Ceramic tumbling media

[DeanoBeanCounter]

I know industry uses ceramic tumbling media in some manufacturing processes. Does anyone know if it's safe to use on brass and where can someone get a hold of small ceramic peaces at a good price. I checked Amazon and they seem to sell 10 little balls for around $20. Out of my reach. There is stainless steel but I don't know where to get any of that stuff ether. Will either ceramic or stainless steel work in a standard vibrating tumbler?
Dean
:veryconfu

[bangerjim]

Harbor Freight has in their stores a 5# can of ceramic "diamonds" used for rust removal. Sells for around $20 if I remember right. I don't know what it would do on thin wall brass! Used for rust removal without rounding edges of steel threads and such.

Post your results if you try it!

[Phoenix]

SS media is easy to find. Midway has it. Someone here on the forum sells it. STM (ad at the top) sells it.

Some do use ceramic media. but both SS and ceramic require a wet tumble. Two reasons, One the media just goes to the bottom of the vibratory tumbler and doesn't do much, Two Dry tumbling with SS or ceramic can work harden the brass. I tumbled a drum dry once, there was an awefull lot of brass dust in the bottom. Had to scrap the lot. The brass would crack from just sizing it.

Ceramic costs allot more than the SS does.

[montana_charlie]

Does anyone know if it's safe to use on brass and where can someone get a hold of small ceramic peaces at a good price.
You want the 'small non-abrasive ceramic' which is the second item down on this page ...
http://www.therockshed.com/grit2.html

CM

Yeah ... no "general forum Help, Info , Member Prayers and Board Updates" in this post, but the guy deserves to be helped ... even if he has posted in the wrong section.

[longranger]

Ceramic media does a great job on straight wall cartridges marginal or flat out disastrous with most bottleneck cartridges.Ceramic does not clean primer pockets well. S.S. alleviates all of those conditions,nothing is going to clean your brass better than a Thumblers Tumbler (B model) and S.S. media.Lemi Shine(Wal Mart .$3.00) Dawn dish soap. I scraped all of my vibratory tumblers, now everything from 45-90 to 218 Bee. Quieter,faster,no airborne bad stuff.

[Dean D.]

STM is a sponsor here and has a banner on the top of our page. I'd check them out if your looking for SS media ;) :)

[John Boy]

Deano, you want "polishing" ceramic media, not the HF abrasive "cutting" media. Yes, pins and polishing media will work in a vibratory with the corn or walnut but ... it's going to take longer and not work as well as a rotary tumbler with polishing ceramic media and a burnishing solution

I sold all my vibrators and use Kramer K-Polish 2mm ceramic triangles - Strat-O-Sheen burnishing solution in a Lortone QT66 rotary. It has 2 6# drums with baffles and take about an hour to make the brass inside & outside - spotless!
76230
76231 ... PS: These a black powder reload cases!:bigsmyl2: