Case Cleaning

[alamogunr]

I seem to be using a lot of corn cob media to clean my brass. I know it doesn't make it shoot any better (at least in my case) but I like the looks of shiny brass. I have seen posts here and elsewhere that you can get kitty litter and it is the same thing. All I have found around here is a clay product that is supposed to clump when the cat pees in it. If I don't want to pay $7.95 +shipping for a 5# bag from a mail order reloading supplier, where should I go? I have found a couple of places to order but thought I would ask here too. This group seems to have the lowdown on everything shooting related, not just cast boolets.

John

[carpetman]

alamogunr---Kitty litter is not the same as corn cobb media. The oil soak used in garages for oil spills is the same as kitty litter. Personally I much prefer walnut media to corn cobb and some of the reasons are it lasts longer,does a better job and it runs out like sand. Corn cobb will stick in the primer pocket everytime and have to be picked out. You can find the walnut media at pet shops much cheaper than if you buy it as media.

[waksupi]

Now, hold on there, John. The only one who uses kitty litter for case cleaning is Carpetman, and he uses the used stuff. The kitty litter is for on top of a bottom pour pot to keep your melt hot, and oil dry can be substituted for this. I never heard of using kitty litter for tumbling, and I would imagine it would make a mess of your cases.
Find yourself a pet shop, and get you a nice big bag of lizard bedding. it is crushed walnut shell, for probably a third than you will pay anywhere else.

[James P]

Yep, the walnut media is better than corn cob. And if you add some flitz brass polish it'll get the brass nice and shiny. They sell big bags of the crushed walnut bedding at Walmart for around $6.

[Murphy]

James P. 10-4 on the Walmart has it. That's where I found mine in the pet section after reading about it here.

I'm happy with it. Just need to figure out what polish to mix in with it to make em' shine now. Thinking of some sort of liquid polish that won't do any harm to brass.

Murphy

[Dale53]

Be careful what polish you use on brass. Any polish containing ammonia damages brass. There have been documented reports of catastrophic brass failure due to ammonia contamination. The Brasso that I used to polish brass in my military days is a prime offender (contains ammonia).

I use Dillon's brass polish. I have the large Dillon vibratory tumbler and it only takes a couple of cap fulls for a LOT of brass. If you cannot buy any locally, you might team up with a buddy and get a Post Office Flat Rate Box full. I have bought Dillon's polish at gun shows as well as direct from Dillon. We have a Dillon dealer or two in the area, as well.

FWIW
Dale53

[KYCaster]

What James P said.......Flitz!!

Jerry

[Larry Gibson]

I use rice, the long kernal type (doesn't clog primer pockets as bad) bought in bulk very cheaply at any oriental food store in my vibrating cleaner to clean the cases. It works every bit as good as corn cob or crushed walnut. I use Midways case polish, works fine, no ammonia and smells good. I use pitch free saw dust (usually make my own from old walnut, oak, etc with chainsaw) to clean the case lube off.

Larry Gibson

[lovedogs]

Before using Flitz you might check to see that it doesn't have ammonia in it, some polishes do, and that'd be a bad deal. As already mentioned, it will weaken brass and cause a dangerous situation.

Personally, I see no advantage to shining up brass anyway. It does look nice, and if you have a habit of tossing your brass on the ground it might be a good idea to clean it up. I've been reloading since 1969 and have never cleaned my brass. It doesn't look as good as some but it shoots fine and I've never caused any die or gun damage. I just look it over good and wipe it off with a rag before loading and it seems to work fine.

Ocassionally, I look at other's shiny brass and get a bit envious. I look at the price of brass tumblers and cringe. Then I go lay down until the urge to buy one goes away. Works for me!

[Baldy]

I sent the wife down to the feed store to get some cob. She came back with a 25lb bag of cob and a 15lb bag of shell. I am set for life. Here's my mix.
2 cups of corn and 1 cup of shell. Add Nutone car polish. One light circle.
I clean my brass in kerosene to get the heavy stuff off and put them in with a drier sheet tore in half. Run two hours and they look new when they come out.

[legend]

i get my corncob media from the local hospital rehab center.it is used in a machine that heats it and blows it around injured hands/arms.they use it only six months and throw it away by law.hope it helps.legend

[DaveInFloweryBranchGA]

James P. 10-4 on the Walmart has it. That's where I found mine in the pet section after reading about it here.

I'm happy with it. Just need to figure out what polish to mix in with it to make em' shine now. Thinking of some sort of liquid polish that won't do any harm to brass.

Murphy

Murphy,

Use Nu Finish car polish. No ammonia in it, cleans the brass nice, smells good, leaves a nice slickness on the brass and only costs $4.00 at the local Dollar General store.

Regards,

Dave

[alamogunr]

Yep, the walnut media is better than corn cob. And if you add some flitz brass polish it'll get the brass nice and shiny. They sell big bags of the crushed walnut bedding at Walmart for around $6.

OK! I went to WM and couldn't find it. The ones around here apparently cater to the lowest common denomenator. Lots of "OL' Roy" dog food but no crushed walnut shells. Then I went to PetSmart. They had it. Bag didn't have the weight but it felt like about 10 pounds for $10 Next load of brass gets the walnut shell treatment.

I also found a site that offers a sample of crushed corn cob. Fifty pounds for $30.

Does the walnut shell stuff last longer?

[Forester]

I use a Frankford Arsenal tumbler and Walmart corn cob. I load on a Dillon 550 so I tumble before I reload, thus no problems with media in the primer pockets.

My Walmart has fish and reptile stuff in a separate area from dog and cat food, the corn cob media I use is near the fish stuff and $3 a bag. I rotate a bag through my tumbler until its all been through about 3 times and then pitch it, its too cheap to hang onto and worry about lead buildup.

[BruceB]

I've recommended this before, but the question keeps popping up. So....

After quite a few years of using rouge-treated walnut shell, I now get 40-pound bags of 1/8"-grind corncob from our local feed store. The most recent 40-pound bag cost about $16, I think.

I add about an ounce of Turtle Wax "Scratch and Swirl Remover" to each load, and run the tumbler for a few minutes before adding the cases. This distributes the polish and breaks up the clumps which form when the liquid is first put into the cob.

I much prefer having shiny brass, both because it's easier to inspect, and because it looks MUCH better than the dingy stuff does. The shine on my cases is brilliant, far brighter than unfired factory-new cases.

My brass goes directly from the range into the tumbler, and the decapping pin is 100% reliable in removing cob from flashholes.

[hawk223]

I built myself a tumbler similar to the RCBS sidewinder. I use mostly hot water, a little dish soap (palmolive with oxy), and a 1/4 cup of lemon juice. I found the recipe on the net somewhere but it used sunlight I think. I have also been adding ceramic tumbler media from Lyman. The cases come out so shiny inside and out. I typically run it for 2 hours. As I type this I am trying 223 cases for the first time... I have only done pistol so far but they are totally clean and shiny.

[monadnock#5]

Just a note of caution using abrasives in tumbling media. In the book "Handloading For Competition" by Zediker, there is a caution not to use them for match guns. The theory is that the high dollar, high end barrel makers have studied barrel returns from dissatisfied customers, and found that the common denominator is abrasives added to tumbling media.

Ken

[arkypete]

I found after getting a snoot full of walnut dust that I don't feel so well after wards.
I use a section of fiberglass screen and pore the new crushed walnut on that to sift out the dust. I do it outside with a fan blowing to blow the dust away from me.
I run the tumbler over night to clean up the brass when I return from shooting. I don't bother with using anything othe rthen the walnut hulls.
When the walnut media is spent I dump it in the wood chips and leaf litter out in the back 40.
Jim

[mike in co]

Just a note of caution using abrasives in tumbling media. In the book "Handloading For Competition" by Zediker, there is a caution not to use them for match guns. The theory is that the high dollar, high end barrel makers have studied barrel returns from dissatisfied customers, and found that the common denominator is abrasives added to tumbling media.

Ken


me thinks i would like to hear more...specifically abrasive vs polishing compounds.

some of the "cleaning" done to br bbls is down right polishing....

i shoot br too

[VTDW]

I found after getting a snoot full of walnut dust that I don't feel so well after wards.
I use a section of fiberglass screen and pore the new crushed walnut on that to sift out the dust. I do it outside with a fan blowing to blow the dust away from me.
I run the tumbler over night to clean up the brass when I return from shooting. I don't bother with using anything othe rthen the walnut hulls.
When the walnut media is spent I dump it in the wood chips and leaf litter out in the back 40.
Jim

Makes good flux too.

Dave

[mag_01]

As far as tumbling media walnut works for me and to keep it clean I cut up strips of Cotton cloth and anti static material used in dryers--cut it up small but big enough so it dose not enter your cases---Mag

[montana_charlie]

Just need to figure out what polish to mix in with it to make em' shine now.
After Googling for information on that subject over the last few days I have settled on Bon Ami (feldspar)...when I get to town to buy some.
In a 12 pound tumbler barrel, I plan to use a heaping tablespoonful along with a couple ounces of vinegar.

Vinegar has been used for cleaning brass objects for hundreds of years. I suppose it still works...
CM

[monadnock#5]

me thinks i would like to hear more...specifically abrasive vs polishing compounds.

some of the "cleaning" done to br bbls is down right polishing....

i shoot br too

On page 110 in the book "Handloading For Competition" by Glen Zediker, he states that "A well known barrel maker..." found reddish deposits in cross sectioned barrels that had been returned by dissatisfied customers, who claimed the barrels had shot out too quickly. The worst damage, and the heaviest residue was found in the throat area. The residue had the appearance of jeweler's rouge, and the customers had used rouge additives in their media. The advise from the book was to use straight walnut and/or corncob media only.

Ken

[Sundogg1911]

I used walnut with some hoppes in it (A few capfulls) to clean, and then corn cob, with a few capfulls of Dillon rapid brass polish to shine 'em. Shiney cases shoot better....everyone knows that! ;-)

[Smitty]

Have been using the same crushed walnuts for some yrs & does a lovely job in just 1 hr or less with a Lyman Turbo. The same media was used in a good Thumb's Tumbler for some 12 yrs.

By "same" I do not mean the same type, but the same from the rock tumbler went into the Lyman to do the job quickly & no addition of anything else. If I were to add then I might use a car polish call Nu-Enough & just a bit to see how it does. That tip comes from a friend that used the same with a home-made unit some yrs ago.

Though do realize I do not polish anything, but h/gun brass of 38 Spl, 9X19 & 45ACP plus a very small amount of 44 Mag.

[ELFEGO BACA]

For my straight walled cases, 45/70 and 45 colt, I use a Thumbler model B rotating tumbler using ceramic media.

At the time of purchase it came with a liquid cleaner. I use about a tablespoon per load mixing it with about a pint of water. After putting the media in the tumbler I then add water until it comes nearly to the surface of the ceramic media.

It cleans up black powder fouled cases quickly about 90 minutes.

I have heard they also have a ceramic media for bottleneck cases but I have not tried any.

[Smitty]

Some yrs back a fellow h/gun shooter asked me how to keep his brass clean. My suggestion was obtain a canvas money bag, close up the top & put it into the washing machine. After all I tried that out & it worked out fine. Mind you I was & still am a bachelor.

Unfortunately he forgot to pull out the bag with brass inside. His wife found it & all 'ell broke out. Part of married life I guess.

[UweJ]

I use walnut and a bit of Flitz.Let it run for 90min.and they come out nice and shiny.

[montana_charlie]

I use a Thumbler model B rotating tumbler using ceramic media.
I am gathering information about ceramic media, prior to deciding if I want to use it. So, tell me how much media you use in your 15 pound barrel.

Would that be,
X volume of media for X number of cases?
Half a barrel full?
X pounds of media for per X pounds of barrel carrying capacity?

Or...some other ratio?
CM

[hawk223]

I bought a 1.75 lb box of Lyman Ceramic Tumbler Media for $20 CA. It works really great with the lemon juice and dish soap method. Cases are like new. I don't have an exact science but I add the ceramic media (that easily is stored in a 1 lb margarine container) and then I add about 4 times that volume of cases. Add 1/4 cup of lemon juice and a generous squirt of dish soap and tumble for 2 hours. The bad is that you have to rinse and dry and if you have hard water you'll need either a soft water rinse or something else so you don't get spots on them. If you want them to dry quickly you can rinse with alcohol stove fuel that is fairly cheap at Home Depot or other hardware store in the paint section. I usually use the oven at 100 C or about 212 F. The ceramic media is as white as the day I bought it.

The Lyman media is just smaller that 22 cal but it is cylindrical and cut on an angle. It tends to get caught in some cases. In 223 you can shake them out and usually need a little nail to poke the bottom one that sticks in the base. This is easy to do. the odd time the case gets full and they don't shake out. When this happens you have to turn the one at the mouth with a nail to get it out and then shake them out. For 45 ACP and 40 S&W they will occasionally stick side but side but flexing the case a small amount between the fingers solves this problem easily.

Does anyone know of other sources of ceramic media that might be smaller than the Lyman?

Also lemon juice is a $1.50 CA for 750 ml (3 cups) (12 batches) (Noname brand) and is way better than vinegar. If anyone tells you to use salt ignore them because it makes a mess and doesn't rinse off ... you have to re-tumble. This method works way better than the RCBS Sidewinder liquid media cleaner. I have tried a few methods and have settled on this one.

I haven't tried the dry medias however. I figured I would want to rinse off the dust anyway and it didn't sound like the insides of the cases would get very clean. What is your experience on the dry methods? I really enjoy the quiet nature of the tumbler and was told the vibratory style are noisy? Of course the noise level does depend on how full you fill the unit. If it is too empty the cases will make more noise as they fall further. Don't fill it so much that they can't move around.

[montana_charlie]

I don't have an exact science but I add the ceramic media (that easily is stored in a 1 lb margarine container) and then I add about 4 times that volume of cases.
I am surprised! I thought the volume of media should (at least) equal the volume of the brass. Otherwise, it seems that most of the cases have to rub each other, while a few are being rubbed by the ceramic. Seems unfair in some way...
I am glad you mentioned the weight of your media and then indicated it's volume (margarine tub). I knew the stuff is 'heavy' compared to walnut and cob...but I had no 'ruler' to measure with.

Does anyone know of other sources of ceramic media that might be smaller than the Lyman?
Yes. Sagebrush Products (htthttp://www.sagebrushproducts.com/ShootingProducts.htmp://) carries a type that is 3mm spheres. They recommend it for curing the problems you describe.

There is also a guy on eBay who sells a media which is mostly (about 80%) tiny glass beads. The rest is randomly shaped bits.
However, I have the impression it will remove metal if tumbled long enough...so I have not tried it.

One more thing...what is the size of your tumbler's barrel?
CM

[hawk223]

My tumbler barrel is made out of 4" PVC and is 9.5" long internally. I used one solid end cap and one with a crew lid. Both fit over the 4" PVC. I was in Calgary on business and had the opportunity to see a RCBS Sidewinder. The thing looks flimsy, has a small moter and is over $300. The only thing that one might think is better is the size of the canister and its flat walls. Not sure how many sides it had now but I have had no problems with my round cannister. The lid on it was press in not screw in and I remember reading that people has leakage problems with it. On mine it doesn't matter if a little pressure develops.

[VTDW]

As far as tumbling media walnut works for me and to keep it clean I cut up strips of Cotton cloth and anti static material used in dryers--cut it up small but big enough so it dose not enter your cases---Mag

Mag 01,

I do that too but do not cut the material up. I also cut up ScotchBrite pads into about 3/8" strips. Both work well for cleaning dust and adding a bit of shine to help the media.

Dave

[Joel Chavez]

I use a porcelian ceramic media that is simply put, Awesome!! This stuff works wet with a cleaning solution mixed 1oz to 1gal. of H2O. I start by washing the dirt off with soapy H2O and Dawn. Next, I allow the brass to air dry and then deprime and resize using Lee's carbide dies. I do use case lube(Hornady) while doing this step. It makes it easier and prevents any scratching of the case. Next, I soak the brass in the cleaning solution for 24-48hrs. After that, I toss them in the tumbler(Frankfard Aersenal) for 30min with about 6-8 oz of fresh cleaning solution. With two tumblers going I can clean almost 1000+ in just a few hours. I sell most of the range brass on Ebay so I needed a system that would yield the best looking brass possible. I'm not tooting my own horn, but they sure look prrretty. Take care and hope it's warm and dry where you are.:mrgreen:

[georgeld]

man, what progress you guys make.

Berrysmfg.com in St George Utah sells a dandy vibrator for $50, lifetime warranty except on the motor it's two or three yrs. and after that it's $17 to replace.
Used mine since 99 and just replaced the motor.

Powdervalleyinc.com has media. Four yrs ago I split 40# of treated walnut and haven't used much of it. Lasts forever and cleans good. But, don't polish very well. Mostly cleans the nasties off and does that in an hour or so pretty good.

Then IF I want to polish it, change media and use plain corn and that polishs nicely in another hour.

I also final polish after loading too. No harm in that, factory loads are final polished the same way. Just take a tour of any ammo factory and you'll see that.

Have a neighbor friend that made a rolling type tumbler with a plastic five gallon bucket. Just made a set of wheels and one that's powered. Used a soft rubber wheel to drive it with and three others that keep the bucket in place. Has a 1/5th hp motor and don't worry about how long he lets it run. Sometimes he sets the timer, sometimes he don't. They come out with a high gloss polish too. Dandy job. Think he uses straight corn, but, not positive.

I'll stick with berrys shaker for my own.

[montana_charlie]

I use a porcelian ceramic media that is simply put, Awesome!!
Where do you get your ceramic?
CM

[Joel Chavez]

Have you ever heard this? "It's an ancient Chinese secret" Hahahahaha! Sorry, I just couldn't resist. I bought it at Cabela's. It's quite expensive, but you never wear it out. The 5lbs. tub sells for about $65. Its money will worth it though. To date I think I've cleaned maybe somewhere in the neighborhood of 30,000+ brass with it since last year and the stuff is still going strong. Take that walnut media. You can look at my feedback on ebay. It speaks for itself(media). My user name is jazr223. Hope its warm and dry where you are.:-D

[gwalchmai]

I use #24 walnut media from Harbor Freight with a capful of NuFinish in each tumbler load. Makes the cases sparkle and the NuFinish makes the cases slide through dies like buttah.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/photos/92100-92199/92155.gif (http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=92155)

[alamogunr]

I finally found the corn cob media in the fish, hamster, rabbit, etc section at Wal-Mart. Bought a bag that weighed approx. 10# for $2.57. The granule size is larger than what I had been using but I decided to test it anyway. Put about 35-40 pieces of .30-06 brass in the Midway vibrator and ran it about 2 hours. This stuff is NOT suitable for bottlenecked cases. The large pieces stick inside the case and are hard to get out. Next, I put about 100 9mm cases in and ran them all night since I do this in the shop and it was late when I started. The 9mm worked fine. A few extra turns on the separator got all the media out. Since I can buy this stuff locally, I'll stick with walnut shell for bottlenecked rifle cases and use this cheap corn cop stuff for handgun cases. If I need anything else, I'll order from Powder Valley as posted by someone else either here or on another thread. They are cheaper than the source I found and will sell smaller quantities. Thanks to all who posted. I hope others besides myself benefited.
John

[EDK]

The BLACK POWDER CARTRIDGE RIFLE shooters came up with a really great, but initally expensive solution. ..about $40. Sagebrush Products sells a ceramic media that also uses a tiny bit of chemical added to water in tumblers that will even clean primer pockets in deprimed brass. You haven't seen dirty until you see black powder fouling inside a casing!! The stuff lasts forever and WORKS!!!

Try some of the black powder sites like www.sagebrushproducts or shilohrifle or buffaloarms. They are all good people to deal with and use the products they make and sell.

:castmine:

[Ohio Rusty]

Since Ohio has been plagued with the winter nasties, and work was cancelled due to snow, cleaning cases is a fine way to pass the time off. I included a pic of my simple, yet effective set up that is running in the basement as I speak .... er ....type. The polisher/tumbler came from Harbor Freight on sale for $19.99, and has the inside capacity of a small 13 oz. can of coffee. I picked up the walnut media the other day from Wally World and added a bit of Finish 2001 car polish to the mix. The cases on the left are a thing of beauty !! Shiny, smooth, clean and ready to be deprimed and sized. The cases on the right are cruddy, dirty, and one you can even see turning green. I wouldn't shove those nasty cases into the sizer without a good cleaning, just to ensure my dies last a long time. Money is pretty tight in this family, so I have to do with what I can use and make things last the best I can.
Ohio Rusty
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v372/OhioRusty/Polisher-1.jpg

[dromia]

I bought the 6lb ceramic media and 2 pint cleaner along with the Thumlers Tumbler from Buffalo Arms to clean my BP cartridges.

With the exchange rate the way it is its just sooo cheap to buy direct from the US just now.

I already have an old Thumlers Tumbler for dry media that I've been using for years as my main case cleanerwith good effect but it wasn't doing the business on the BP cartridges, even pre soaked, corn cob or walnut.

I'm not anal about squeaky clean cases but I was getting some chambering issues with the Trapdoor.

I put the 6 lb of media with the required amount of solution and water, 100 x 45-70 cases, 50 x .577" Snider cases, 30 x 12.7mm and 50 x .450"/.577" MH cases with some room to spare, turned the whole shebang on for a couple of hours and was amazed when I opened the tumbler, brand new cases.

I am a enthusiastic ceramic media devotee now for BP cartridges. It is worth every pound, shilling and pence.

The draining, rinsing and drying associated with wet tumbling add more steps to the process but for the results are well worth it.

Ceramic is supposed to have a long operational life so it starts to look a better investment if you are not going to have to renew too often.

Go ceramic, go wet!

You won't look back

[Joel Chavez]

I couldn't agree with you more! :drinks:

[Dale53]

I haven't used my ceramic media long enough for me to give you a life story, but my friends shooting BPCR long term tell me the ceramic media lasts forever.

Bit of warning:
You MUST get the right size for your cartridge cases. If your ceramic media is too large for your cases, it can pack inside and take the very devil to get it out.

dromia;
After you tumble with the media, dump the cases in a kitchen collander (that bowl shaped thing with drain holes in it) and rinse them good in warm water. Then, while they are still damp, dump them into your DRY media and tumble dry. Just takes a little while and they come out "ready to play".

Do NOT use the collander for food after you have rinsed cases in it.

Dale53

[abunaitoo]

I've been using Phosphoric acid to clean my cases. It's the stuff used to clean bathroom scum and coffee pots. The one I use is Zep bathroom tub and tile cleaner. Cheap. Gallon is $6.00.
Do this outside. It smells. I spray lube, deprime/re-size, stand up the shells in a plastic bowl and pour in the Phosphoric acid to cover the shells. Next day pour the acid out into a container (can be used over) through a plastic collander, and wash the shells in water. Dry in a toaster oven and tumble.
I've been re-using the acid for a while. A white goo (I think it's the lube) settles to the bottom. I pour off the top and wash the goo out of the bowl.
Great thing with this is the insides of most of the cases come out really clean. The outside of the shells look shinny and new.
I clean this way to get the lube off the case, inside and out. Tried soap and hot water, but it didn't work. Could just tumble, but then the media clumps up wouldn't last to long. Using Midway lube.
Found this a while ago on a black powder site.

[dromia]

Hi Dale,

I have large kitchen sieve that sits across the Belfast sink in the workshop, I just dump from the tumbler into there and rinse of.

I then have an old garden riddle, 1/2" mesh that goes over the media container which the contents of the sieve gets dumped into, a quick shuggle and the ceramic media is separated from the cases.

Just need try your cases in the dry tumbler step now and I'm home.

How does the dry media dry out if you get my drift?

[uncle joe]

Ok fellers I'm new to this case cleanin, been usin dingy cases all my life, but I want to step up. I made me a vibratory tumbler last night "got lots of ideas from this site". I see people using cob, nutshell, rice and other media. What I need to know is some of the posts use liquid some use dry media only and some use a capful of polish. What is the prefered method? I just tried using kitty litter or oil dry, and the cases look like --- you know.

[725]

I only know what I do. If the case is really bad, I vibrate it in walnut shells. They seem pretty agressive and will do some hard and fast cleaning. Normally I vibrate with corn cob, strips of used dryer sheets, and a cap or half a cap of Nu-Finish car polish. The car polish has a fine abrassive in it and it does a fantastic job. Usually run it a few hours. The cut strips of used dryer sheets collects junk out of the media mix and keeps the media useful for a very long time. Throw the dryer strips away with each use and use "new" used ones each time. I end up with very nice brass.

[alleyyooper]

[smilie=1: I don't let my cases touch the filthy ground, one reason I shoot bolt actions.
:confused: If people give me their cases they get a dish soap bath no if ands or butts.
I run them all thru the dies after that then they go into a Beachwood Casey case cleaner bath in a 2 gallon pail with a lid.
Then they are set to dry. Once dry they go in my tumbler with a 5 pound bag of no name rice.
They shine when they come out.
Was good to see I am not the only one that uses rice. Was strarting to think I and the old gun smith that told me to use it were the only two people in the world that liked Rice in the thumbler.

:mrgreen: Al

[azcoyhunter]

I do not tumble my brass,

Is there a reason to tumble? Other than just having shiny brass that is easier to find?

Clint

[kirb]

Easier to inspect case, I like them clean before I run them through dies and in my firearms. I use a universal decapper, polish the brass inspect cases. Ready to reload.

Kirb

[carpetman]

my cases almost never touch the ground,but I tumble them after sizing to remove the case lube and that they get shiney is an added benefit.