Harbor freight vibratory cleaner

Get some Nu-Finish.

Yup, walnut and nu finsh is all I use in my HF tumbler. Only issue I've had with mine was the center rod snapped on mine. I replaced it with some 1/4-20 rod and it's been chugging along for about 3 years now. Just make sure to really crank the lid down tight

+3 on Nu-Finish

I don't use the dry tumbler any more, but when I did, I used the Dillon polish and Nu Finish with my corn cob media, and it gave pretty good results.

My oldest has a HF tumbler.
My hearing is not good these days BUT i ask him to turn it off when I come over-----"that's much better"

+4 on NuFinish!

I run my Berry's tumbler in the garage reloading room so I never hear it in the house!

Oh yes, I run mine in the garage also, so no noise issues, plus it has the added benefit of sometimes I forget I have brass tumbling, so I get 8, 10 sometimes 16 hours of tumbling....very shiny

When dry tumbling walnut cleans better but corn cob will give you more shine.

Bfh_auto said:

Does the nufinish speed up the cleaning, or just make it shiny?

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Just makes it shiny I think, but the added benefit is it keeps the brass from tarnishing while its waiting to be reloaded, and (this may just be my imagination but) it seems to run through my carbide dies a little easier

bersaguy said:

Just makes it shiny I think, but the added benefit is it keeps the brass from tarnishing while its waiting to be reloaded, and (this may just be my imagination but) it seems to run through my carbide dies a little easier

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^^^^This^^^^
Definitely makes resizing smoother/easier.

I had a tumbler from HF and it did well for years. Not sure why, could well have been my fault, but something worked lose with the rod that comes up to hold the lid on. Well, once it worked lose it ate a large hole in the bowl and once started I never could get it to stay tight again so it went into the trash.

Just a word of caution to keep that rod tight and to watch it. May never happen again, don't know.

All vibratory brass cleaners are LOUD. I keep a Christmas light timer on mine and set it to run after I go in the house.

Yup Nufinish and walnut. Thin the NuF down with mineral spirits. I keep mine in a old saline solution squeeze bottle and squirt about a teaspoon amount into the media while vibrating and let it spread out a couple minutes. Then add brass. No clumping. Works great.

As much as I like BarKeepers Friend (it has Oxalic acid) it is meant to be used wet. So using it dry, in a dry tumbler is just gonna leave dust.
Use some Nu Finish or polish intended for dry tumblers.

The BKF can be used in wet tumblers but still may leave a white dusting.

O use it all the time on stainless and chrome stuff.

I would suggest a timer on any of them. Makes life much easier so if you want them to run for X hrs you know that is what it will do. Mine is in the barn so I don't hear it but also don't want to wonder back down there at midnight to turn it off either. It was about $5 for the timer and money well spent for me! Simple one that you plug into the wall and then plug the tumbler into will do. Doesn't need to be complicated.

Used dryer sheets will help with dust also.

A few improvements:

1. Use a lamp timer to turn the tumbler off after 3 hours (or whatever you want)
   
   
2. Use 2 nuts tightened against each other and a fender washer to act as a stop when you tighten down the center top lid nut instead of the movable center tube which will fall out and get lost.
   
   
3. Replace the top lid wingnut with a Star knob, wheel knob or some other knob "nut" that is easier to tighten or loosen.

If you are ambitious, replace the center post with a threaded rod in SAE dimensions (so all your lid fastening parts are easier to purchase), anchor the base of the bowl to one of the legs with a through bolt and drill holes in the base to allow for more air to circulate around the "bathroom fan" motor. All these mods will total only a few dollars but will make vibratory tumbling a little easier and more convenient.

If you use cut up used dryer sheets, you will cut way down on the dust and not contaminate the tumbling media with soot and lead styphnate from the primer. Most of the soot will catch on the sheets and be thrown away after each session.

Cut up dryer sheets in little 3 x 3 squares and put them in with the brass and the dust will be minimal, or non existent!

glc24 said:

Cut up dryer sheets in little 3 x 3 squares and put them in with the brass and the dust will be minimal, or non existent!

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USED dryer sheets, not new ones!

The dust I was mentioning is the powder of the BKF, like Comet or Ajax.

Lizard Litter from Petco(walnut shell) and Nu-Finish.

The Nu-Finish also imparts an oxidation inhibiting finish on the brass.

Yes,used dryer sheets.