Stainless Steel/Wet Tumbling is the best for super shiny brass. For conventional dry tumbling Walnut seems to a better cleaner while Corn Cob is a better polisher. My tumble times very depending on how shiny I want my brass so it may be a little as 30min to a couple hours.

 

I tumble washed pistol brass 45-min to an hour. It's not shiny new but it comes out clean enough. Washing first holds down the dust/soot and makes the cob media last longer.

 

Tumble mine for about 3 hours using walnut media and flitz polish. Shinny like a new nickle.

 

A cap full of NuFinish car polish, in Walnut media,run for 5 minutes to thin any clumps. Cut up a used dryer sheet in 4 strips. Add brass an tumble 3 hours. Brass shines like new. Save a few dollars and buy lizard litter from petsmart. It is crushed walnut. Works great and is a lot cheaper.

 

I took the advise of another member and ordered a 25 pound bag from amazon. It was like 24 bucks with shipping.

 

I've been vibratory tumbling 3 hours in walnut shells and it isn't enough. I'm going to start adding polish and drastically increasing the time (maybe overnight).

 

to me it's just easy to turn on tumbler right before bed, turn off when I get up. That thing does not bother me at all while chasing z's.

 

Stainless tumbling for 3-4 hours for like new looking brass no dust or walnut bits in the brass after and media lasts forever

 

Always remember....tumbling...especially for long periods, with aggressive media, removes stock from your brass....which naturally means it will NOT last as long...what do you think that scum is inside of your dry tumbler....brass residue?...

As far as wet tumbling with stainless...never tried it....but I feel that if dang corn cob media will remove stock from your brass over several hours...what will something 5 time harder than the brass you are polishing do?

I am not so worried what my reloaded ammo cases look like...I do like it to look like it is from this decade....but at the range....my ammo is in my magazines, so nobody is even gonna see it till it is laying on the ground smoking.

 

Tumbling has served its purpose in about 15 to 20 minutes. Getting it shiny means nothing, except that you are getting it shiny.

If you are not happy with the corn cob media, switching to walnut is not going to make you any happier. I have always found that cob media will get my brass shinier, BUT it will lose its sharp points and clean/polish less and less the more you use it. Basically, it wears out, while walnut simply gets dirtier.

To answer your original question, I use Dillon or Frankford Arsenal polishing compound in Harbor Freight walnut media and tumble for about 30 minutes. Sometimes I go longer, but that is only because I am doing something else, and I check the brass when I have a chance.

 

Dillon Compound and a dryer sheet cut into 6pcs. with Harbor Freight fine grade Walnut Media for 45 minutes.... I have the BIG Harbor Freight 18lb. tumbler... It will do a large batch of brass in a short time.. It works awesome!!

http://www.harborfreight.com/18-lb-vibratory-bowl-with-liquid-drain-hose-96923.html

 

I have been tumble/vibrating my brass for about 4 hours in corncob and find the rifle brass a little dingy around the neck. 223 and 243 are dingier than 308 for sure. Lastnight I forgot to turn the tumbler off when I went to bed and it tumbled for like 15 hours. The 308 was spotless and shinny all over.

This got me to thinking, if 4 hours isn't enough with corncob, should I lengthen the tumble time or switch to walnut. What do you guys use as a media for cleaning and how long do you tumble/vibrate to get clean over all brass?

Garry

When was the last time you changed out your corn cob media???? it wears down and looses effectiveness.....

 

I tumble using my walnut media, for about 2 hours, just add half a cap full of polish and my brass comes out bright and shiney!! I tumble outside, so don't need the dryer sheets .

 

i gave up trying to get shiny years ago, all i care about is clean so it doesnt hurt my dies... dont get me wrong, shiney is nice, and not bagging on you for it, i guess i just dont care anymore as long as its clean... it all shoots the same.


bet when i did want shiny i used walnut with dillon brass polish or a squirt of flitz for around 2 hours. like others have said, switch to a slightly more aggressive media like walnut from your corncob and add some flitz or nu finish... you will have them like bran spankin new!

 

I usually tumble about an hour or so, with dirty corncob media.
The brass is not spotless but plenty clean enough to reload.

 

A cap full of NuFinish car polish, in Walnut media,run for 5 minutes to thin any clumps. Cut up a used dryer sheet in 4 strips. Add brass an tumble 3 hours. Brass shines like new. Save a few dollars and buy lizard litter from petsmart. It is crushed walnut. Works great and is a lot cheaper.

^^^ right here, except I don't bother getting the lumps out. I add it all at once and lit her rip.

And you don't need to add that NuFinish every time. Next time, just through in a capful of mineral spirits and it seems to reactivate the polish, AND clean up those necks.

Also can get the lizard walnuts from Petco if that is closer than PetSmart.

By the way, after resizing/decapping you are going to want to remove the lube, so I run that brass through the same mix a second time. If the necks weren't shiny the first time, they sure are after the second time.

 

Depends on how long Jeff goes on Sunday morning. Usually a couple of hours, mixed walnut and corncob.
Need to try the cut up dryer sheets next.
CF

 

The outside of your brass might be shiny with the dry media methods but I promise you the inside isn't as clean as doing a wet method of cleaning. I've not seen any ill results from stainless tumbling and remember, it's not like they have to tumble that long. My primer pockets are sparkling clean, the inside of the case has no residue left it in from either the previous firing or the media... I've used both methods and the SS tumbling is far superior to anything you're going to get from any dry media type.

 

walnut media in a lyman tumbler. load it right before bed, turn it off in the moring. i have yet to wake up to brass that didnt look brand new. unless the media needed to be changed out. i am probably going to do some tonight if anyone needs pictures before and after.

 

With Walnut and some car polish.....

1 hour - clean
2 hours - clean with shine
3 hours - clean with a bright shine

Anything more than 3 hours is just adding luster. I've probably done over 20 loads of brass and it still cleans/polishes just fine.

 

10 mins in the ultrasonic cleaner and one hour of tumble time for me. Ultrasonic cleaning is the way to go for me.


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I do 4 hours in walnut with a cap full of Nufinish. Comes out plenty brite and shiny.

 

i have an ultrasonic and do mine for 24minutes

 

I turn on my tumbler before I go to bed and shut it off the next day after work so it runs close to 20 hours per batch , there is no question about my brass looking clean and shiny

 

To answer your original question, I use Dillon or Frankford Arsenal polishing compound in Harbor Freight walnut media and tumble for about 30 minutes. Sometimes I go longer, but that is only because I am doing something else, and I check the brass when I have a chance.

I was just looking at the Harbor Freight website and they have fine and course walnut media 25lbs/$23.99. Just wondered which was best for vibrator/tumbling brass?

Just saw the post by supercuz, question answered.