Newbies dumb idea!!!

[rwt101]

Well in my pea brain I decided to put my 9mm cast bullets in my tumbler to make them pretty!!! Wrong!!! I was lucky that I did not leave them in too long. They came out nice but they stated to eat away the bottom of the tumbler.

Well so much for my idea. But I did like the results. [smilie=b:
Bob T

[Rocky Raab]

Lightbulb ideas from newbies fall into two categories:

It has been tried before but doesn't work.

It's never been tried before because it's a really dumb idea. LOL!

I'll grant you that there have been and will always be clever and insightful new ways to do things - but they hardly EVER come from those with little experience.

Laughing with you, not at you, my friend.

[qajaq59]

Congratulations, you found a mistake I hadn't made yet. But I'd bet I've got you covered on the rest???? LOL

[rwt101]

Just give me some time , I am bound to have a lot more. HEHEHEHE

It is really fun. If I would have left them go and not checked on them they would have eater right through the bottom of the tumbler.:redneck:
Bob T

[thenaaks]

i had once some old nasty tarnished 45 j-bullets that i tossed in the tumbler...came out nice and shiny after 30 minutes in corn cob...the tumbler was fine. hmmmm???

[rwt101]

Now I wonder if I put some heavy rubber matting in the bottom......................

Nah I guess not.

Bob T:-(

[StarMetal]

That is amazing. With all the heavy cases we put in them that doesn't happen. Some even polish up loaded ammo. I guess the bullets were too much weight concentrated in such a small item.
Glad you discovered it before ruining your machine.

Joe

[qajaq59]

rwt101, just try not to make any of the mistakes that will hurt. Such as adding wet scrap to the pot. And the forum has lots of really good stickies that are worth reading if you haven't already.

[rwt101]

I have been reading a lot of them. I never thought about the lead ingots getting moisture on them. I have been using a heat gun on them before I put them in the pot.
A lot of good information on here.

Bob T

[KennethF]

The wood sticks that we stir our molten metal with when fluxing will absorb moisture from the air between uses, and when inserted into the molten metal will sizzle, and spit droplets of lead out of the pot. I have not experienced an explosion, but this is still a good reason to have your safety glasses on while stiring molten metal with a wooden stick.

Kenneth F

[geargnasher]

Well in my pea brain I decided to put my 9mm cast bullets in my tumbler to make them pretty!!! Wrong!!! I was lucky that I did not leave them in too long. They came out nice but they stated to eat away the bottom of the tumbler.

Well so much for my idea. But I did like the results. [smilie=b:
Bob T

Funny, My Pea Brains had that same idea many times by freshening-up old moldy J-words from gunshow super-deals and pulled bullets etc. in my Lyman vibratory cleaner, never had a problem at all with them wearing the bottom though.

Recently tried tumbling some loaded ammo (100ft extension cord and put it on the "other" side of a large oak tree away from the house) and had no problems there either. Guess I have to eat my boots on that one too, been cautioning against it all my life. Oh, well.

Gear

[stubshaft]

Must've been a vibratory case cleaner. If you used a tumbler you would have ended up with 9mm balls...

[shotman]

Well the rodary dont make them balls it works pretty good. I have always put finished rounds in a vib and run but I dont do it as much with flake powder. They get more than that in the factory bins.

[qajaq59]

rwt101, you're right, there is a lot of good info in here. And about 15,000 people willing to answer any questions you have. The forum is really quite a good source.