walnut hulls for cleaning media

[357reloading]

Purchased 15 pounds from Midsouth reloading for $9 . had to order other stuff so only added a dollar to the freight bill.


Been using my current media for 20 k hulls or so . getting kinda dark or black. but stil works but I generally let my home made seven gal bucket tumbler run for 12 hours. or bit more


guess changing is just a matter of wild guess and want cleaner looking media.

[Kraschenbirn]

For the last couple years, I've been buying ground walnut shell at a local pet and feed store. They sell it in 25# bags as "bird and reptile litter" for about the same price as Midway or Graf's and I can pick it up whenever I need it instead of trying to combine it with an order for something else to save the shipping cost.

Bill

[357reloading]

bill . i went to Pet Smart and Wal mart could not find anything that said walnut. will try again

thanks

[vincewarde]

.......some very fine ground walnut shells at pet smart. I have previously bought a larger grind - that worked just as well as the commercial stuff and 25lbs cost $20.00. The fine stuff was measured in liters - 5 liters for $9.00.

The fine stuff actually cleans the primer pockets without getting stuck and works great for a final polish after the course stuff. My current procedure is to polish with course grind, decap and possibly resize (depending upon the application), then polish with fine prior to priming. No need to manually clean primer pockets and yields very pretty brass.

[runfiverun]

put some torn up dryer sheets in the old media, it will grab out the fine dirt.
look at the citric acid sticky. that stuff cleans brass and looks nice when finished off with vibratory cleaning.

[kelbro]

A capful or two of mineral spirits ran in the tumbler for about 30 mins, cleans mine right up.

[JIMinPHX]

I use Lizard Litter (ground fine English Walnut shells) from the local pet supply place when I tumble small caliber brass like .223. It is a smaller grind than normal tumbling media & pours out of the .223 brass more easily than standard tumbling media does. Other than that, I usually use standard corn cob stuff.

Used dryer sheets do pull some of the crud out of used tumbling media & let you use it 3 or 4 times as long as you otherwise would, but eventually, you do need to change it.

[gefiltephish]

And if ya want to be really cheap, ya can just wash your old media. Just for the heck of it, I recently tried this.

I just dumped about a 1/2 cup of simple green into a bucket, dumped the brass in and filled with hot water. Stir it up and let sit for an hour or whatever. Stir it up again, let settle and then dump the water out. Keep repeating with fresh rinse water. Eventually the water runs fairly clear. I cut open a large cardboard box and spread the media out to let dry for a day or two. My media was filthy beyond where most folks would have chucked it. Works just as well as new now.

With the imminent collapse of the dollar on the horizon, silly methods like this could prove useful.

[mike in co]

And if ya want to be really cheap, ya can just wash your old media. Just for the heck of it, I recently tried this.

I just dumped about a 1/2 cup of simple green into a bucket, dumped the brass in and filled with hot water. Stir it up and let sit for an hour or whatever. Stir it up again, let settle and then dump the water out. Keep repeating with fresh rinse water. Eventually the water runs fairly clear. I cut open a large cardboard box and spread the media out to let dry for a day or two. My media was filthy beyond where most folks would have chucked it. Works just as well as new now.

With the imminent collapse of the dollar on the horizon, silly methods like this could prove useful.

it will not restore the size and shape of the media.....the material does wear and become rounded and less effective...

i guess if one does not value his time..you can do this...but time is somethening that cannot be replaced, i try to not waste time.
mike in co

[jcwit]

Mike and I have had our disagreements but this is far from being one on them. I wholehartly agree with Mike, for what blasting media costs whether corn cob or walnut to clean it is a total waste of time, money and energy. But then there are those that--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------.

[Shiloh]

I use corncob.

Shiloh

[357reloading]

i notice that the media from Midsouth, their own brand, is much courser than what i got from Midway. Think i prefer the finer stuff. but to late now . Will use regardless. Should have kown at nine dollars for 15 pounds. Get what you pay for.

[4719dave]

lizard bedding @pet store is the smaller walnut , dyer sheets are your best friend with this stuff

[Ravenhawk57]

There is an old boy down in Georia that sells Walnut media in 50# bags for 19.00 I believe. Will try to locate his site and post here. I perfer corncob myself.

[prs]

English walnut shells!?!?! I thought the best was supposed to be BLACK walnut shell becasue its so tough and the grinds are sharp.

prs

[XWrench3]

I like walnunt shells better than corn cobs. But then, i am nuts anyways. I usually just replace it once a year. Needed or not. I think by then it really is in need of a change, it just keeps taking longer and longer to get my brass bright. Adding extra "activaor" doesn't seem to help much either. It is cheap enough (and i am a cheapskate), just junk it every so often.

[gefiltephish]

Mike and I have had our disagreements but this is far from being one on them. I wholehartly agree with Mike, for what blasting media costs whether corn cob or walnut to clean it is a total waste of time, money and energy. But then there are those that--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------.

Perhaps you guys missed my opening and closing lines:
"If ya want to be really cheap..." and "...silly methods like this...".

Maybe you guys have never had to first justify every single out of pocket expense with "have I exhausted all practical alternatives?". If that's the case, I'm happy for you. For many, it's not a matter of choice but rather a lifestyle that must be followed, if only temporarily. When you're cash limited, every one dollar of expense may just as well be one hundred. When I next find myself in such a situation, it's nice to know that I could extend the usable life of my media, for whatever little bit of savings it may be worth. 'Nuff said.

[chasw]

I use ordinary corn cob media and try to replace it when it gets dirty. I estimate I get 20 cycles or so before its replacement time. Walnut does not clean as well, IMO. Ditto to the futility of trying to extend its service life, since its so cheap. - CW

[Rocky Raab]

To keep this on a practical level ...

My 50 years of reloading experience has brought me to several conclusions about tumbling media.

First, extra shiny brass doesn't make my groups any smaller, my bullets fly any faster, or make the guy in the mirror better looking. Clean brass, however, does make my dies last longer, my guns function better and reduces giggles from my shooting buddies.

Walnut is better for cleaning. Corncob is better for polishing. Treated versions of either can be reserved for extra-special use on rare occasions. (See the first point above.) Walnut seems to plug flash holes less than corncob, but that is related to particle size more than anything else.

Adding "polishing agents" is a mistake. The solid portion of such liquids quickly clogs the media and soon begins to deposit itself on the brass rather than cleaning it. That hard gray gunk has to be buffed off each piece of brass individually. Worse, I suspect that what clings to the inside of the brass can spike firing pressures dangerously. No polishing agents for me, thank you.

Buying locally is almost always better than ordering, just due to shipping expenses alone. Media isn't heavy, but it is bulky and if the package tears - well, you'd receive the package but that's all.

[Evil Dog]

Not sure that I should admit it (especially in light of Rocky's post above), but I've been using the same tumbler full of walnut media for well over 14 years now !!! Just add a cap full of automobile polish to it every now and then. 38's and 45's come out all nice and shiny after vibrating for 3 or so hours. Still have another 5 pounds or so unused just in case I should ever feel like changing it out.