# A question for the reloaders?



## Oakshire_Farm (Dec 4, 2008)

My FIL is a reloader, I know nothing about it....... But last week while hanging out a the range, he mentioned that he wanted a case cleaner for his brass.

I just found a "toy" rock tumbler. Last night my husband took some brass coloured it with a marker and put it in the tumbler. We put the cases in and figured it needed something abrasive, so we used sugar. It worked fantastic!

But I am hoping someone will be able to tell me are you supposed to use as the abrasive?


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## Silvercreek Farmer (Oct 13, 2005)

Most folks use corn cob media maybe with a little polishing paste of some sort added. The media can be purchased eithier as such or as "Lizard Bedding" at most pet stores (cheaer of course). The polishing paste can be as such or some folks just use some liquid car wax.


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## wannabechef (Nov 20, 2012)

Corn cob media and Nu Finish car polish is what I use...works great...a rock tumbler is really not the best way...I would not use sugar because of its cost...I use my sugar for tea!


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## Dutch 106 (Feb 12, 2008)

check out cabelas or some other large reloading supply co. what your fil is looking for is a vibrating case tumbler.
Dutch


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## Silvercreek Farmer (Oct 13, 2005)

Just a note that tumbling/vibrating used brass has been identified as a significant source of ingestable lead to the handloader because of the dust it generates. Probably best to at least wear a dust mask when sifting through the media, and, as always, wash up well afterwards.


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## Malamute (Sep 15, 2011)

I've heard that putting a couple used dryer sheets in the media while running it will absorb some of the dust.


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## Chuck R. (Apr 24, 2008)

Malamute said:


> I've heard that putting a couple used dryer sheets in the media while running it will absorb some of the dust.


It works! Generally keeps your media a little cleaner. 

I use lizard bedding from a pet store most of the time in a Dillon vibrating cleaner with a polish added . For my black powder cartridge rifles I use a tumbler with ceramic media. 

Lizard bedding is pretty much dust free. 

Chuck


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## wannabechef (Nov 20, 2012)

There is also a liquid case cleaner that requires zero tumbling...you just have to dry the cases after cleaning.


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

if your using a rock tumbler stainless steel media is well what us reloaders dream about well some of us 

the stainless steel medial is little bitty stainless steel rods bigger than a flash hole but small enough to get in ever where 

a squirt of dawn dish soap a little lemi shine and a rock tumbler full of dirty brass and warm water makes for about the brightest brass i have seen 


the wet system also keeps air born lead down to none although there may be small amounts of lead in the water but that can be deposed of easier than cleaning airborne lead particles

Stainless Steel Reloading Supplies | Tumblers, Seperators, Media & More!


i don't have a tumbler so i use a dedicated quart mason jar a drop of soap and a heaping table spoon of citric acid and nearly boiling water to clean my brass , not nearly as shiny as the stainless steel media but , it makes clean brass free of powder residue and such and it is cheap 

for the wet brass i have a dedicated colander i rinse it in the jar a few times then dump in the colander and rinse with hot water in the utility sink , then spread on a towel and fold the towel over roll it around a bit in the towel and then leave out to dry 


besides looking nice shiny brass is easier to find in the grass other wise it is mostly an aesthetics thing the citric acid leaves kind of a dull finish but is kind of like bluing or anodizing for brass it actually is supposed to leave it less suitable to corrosion


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## zant (Dec 1, 2005)

The only reason to clean brass is so you don't scratch dies.....has no bearing on accuracy.


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

zant said:


> The only reason to clean brass is so you don't scratch dies.....has no bearing on accuracy.


by not scratching dies you mean getting the sand and gravel grit off , so a good rinse and dry would be adequate 


the brass for my lever gun , i just catch , if it never hits the ground i don't clean it


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

> The *only reason* to clean brass is so you don't scratch dies.....has no bearing on accuracy


It makes reloading them* easier*. and allows you to see any defects much better


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## zant (Dec 1, 2005)

Which is exactly what I said-easier to reload because you're not grinding dirt,etc between die and brass....but it does NOTHING for accuracy.Washing them off works good too-Mike Dillon did a very controlled lab testing years ago that proved that most of the time and effort we put into brass is for our own amusement.


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## OKCGene (Mar 24, 2010)

Crushed walnut hulls are good too, and readily available in the pet stores.


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## davel745 (Feb 2, 2009)

Were is the lead comming from? Spent brass has no lead.


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## wannabechef (Nov 20, 2012)

davel745 said:


> Were is the lead comming from? Spent brass has no lead.


I may contain lead dust or particles.


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## Silvercreek Farmer (Oct 13, 2005)

davel745 said:


> Were is the lead comming from? Spent brass has no lead.


Most priming compounds contain lead which gets deposited on the case when the round is fired. Lead free primers are available, though...


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

I throw a couple of Kleenex in the tumbler and they collect a LOT of dust.
I also have a cloth I lay over the top to keep dust inside while itls running.
You have to poke a hole in center of the cloth and put the nut on the outside to keep it from sliding off

Mine is this model:


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## zant (Dec 1, 2005)

Been using same model Lyman(with 2 bowls) for 22yrs..great product..


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## justracn15 (Nov 20, 2012)

Have cleaned and re loaded thousands and thousands of rounds of all calibers. The best results I have obtained in my 35 years of re loading is a vibratory Lyman using ground walnut hulls available at pet stores. A small squirt of liquid car wax ever so often keeps the dust down and prolongs the new case shine.


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

> A small squirt of liquid car wax ever so often keeps the dust down and prolongs the new case shine.


This is what I use in mine:


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

davel745 said:


> Were is the lead comming from? Spent brass has no lead.


if you shoot cast lead bullets i can , it depends on your crimp and alloy , how much


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