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Thread: Any thoughts on tumbling boolits to shine them up?

  1. 01-19-2013, 07:52 PM #1
    7Acres
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    Any thoughts on tumbling boolits to shine them up?

    Last week I cast some really nice looking boolits. I am a firm believer now in not fouling up my mold by smoking the cavities. I was admiring the beautiful fill out to the point where you could see all the milling detail. Then I took my fingernail and ran it up the smooth tapered side of the TC boolit. It turned bright and silvery. Then I took the boolit and polished it up real good on my pant leg and admired how shiny and silvery it was. I showed it to my wife and she remarked, "It looks like it's made of silver!" Indeed. I was thinking about how my shooting buddies would probably be jealous if I was shooting PB this pretty. The silver boolit on top of polished brass is truly a thing of beauty.

    Well a week has gone by and my silvery boolit has been parked on my nightstand. I remembered it looking shinier last week. I took the boolit and rubbed the nose on my pant leg again and sure enough it shined up again. I guess the surface oxidized over the past 7 days. Is that why the shine dulled? Do any of you bother tumbling your boolits in some soft media so they get all shiny and silvery? If so, is there some coating that will prevent them from subsequently getting dull after polishing?

    Pretty absurd question. But I'm sure I'll learn something from the replies. Thanks!
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  2. 01-19-2013, 08:25 PM #2
    williamwaco
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    Yes, Oxidation.
    They will not stay shiney.
    Some alloy's shine longer than others but they will all turn grey.

    I believe ( but am not sure ) that higher tin content makes them shinier.
    I know that Linotype bullets stay shiney longer.

    Do NOT tumble your cast bullets.

    Knocking them together as they tumble will round off and possibly even dent the bases.

    That will have a bad effect on accuracy.
    First reload: .22 Hornet. 1956.
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  3. 01-19-2013, 11:51 PM #3
    Cherokee
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    What williamwaco said. Tin makes them shiney longer.
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  4. 01-19-2013, 11:51 PM #4
    leadman
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    Use a rag, not your pants to shine your boolits. Don't want the lead in your laundry.
    You can use car polish to make them nice and shiny and they will stay that way longer, but not forever. You could paint them like some are doing here.
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  5. 01-20-2013, 02:48 AM #5
    10 Spot Terminator
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    I was bored one evening and took some of my New Finish 2000 polish that I add to my media for brass and used some to hand buff some Lyman # 358439 HPs already loaded in some +P 38s and that was about 4 mos. ago. They still look like they need to go on a hunt for WEREWOLVES ,,,, OH yeah ! Maybe I should seal them with some Johnsons Paste Wax .
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  6. 01-20-2013, 12:53 PM #6
    7Acres
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    Agreed. Tumbling them would be a bad idea. I'm interested in 10 Spot's idea though. I might try that!
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  7. 01-20-2013, 01:26 PM #7
    Shiloh
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    Any thoughts on tumbling boolits to shine them up?

    No.

    They are going to get fired anyway.

    Shiloh
    Je suis Charlie

    "A society of sheep must in time beget a government of wolves."
    Bertrand de Jouvenel

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    “If you put the federal government in charge of the Sahara Desert , in five years there would be a shortage of sand.” – Milton Friedman

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  8. 01-20-2013, 02:55 PM #8
    W.R.Buchanan
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    I use a paper towel. It works really well and then you throw it away.

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  9. 01-20-2013, 05:49 PM #9
    DLCTEX
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    Why polish them? The gun doesn't care.
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  10. 01-22-2013, 09:36 PM #10
    williamwaco
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    Quote Originally Posted by DLCTEX View Post
    Why polish them? The gun doesn't care.
    Neither does the target.


    .
    First reload: .22 Hornet. 1956.
    More at: http://reloadingtips.com/

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  11. 01-22-2013, 09:51 PM #11
    7Acres
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    You guys are right. It doesn't matter in any practical way. I'm just a brand new papa of some boolits I'm quite proud of. Tighter patterns are more impressive. And that'll make more cast converts than fancy shiny boolits will. Better to spend my time getting accurate loads and cast boolits and fine tuning my guns than polishing Pb into my jeans.
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  12. 01-22-2013, 11:44 PM #12
    Gliden07
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    Quote Originally Posted by 7Acres View Post
    Last week I cast some really nice looking boolits. I am a firm believer now in not fouling up my mold by smoking the cavities. I was admiring the beautiful fill out to the point where you could see all the milling detail. Then I took my fingernail and ran it up the smooth tapered side of the TC boolit. It turned bright and silvery. Then I took the boolit and polished it up real good on my pant leg and admired how shiny and silvery it was. I showed it to my wife and she remarked, "It looks like it's made of silver!" Indeed. I was thinking about how my shooting buddies would probably be jealous if I was shooting PB this pretty. The silver boolit on top of polished brass is truly a thing of beauty.

    Well a week has gone by and my silvery boolit has been parked on my nightstand. I remembered it looking shinier last week. I took the boolit and rubbed the nose on my pant leg again and sure enough it shined up again. I guess the surface oxidized over the past 7 days. Is that why the shine dulled? Do any of you bother tumbling your boolits in some soft media so they get all shiny and silvery? If so, is there some coating that will prevent them from subsequently getting dull after polishing?

    Pretty absurd question. But I'm sure I'll learn something from the replies. Thanks!
    This is really funny!!
    45 ACP because shooting more than once is just silly!!

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  13. 01-23-2013, 01:58 AM #13
    Huntducks
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    LMAO shining up bullets, next you won't want to shoot your little one's.

    CAST AND GO SHOOTING.
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  14. 01-23-2013, 02:03 AM #14
    41 mag fan
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    Quote Originally Posted by 7Acres View Post
    Last week I cast some really nice looking boolits. I am a firm believer now in not fouling up my mold by smoking the cavities. I was admiring the beautiful fill out to the point where you could see all the milling detail. Then I took my fingernail and ran it up the smooth tapered side of the TC boolit. It turned bright and silvery. Then I took the boolit and polished it up real good on my pant leg and admired how shiny and silvery it was. I showed it to my wife and she remarked, "It looks like it's made of silver!" Indeed. I was thinking about how my shooting buddies would probably be jealous if I was shooting PB this pretty. The silver boolit on top of polished brass is truly a thing of beauty.

    Well a week has gone by and my silvery boolit has been parked on my nightstand. I remembered it looking shinier last week. I took the boolit and rubbed the nose on my pant leg again and sure enough it shined up again. I guess the surface oxidized over the past 7 days. Is that why the shine dulled? Do any of you bother tumbling your boolits in some soft media so they get all shiny and silvery? If so, is there some coating that will prevent them from subsequently getting dull after polishing?

    Pretty absurd question. But I'm sure I'll learn something from the replies. Thanks!
    This is called WAYYY to much time on your hands!
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  15. 01-23-2013, 05:13 PM #15
    Wayne Smith
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    Shine them up pretty and spray with varnish. Three coats should do it. They will stay pretty quite some time, but not forever.
    Wayne the Shrink

    There is no 'right' that requires me to work for you or you to work for me!
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  16. 01-23-2013, 07:51 PM #16
    Shiloh
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    Quote Originally Posted by Wayne Smith View Post
    Shine them up pretty and spray with varnish. Three coats should do it. They will stay pretty quite some time, but not forever.
    LOL

    Shiloh
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  17. 01-23-2013, 07:55 PM #17
    500MAG
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    Quote Originally Posted by Shiloh View Post
    No.

    They are going to get fired anyway.

    Shiloh
    I agree. The only thing I'm concerned about is pretty groups.
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  18. 01-23-2013, 10:29 PM #18
    Old Caster
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    You could buy a CNC machine and machine them. They would be shiney for a while. Expense........doesn't matter, they will be shiney and make your friends jealous...........maybe some silver instead, or possibly gold because gold doesn't tarnish.
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  19. 01-23-2013, 11:38 PM #19
    kir_kenix
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    CNC aluminum bullets and anodize...might be pretty rough on your bore tho...
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