Polish in a Thumbler with Corn Cob

I have used the Frankfort Arsenal Brass Polish in mine a time or three without any problems. It will make a nasty mess when you switch back to wet tumbling, or at least mine did. A film appeared over all the water and brass and tub, took about 2 cycles to get rid of it. Vowed after that I was going to buy an extra drum set up so I wouldn't have to go back and forth. I never did, and just use my cheap lyman tumbler instead now. That rubber is pretty tough and not a lot of stuff is going to bother it.

Corncob in a Thumblers?  No, I use stainless steel media in warm water, Dawn Detergent, and Lemishine in that.

In my Lyman vibrator, I use Dillon's polish......the only Dillon product I have. Not that it's inherently better than anything else, (it does work really well) it's just that the local fun store had it for sale at a good price.  I add my brass to the corncob, and a capful of polish, turn it on and go to work.  Timer turns it off in 5 hours and its bling time.

My corncob source is the 20/40 blasting media at Zoro Tools.  40lb sack for $25....free shipping.

Ed I also use the Dillon polish when needed. Most of the time I just use plain corn cob no polish added.

Clean is clean for sure . I received a bottle of Flitz TA 04885 Green and charged a fresh 3 pounds of corn cob. I ran 2 small batches of brass for 2 hours each also adding a strip of drier sheet as I usually do.

I think my test brass is shinier and cleaner than before (as compared to prior tumbled brass siting on my bench). My test is purely subjective and unscientific for sure!

Using 1 oz of Flitz per pound of corn cob made my test cost $5.50 to charge 3 pounds of media. The Flitz instructions say to recharge with 1 cap full. (It doesn't say per pound or per tumbler full??).

What I don't know is how much brass I can tumble before a recharge is needed???

In any event, the cost of having the shiniest brass is expensive . But oh wait!... I forgot! I'm not in this (hobby) to save money. Just ask my bride .

ed... 

(Flitz TA 04885 was $13.94 delivered from Amazon for a 7.6 oz bottle. 3 / 7.6 x $13.94 = $5.50 for 3# media)
(Frankford Arsenal costs about $2.06 to charge 3# of media. Is Flitz 2-1/2 times a better polish?? Just saying )

Thanks KR for the tip. Perhaps a cap full for recharge is all one needs then. I didn't think 1 oz of Frankford worked as well?

Hello Ed;
The following is what I do. (I use the Lyman 1200 with auto-flo)

1. Pour the fresh media into the bowl.
2. Startup the tumbler
3. Squirt a little bit of Flitz while it is tumbling
4. Keep tumbling until well mixed.
5. Go to step #3 till I get a uniform light green color in the media

At this point, the thing is fully charged up and ready to go.

DO NOT ... do the following!
1. Pour fresh media AND dirty brass into the bowl
2. Squirt a big gob of Flitz into the bowl
3. Close lid and tumble for four(4) hours.

I did this ... I spent the next two days picking out all of that corn-cob clogged brass with a needle.

Heh!

KR, thanks for the feedback. When I added the Flitz to my thumbler, I ran it for 1/2 hour and it still wasn't mixed real well.

GWS- back in the other world, you turned me on to the 20/40 grit corncob. I think happy thoughts of you every time I open a tumbled batch of brass and don't have to spend hours poking media out of flash holes and primer pockets !

I know you have made the comment about tumbling reloaded ammo in jest, but I have always tumbled loaded ammo as a final step with a lot of polish in walnut to help preserve shine and remove all traces of oils etc from hands. After seperating the rounds from the media I use white cotton gloves and pack it away. Several years ago after reading a post on a forum where a guy tumbled rounds for days and then weeks, then breaking them apart and looking at the grain structures on a microscope I felt better about post loaded tumbling. I will find the link if I can. I have tested my own after a control of no post loaded tumbling and some tumbled for 2 hours, over a chrono I noticed no appreciable difference. I have all the test results in an old log book, if I remember correctly I used Power Pistol and Unique in .40 s&w and Varget and Reloder 10x in .223. While I would not advised tumbling loaded competition rounds, your shtf and plinking rounds should be just fine and shiney. Not aiming to start trouble, and I know many would disagree. Just trying to explain this other path to nirvana. If the vibration and powder breakdown concerns you think of how much vibration the loaded round get being trucked to your house. If it's the loose rounds with primers exposed think how the bulk boxes of loose 500-1000 round packs of federal .223 get treated by UPS on the way to your house. Primers need a sharp hit to go off, which could never happen under ordinary situations in the tumbler. Until I have one go off in my tumbler which sits out back because of the dust, I will continue this process. I am not trying to change anyone's mind, just bring scientific reasoning to the argument. Last of all some claim that the reloading companies claim you shouldn't tumble live ammo, but remember every firearms maker claims you shouldn't shoot reload in their particular gun. On average I reload about 6-7k rounds a year this way, and for the last 12 years not had any issues.
Respectfully submitted,
Shelby

springfield....what are greater risks than tumbling a loaded round? There are none if you load by the book!!!!!!!!!!! Also your lube should be gone before the powder goes in. While tumbling you have absolutely no" ZERO" control over what may happen while during the reloading process you are in total control!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bob, I wasn't trying to change your mind. It is an acceptable risk for me and my firearms. I feel I am in more danger walking down the street in the middle of the day, than tumbling a live rounds. My question would be what exactly are you concerned with happening (the danger factor)? I am always open to listen To concerns and try to learn something new. Thanks again Gwhis for chiming in. Sometimes it's really cold and lonely when you stand away from the pack. :-)

No sweat, I am not the most elegant with words. Combine that with typing on an iPad and sometime it gets even worse. I do my reloading on a progressive for all plinking rounds, I use a turrent for working up new loads and only use a single stage for my hunting or accuracy rounds. On the progressive I use imperial sizing was on all cases. I get a good coat on my hand and stick my hand in the bin to coat them all. This leaves a lubed up mess on the outside of the cases, which does attract dirt etc when out at the range or at an event. That is why I started tumbling live rounds, the extra bling was a bonus. As a handloader, we all take pride in our finished product and the shine is part of it for me.

The extra dangers I was referring to typically occur on a progressive system which is why most run powder lock out dies, low primer sensors, and the like. You are correct when loading on a single stage that you are in charge of every step, but what happens when you get distracted or in a hurry. The only problem I have ever had to this point (knock on wood) was when I was reloading .40 on a single stage. I forgot to charge a row of 5 cartridges with powder and had my first squib load in competition (I was in a hurry finishing them up the night before). That's what I was meaning about risks.

I only observed at the "old place" and I don't remember seeing it. Dan if you read this and still have all the old info could you post it somewhere. I'd love to take a look at it. I feel bad as we have now completely high jacked this thread :-)

I've never had the need so I have not done it. I think it to be ,when done prudently,safe. One expert says rain the other says sunny!  In regard to your original query I would try Bon Ammi or Jewelers ruge it is a dry powder.  Other than that I would stay away from any amonia based polish. I don't really know what I'm talkin' 'bout tho!  And many thanks for the "T" track information.