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Thread: Rice tumbling media!

  1. #1
    Boolit Master
    Freightman's Avatar
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    Thumbs up Rice tumbling media!

    I bought a 50# bag of rice for eating, but that is not the whole story. I was out of media so took a pound or two of the rice and used it, works quite well, I had 5# of B-B's that have been sitting on the shelf for years I reasoned that would be good to polish the brass, so dumped them in "WOW" it cleans inside and out to look new and they do not ware out. Best looking brass I have had in years.
    Frank G.

  2. #2
    Boolit Master

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    The rice will work well a couple times, but then it will start to break into smaller pieces until it ends up a powder.
    Jon

  3. #3
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    Corn cob and walnut hull media are cheap when you buy it at the pet store, and you don't take valuable food grain out of the food chain. There are people fixing to starve out there, who would love a pound of rice.

  4. #4
    Boolit Master
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    Well If they want it I will give them a 5# bag of rice but I do not happen to be where a # of rice will make a difference, and I didn't want to run to the store in a 40mile round trip to get walnut or corn cobb.
    Frank G.

  5. #5
    Boolit Master
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    You added some stainless steel BBs into the mix?
    That could be a cheap alternative to the SS media.
    Ronald Reagan once said that the most terrifying words in the English language are: "I'm from the government and I'm here to help".
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  6. #6
    Boolit Master

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    As far as the SS BBs go you can get them for 85 cents a pound , if you buy a bulk barrel of possibly 100 lbs of .085 dia BBs

  7. #7
    Boolit Grand Master

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    Rice is a temporary fix for media availability. Works good for a while but soon turns to rice powder. I've found it's not a given to walk into a pet store and find pet bedding that will work for brass cleaning. A lot of the corn cob bedding is flake and won't work in a tumbler and some stores don't carry walnut. I've tried a bunch of stuff for tumbling (wobbler and rotary) and some work some don't; beach sand, rice and dried beans/peas, wood chips, coffee grounds, cat litter (not the diotomacious earth, but one called "Good Mews" which works fair to good), and pea gravel. I went back to the tried and true corn cob blast media and walnut shell abrasive...
    My Anchor is holding fast!

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by Freightman View Post
    Well If they want it I will give them a 5# bag of rice but I do not happen to be where a # of rice will make a difference, and I didn't want to run to the store in a 40mile round trip to get walnut or corn cobb.
    So send for corn cob from here, freight free and less than $ .85 cents per lb.

    Brought right to your door.

    http://www.drillspot.com/products/52...bs_blast_media
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  9. #9
    Boolit Grand Master WILCO's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Moondawg View Post
    There are people fixing to starve out there, who would love a pound of rice.
    Don't believe that for a second. There's more folks on foodstamps than ever before. After all, it drives the economy.
    "Everyone has a plan, until they get punched in the face!" - Mike Tyson

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  10. #10
    Boolit Buddy
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    I used rice for tumbling media once; left a film on the brass that was VERY hard to remove. After that I bought 50# bags of both corn & walnut media from a janitorial co for $25 a bag . That was over 10years ago & still have a whole bunch left!

  11. #11
    Boolit Buddy

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    Did you use wild rice, brown rice, white rice, long grain, short grain? Too complicated, I'll use corn cob media.

  12. #12
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    I've been using rice for years. I use it until it is so black even I can't stand it any longer as it looks like mouse turds on the garage floor (wife gets upset). I've never had it break down into "powder" in either a Thumbler or a vibrator. I get the cheap stuff at the asian store. I prefer long stemmed as it doesn't plug primer pockets as easily.

    Larry Gibson

  13. #13
    Boolit Bub
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    Look for crushed walnut lizard bedding at the pet store. Works great and pretty cheap too.

  14. #14
    Boolit Master


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    Quote Originally Posted by Larry Gibson View Post
    I've been using rice for years. I use it until it is so black even I can't stand it any longer as it looks like mouse turds on the garage floor (wife gets upset). I've never had it break down into "powder" in either a Thumbler or a vibrator. I get the cheap stuff at the asian store. I prefer long stemmed as it doesn't plug primer pockets as easily.

    Larry Gibson
    I took Larry's advice and started using LG rice,works great for me,brass looks like gold when done!GT27
    You can't buy common sense,and stupidity can't be fixed!

  15. #15
    Boolit Master 1874Sharps's Avatar
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    You know, my mom used to tell me about all the starving people in China when I was little and left food on my plate. She said that until the day I said, "Name one!"

  16. #16
    Boolit Master
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    I think Hi-Tech still sells their corn cob media for $7 -- 10 pounds. -- Bill --

  17. #17
    Boolit Master
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    i'll ty the rice, thanks Larry!

  18. #18
    Boolit Bub tadeus's Avatar
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    Rice works quite well. I´ve been using it for a year and the brass gets shiny and clean.

  19. #19
    Boolit Bub Edub's Avatar
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    I use Walnut lizard litter. $35 shipped for 50 pounds. Works like a champ. I always add a couple dryer sheets too.

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  20. #20
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    I started using rice a couple years ago and the results are good. It was a lot cheaper than corn cob or walnut when I factored in the shipping. No good local sources.
    Paul

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