Dillon Rapid Polish "Clumping"

[Gearhead Jim]

I've used all of the items discussed here before, without problems.
But...

Yesterday I went to tumble ~1500 mixed .380 cases in my Dillon FL2000B. The corncob media had been used previously but not a lot, it was still pretty clean. I added 4 capfuls of Dillon Rapid Polish to the media and ran the machine for about 15 minutes to spread out the polish. Then I added the cases and turned on the machine again for the cleaning.
After about 5 minutes, I realized that I had a few more cases to add. Shut off the machine, removed the lid, and saw that the Rapid Polish was still in 4 clumps about the size of a big marble. Hmmm...

I added the additional cases and let the machine run about 5 hours. The cases came out really clean and shiny, of course. And I couldn't find any of the Rapid Polish still clumped together. But I'm a little worried that a blob of the polish may have settled inside one of the cases where it would take up a lot of the powder space and raise pressures a lot, or work the opposite way and cause a dud or hangfire.

Comments or suggestions?
Thanks.

 

[ColtPythonElite]

I have several bottles of Lyman polish that did the same thing. I quit using Lyman and switched to Nufinish car polish years ago. I need to toss that Lyman stuff in the trash.

 

[TonyAngel]

It just does that. 5 minutes doesn't mean anything. It takes time for the polish to get around.

 

[LiveLife]

Dillon FL2000B ... corncob media ... 4 capfuls of Dillon Rapid Polish to the media and ran the machine for about 15 minutes to spread out the polish ... saw that the Rapid Polish was still in 4 clumps about the size of a big marble.

Comments or suggestions?

You don't want to add too much polish if your media is already treated with polish.

I use Cabela's (Berry's 400) vibratory tumbler with 1000 9mm capacity using walnut or corncob media but use 600-800 cases to maintain higher speed of tumbling action for quicker cleaning/polishing of brass. (Takes about 15-20 minutes to clean/polish brass enough for reloading and 45min to 1 hour for brilliant polish)

I only use 2 capfuls of NuFinish liquid polish to initially treat the media (I use fine grit walnut for faster cleaning and corncob for really bright polish) and add occasional capful of polish if cleaning/polishing action slows down. I found if I use a stick to stir the liquid polish around while the tumbler ran, it distributes the polish faster - Takes about minute or two.

I found running the media on the dry side is the best way to go as any leftover polish will stick to the brass (especially on the inside).

UPDATE: Found out Dillon FL2000B has 2000 9mm case capacity so I would double the quantities. 4 capfuls to initially treat media and 2 capfuls to recharge the media.

 

[FROGO207]

When I used it to recharge my dry tumbling media I would mix it with mineral spirits in a container at about 50/50 to thin it out and then drizzle it over the media while the tumbler was running and let it run for 5 minutes or so to distribute before adding my brass. I also added brass while it was running. Also cut up used dryer sheets to control dust. These days I use NuFinish and dilute it but only tumble finished ammo for 15 minutes to stop it from tarnishing with long term storage. YMMV

 

[Typetwelve]

I use Dillon rapid polish and it does the exact same thing, and then settles out the exact same way. Not once has anything been in the case afterwards.

 

[rfwobbly]

Several thoughts...
• I'm with LiveLife.... the FL2000 is a MASSIVE tumbler. 1500 cases in tiny .380 may not be enough to get the necessary internal churn going. I've have much better results in 1/3 the time by either adding the cases or pouring in the media to a point where I can observe cases being physically lifted to the top of the media and then diving back in. Each mechanical vibratory tumbler is designed for a specific weight/ load. If you're simply dumping in any quantity and closing the lid, then you're not getting the most out of your tumbler.

• All these waxes and polishes clump at first. You are much better off to dibble the compound over the media like the raspberry drizzle they put on fancy deserts. If you add a big blob, then expect a big blob to be in there circulating for quite some time.
.

 

[Charlie98]

Dumb question: Did you shake the Dillon polish before dropping it in?

I have the same problem (same product) sometimes, but after a while they break up. I am using a much smaller tumbler, however, so the action is greater.

LL is right. When I replaced my dead Midway tumbler with a Lyman, I was happy to see it had a bigger bowl on it... cool, right? Wrong. The vibratory action was much less in the bigger bowl, in fact, it barely turned over. I put the old Midway bowl on it and it's a polishing machine, again, now.

 

[Gearhead Jim]

Thanks for all the replies.
I just remembered that my Dillon 650 loader has the Powder Checker installed, and one time long ago, a rather small piece of mud left inside a case was enough to alert as an Overcharge. So even if some of the Rapid Polish stayed clumped up and got stuck in a case, the loader should tell me that something is wrong.

Other comments-
Nice to know that several people have experienced the same clumping but never any stuck inside the cases.
Looking at my bins again, it was about 1,800 .380 cases that I cleaned, and each of those is only 1mm shorter than 9mm Luger, so I think it was close enough to capacity to get good action.
I'll use the "Raspberry Drizzle" suggested by rfwobbly and frogo207, maybe I'll get a spot on the Top Chef show.
I do shake the polish very well before use.
Only once did I start the tumbler with the lid removed, the media violently erupted all over the floor before I could shut it off. The 2000B has a very energetic action, despite the large bowl size.

Again, thanks. Time for some loading...

 

[Tilos]

When I used it to recharge my dry tumbling media I would mix it with mineral spirits in a container at about 50/50 to thin it out and then drizzle it over the media while the tumbler was running and let it run for 5 minutes or so to distribute before adding my brass. I also added brass while it was running. Also cut up used dryer sheets to control dust. These days I use NuFinish and dilute it but only tumble finished ammo for 15 minutes to stop it from tarnishing with long term storage. YMMV

This ^
I have found that hydrating the media with referenced mix will knock the dust down to nothing and eliminate the need for dryer sheets.
Um, that was before switching to wet/pin tumbling though

 

[Walkalong]

Always run the media a few minutes to distribute the polish before adding brass.

 

[bullet maker 57]

I put a couple of capfuls of mineral spirits in my tumbler. The brass comes out clean and shiny.

 

[ericuda]

I use nufinish before adding brass for a few minutes and break up the clumps with my fingers as they vibrate to top. I let it run before brass is added for 30 minutes or so and never an issue.

 

[Reinz]

Always run the media a few minutes to distribute the polish before adding brass.

^^^^^
This

Before adding brass, shake the Dillon polish bottle well. Turn tumbler on add polish and let it run 10-30 min BEFORE adding brass.

The reason for the gap- 10 to 30 min, depends upon Temperature, humidity, and how clean the media is, and how much polish you added.