Dry tumble media that does not leave dust behind

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locknloader

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What kind of dry media can i use in a vibratory tumbler that wont leave dust behind? I tried some lymans walnut (red in color) to clean some nickle plated 9mm cases and they all got a red dust stuck to the inside of the case, and the engravings on the case head.

This was using a cabelas tumbler that had a plastic lid you screw down over it, which i think is to prevent the dust i read alot of people complain about and say was toxic. I tried tossing some dryer sheets in to soak up the dust but they came out red as mud and cases still were covered in dust.

Is my media bad/old? Even wet tumbling after did not get all the red dust out, still had some faint areas but i didnt want to run them longer as the stainless pins were dulling the cases.

I've seen alot of people suggest corn cob?

First time using this type of tumbler, not sure if the media i was given is even any good.
 
Ground media is by it's nature, bound to create dust. That's just the way it is. Use of moderate amounts of polishing additive will moderate the residual dust on the cases.
Unfortunately, far too many users feel the need to go too far in the case cleaning process.
 
That sounds like old media to me or too much polisher. I use corn cob with cleaning/polishing liquid in the right amount and have practically no dust whatsoever. And no residue, just shiny clean cases.
 
I cut strips of used drier sheets from the londery.Three srtips and they last for quite some time.No dust with cob media.
 
Use a non treated media. I use the Harbor Freight walnut shell sand blasting media. It is around $25 or so. I get a couple of dollars off with the coupon in the mailers. I also use NuFinish Car Polish. (Terrible stuff for cars. Great for brass, and media treatment.) Use a couple of torn up used dryer sheets, and a couple of cleaning patches. Use the cap of the car polish to measure out 2 to 3 cap fulls of it, and pour it into the media. Put the top on the tumbler, and run it for about a half hour. The media should not look lumpy. If you see clumps run it a bit longer. After that put in your brass being sure not to over load the tumbler. Run it for at least 2 hours. It works wonders. Keep adding in fresh pieces of torn used dryer sheets and you media will stay clean longer. It will not leave residual dust on your cases.

I use the red Lyman media for range pick up brass that is extra dirty. For deprimed rifle brass I use the fine HF media as it does not get stuck in the flash holes. I use it for removing case lube mostly these days. I use The green corn cob media for the rounds that get loaded with the case lube still on them. (.30 Carbine, .45-70 Gov't.) It leaves them super clean and shining. I do not use it on any brass that has removed primers as it tends to get stuck in the flash holes.

If that is more than you care to deal with there is wet tumbling. You do not have to use the steel pins. Though from what I see they sure do a good job cleaning up very dirty brass. Or you can get a sonic cleaner. Those have a higher start up cost. Though they clean the cases inside, and out in a few minutes where the tumblers take hours.

I use dry media. It works well for what I do. The other ways I will not knock them. I just have other things to spend money on.
 
Just put a small amount of "mineral spirits" in. Won't hurt anything and will alleviate all your dust problems.
 
Re toxicity

Unless you specifically go out of your way to use lead free components there will be a small amount of lead remaining on and especially inside the shell casing. This means that any media used will be contaminated with lead. The dust kicked up during dry media separation can be inhaled resulting in lead contamination of the user and the surrounding area. There are means to limit or even eliminate this issue. I personally wet tumble with Simple Green and very hot water (150 degrees Fahrenheit) for 00:10:00 as my first step in cleaning. I rinse the casings and set them to dry in a fruit dryer (picked up cheap at a second hand store). Once they’re dry they’re tumbled in corncob (400 grit) for a couple hours. When I open the lid there is always a volume of dark micro fine powder around the center screw post this I vacuum into a bag equipped shop vac. When separating shells from media I cover the process to further limit dust. I’ve got two young children and a wife who isn’t wild about firearms ownership; as a result my work area is swabbed monthly and tested for lead contamination and found perfectly safe.
 
Additional

I personally use the Flitz brand polish (added to my corn cob) they make specifically for brass ammunition shell casings.
 
Lyman's Tuff-Nut (Red) works great on tough jobs (range brass), and leaves a polished shine. It does leave residue in the bowl. I think Lyman uses way too much jewelers rouge in this product. There are several ways to combat this.
1. Mix with untreated corn cob media, 1 red to 2 or three corn. Use with auto polish mixed in.
2. Dont fight it. Get anothet tumbler bowl. One that stays red. Use another for untreated corn and car polish. The red dust will rinse off your brass and bowl.
3. Go wet with SS pins. Since I got one, the red media may be more trouble than it is worth.
4. Paint thinner, dryer strips, can help.
The jewelers rouge itself, is not toxic, but dirty media is, red! or not. Personally, wet-SS seems to be the safest way to separate the nasties and flush it to your sanitation district.
 
I've had great luck with walnut shells from the pet supply. By adding a small amount of liquid polish [I even stopped that], I have little dust issues. If I begin to see a lot of dust when I empty the bowl, I simply replace. The walnut shell is very inexpensive. Found in the reptile section. Much cheaper than the manufactured media I've seen.
 
Your "red dust" is residual polishing compound. Brass tumbling/polishing is a much talked about topic, and close to the least important part of reloading. :D I have found blast media to be harder and more consistent than pet store pet poop stuff. After several years "playing" with media I settled on corn cob blast media, size 14-20. Very little dust if any and lasts for a very long time.

Occasionally I'll use a bit of auto polish for some extra tarnished brass (the only brass I want shiny, virgin looking, is my Garand and 45 ACP ammo 'cause I shoot in a "semi-improved" range and shiny brass is easier to find in the dirt, rocks, junk). If the dust is bothersome, you can use dryer sheets or mineral spirits dampened paper towel strips. There is no danger of lead poisoning even if you do deep breathing exercises with your face over the tumbler, but you may wind up with "black Lung" from the dust. :rolleyes:

https://www.grainger.com/product/GRAINGER-APPROVED-Corn-Cob-Blast-Media-2MVR4

https://www.mcmaster.com/#blasting-media/=1bbq73f
 
Priming compounds almost always include lead. The is the black residue. I would NOT recommend any unnecessary contact, especially breathing dirty media dust.
 
The Lymans "red" media is worse than most that I have tried. I quit using it.

I've stayed with crushed walnut shells... a little bit of polish and some anti static dryer sheets seems to help on the dust ...but some dust is inherent in the process. I have not tried the mineral spirits idea above...I may give that a try and see what happens...??
 
Ok, them thar is fighting words. I like clean shiny brass and it clearly is more accurate (grin)

Ok, I use corn cob, various suppliers, I have had no dust and we are dryer than most places other than dessert.

I do throw in some polish booster.

Mine takes a day to polish, but I just throw it in and let it go. I have enough reserve brass I don't need to have it ready in a few hours.
 
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