the dumbest reloading question ever

[Kicker96FS]

I'm allergic to walnuts.

You'll find me dead, swollen, red and naked next to my tumbler

Naked? What are you doing with that tumbler? OH! now I see, it vibrates!

 

[DukeInFlorida]

Coming up soon, buddy... The First of May, The First of May....

Naked? What are you doing with that tumbler? OH! now I see, it vibrates!

Even bothering with them for "cleaning" the media is a waste of time. The microscopic amount that they would clean the media is not worth even walking to the laundry (even if the dryer is right next to your loading bench). Let's toss some in the ocean to clean up the planet. Same type of "how tiny is tiny" result.

I agree with you on not using the sheets in the powder.
Putting any other chemical (on the sheets) into powder is stupid, in my opinion. Quite honestly, the powder dispensers are purposefully already made from lower static materials, ON PURPOSE! So, sheets are a waste of time there, for that purpose, also.

Don't use new fabric softener sheets. Ever. They have, well... fabric softener in them.

The only reason to use (USED) sheets is to help keep your media cleaner for longer. The sheets get crapped up and you throw them away. Any crap on the sheets is crap kept out of your media. New sheets don't absorb any crap, the used ones absorb a lot.

The corn cob, in my opinion, is just not hard enough to do the job that I expect. The walnut shells clean FASTER. I'd rather do a 2 hour tumble that gives me perfect brass, than a 10 hour tumble.

Those of you that buy walnut at pet stores thinking you got a good deal have not yet discovered the 50# bags of corn cob that sandblast supply houses sell for $25. It lasts longer and does a better job of cleaning too.

 

[DukeInFlorida]

!

 

[eisenhow]

I agree with you on this one. Even bothering with them for "cleaning" the media is a waste of time. The microscopic amount that they would clean the media is not worth even walking to the laundry (even if the dryer is right next to your loading bench).

Have you even tried it?

 

[DukeInFlorida]

No thank you. I like my media (and powder) just the way it is. <<<==== edited for clarity
It never clogs, gets statically, or has any issues that would require that I attempt to fix something that isn't broken.

Have you even tried it?

 

[eisenhow]

No thank you. I like my powder just the way it is.
It never clogs, gets statically, clogs, or has any issues that would require that I attempt to fix something that isn't broken.

I'm talking about putting it in the tumbler.

 

[calsdad]

You don't need dryer sheets. Here's the $500 tip of the day:

To get the absolutely brightest and shiniest brass you could ever imagine......

Use crushed walnut shells (don't waste your money on corn cob bits, they are too soft for most serious polishing). Get them in 20 pound bags from the Pet Supply Place of your choice. They sell this stuff as bedding for reptiles.

Place an appropriate amount of this crushed walnut shell media in your tumbler, and add the following:
1 capful (capful, not cupful) of NuFinish liquid Car Wax - orange bottle, not all that expensive from the auto parts place of your choice, WallyMart, or where ever....
2 capfuls (capfull, not cupful) of Mineral Spirits (paint thinner) or kerosene.

Allow that to tumble for about 1/2 hour before adding brass.

That mixture is "moist" enough that you won't get any dust, or static charge.

The mineral spirits or kerosene cuts through the oxidation and powder residue and other gunk that's on the brass. The NuFinish adds an amazing shine to virtually any brass you process.

I run that mix, adding additional mineral spirits as I need it, to maintain the "moistness" until the walnut shells are very dark and grimy. Usually, any sand, dirt, and other natural abrasive stuff overwhelms the process before the walnut shells get too black, so that's when I change it out. I never actually TOSS the old stuff away. I use that to do the darkest and most oxidized brass (two hours at the most!) in the old stuff, an then switch to fresh media for the final polish.

I got this recipe from some old timers, with the refinement of the NuFinish, which I saw on some reloading site a while back.

If the brass is fresh shot, then 2 hours is about all you'll need to tumble using this mix.

If it's nasty brass that has sat outside in the rain on the ground for over a year (about the worst you could imagine), two hours in some old media, and then switch over to fresh media, and do an overnight. Comes out amazing in the morning.

That's how I do it. I leave the smelly sheets for the laundry.

BTW, when it comes to reloading.... there are no "dumb" questions.....

Thanks for that info.

I have been taking baby steps towards reloading for a while (saving all my brass - and buying more brass when I see good deals).

What I want to do next it actually start processing brass - so your post is very good info for me.

I was wondering if using an ultrasonic cleaner as a first step to clean up old or grungy brass would be worth it - then run the brass thru the tumbler using a method like the one you outlined.

 

[EddieCoyle]

I was wondering if using an ultrasonic cleaner as a first step to clean up old or grungy brass would be worth it - then run the brass thru the tumbler using a method like the one you outlined.

The ultrasonic cleaning would be an unnecessary step.

 

[Fixxah]

The ultrasonic cleaning would be an unnecessary step.

Might be cost prohibitive also since the ultrasonics I have seen cost way too much. It would be cheaper to buy new brass.

 

[center442]

Seriously, I think this might be the dumbest reloading oriented question ever. scented or unscented dryer sheets? Does it matter if they are scented? Fiancee bought scented ones instead of unscented this time around.

Ok, then even dumber. WTF are you doing with dryer sheets?

Not dumb questions at all. At the worst, you might get teased a little. At least then you'll know the answer so you can tease the next person that asks.