Tumbler media dust strategies

[Merick]

I have no answers, only questions. This must be the nastiest part of reloading.

(I did try wet tumbling but I thought it was a real hassle and hard to get much volume.)

Using walnut lizard litter and nu-finish, dryer sheets and mineral spirits sort of help. Next time I'm going to make a tack cloth and throw that in.

Any other ideas?

[Dan Cash]

I made lids from 1/4 in ply wood and faced them with some shock absorbing mat. I drop them on the central bolt that comes out the top of my tumblers and tighten the wing nut tight. All dust stays in the bowl.

[Sam Casey]

Outside on deck or patio. In garage with door open. Better yet, sell the tumbler and go to chemical wash.

[Dadswickedammo]

FYI....Walnut dust very harmful to breath....

[RogerDat]

Some nu finish and a splash of mineral spirits, cover and run for a few minutes to get the lizard litter evenly damped before putting in the brass, pretty much dust free. Not going to say no dirt or dust at all but cleaning grubby brass isn't exactly a clean operation.

Having less dirt on the brass can also help, I soak mine in bucket with a teaspoon or two of citric acid (pickling salts for canning) then rinse, and allow to dry. This citric acid wash helps clean, de-tarnish, and preserve the brass and also removes a lot of the dirt, and crud without dealing with dust. That washing puts less dust in the tumbler which means less dust in the media.

[toallmy]

I try to do my tumbling on the porch . I cast lead in the basement , but won't use the tumbler in the house .

[dverna]

I do not get much dust out of the tumbler, but the two vibratory cleaners are another story. I use one of the cleaners or liquid wax with a bit of mineral spirits added.

[dragon813gt]

Add enough mineral spirits so it's wet but doesn't clump. This keeps dust to a very minimum. If the media isn't wet you're going to have dust regardless of what else you do. The mineral spirits evaporate so you may have to add more if you're running multiple batches.

[William Yanda]

I suspect tumbler dust is a significant source of lead pollution. Wear a mask for personal safety. Take care to prevent contaminating the area. Dampening before sorting, control dust released to the area.

[mdi]

What do you consider a "lot of dust"? My wobbler does produce dust, but so little it is not noticed. Maybe because I use my wobbler on the floor? I just use corn cob blast media and crushed walnut blast media and a touch of auto polish. My rotary tumbler is "sealed" so there is only dust when it's emptied...

[salpal48]

There are several ways to remove Dust. In the commercial sector The Tumblers have a Filter Or suction system . That Removes It. Most Reloaders do not Have That system.. The simple way Is To put a New box of media on a Very Fine fiber screen material( window screen) . Then wet It down and wash. Just plain water. . Then spread it Out and Let it dry.
This will remove Most of It. But as you use Media . Due to the constant Grinding It will make it's one dust again
If your washing Old media. Use liquid soap and degreaser to remove built up Lube

[KohlerK91]

Put some dryer sheets in the tumbler it will attract alot of dust.

[Walter Laich]

Not a direct answer to your question but this is one of main reasons I went to wet tumbling with pins.

Do it on the tailgate of truck which is outside the garage.

Keeps reloading area most dust free and no noise if I'm reloading at same time

[abunaitoo]

I've had good results with fresh tangerine peels.
I'm sure orange or lemon peels will also work.
Just peel and toss them in.
They come out at the end of tumble.

[lightman]

I've never really had a problem with dust but I run mine outside in the garage. I put a cap full of mineral spirits and a cap full of car polish in the media and run it enough to get it mixed up. Before I did the mineral spirits I used a strip cut from a used dryer sheet.

[Bullwolf]

The simple way Is To put a New box of media on a Very Fine fiber screen material( window screen) . Then wet It down and wash. Just plain water. . Then spread it Out and Let it dry.
This will remove Most of It. But as you use Media . Due to the constant Grinding It will make it's one dust again
If your washing Old media. Use liquid soap and degreaser to remove built up Lube

Great tip from salpal48

I'm cheap enough that I have washed my dirty corn cob media a couple times to refresh it. Easy enough to do in a plastic tub in the sink, with a squirt of dawn dish soap.

You can dry the media out in the sun, or on a cookie sheet in the oven if you prefer. However if you don't get the media completely dry and store it in a sealed container, it will mold.

I wont say just how many times I've washed media, but it's probably a big reason why mine's not as dusty as the filthy walnut or corn cob that we'd use at work.



- Bullwolf

[Johnny_Cyclone]

Put some dryer sheets in the tumbler it will attract alot of dust.

+1


I use, used ones, cut them into 4 or 5 strips and toss in two or three. Save the rest under the bench for later.

[mdi]

Lots of good ideas, and I guess it all depends on what you're used to. I'm from L.A. and I guess I'm used to dirty air. I can run a wobbler full of brass and cob media all day and the air in my small shop is cleaner than the L.A. air in the summer...:bigsmyl2:

[David2011]

Not all walnut media is equal. I've tried using "lost circulation material," a crushed walnut shell product. It was horribly dusty and I gave it away. I got a bag of crushed walnut at PetSmart that had been torn, maybe lost a few ounces, at a great price and it's OK but not great. For the last 8-9 years I've used almost exclusively fine corn cob blast media; I think 14/20 grit. It will go through primer flash holes. With the addition of Nu-Finish and mineral spirits there is no noticeable dust when I open the tumbler. I agree with the concerns of others about polisher dust carrying fine lead dust.

[W.R.Buchanan]

Get a Tumbler with a Lid and use it. I have a Thumler's Ultra Vibe 10 model and it has a lid. As long as the lid is on it is no mess at all. with the lid off it creates a serious mess and the dust goes everywhere.

Dryer Sheets also will suck up a lot of dust. But you still have to have the bowl covered when running.

Randy

[KohlerK91]

Get a Tumbler with a Lid and use it. I have a Thumler's Ultra Vibe 10 model and it has a lid. As long as the lid is on it is no mess at all. with the lid off it creates a serious mess and the dust goes everywhere.

Dryer Sheets also will suck up a lot of dust. But you still have to have the bowl covered when running.

Randy
Its not so much a problem when the tumbler is running, it is when it's not running.

The part when you have to seperate the media from the brass is when the dust shows up.

[dragon813gt]

Its not so much a problem when the tumbler is running, it is when it's not running.

The part when you have to seperate the media from the brass is when the dust shows up.

http://www.cabelas.com/product/CABELAS-ROTARY-BRASS-MEDIA-SEPARATOR/2195139.uts

Keep it contained and it's not an issue. The bottom is cut out of mine and it sits on a bucket. The media dumps directly into the bucket. The most exposure I'm subjected to is when pouring the media from the tumbler into the separator.

[Ickisrulz]

If you could add a port that would allow you to empty it via a closed system, you would almost eliminate all the potential for airborne dust.

Maybe a port from the top or side that you could attach a hose to and pour it into a bucket with an identical port. Then after the brass is emptied, you can refill the tumbler from the bucket.

These links show tumblers with a port:

https://www.amazon.com/Raytech-AV-18-Standard-Vibratory-Capacity/dp/B00BF06IWI/ref=pd_sbs_328_img_0?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=2XD7YFRFSP84TXSHB2MV

https://www.grainger.com/product/RAYTECH-Vibratory-Tumbler-5UJH4

[44magLeo]

I gave up on using tumblers or vibrator type cleaners. The dust in the air not only has media dust but also lead from primer soot in primer pockets. This lead dust if breathed in can cause lead poisoning.
Not a good thing. I use water soluble lubes and use a cleaning solution made of water, Dawn dish soap and a bit of vinegar. No dust and I don't drink the solution so no lead poisoning.
Leo
Leo

[salpal48]

As said above Not all Media Is the same. . Tumblers Need Blast media. . Pet litter and Harbor Freight media Is not a good choice . Yes it works But it is the Scrap of making media. Drillspot and Kramer Industries make or sell blast media. Other companies sell it To. It is a better grade and available In different grit. with most better companies the dust is filtered Off. . It is more expensive But . will last longer and Just better in general.

[dragon813gt]

As said above Not all Media Is the same. . Tumblers Need Blast media. . Pet litter and Harbor Freight media Is not a good choice.

Harbor Freight is blast media. We use it in my friend's sand blaster w/ no issues. There is nothing wrong w/ this media. The pet store stuff I will agree w/.

[RP]

I have held a shop vac just above my running tumblers to suck the dust up when it gets really bad. I also use the outer tips stated here I been thinking of adding a small exhaust fan with some tubing to the lids and venting it outside of the shop. When I can I run them outside on a small table and leave the lids off the wind carries the dust away.

[tankgunner59]

My dry tumbler is a Lyman 1200 Turbo, and I decided to quit eating dust. So I got one of my wife's old dish towels, I put a small piece of duct tape on either side in the center. I then cut a hole in the middle of the tape, just large enough for the top bolt to fit through. Then put on the tumbler bowl top then the dish towel and a small washer and the nut. With the dryer sheets and everything else in the tumbler it contains the dust quite well. :-P