When is it time to replace my tumbler media?

[analog_kidd]

How do I know when it's time to replace the media in my tumbler? I've been using the media that came with my tumbler and cleaned maybe 400 pieces of brass. It seems to be cleaning ok still, but I do see some residue building up on the sides of the tumbler.

Also, several have suggested using a squirt of liquid car polish to help shine up the brass. If I add the polish, can I still reuse the media. Does it make it gummy and therefore require it to be replaced sooner?

[titan14]

I have about 5 or 6 thousand rounds cleaned on this batch of media. Just keep an eye on it, when it starts getting gray, dark gray to black, replace it.

Also, if you dont put too much polish...it wont make the media gummy. I add about a tablespoon each time i clean. I put all the brass in, put the lid on, turn it on for a few seconds until the brass is "covered" with media...turn it off...take the lid off....turn it back on...add the polish...put the lid back on...

[herr.baer]

I go until it doesn't seem to get the brass as clean any more. One trick that helps prolong the use of your media is to cut up a used dryer sheet and add it when you tumble your brass. It will pick up a lot of the particles leaving your media cleaner.

[analog_kidd]

Thanks for the info!

[tnhawk]

I use it until it starts taking an excessive time to clean the brass.

[kb4ns]

I have about 5 or 6 thousand rounds cleaned on this batch of media. Just keep an eye on it, when it starts getting gray, dark gray to black, replace it.

Also, if you dont put too much polish...it wont make the media gummy. I add about a tablespoon each time i clean. I put all the brass in, put the lid on, turn it on for a few seconds until the brass is "covered" with media...turn it off...take the lid off....turn it back on...add the polish...put the lid back on...

Wow, Titan. You're doing much better than I am. I average about 2k before I need to replace. That's with corncob media. Are you using corncob or walnut?

[Guest spoolie]

I wait till the green corncob turns black and change it. A few drops of liquid car wax works great.

[titan14]

Wow, Titan. You're doing much better than I am. I average about 2k before I need to replace. That's with corncob media. Are you using corncob or walnut?

Oh it is TIME to change it...its nasty. Im using corn cob...with a little polish. I'm thinking this has lasted so long because, I pick up my brass immediately after each mag...and I havent picked up any outdoor range brass either. I guess Im just starting with a little bit cleaner brass.

[Guest 1SG_Lee]

Note: Using a 5 lb vibrating tumbler with 2lbs of walnut shell media for one hour produces excellent results.

Concerning how long you can use media, for me it depends on how dirty the cases were, but I would say somewhere between 2000 and 3000 rounds is about right.

I occassionally polish up .223 steel cases for reloading and they take longer than brass and they leave a bit more residue behind. If you're using walnut shell media it gets really dark, almost grey black then it's probably close to the time to change.

I like the idea of using a dryer cloth - I'll try it, thanks. I also use about a 1/3 to 1/2 of an ounce of liquid car polish and really improves my results. It makes a real slick high polish finish and when resizing cases I rarely even use lube, they are that slick.

If you have a PetCo in your area they sell really cheap walnut shell media, I think its called lizzard ground cover or something like that.

[Guest xlearguy]

Using Walnut media I have cleaned about 3500 rounds of 9mm, 700 of.40 cal, and 500 of 45 acp and so far if I add a little Flitz or car polish it is doing a good job if I do 300 to 350 rounds at a time for 4 to 5 hours. It comes out really shiny. Since the media is used it will clean the brass in 3 hours but it won't really have that new case shine unless I leave it in 4 to 5 hours. I have been adding polish every other cleaning and have used no more than a teaspoon. My procedure is to sprinkle the polish on top of the media and run the tumbler for about 45 seconds to mix it in, then add the cases and run it for cleaning. It may be getting time to change the media, but so far it is still cleaning good and I will post when I've given up on my current batch of media.

[Raoul]

definitely try the dryer sheet trick.

[DWARREN123]

Use it till it will not clean/polish anymore. Also try cutting up some used dryer sheets every once in awhile and putting them in when cleaning brass, helps clean the media.

Most tunblers you can remove the bowl and wash it out with a mild detergent.

[Dolomite_supafly]

I have foud that if you use a very fine walnut it works as well as corn cob and lasts much longer. I have used corn cob but the clean up of the brass isn't fun. I found myself either picking or blowing it out of the primer pockets.

I use the Zilla brand walnut Lizard Litter. Make sure it is the Desert Blend because it is much finer than anything else I have found. I would compare it to course sand. It will not stick in the primer holes and lasts a very, very long time. I bought a 10 pound bag of it for $7 a few years ago and never changed it in the first year and I shoot A LOT.

I would estimate I had probably over 5,000 cases cleaned using it and only adding NuFinish car polich to the mix every couple of cycles.

The car polish is added in such smal amounts that it will not gum anything up. Something else to speed up the process is add a handful or two of airsoft BB's to the mix. Just make sure you aren't doing brass where the balls can get lodged in the cases. It works fine for 223, 9mm, 38 and 45 brass. Others I am not sure about as I haven't triend anything else.

Dolomite

[Guest BobPayne44]

I had someone tell me a couple different times to put a couple cap fulls of mineral spirits in my crushed walnuts, i tried it the other night and ran about 300 .223 cases for about 2 - 3 hours and woowwwwww i have new brass that does not look this bright and shiny plus a couple caps of nu finish

[Mark A]

This multi-hour tumbling thing interests me. I usually only go for about 30 minutes at a time. It seems clean and all but the oldest range pickups are fairly shiny. Maybe I'm doing it wrong though...

I guess I would need to get another machine as even just 30 minutes at a time I can hardly keep up getting all of my brass clean.

Mark

[I_Like_Pie]

You guys ditch yours after 3000+ rounds!?!?!?

Holy smokes I have some walnut media I picked up at the pet store that has 10,000+ with life still left.

Dryer sheets and nu-finish car wax must work wonders cause I could make 3 pounds of media last for a decade.

Vibratory tumbers take a couple of hours minimum to make the brass look new. Rotary tumblers take a day or so. 30 minutes is barely enough time to mix up the cap full of wax.

Edited September 17, 2011 by I_Like_Pie

[TM01]

I use walnut media and when it seems to be getting dirty and taking longer to clean to the level that I like. Instead of throwing it out, I take a piece of old 300 thread count sheet, pour the contents of my tumbler onto it, make a closed pouch of it while twisting and tying it off with a small piece cord to close it up. Then I stick the media, wrapped and tied off in the sheet into the washing machine on its lowest load setting. I use about a teaspoon of washing detergent and run it through a cycle. The media comes out very clean, then rinse and repeat. I am still working with approximately the same batch of media that I purchased 7 years ago. The dryer sheet works like a charm also. I take the ones that have gone through a cycle of drying instead of throwing them away and use them. I can have that tumbler running inside the house and still not have dust and other particulates floating all over the place. I use two sheets per tumble which is not expensive at all because I recycle them.