WALNUT MEDIA QUESTION??

74man

74man

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What is the best size Walnut Media for Tumbling Brass cases? It was probably 10 years ago I bought 25 lbs at Western Ranch supply (pet bedding) but can't remember if there was a grit or grain identification to the media or not, I think it was just Crushed Walnut Shells in an open tub that you weighed however much you wanted. What should I be looking for in Crushed Walnut Shell Media or will any Crushed Walnut Shell media work to clean brass cases?. I have about 10 lbs of. Corn Cob Media but I use that to polish brass with, right now I'm down to my last 3lbs in the Vibrating Tub and want to get more before that gets used up. Thanks for any info on Walnut Media.
 
74man said:
What is the best size Walnut Media for Tumbling Brass cases?
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Best size is small enough to not get stuck in primer flash hole and that is smaller than 18-20 grit. (Larger grit number = smaller size, corn cob media links below walnut media links) - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...-and-discussions.778197/page-10#post-10942786

Nice thing about blasting walnut media is they are clean out of the box with no dust issue.
 
Still have a pound or two of what I think is 20-40 grit of corn cob media. Pretty fine grit as it easily passes through small primer holes. Having used the corse stuff in the past, i really like the finer grit as it does not plug the primer flash holes.
 
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Ohen Cepel said:
I buy the lizard bedding at the pet store as it is lower dust (guess lizards don't like dust). Has worked well for me and the store is close.
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That's what I've been using... and it's been mostly good. This last time, however, this stuff put off a dust cloud like the Dust Bowl days... I let it run overnight, and I came out to dust everywhere (in the garage.) That had never happened to me before. I just bought another big bag of it... but if it kicks out the dust like that again, I'll junk it and find a better product.
 
I've been buying my walnut at Western Feed and Pet Supply for quite a while. $17 for a 50# bag and one batch of 3-4 pounds works great for several months worth of cleaning a couple hundred cases a week. The size of the media is a little bigger than the flash hole of the primer. I decap after tumbling so if any gets stuck in the flash hole, the depriming pin knocks it out with the primer.
 
IIRC; Walnut blast media, 18-40 (blast media much more consistent in size/performance than pet litter. Blast media designed for cleaning metal, pet litter meant for lizards to pee on)...
 
I have been very well satisfied with Frankford Arsenal treated walnut hull media. I have never had it plug primer holes but it can be a little dusty.
 
To my mind the best is the Treated Walnut Shell brass polishing Media as sold by Midway USA under their brand name of Frankford Arsenal ... it is the correct size ( 16/20 ) which is real important ... and more importantly it is treated with the correct , non-dusty , polishing media .
The stuff isn't too dry (dusty) or too wet from liquid polishes ...it gets clumpy when too wet and doesn't flow right .
Just get the Midway Frankford Arsenal Brass Walnut Hull Polishing Media (it has a reddish color to it) and don't worry about any additives ... Hint ...liquid additves can actually shorten the media's polishing life ... we tend to add too much , too often ...it gets too wet just run the F.A. stuff as is untill it stops polishing ...then dump it and replace with new .
Gary
 
A friend reloader with years of experience said to get the Home Depot Medium and Fine and mix them together. Has worked fine for him over the years and he has had his for almost 30 years, still have about 5lbs left. Cleans and polishes brass, even found range brass. I will give it a try!!
 
Walnut media is pretty much low tech and it lasts forever. I use Zilla Desert Blend and a dollup of NuFinish. If there was a Harbor Freight close to home (there isn't) I would try that.
 
I started many years ago with walnut.....it cleans but shine is not like new.
Then I got Zoro 2040 corncob to try......great to turn on before work in the morning and run it all day.....like new outside....inside not so much.
Decided to buy a Thumblers wet tumbler and S.S pins......now I only use the corncob to de-lube for 5 minutes after loading.
MUCH prefer wet tumbling with pins......like new inside and out including the primer pockets......in only 2 hours.....(.45 case full of lemishine, a 2 second squirt of Dawn dishwashing liquid, cold water) makes this:

IMG-2750.jpg

And zero dangerous dust to breathe....
Just use a separator......

then lay it out to dry on the back patio on a towel in the sun for a hour or two....
IMG-3400.jpg

bluetopper said:
I wish I'd never bought SS pins.
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Not me....I wish they were available 50 years ago.....;)
 
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GW Staar said:
I started many years ago with walnut.....it cleans but shine is not like new.
Then I got Zoro 2040 corncob to try......great to turn on before work in the morning and run it all day.....like new outside....inside not so much.
Decided to buy a Thumblers wet tumbler and S.S pins......now I only use the corncob to de-lube for 5 minutes after loading.
MUCH prefer wet tumbling with pins......like new inside and out including the primer pockets......in only 2 hours.....(.45 case full of lemishine, a 2 second squirt of Dawn dishwashing liquid, cold water) makes this:

View attachment 1146200

And zero dangerous dust to breathe....
Just use a separator......

then lay it out to dry on the back patio on a towel in the sun for a hour or two....
View attachment 1146201



Not me....I wish they were available 50 years ago.....;)
Click to expand...
I’m pretty much with you on this.

While I was washing the cars yesterday with plenty of soap and water it occurred to me this is why I wet tumble—to actually clean the brass.

Dry tumbling on the other hand (regardless of media type) is just rubbing the pollen and dirt around. When you’re done, it may look better than before but it’s really not clean and is a far cry from washed brass.

Now if one is doing it to remove lube, I get it.
 
CQB45ACP said:
Dry tumbling on the other hand (regardless of media type) is just rubbing the pollen and dirt around. When you’re done, it may look better than before but it’s really not clean and is a far cry from washed brass
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While I agree that wet tumbling does a better job at "cleaning" brass than dry tumbling, I disagree that dry tumbling is "just rubbing ... dirt around".

If tumbling brass in walnut media for more than an hour does not clean the brass, chances are walnut media is overladen with carbon fouling/dirt and needs to be replaced or cleaned.

Crushed walnut media is very hard and really doesn't "wear" rather gets dirty and has sharp edges that "scrape" carbon fouling and dirt away from brass surface and when sifted, separates fouling/dirt from brass casings by the way of trapping fouling/dirt with the media, gravity or air movement, leaving the brass surface "clean" from fouling and dirt.

Some members have added cut up used dryer sheets that helps with trapping of fouling/dirt to extend the life of walnut media. Some members report adding mineral spirits to dirty walnut media to "refresh" cleaning action. For my curiosity, I have washed dirty walnut media that no longer would "clean/polish" brass with water and small amount of dish soap and dried in sun light/air. After washing, "recycled" walnut media resumed cleaning/polishing brass like before. (I have added used dryer sheet pieces with good results. I have not used mineral spirits. I replace dirty walnut media when cleaning/polishing action slows down)

Walnut media treated with NuFinish liquid polish helps with "cleaning" and leaves residual layer of polymer at molecular level (NuFinish is not a wax) on brass surface that prevent/diminish tarnishing and helps with resizing effort. After tumbling with treated walnut media with NuFinish that leaves brass surface with slight "polish shine", meaning fouling/dirt have been removed from brass surface, residual polymer coating on brass surface enhances separation of fouling/dirt away from brass surface.

I have found walnut media to do a better job of "cleaning" and corn cob media to do a better job of "polishing" brass surface. While 20-30 minutes of dry tumbling in treated walnut media "cleans" brass well enough to resize and reload without worry of scratching my dies, one hour of tumbling will put a light shine on brass. If I want mirror shine, I will continue polishing the brass in corn cob media. Some THR members mix walnut/corn cob 50/50 for best of cleaning/polishing results.

Here are some samples of "cleaned" brass from tumbling around 20 minutes in walnut media. Clean enough for me to reload as any "cleaner" with mirror shine won't enhance accuracy of loads. :)

index.php
 
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I understand what you’re saying but don’t agree.

An earlier revelation about dry tumbling came long before I was a reloader and dry tumbled antique automobile fasteners. It was reconfirmed dry tumbling brass cases with various media and polishing products including nufinish. Even with brand new media, handling post-tumbled brass results in dirty hands.

Not so with post-wet tumbled brass. Now I wouldn’t lick my fingers following either but…

None of this (or precious little anyway) is about accuracy nor other shooting performance. Its preference.
 
CQB45ACP said:
I understand what you’re saying but don’t agree.

Even with brand new media, handling post-tumbled brass results in dirty hands.

Not so with post-wet tumbled brass
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We are definitely in agreement regarding wet tumbling doing a "better" job of cleaning fouling/dirt away from brass surface.
LiveLife said:
While I agree that wet tumbling does a better job at "cleaning" brass than dry tumbling
Click to expand...

But I disagree with the notion that dry tumbling brass in walnut media does not "clean" brass surface.

Handling dry tumbled brass resulting in dirty hands doesn't mean brass surface is still dirty rather fouling/dirt removed from the brass surface has not properly separated from brass surface by the way of sifting sufficiently. ;)
LiveLife said:
Crushed walnut media ... has sharp edges that "scrape" carbon fouling and dirt away from brass surface and when sifted, separates fouling/dirt from brass casings by the way of trapping fouling/dirt with the media, gravity or air movement, leaving the brass surface "clean" from fouling and dirt.
Click to expand...
Will my hands wearing white gloves not show fouling/dirt residue after dry tumbling and even sufficiently sifting brass? Probably not.

But I treat my walnut media with NuFinish liquid polymer polish and do not overextend use after media gets dirty (I do use cut up used dryer sheets) and have not experienced scratched dies during past 30 years. So, I must have sifted my dry tumbled brass sufficiently over the decades to remove fouling/dirt from brass surface after tumbling.
 
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