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Cleaning Media
- Thread starter Patriot
- Start date
F
Finalygotabeltfed
I've put walnut media in a nylon stocking and rinsed it before, then spread it out on a flat tabletop under a small fan to dry. Worked out ok. Most of the sand rinsed out along with most all the carbon.
I only did it because it was really nasty and gritty from sand and I didn't have any to replace it at the time. I bought many pounds of it since and now I just change it out on a regular basis.
I only did it because it was really nasty and gritty from sand and I didn't have any to replace it at the time. I bought many pounds of it since and now I just change it out on a regular basis.
No, and I never will.
I have a friend that developed a lead tester (for q&d checks for lead paint). During development he was looking for a place to test it (some place where he could find lead), so I took him to my range and later to the reloading area in my basement. With all the reloading I do, the "hottest" spot by far was the old media in my tumbler.
You can get a 50lb bag of corncob sandblast media that's the perfect grit size for tumbling cases for $25. Why clean it?
The source of the lead is not the bullets - it's the residue from the lead styphnate used in priming compound. The other hot spots at my house were the bins where I store the spent cases prior to tumbling.
I have a friend that developed a lead tester (for q&d checks for lead paint). During development he was looking for a place to test it (some place where he could find lead), so I took him to my range and later to the reloading area in my basement. With all the reloading I do, the "hottest" spot by far was the old media in my tumbler.
You can get a 50lb bag of corncob sandblast media that's the perfect grit size for tumbling cases for $25. Why clean it?
The source of the lead is not the bullets - it's the residue from the lead styphnate used in priming compound. The other hot spots at my house were the bins where I store the spent cases prior to tumbling.
That's the same place I get mine.
+1 Thanks for the tip!
Media is cheap, not worth trying to clean. make about as much sense as rinsing and re-using paper coffee filters. (yes, I know someone who tried that!)
Patriot
NES Member
Thanks for the tip. Got directions?
Something else to consider when handling used media....wear a pair of the cheap disposable nitrile gloves to avoid exposure to the lead in it. A dust mask is a good idea too. Over time, lead can build up in your system. As stated above, why take chances? I also toss dryer sheets cut into strips in with the media. This virtually eliminates dust and makes the brass smell springtime fresh!![[smile]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/001.gif "Smile [smile]")
Jim- this is good/important information. It's been a concern of mine since I started reloading. Do you tumble in your basement? I do, and I cover the tumbler to keep anything from getting airborn. However... I'm sure some goes in the air when a separate the media from the cases.
Oh- I use lizard litter. I think it works better. It's walnut media.
I get it in the large bag from PetSmart. MUCH cheaper for me than a trip to Lowell.
USED dryer sheet strips to reduce dust and keep the media clean, together with an occasional shot of liquid media cleaner/polish and I'm good.
And YES, cover your bowl when tumbling to keep the dust where it belongs.
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I use the lizard litter too. I don't know how to tell when its all used up. I have a mix of 1/2 and 1/2 Turtle wax and Brasso mix I use every now and then to keep the brass shiny. And a dollar store box of dryer sheets to keep the dust down about every 5th or 6th run. I throw one in when I see the dust settling on the top (Lyman 1200 tumbler with the 'separator' lid)
Going to buy a cheapo (harbor freight) rotary for cleaning sand etc out of my range brass. Wore out a .308 decapping/sizing pin the other night, I figure it was sand in the cases.
Going to buy a cheapo (harbor freight) rotary for cleaning sand etc out of my range brass. Wore out a .308 decapping/sizing pin the other night, I figure it was sand in the cases.
You might not want to use Brasso on your brass. The (more or less) common knowledge is that Brasso contains ammonia - and the ammonia weakens the brass.
Many folks including myself go to walmart and get the orange bottle on Nu Finnish for $5 and change. A couple capfulls of that every 5-6 loads and your brass will come out like new! That bottle lasts quite a long time.
Also, Nu Finnish is a POLISH and not a WAX so it won't coat the inside of your cases with any residue and nothing will build up in your dies!
Many folks including myself go to walmart and get the orange bottle on Nu Finnish for $5 and change. A couple capfulls of that every 5-6 loads and your brass will come out like new! That bottle lasts quite a long time.
Also, Nu Finnish is a POLISH and not a WAX so it won't coat the inside of your cases with any residue and nothing will build up in your dies!
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Nu Finish is well-known for its properties in tumbling media. IF I ever finish the quart bottle of media polish I bought from Midway about a decade ago, I might even try it.
The important thing is to avoid anything with ammonia, which leaches the copper from brass. And the use of old dryer sheets will help remove primer residue, range grit and media dust, keeping your media more effective, longer.
The important thing is to avoid anything with ammonia, which leaches the copper from brass. And the use of old dryer sheets will help remove primer residue, range grit and media dust, keeping your media more effective, longer.
Patriot
NES Member
I just picked up a 50 pound bag of this for 20+ bucks and this is great stuff! Unlike the
Wally World stuff this is made for the refinishing application and I am going to dump my
existing stuff to start using this right away. I emptied it out of the bag into a Tupperware
bucket with a plastic liner to keep moisture away. Great people as well. They also have
crushed walnut media in fifty pound bags for ~30 bucks. I almost bought a bag of this as
well but I had no room for any more.
Here it is in my Tupperware container...
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Patriot
NES Member
Hi Lugnut,
Walnut is supposed to be harder on the brass (more abrasive) which contributes to additional
wear on the brass than corn media. I haven't seen it but it's out there.
I have been using Wally World pet litter for my corn media and it is like small rocks and very
coarse. I tried cleaning some .223 brass and it simply jammed into the brass and was
extremely difficult to get out of the brass. I then purchased some walnut lizard bedding from
Petco and used that. It performed a lot better as it is smaller and is a more loose media so
it didn't get stuck in the cases. This corn media is as loose and as granular as the walnut I
have been using and is a lot cheaper. The walnut media I purchased at Petco cost me over
11 dollars for a five pound bag. I expect this media will do my .223 brass just fine and I
can't image the walnut media having any finer granules than this stuff. I haven't been
particularly satisfied with any of the media I have used for the last couple of years but this
stuff looks like it will perform great. Dust was almost non-existent when I scooped and
poured it into the Tupperware container. I paid about $3 dollars a five pound bag
(approximately, since it is sold by volume, not weight) for the Wally World corn cob pet litter.
What is the basis behind used dryer sheets as opposed to new, out of the box ones? Do the new ones contain anything detrimental?
No, but they won't pick up as much crud as used ones will.
When new, the sheets have a "greasy" feel because they're full of fabric softener. When they're used, they're dry and the weave is more rough and open.
+1 for buying crushed walnut at a pet store.
I clamp a shop vac hose close to the tumbler when pouring media and brass into the separator. Then I clamp the hose to the inside of the separator bin when spinning the cage to suck up the dust.
Using dryer sheet strips sounds like a good idea. I'll have to try that to further reduce the dust.
I clamp a shop vac hose close to the tumbler when pouring media and brass into the separator. Then I clamp the hose to the inside of the separator bin when spinning the cage to suck up the dust.
Using dryer sheet strips sounds like a good idea. I'll have to try that to further reduce the dust.
Thank you...
and thank you too! Now off to rifle through the sock and underwear drawer for some cost efficient, effective dust control. (Dryer sheets seem to always end up in my boxers)
![[laugh]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/012.gif "Laugh [laugh]")
