts and data.

The older I get the more I appreciate simple things that work, reliably, with minimal faff and effort. Younger folk seem to regard messing about with wet methods as a goal in itself, irrespective of the waste of time and effort involved. I have far better things to do with what time is left to me than waste it fannying about with alternative methods, clutter, expense, etc.

@steviegee is very new here, 13 posts, of which seven have been about cleaning brass, The first six about ultrasonic. This, his most recent one, about how to use his new (to him) vibratory tumbler.

Let's help him. OK for whatever reason he has decided that he needs to clean his brass. Now wants to know what to put in his tumbler. I presume he doesn't want to spend maybe seven times as much to load it up with fancy proprietary media. Instead of using pretty much the same stuff bought for industrial, or even pet care purposes. Frankly it staggers me that anyone buys that stuff, unless they are not financially constrained.

Maybe the nuances of how to get the shiniest shine on it are a bit secondary (they certainly are to me).

AS I said, I am supportive of steviegee so far.

But probably this will as usual veer off into other digressions which are not necessarily constructive.
Thanks very much for the great info, much appreciated 👍
 
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