removing dust from tumbled brass

[michiganflyer]

How are you guys getting the dust/residue off tumbled brass?
I am using walnut shells, which seems to work the best for me, but after a couple batches of shells in the same media it seems to leave residue. I have read some of the posts that said to use dryer sheets, but that really didn't do much for me.
I also tried corn cob, but that doesn't seem to get the brass as clean as the walnuts. The brass comes out great after 2 hours, but it is almost like you need to wipe them down with a damp towel.
I thought about washing them, but I don't know that I want to get all the brass full of water.
Ideas?
Thanks.....
Ron

[mooman76]

The drier shoots help, I mean they have to because allot of dust comes out stuck to them but they won't eliminate it all. Try putting the drier sheets in and swapping them every 10 minutes or so. I use used drier sheets. They are going to get tossed anyway and some people say the new drier sheet residue gets on the brass and makes dirt stick to them. Keep doing it every batch and it will help.
To get the remaining dust off I usually set a clean rag on the bench and put the brass on it just out of the tumbler. Just swish it around a but in the rag and the rag will colect most all the dust. Then I keep them in zip lock bags to keep them clean until I am ready to use.

[billyb]

I empty my tumbler into a big strainer that i bought at a resturant supply house. Empty the tumbler into the strainer over a big plastic container that i keep my media in and shake the media out of the brass, and gets rid of the most of the dust.I then blow them off with compressed air, out side of course. Leaf blower works to. Water will leave spots that have a tendecy to carode. Bill

[michiganflyer]

Oh air compressor that is good, I didn't think of that.........

[IcerUSA]

I use a rag on the brass in the strainer , usually good enough , once in awhile I have to wipe each one as I put them in the loading block .

Keith

[Cloudpeak]

I started spraying a bit of "Endust" on my "Lizard Litter" media while it was vibrating in the tumbler before adding brass (9mm or 45 ACP) and give it time to "distribute". I also use a couple of dryer sheets. When done, I unplug and turn the tumbler over and move and shake it until most media strains out of the slotted top cover and goes into a large pan.

I then empty the brass from the tumbler into a large kitchen strainer, place the slotted lid from the Lyman tumbler over the top and shake any remaining media out into the pan. I then dump the brass on an old bath towel that's been sprayed with a bit of "Endust" and rub it around (dry it off, so to speak) and then pick the towel up by the corners and "see saw" the brass back and forth a bit in the towel and then pour them into the "clean box".

Cloudpeak

[monadnock#5]

There was a suggestion that I read some time ago (I'd bet it was on this Board), to toss a shot glass worth of water into the tumbler, once the tumbler is agitating. It keeps the dust already present down, and slows down the formation of more dust. That's one shot glass worth. Two shot glasses worth makes for a whole new set of head aches, to no benefit.

[clodhopper]

Dust isn't much of a problem since I started useing Turtle wax on the media.
There is some fine stuff in there but mostly it sticks to the wall of the tumbler instead of the brass.
Could be the wax makes the particules stick together and static electricity makes em stick to the plastic? I really don't know why but I did have that problem.
I got a rotary seperator about the same time I started useing the turtle wax.
Maybee the dust gets knocked off with all the case to case impacts in there.

[shotman]

are you using brass polish? if not a small amount of cooking oil will work Midway sells a brass polish that is cheap and works good for a looooooong time. A Qt will last several years

[Larry Gibson]

I lay a large bath towel out on the floor and after the cases are seperated from the media I dump the cases into the middle of the towel. One long side is the folded over even with the other long side and i grasp bot ends and pick it up. An up an down motion with both hands while keeping the towel ends apart has the cases tumbling back and forth in the towel. This removes the dust. It is quick and simple.

Larry Gibson

[Echo]

I usually dribble a glug of mineral spirits into the media and run the tumbler for 20 minutes or so to distribute it around. Catches the dust, and deposits on the sides of the tumbler where it can be wiped off easily. And it is a solvent.

And I also use used softener sheets...

[crowbeaner]

I tumble mine in corncob after the walnut and add some Dillon blue polish to the cob. I wipe each one off when I put them into the loading block. I've never had a problem with dust. You could make a batch of media with 1/2 cob and 1/2 walnut also; I got some from a guy that uses this method, and it looked better than new stuff.

[yondering]

Cheap and easy solution:

Cut up a paper towel into 1" wide strips, and throw a bunch of the strips in your tumbling media when you are tumbling brass. Maybe half, or more, of a large paper towel. The towel strips attract the dust, and leaves the brass almost completely dust free.

I'm using the Lyman walnut shell media, with the red rouge on the walnut shells. It created a lot of dust when I first used it. I tried water, mineral spirits, and several other things. The liquids just made it muddy, there was so much dust. Wiping/blowing off the brass was a pain. Paper towel strips got rid of the dust, so I don't do anything with my brass when it's done tumbling. The paper towel strips get caught in the media separator, and can be picked out of the brass and re-used a bunch of times. Once they are completely impregnated with rouge dust, they make good polishing cloths.

[JIMinPHX]

A little dust...so what?

I just leave it.

[Calehedron]

Ive used a cut up swiffer refill. but most of the time I just use a shop towel like the others.

[bruce drake]

SAme as Yondering and a couple of others. Cut up Paper Towel and used Dryer Sheets eliminates most dust particles from my walnut shell/lizard litter. Never have issues with dust.

Bruce

Dried rice can be used in a pinch for dustless cleaning but only for a few tumbles before they start to breakdown themselves.

[DLCTEX]

I also use a little mineral spirits, add some Nufinish Car polish occasionally, and blow the cases with an air compressor a handful at a time. Blowing through the flash holes from the base removes any media from the flash holes. DALE

[Three44s]

I rid my walnut media of most dust by leaving the lid off of the tumbler when it starts to build up.

Three 44s