Tumbler Media

[RedRabbit]

Is there a problem or a good reason why you can't refresh your tumbler media with Brasso ??? It does a good job with old media. I only did a small amount of misc brass , just in case I screwed up,so now
I'll wait for a good answer.Thanks

[Bonz]

I have read on this forum several times that Brasso ruins the brass and makes it not safe to shoot anymore. Don't remember exactly why...

[MUSTANG]

Brasso contains ammonia and overtime this can make the brass brittle.

I have used it in the past in a vibratory tumbler, and not experienced problems; but each individual mileage may vary. Stainless steel pins do a better job, my first choice for badly tarnished/stained brass now.


P.S.

I shined many a brass buckle, bell and plaques in the military and never had one of them break either.

[Sweetpea]

Seems it attacks the brass on a molecular level, and weakens it/turns it brittle.

[Sweetpea]

P.S.

I shined many a brass buckle, bell and plaques in the military and never had one of them break either.

None of them were trying to contain 60K psi inches from your face, either...

[dragon813gt]

Look up Season Cracking and you will find why you don't ever want to use Brasso.

[leadmonkey]

Brasso does contain ammonia, and ammonia is harmful to brass. However, ammonia is also very volatile. If exposed to air, it will evaporate away in a matter of hours, if not minutes.

[bhn22]

Brasso hardens the surface of brass. After a while, the case will crack when it expands. Somewhere around here is a collection of split 41 mag cases that I used Brasso on. They all cracked lengthwise in the middle, but the case mouth itself wasn't cracked at all, just the middle. Strange...

[sirgknight]

try using a cap full of nufinish car polish and a Tbsp of paint thinner. works great and won't damage the brass.

[jcwit]

Let the Brasso dry out in the media and all that's left if the polishing compound which will not damage the brass.

But actually, just use an Auto cleaner wax/polish, then you get the best of 2 worlds. It will polish the brass plus it will deposit a finish on the cases to prevent tarnish. NuFinish seems to be the most popular but any auto cleaner wax/polish will just fine. I've used Kit, Mothers, and others, they all work well.

[Mike Kerr]

I am using NuFinish right now but I use any automotive polisher, cleaner, wax, whatever is priced cheap & looks like it would work on your delicate foo foo car.

If you notice any sarcasm its because "molecular level" damage from Brasso may be a scientific
possibility but in practice it is probably an overstatement. I remember reading the same thing decades ago when I first started using additives in media other than "proven snake oil" from whatever company was doing a negative smear campaign on a competitors product. It is one of the sad facts of our hobby that these manufacturers try their best to elevate their product to mystical levels when relatively common commercial products work just fine. Read what our experienced members will tell you about boolit lube from everyday products. Rant over.

[DougGuy]

O/T a little, I found Pet Smart a decent and affordable source for walnut hulls and corncob media.

[joelitespeed]

O/T a little, I found Pet Smart a decent and affordable source for walnut hulls and corncob media.

I found a bag of walnut there for 3$ Was ripped and taped by the store..

[Garyshome]

I use Lizzard litter form Pet smart. Then Nu Finish Car Polish& a couple of caps full of mineral spirits, and some 1 used dryer sheet torn up into 4 pieces to keep the concoction clean. Lizzard litter does not plug up the flash hole.

[mdi]

FWIW, I started reloading pre-web so a lot of info I got was from personal experience. I Didn't tumble my brass for the first 12 years and if I wanted "BBQ" ammo, I'd slip a case on a wooden mandrel in a drill, and polish with Brasso. I would just wipe each case with a mineral spirits dampened rag as I inspected it before reloading, and reloaded those "BBQ" cases several times. I suspect that there was not enough ammonia in the Brasso to affect my brass. But again, I didn't have the benefit of the web to tell me what I was doing wrong...

I have seen pics of corroded/degraded brass rifle cases exposed to ammonia/mercury in primers though (?)...

[Mike Kerr]

mdi wrote:
I have seen pics of corroded/degraded brass rifle cases exposed to ammonia/mercury in primers though (?)...

No doubt, but the brasso on reloading brass concerns seem to be a different color of horse.

[SteveK]

I use Lizzard litter form Pet smart. Then Nu Finish Car Polish& a couple of caps full of mineral spirits, and some 1 used dryer sheet torn up into 4 pieces to keep the concoction clean. Lizzard litter does not plug up the flash hole.

I too have found lizard litter to be both effective, cheep and readily available. On the downside, it's no faster than a medium such as Lyman Tufnut. Occasionally I sell .223 cases I buy from uncle sugar which I clean in a vibratory tumbler, lube, size and de-cap, then tumble clean with stainless steel pins. The result is a case which is 99% spotless with a dull brass sheen. Like most of you guys, I like shooting pretty boolits, so I end up vibrating them in tufnut and lizard litter for several hours to give 'em a good shine. I wish I could speed up the last step. Any ideas besides adding the brasso?

[Echo]

I use a teaspoon of jewelers rouge, and a glug of mineral spirits in my media. A dryer sheet works, too.

[squirrelnuttz]

I tried using corn cob for hamster cages without additive, just a sheet of ripped up paper towel.Cleaned the cases ok, butgave a dull finish.Then I spied a can of fluid film on the bench and tried a few batches of the same old media but with the paper towel liberally sprayed with the fluid film.4 hrs. Later, the shiniest batch yet, with a thin anti tarnish film.Also seems that the fluid film on the towel strips helps to clean the small particulates out of the media better than just the towel, plus its less dusty when separating.I did 3or 4 batches and now the media itself has taken on the fluid film so I use less on the towel strips.

[13Echo]

I use walnut with three or four caps full of mineral spirits and a tablespoon full of Bon-Ami. Start the tumbler, add the mineral spirits and let it distribute evenly and then the Bon-Ami. Brass is usually pretty in an hour or two.

Works very well and is faster than straight walnut or corncob and a lot less expensive than ceramic or SS media. The Bon-Ami is a very fine scouring powder suitable for cleaning glass so it won't erode the brass or leave a residue like rouge frequently does. It will not harm a barrel if some does get launched downrange. The mineral spirits also will help remove any resizing lube on the cases better than straight media. Just reload the media with spirits when it dries and occasionally recharge with Bon-Ami. Discard the media when it finally becomes loaded with old lube and dirt after many cycles.

Jerry Liles

[oldfart1956]

Fellers I must have bought the wrong stuff. I got a 10qt. bag of Zilla brand ground English walnut shells and this stuff is like sand it's so fine. It's the only stuff I've been able to locate locally. I tried it and it's doing a poor job and the cases are covered in dust afterwards. I mean lots of dust...inside and out. Haven't put any additives in yet, just a bit of used dryer sheet which didn't help. Should I assume there are differing grinds or coarseness of this stuff? Audie...the puzzled Oldfart.

[jcwit]

Buy Blasting Media either corn cob or crushed walnut, its what is was made for therefore it works. Check out your local grainger Ind. Supply.