Corn cob or walnut

[Buck-N-Rut]

Opinions. What's best? And go.....

[robpete]

http://www.petco.com/product/102881/Zilla-Ground-English-Walnut-Shells-Reptile-Bedding.aspx?CoreCat=OnSiteSearch

[OnceFired]

Depends on what you're trying to accomplish.

Cob is generally bigger granules - definitely so if you buy at pet stores. Cob is great for polishing, but not quite as good at cleaning. Walnut is finer and harder in general - better for cleaning, not for polishing as much.

If you're cleaning rifle brass with necks, walnut is the way to go. Straight walled pistol then cob is ok, because the bigger granules of cob won't generally get stuck in pistol but they will in rifle.

Either way, getting the fine crushed cob or fine crushed walnut is usually best vs the more coarse varieties. It won't get caught in the flash holes, which is a real bear if you've deprimed before cleaning.

[freebullet]

Once fired summed it up well for you.
Fine ground corn cob is my fav. Less ss pins
Walnut will resurrect some dirty cases but won't shine as much & is much dustier in my exp

[Miata Mike]

I like Lyman walnut. I add Nufinish cut with mineral spirits. I have been using Lyman corn cob too and like the polish. Both work for me.

[fcvan]

I've tried both, and prefer ground walnut. Reptile bedding at Petco is ground walnut and cheaper. Of late, I'm getting very long life from the media, and like new shine on the brass. I have to thank members here for their knowledge.

When I first started reloading with my dad, we didn't polish anything. Steel dies meant case lube and other than wiping the case lube off we never cleaned the brass. Eventually, the brass was very dark and 'seasoned' as one guy put it. We never considered polishing the brass.

Back in the mid 80s, my dad bought me a Lyman vibratory case cleaner for my birthday. I used to run my brass straight from the range into the tumbler. The media got dirty quick and the brass was cleaner, but not shiny like new. I once bought some corn cob with polishing rouge in it but that stuff got dirty fast. I went back to walnut.

I got tired of my media getting dirty fast so I started de-priming my brass, washing in soapy water, and then polishing in the Lyman. The media lasted longer and the brass was a little shinier. A few years ago, I read about using Dawn dishwashing detergent and lemon juice. Now, I deprime, wash in soapy water, and then resize. Clean brass keeps my dies and press cleaner.

After sizing, the brass then goes in the dish soap/lemon juice for a few minutes. I just strain and put into the Lyman. The soap/lemon juice dries soon enough. I also read somewhere about using some polishing wax in the vibratory cleaner. I started putting a tablespoon of Turtle Zip Wash in the media and the brass comes out very clean and with a light coat of wax. This seems to seal the brass and helps slow oxidization. Now my brass looks like new factory brass. Washing the brass and using the Zip Wash cut my polish time in half.

A while ago, I was running out of ground walnut and couldn't get to the pet store. I put the media in a zippered burlap bag (it came with some brand of rice, about a 25 lb bag) and washed the media. Wood grain swells when wet and the media seemed 'roughed up' after it dried. The media turned dark with use but still shines up the brass nicely. Although I now have some new media, I am testing to see how long I can wash/recycle my old media. I clean/dry the media after about 40 hours of run time and have cleaned the current media about 5 times. When the media is completely shot, I use it for flux/carbon during large smelting operations.

[Taylor]

Walnut with an occasional squirt if nufinish.All I've ever used,no complaints.

[youngda9]

fcvan...that's a lot of fooling around for shiny brass. I just chuck it into the press when I get home from the range for a few hours. Pull it out and reload as normal. No soap water soaking/cleaning, gunky polishing compounds, etc. Just tumble and resize works just fine. No issue with dies getting dirty from the brass. Tumble lube building up after a while is another story.

[Muddydogs]

Corn cob and Nu Finish is all a guy needs. 2 hours for fired brass, 1 hour to clean case lube and 3 to 4 hours for dirty nasty range brass that I might pick up. Throw in a used dryer sheet to collect the dust and some dirt as well. I use my media until it gets a green tint to it and some times longer which takes ? 1000's of cases. Just guessing but I probably clean 20,000 cases using the same media maybe more. For this reason I just order the media from Midway as there bulk box is 3 to 4 tumbler changes which will get me through a few years.

[ku4hx]

I've been using this stuff for the last several years: http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2752164 Works good; lasts long time. A cap full of Nu Finish and this stuff and my cases come out clean, bright and shiny.

You can also get something similar at Harbor Freight and other stores. Wal Mart here seems to have stopped selling it but that's fine with me.

[Hip's Ax]

I use walnut and polish for cleaning grungy brass and corn and polish for making the brass shiny. I always finish in plain corn to remove any polish residue and I have a seperate batch of plain corn to remove spray lube from resizing. The polish I use is Midway as it is ammonia free.

[Shiloh]

Corn Cob.

http://search.yahoo.com/search;_ylt=AtxcNzUMbtQR7b9MkQoRc4ubvZx4?p=Grainge r+20%2F40+corn+cob&toggle=1&cop=mss&ei=UTF-8&fr=yfp-t-900

I paid less than $30 for mine some years back. No shipping as I picked it up there. Sold some, gave some away, and still have a lifetime supply. Find shooters to go in with.

Shiloh

[jsheyn]

I've always heard cob for polishing and walnut for cleaning....I've been using walnut for as long as I can remember and never tested or tried the theory

[fredj338]

As noted cob takes longer more of a polisher than cleaner. So I mix 50/50 cob/walnut, seems best fo both.

[MtGun44]

Walnut is potentially an irritant, many people get allergic to walnut wood from breathing
fine sawdust and sanding dust. Walnut trees generate biological toxins in their roots
the poison plants in the area around the tree and kill them. Some people develop
severe allergies to walnut, probably from this toxin. I have used walnut hulls and
not had much issue, but I found the dust to smell and taste unpleasant in the air, so
stopped using it.

Not so with corn cob, which is my preferred material now, with a dash of NuFinish every
batch or so.

http://www.ehow.com/about_6702950_effects-walnut-wood-humans.html

Bill

[fcvan]

Yes, that's a lot of fiddling around. I don't have to get that involved for regular cleaning. I guess I should have stated that when I find black range brass I can get it shiny like new. I don't go to that extreme each time i reload. Once it is clean like new it is easy to keep it that way. Using a little Turtle Zip Wash in the media seals the brass somewhat so it doesn't oxidize as quickly.

With already shiny brass I've just shot, I deprime/resize, and give it a 5 minute bath in soapy water. Then I drain and then put the brass in the Lyman 1200 still wet. The media and the brass is dry in an hour and the brass is pretty like new again. I just don't like powder and primer compound going I to my case cleaner. It fouls up the media PDQ.

[Neo]

I found some corn cob cat litter in pellet form could I use this for tumbling media. As I can't seem to find any walnut media or other type corn cob media I asked at the pet shop but a no go hard to find the stuff here in Australia.

[BAGTIC]

Only Black Walnuts produce the toxins.

[sirgknight]

If you decide on corn cob media, try www.zorotools.com. they have a 50 lb bag of the 20/40 grit for about .67/lb and cheap shipping.

[Dale in Louisiana]

If you're around a reasonably industrial area, check with an industrial painting contractor for blasting media. You can get either corncob or walnut hulls for cheap.

Absent that, PetsMart or PetCo both have the walnut hulls. It's what I use along with some Dillon Rapid Polish.

dale in Louisiana

[Echo]

I use corn cod granules augmented with about a teaspoon of jeweler's rouge. Dump in the new media, add rouge, run for 20 minutes to circulate, add a dollop of mineral spirits, run another 20 minutes, and press on...

[pmeisel]

third choice -- rice. Easy to find, cheap... works ok for me.

[Changeling]

For crying out loud it's not a dam beauty contest, either one will do a fine job.

[mdi]

I've always heard cob for polishing and walnut for cleaning....I've been using walnut for as long as I can remember and never tested or tried the theory I started with walnut shells a bunch of years ago (Petsmart Lizzard Litter) and tried just about everything else during my "tumbling experiment" time ( dried coffee grounds, white rice, beach sand, wood chips, BBs, bead blasting glass, dirt [surprisingly good], and a half dozen other things I can't remember right now). I found unless you want a virgin, high polished brass, walnut media will work quite well. I found some walnut bedding on line and ordered it, but it was different from what I first used and it works about the same, no better than corn cob media. I don't remember the name but it's called Desert Blend. A tumbler full of the media linked plus, a dab of auto polish will make your brass clean and shiny (but not high gloss).

[mdi]

Walnut is potentially an irritant, many people get allergic to walnut wood from breathing
fine sawdust and sanding dust. Walnut trees generate biological toxins in their roots
the poison plants in the area around the tree and kill them. Some people develop
severe allergies to walnut, probably from this toxin. I have used walnut hulls and
not had much issue, but I found the dust to smell and taste unpleasant in the air, so
stopped using it.

Not so with corn cob, which is my preferred material now, with a dash of NuFinish every
batch or so.

http://www.ehow.com/about_6702950_effects-walnut-wood-humans.html

Bill
OK Bill, now you've gone and done it! You gave the "Chicken Littles" something else to be afraid of; toxic tumbling media...[smilie=w:

:kidding:

[trixter]

I like walnut 'lizard litter', and a capful of Nu-Finish about every 4th batch & strips of used dryer sheets to gather the dirt and dust. Like new every time.

[dragon813gt]

How shiny do you guys need your brass? I use fine walnut blasting media from harbor freight. It's a $1 a pound and lasts a very long time. This is one area where I'm not after a deal because of how long it lasts. Here are some 308 range pickups after a run through the walnut w/ nufinish and mineral spirits added.
http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa39/dragon813gt/TimeToMakeAmmo/06D2612F-9CE2-4C92-AF87-A2E05A51E6CF-1331-000000A0A5808A61.jpg

[curator]

If you shoot black powder or one of the substitutes you will find that corn cob will not clean the inside of the case like crushed walnut shells. BTW crushed walnut lizzard bedding is made with "Carpinthian" walnut shells (walnuts of commerce), not Black Walnut and does not contain Juglone the toxic and irritating substance found in those hulls. I mix cob and walnut about 40/60 for a nice clean shine and clean cases inside and out. I do find that I have to clear a few flash holes where a walnut granule gets lodged but there is no abrasive used so cases can go from tumbler to sizing dies without concern. I usually de-prime with a universal die then clean, then resize as necessary.

[mdi]

Jes wonderin'. Why is it necessary to have clean shiny case interiors? I can understand (but don't require/need/like. Heard all the reasons/excuses) ultra shiny, virgin looking brass with pristine primer pockets. But without chunks of debris inside the case, nuttin' but the normal black soot, why would anyone want polished case interiors? :confused:

[Dale in Louisiana]

Can't we just compromise?


I stopped for gas the other day and there on the shelf was the ultimate answer to this debate: Corn Nuts!

dale in Louisiana

[tunnug]

If you decide on corn cob media, try www.zorotools.com. they have a 50 lb bag of the 20/40 grit for about .67/lb and cheap shipping.
You can also get this same stuff from Graingers, they call it blasting media, I got a 50lb bag for a little over $20 on sale (brand was being changed), I've had it for almost 10 yrs and it's about half gone.