Hello all,
I just bought a used Thumler 18. It came with what looks to me like corn cob media but no instructions. Can stainless steel pin media be used in this type of tumbler? I want to get the primer pockets clean if possible.
Scott

The model 18 is a vibratory tumbler. I don't think you will get the results you are looking for with SS pins in that tumbler. You need a rotary tumbler with pins.

Mike

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NRA Certified Pistol Inst.

You are going to need a rotary tumbler like the Thumler model B , one made for using water and an abraisive (for rock polishing) or SS pins , brass cases. They make a rotary that turns faster for case polishing , does the job faster .
The vibrators are for dry media. Since you already have the model 18 , try it with treated walnut shells. Not pet bedding , kitty litter or stuff from the pet shop....polishing rouge treated nut shells . Does a much better job than anything you can scrounge up .
Don't be too concerned about primer pockets, they don't have to be that clean. I tried the wet method , didn't like the water mess and the drying , any dampness in a case is not good, went back to treated shells and happy with this method . I clean primer pockets with a little hand tool if I think they need it...usually they don't.
Contact Thumler's Tumbler's for instructions .

Gary

I've used the same Thumbler's Model B with treated walnut shell media since 1977. I've cleaned an untold number of cases. They may not look new like those wet tumbled with pins, but they are shiny enough for me.

Personally, I don't understand why some want pristine primer pockets. I tried wet tumbling and didn't care for the extra mess (make solution, tumble, separate, rinse, rinse, dry). After tumbling/cleaning brass for 25+ years, I've settled on corn cob bla media, 14-20, and an occasional dollop of mineral spirits...

This, A high primer is only very rarely traced back to a dirty primer pocket, usually to inattention or crimped primers.

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Front sight and squeeze

Unless you are shooting benchrest rifle or trying to get a 1000 yard shot forget cleaning primer pockets. For handguns reloading you are never going to know the difference. I am not sure if I can tell shooting a scoped benchrest pistol.

To start you are going to have to deprime the brass and it is a good idea to clean it some before running it into your resizing/decapping die. That is a good use of the tumbler you have. I give my rifle brass about 1 hour in corn cob media. Deprime it then 3 hours with SS pins and Turtle Wax/wash and citric acid power and warm water. I rinse very will then dry in a old food dehydrator if it's not a good Sun drying day. Then it is back into the corn cobs with Turtle wax polish added for 3 hours. This really brings out the shine as SS pins clean the best but not the best shine and the looses what shine it has faster. Yhe brass is also not as slick with just SS pins. Am I OCD, maybe.

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USN Retired/VN VET
M&P X5

corn cob bla media, 14-20? What's this mean?

I Google search it and got the following, was the search correct?

"Blast Media, Corn Cob Media Type, 14 to 20 Grit, 600 to 1400 Nominal Dia. Micron Range". From Grainger.com They say this "PRODUCT DETAILS
For cleaning, deburring, finishing, and peening applications. The harder the material, the deeper media will penetrate and the faster it will work. Contains no free silicas and leaves no residue.
Biodegradable organic media removes surface contamination, debris, and coatings with minimal or no damage to the targeted surface. Use on wood and softer surfaces."

I deprime with a LEE universal depriming die. Clean primer pockets with a Forester primer pocket uniformer tool mounted in their crank handled "DTB" base, it's very fast to use.
I have been using Lyman's corn cob tumbling media the green tinted stuff. It shines up the classes a little, leaves them yellow coloured not white like spinning them with Fitz metal polish.
The Lyman media leaves a dusty green slimy coat on the cases, which I feel I must wash off before reloading. So I put them in the ultrasonic cleaner with some Dawn dishwashing detergent plus one tablespoon of Lemishine booster powder (its citric acid).
Cases come out deep golden yellow colour even on the inside.
I think the colour is the after effect of passivation of the brass.
The cases still need to rinsed off and dried. I speed up the drying by putting the cases on a towel on a cookie sheet on the stationary rack in the clothes drier on a medium heat.

My match grade rifle loads get every primer pocket cleaned on my RCBS prep station. Each one is loaded one at a time individually, even the powder measured each load individually. My rifle will shoot into 1/4" at 100 yds, and take Prairie Dogs at 500 yards, All my pistol rounds are loaded on a Dillon 550 after being cleaned in a vibratory cleaner with corn cob media. I can run the cleaner for 1 1/21 - 2 hours, and immediately start priming and loading. I don't want to wait around for cases to have to dry out for hours or days.

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

Corn cob blast media is the commercial name for ground corn cobs used in a "sand' blaster. 14-20 is the size of the grit. The "Reloading" media is the same with some additives (mostly unnecessary) and 4 times the price. I bought a bag of this media 5 years ago and still have some left Econoline 526020G-40 Blast Media, 40 Lbs, Corn Cob, 14/20 Grit and it does exactly what the Grainger description says.

Many times dedicated reloading stuff is just repackaged plain old commercial offerings with double the price because it's in a reloading company's package...

Polishing brass is mebbe the most talked about, but least important aspect of reloading. 99.9% is just cosmetic and it's only for the reloader. I reloaded 12 years before I started tumbling and nope, I didn't ruin any dies or scratch any chambers. And yes, I could spot any defects in the brass. I merely wiped each case with a mineral spirits dampened rad as I inspected it (I inspect each case before I reload it). If you like to clean/polish/process your brass twice, fine, you should do it. I could suggest methods to eliminate from your process, but that's not for me to decide. Reloading is a personal project/hobby. No one can tell you when your time is being wasted or how much of your work is unnecessary.

I only run my brass thru my tumbler when they are really dirty, covered in soot or range pick ups. I do not strive for the polished brass look.

One thing I like to do is add a (clothes) dryer sheet (a used one is fine)to my tumbler. I'll generally take the dryer sheet and cut it into quarters and leave the pieces in the tumbler until they either look disgusting, or no longer have the "spring time aroma". My reasoning for doing this is to limit or eliminate any static electricity build up. YMMV.

Regards,

Dave

my brass polishing fixation came from 21.5 years in the Navy. if it was brass it had to shine.

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USN Retired/VN VET
M&P X5

I do both wet and dry tumbling, depending on the amount to clean. For small batches, I use my ancient Midway vibrating tumbler and crushed walnut shells. For larger numbers, mostly from semi auto pistols like 9 mm and 45 acp, I use the Franklin Arsenal Rotary Tumbler (FART - hey I didn't make that up!). I have a Lee universal depriming die and use my Dillon 650 and depriming is crazy fast, around 1,000 in 30 minutes or less. Then into the water solution for cleaning. Yes, wet tumbling is a PITA in some respects, but being retired, I have the time.

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So many S&W's, so few funds!!

Wow! Thank you all for the information. I just got my first batch of 44 Special brass done and they look good after running over night. Not highly polished but really clean. I'm not overly concerned about the primer pockets but some are grungy after many reloads. I'm not sure what the media is that came with the Thumler, at first I thought it was corn cob but it looks more like cat litter now. I'll be getting some new media after I read through all your responses again.
Thanks so much.
Scott

You will be absolutely amazed at the things some people use as tumbler media. Reloaders, in my experience, tend to be uh, thrifty, and not afraid to experiment. When we were cleaning up the kitchen at work, someone was getting ready to toss out a large, plastic box of uncooked rice. The rice was dry, and clean, but no one knew its heritage.

I "rescued" the box of rice and found it made excellent tumbler media. It doesn't get the casings as shiny as "real" tumbler media, but it works just fine, and you just can't beat the price. Also, when I first started reloading (handguns), I was in college and fascinated with experimenting, and statistics. I also shot competitively, and so I did a bunch of research in the different variables involved in reloading. I don't remember all of the cool facts I uncovered, but I do remember that cleaning the primer pockets on the shell casings had no appreciable effect on the performance of the bullet. I just like to make sure the pocket is clear, and there is no tumbling media in the flash hole prior to repriming the casing.

Good luck,

Dave

14/20 grit is too large.
Best is 20/40. Won't pack in primer pocket.
the numbers represent the number of "holes" in the screen. The grit falls through the 14 hole/inch screen and is retained in the 20 hole/inch screen.

My latest media is walnut pet bedding from Petsmart with a bit of nushine car polish added to it.It works fast and doesn't clog the flash hole.Its my favorite so far.Its been so many years since I've used the real thing that I don't remember if it worked that well

I used the larger grit but only once after running some 223 cases with it. I had many cases where the case was full of corn cob grit that managed to bind up in the neck area. after having to pick the stuff out and that was easy I went to the small stuff. it was fine in straight wall cases.

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USN Retired/VN VET
M&P X5

I have had no issue with .223, but who knows.