Post by rtemp on Apr 8, 2013 4:31:48 GMT -6
What is the best tumbling media to use? There are a lot of choices out there. Some guys like their brass to be totally shiney and sparkly. Some like a more subdued look. And some people seldom clean their brass.
From personal experience I'll say that I went a long time without cleaning any of my brass and that worked OK. Except for the fact that it was looking pretty cruddy!
Corncob works fine. The larger grade has a tendency to fill up some cases and you'll spend some time with a straightened paperclip or dental tool picking out the corn cobs. The finer grit will not fill up the cases, but will stick in the flash holes. But, as far as the polishing goes, all grits seem to work just fine. If you want the more subdued look, tumble with the medium as it comes out of the bag. If you want a more polished look, add some polishing compound to the media.
Crushed walnut hulls works well, also. This media comes in a number of grits, all of which, work well. The 12 grit does have a tendency to stick in the flash holes. The 24 grit will not do that, so I do like it a bit better. Again, for the more subdued look, but probably a bit brighter than corncob, use it as it comes from the package.
Carbide dust woks for brass that is real bad. It does leave a heavily frosted appearance on the surface. I'm sure that it will work well in revolvers, but question how well it would work in a semi-auto pistol.
If you need, or want, a high polish, just add a polishing compound to the media. The brass will come out looking like a mirror.
There is a newer media available that consists of short pieces of stainless steel wire. It is about $10 per pound and is supposed to work real well, and not wear out. I have no personal experience with this, so can't really offer an opinion.
I have not tried it, but have been told that rice work good as a media. However, it seems to wear out pretty fast. Has anyone tried this?
Does anyone know of, or have you tried other materials as a tumbling media. Would like to hear some comments on this.
From personal experience I'll say that I went a long time without cleaning any of my brass and that worked OK. Except for the fact that it was looking pretty cruddy!
Corncob works fine. The larger grade has a tendency to fill up some cases and you'll spend some time with a straightened paperclip or dental tool picking out the corn cobs. The finer grit will not fill up the cases, but will stick in the flash holes. But, as far as the polishing goes, all grits seem to work just fine. If you want the more subdued look, tumble with the medium as it comes out of the bag. If you want a more polished look, add some polishing compound to the media.
Crushed walnut hulls works well, also. This media comes in a number of grits, all of which, work well. The 12 grit does have a tendency to stick in the flash holes. The 24 grit will not do that, so I do like it a bit better. Again, for the more subdued look, but probably a bit brighter than corncob, use it as it comes from the package.
Carbide dust woks for brass that is real bad. It does leave a heavily frosted appearance on the surface. I'm sure that it will work well in revolvers, but question how well it would work in a semi-auto pistol.
If you need, or want, a high polish, just add a polishing compound to the media. The brass will come out looking like a mirror.
There is a newer media available that consists of short pieces of stainless steel wire. It is about $10 per pound and is supposed to work real well, and not wear out. I have no personal experience with this, so can't really offer an opinion.
I have not tried it, but have been told that rice work good as a media. However, it seems to wear out pretty fast. Has anyone tried this?
Does anyone know of, or have you tried other materials as a tumbling media. Would like to hear some comments on this.