Walnut Media for Cleaning Brass

T

Tony C

New member
All,

I use crushed walnut as my dry media in my tumbler for cleaning my brass. I also add Lyman Turbo Bright Brass Polish to the walnut.

I tumble for about 2.5 to 3 hours and the brass comes out very shiny.

Here is my question. After a couple of groups, the walnut media gets pretty dark. How many times can I use the same media before it is ineffective and needs to be replaced?

Thanks,
Tony
 
You can use it for a long time, I'm going on a year with the current media. Sorry, I never kept count of times used.

Throw in a used dryer sheet each time, it will help cut down the dust.
 
Not meant to be a jerk, but use it as long as it works. When your tumble times increase to get the same result and the finish significantly decreases, replace the media. My media lasts a long time because I don't time my sessions, and often the tumble time slips my mind. because I'm doing other things. I do remember that the dark, courser grind walnut shell media cleans/polishes better over more uses than the "desert blend", light colored litter/bedding...

Plus, media being pretty inexpensive, if in doubt, replace with fresh.
 
I have always used only walnut tumbling media. I rarely change media...sometimes add some to it and a cap-full of car nu liquid car wax (the suff in the orange plastic bottle). I have a box of new walnut media that is just sitting there...waiting, waiting, waiting. However, at the rate I do not change it, it will last me the rest of my life.
Note: I shoot, clean and hand-load about 500 rounds of cast bullet (very dirty),handgun rounds each week in the Summer, so its not like it is not being used.
 
DUST.

Take your media outside, use fairly large containers,
Pour media from one container to another in a GENTLE breeze.
The dust will float away while the useful media hits the second container.
Do it a few times when you notice excessive dust.

RENEW.
The media plugs up with crud, and grinds itself to dust.
Add new media to the mix as needed.

MIXING.
I use plain (Untreated) media mixed with the 'Red' rouge impregnated media.
The rouge IS corrosive over time, so don't let brass sit for months in the red treated media.

CLEAN OFF.
Most of us have a 'Cage' type separator, which lets the media fall through while the cases stay inside as you rotate it.

When you are done getting the media separated from the cases,
Dump the cases into a cheap beach towel, gather the ends in each hand,
Work the cases back and forth to get the dust off them.
This works very well, it's fast & cheap.

TUMBLE TIME.
There is no 'Maximum' time you can tumble with walnut shell, even the treated kind.
I've had to tumble for a full 24 hour day to get really dirty cases clean,
I've had them clean up in 20 minutes.

It takes as long as it takes, and if you throw some in, go to work and they rattle for 8 hours or more, don't sweat it,
The cases won't under size or be damaged,
They will be VERY clean, but undamaged.

NON-RELOAD SPECIFIC ADDITIVES.
I'd be careful and do some small batches, see how things like car wax, Brasso, ect. turn out.
Some guys report great initial results,
But if you store ammo with a corrosive on the case, you may regret using it 6 months from now.

TUMBLING LIVE AMMO.
I've done it for years and not had an issue.
Remember, you DO limit the tumble time to what ever it takes to get the case lube/finger prints off.

You are rattling the powder inside the case at the same time you are polishing the case...
This might break up powder making the rounds unpredictable.
Again, use short times and caution.

I WILL NOT HANDLE MY FINISH POLISHED LIVE ROUNDS!
I use gloves.
Out of the tumbler into the towel to remove dust,

Then GLOVES to box the rounds.

FINGER PRINTS ARE CORROSIVE and will eat into the copper & brass in short order!
Once they eat into the brass, they are a pain to get out!
 
"...walnut media gets pretty dark..." Bit of carbon mixed with that liquid polish. That polish you can leave out. Brass needs to be clean, not shiney.
 
Toss in about 5 Kleenex tissues or small paper towels and run it for an hour.
You'll be amazed at how much dirt and oil they will pick up
 
Cleaning the medium...

Tony C--As has been pointed out, the tumbler medium lasts a long time. (Medium. Media is for 2 or more.) Change the medium when it stops doing the job, or won't clean up to your satisfaction.

My experience cleaning tumbler medium has been with used dryer sheets. They get VERY black and dirty, and the medium (I'm using crushed walnut currently.) looks considerably cleaner with consistent use of the dryer sheets. Nice thing is, that the used dryer sheets don't cost anything.

I don't think I'd care to be blowing that dust about to remove it--Besides finely broken pieces of walnut hull, some of it will be combustion products from burning gunpowder and primers--Stuff that I wouldn't care to be breathing, nor have settling on my workspace or where my dog could lick it.

I use Nu-Finish car wax in with the tumbler medium--Cases come out shiny as well as clean, and I don't see any difference in resizing nor firing the cases.
 
I never replace my walnut. I take it outside to sift and after sifting into colander into large bowl, i'll toss the bras very hard over the grass or whatever. so I lose a little bit that was trapped inside the bullets. I probably add a couple cups of fresh media every ten to 15 tumbles. if using a vibratory tumle, I usually tumble for about 8 hours if I want the brass to look shiny new. addng fresh dryer sheets every 3-4 tumbles helps, or I think it does, and I add armor all foaming tire cleaner, just a little to the surface of the media every tumble. my brass comes out as good as I have ever seen any

if you don't like the idea of armor all tire cleaner, pure lemon juice os my second favorite. nu-finish is okay as well, as is just plain old car wash(the thick kind with added wax). prob with car wash and new finish is a little get some clogged flash holes that need to be blown out.
 
Replaced.......? I tos my dirty media into a used three gallon jug and add some laundy soap and set the jug in the bath tub. Ever time I go o the bath room I give the jug a few shakes. I made a tray so I can rince it off with hot water and let it dry. Havent bought new media in close to 20 years. My media is a mix of walnun and corn cob animal bedding.
 
Tony C,

Snyper has a good idea. You can also toss in used dryer sheets. As he said, you will be surprised at how cruddy these sheets will look after tumbling for a while. There is another side effect and that is, your brass will smell pretty and feminine, like it just came out of the dryer -NOT. Don't ask me why it has to be used sheets. A few years ago on eBay, I paid $5 for this bit of information.
 
dahermit said:
I have always used only walnut tumbling media. I rarely change media...sometimes add some to it and a cap-full of car nu liquid car wax (the suff in the orange plastic bottle). I have a box of new walnut media that is just sitting there...waiting, waiting, waiting. However, at the rate I do not change it, it will last me the rest of my life.
Note: I shoot, clean and hand-load about 500 rounds of cast bullet (very dirty),handgun rounds each week in the Summer, so its not like it is not being used.
Click to expand...
The car wax is genius. Im going to try it. Do u think it matters what kind really?
 
Do u think it matters what kind really?
Click to expand...
No, I have like five different kinds, they all work. stay away from very watery types because they will make your media "damp" and gets clogged in the flasholes like concrete as it dries.

Jes wonderin', (and no offense intended), has Jeep posted an opinion/answer in less than 300 words?
Click to expand...
could you imagine a long car ride? or if he was your barista?!?! hey man, I gotta get the kids from school sometime this week.....JK, we like informed answers, all in jest
 
Just be careful using the red rouge powder.Don't use very much and run the tumbler for a couple hours without any cases.If you mess up you will get a coating on the inside of your cases that is almost impossible to remove.That the main reason I bought SS pins wet tumbler.I only put about a tablespoon in which turned out to way too much.

Sorry I misread JeepHammer post when he said untreated and red rouge in the same sentence don't know why I was thinking the powder.
 
Last edited:
I use the Zilla bedding, one or 2 tbls Nu finish and go. I sell brass on the side , so I go through quiet a bit. Mid summer I will run through about 25lbs every other month. It's cheap enough that I don't worry about it to much. As other have said though- If I tumbled just my brass, It would last a long long time. I also use dryer sheets. Some one in here mentioned it a few years ago. gave it a try and it does help a lot.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top