Tumbling Media How Much ?

K

KEYBEAR

New member
Last winter I bought a new Tumbler ( not a vibrater ) .
No place can I find just how much Media to use . I use walnut and if I use to much I do not hear the brass working in the barrel . After hitting most of the youtube videos I still do not know the best amount of media .

Should the barrel be half full of media or more or less ?
Most youtube videos show vibraters and not tumblers .
The Tumbler I have is the Thumler,s Tumbler model B .
The book that came with it calls for 1lb. of Media but it is intended for,rocks not brass .





What do you have the best results with
 
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F. Guffey Thank You But you do not have a Tumbler you have a Case Vibrater cleaner .

I am using a Tumbler and dry . (Walnut Media)
 
I use a thumbler tumbler with lizard bedding and a cap full of the car polish that comes in the orange plastic bottle (?). I fill the tumbler at least 1/2 full. Like to hear the brass tumbling. Hope this helps.
 
F. Guffey Thank You But you do not have a Tumbler you have a Case Vibrater cleaner .

I am using a Tumbler and dry . (Walnut Media)
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One more time, they omitted the information, for me that is not a problem. Things like that do not lock me up. I was involved in building a rotary/tub type brass cleaner of the wet type. They needed me, when finished it did not work. It had a stainless tub and was complicated. The capacity was 30 gallon, wet or dry. I suggested they load it with a shovel.

F. Guffey
 
If you fill it too much then the brass will not "tumble" - think of it like a clothes dryer - cram too much in it, the drum is overloaded, nothing gets dry, and you put a lot of strain on the motor.
 
I think you are correct with no more than half full of media . I just took out brass that run last night . The barrel was half full of media and I added 300 327 Mag cases . The brass came out very nice this morning .
 
RaySendero I can not just fill it up as it will not work at all . I have a Tumbler and anything put in it has to well tumble ?
 
I would fill that can 3/4 full then add 200 30/06 cases. If the cases filled the drum I would remove some of the media.
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No dipstick, no 'fill to line'. My best tumbler works best with a lot of action.

F. Guffey
 
salvadore, an old reloader from NY sent me information on 'politically correct'. The origin did not surprise me. When it came to answering questions his responses got better.

F. Guffey
 
If you're using a rotary tumbler that seals water tight, why not consider using the stainless steel pins. They really work great, and much faster than other media.
 
Stainless pins take 6-8 hours to clean/remove soot as well as 20-30 minutes in an ultrasonic cleaner. Benefit of SS pins is a bit more "shine."
30 minutes in a rotary/vibratory tumbler is more than sufficient to clean cases--they just aren't soot-free (but that is not a requirement, just a "want").
I fill my Thumler's Tumbler a bit over half full with 20/40 corn (no additional enhancers), and the deprimed cases are more than clean enough.

Case Cleaning
Without a doubt the least important and most talked about part of reloading.

1) All that is needed is to wipe off the outside of the case with a rag, unless shooting black powder. All you need to do is remove any dirt/grit from the case exterior so the sizing die isn't damaged.
2) 30 minutes with 20/40 corn will clean and polish the case exterior and remove some of the interior soot. If you deprime first, you will remove the residual white powder sometimes left in the primer pocket. You can get a nice vibratory cleaner for about $86 and a media separator for about $37.
For very dirty cases with dried mud or whatever, ground nut hulls work well--but they also produce a lot of dust that can pack inside a case and take a lot of elbow grease to remove. Some folks like to add an abrasive to polish the brass (jeweler's rouge or Nu-Finish) and some like to add mineral spirits and paper towel/used softener sheets to the media to remove some of the powder. Corn doesn't produce much powder.
3) 20-30 minutes in an ultrasonic cleaner, using hot water/Dawn/citric acid will completely remove the soot and give the brass a slight polish. You will need to rinse the cases and let air dry. Some go as far as to dry the cases and then tumble them for more polish.
4) 6-8 hours with a rotary tumbler, stainless steel pins, dawn, and citric acid will completely clean and polish the cases. The pins have to be separated from the cases and the cases need to be rinsed and air dried. It is best to pour off as much of the dirty solution as possible and add enough water and pour off to get the solution clear. Then you need to have a media separator with a tub/bucket full of water to get the pins to fall out from the cases. From my experience, folks in CA may not want to waste that much water.
Everything beyond step #1 is done for the reloader's pleasure and not for any need.

I prefer #2, as #1 hurts my arthritis and the rest take more time/money--though I have the equipment for all four.
Between #3 and #4, it depends. The cost of a good ultrasonic cleaner (I bought the Lyman Turbo Sonic 6000 Ultrasonic Case Cleaner at $281 as it has a drain to empty the tank and can handle a large number of cases or a gun or two) and a rotary tumbler (I use the Thumler’s Tumbler Model B at $191 and my RCBS Rotary Case and Media Separator at $37).
If you simply have to have really shiny brass, forget the US system and go with the stainless pins--but be ready for a LOT longer time for cleaning and a lot more water usage.
I got the US cleaner to clean guns, but I just can't bring myself to drop my guns into a water tank--keep thinking I'll leave some water in a crevice and then my guns will rust.
The Thumler’s Tumbler I have had for about 35 years.
For all methods, I prefer to decap first. The use of 20/40 grit keeps any media from packing in the flash hole or primer pocket.
 
noylj Thanks .

Today I shot about 150 44 mags and 200 45 long colt . my wife ask that we go shopping and I just dumped the brass in my Thumler,s tumbler . I will unplug the tumbler in the morning . Time spent cleaning brass maybe 30 seconds
 
I started with a Thumbler's Tumbler years ago, here's the correct filling.
You want it filled, at most 3/4's full, total brass and media. That will allow enough room for the tumbling action. It can be less. but not more .

I try to have the barrel half full of treated walnut media and then add one fourth brass , bringing the barrel up to 3/4's full. This ratio works best. Over filling just slows down the action.
Gary
 
Stainless pins take 6-8 hours to clean/remove soot as well as 20-30 minutes in an ultrasonic cleaner.
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This is absolute hogwash! in fact, this statement tells me you've no experience at all with wet stainless media.

So I ask the OP again... if your tumbler is water tight, have you considered using stainless pins? Less than 2 hours with a smidge of soap and citric acid and your cases will look factory new.
 
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