Harbor Freight walnut media?

[Pauldg]

Hello all,
The time has come to replace my tumbling media. I'm thinking of trying the walnut from Harbor Freight. Does anyone have experience with this? Fine or coarse?

I've been using some that I purchased at a gun show years back, so I don't know exactly what it was, other than walnut. Always worked well for me.

Paul G

 

[LoboGunLeather]

I didn't know they had walnut trees in that part of the world. Hope it doesn't come from the same companies that made the air-poisoning drywall, or the toxic dog food, or kids toys with lead paint, or (fill in the blank from news reports over the past decade).

I have not used the Harbor Freight media. Crushed walnut shells have a distinctive smell, so it shouldn't be difficult to tell if the contents contain walnut shells. What other substances may be included could be more difficult to identify.

 

[Black Sunshine]

I use it in my tumbler...works fine. I have a batch with red jewelers rouge added and a plain batch. Also use it in my media blaster for blasting plastics and other delicate items.

 

[bigedp51]

Harbor Freight sells fine and course walnut blasting media and it the cheapest cost wise. The course grit is the size of the average walnut tumbling media.

The only problem with this type untreated media is it can be dusty. I add Nu-Finnish to the media and dump the bowl into a 5 gal bucket and vacuum the inside of the tumbler every so often to get rid of the dust. I see no tumbling difference than using pet store Lizard litter or other types of walnut media. Some people add a cap full of odorless mineral spirits to help keep the dust down or use dryer sheets.

Other than it being slightly dusty I find I use this media in my vibratory tumbler more than using my wet tumber. You can let it run all night and not worry about case mouth peening vs wet tumbling.

 

[S&W revolverman]

If your wlanut media is/gets a little dusty, just add a little mineral oil to the media and let it tumble around for a few minutes. The mineral oil will "settle the dust" so to speak, and does not inhibit the cleaning action of the media and/or your polish.

 

[oysterer]

I buy 25 lbs bags of walnut shell terrarium bedding online, add a few drops of Dillon polishing fluid and that works absolutely great.

 

[michpatriot]

Dillon polish

I buy 25 lbs bags of walnut shell terrarium bedding online, add a few drops of Dillon polishing fluid and that works absolutely great.

I bought a container of Dillon's rapid polish 290 a few weeks back and my next batch is going to be the first time using this brand, how much do you use in ratio with the media?

 

[Marshal Kane]

My RCBS vibratory tumbler with walnut media a bit more than half a bowlful will take about 3 capfuls of Dillon's rapid polish 290. Stir the polish and media with the tumbler running for about 10 minutes to break up the clods of media soaked with polish before adding cases or these clods will end up in the cases and have to be dug out with a stick when tumbling is finished. The 290 label gives instructions on how to use the polish. I use 290 a lot and it's a great brass polish.

 

[SMSgt]

I'm still working my way through a bag of pet store walnut grounds. It was about $12 as I recall. What I like about it is that it is fine enough to not plug flash holes. It is also fine enough to get into target grade hollow points, so don't tumble those bullets or they'll get plugged. The price is comparable to the Harbor Freight brand, smaller package, lessor price. It's an option.

At times I will add a few drops of Nufinish polish to the compound. I don't know if it cleans any better, but the cases are slicker.

 

[Bakebfr480]

I bought some about 5 years ago............way too fine for me! I mix it with kitty litter and Johnson paste wax!

 

[Patrick L]

+1 on dryer sheets for sucking up a lot of the dust

 

[joeintexas]

I use it with a cap full of Nu Car Finish and used dryer sheets. Works fine.

 

[mikld]

I have used HF walnut blast media, and it's better than pet bedding from just about anywhere. Blast media is much better quality controlled than pet litter (blast media is used it specific equipment for a specific job, and pet litter just gets pooped on). I now use corn cob blast media with some HF resin media, varying the amount (25%-50%) depending on how rusty the tools are or how tarnished the brass is. If I want to clean some rusty sockets or other small tools, I'll use straight HF resin media. 5.20 lbs. Rust-Cutting Resin Abrasive Tumbler Media

 

[Psweigle]

I used the course walnut from HF, add a little car polish, and put in a dryer sheet. Couldn't be more Pleased.

 

[bigedp51]

Below a good test of the types of media that can be used in a vibratory tumbler. Just buy walnut media the same size as the Lyman rouge treated walnut media. Meaning the course media in pet litter or blasting media. And any type liquid polish etc will help keep the dust down and make it stick to the bowl to remove after tumbling.

What Tumbling Media is the Best?

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hvp0sZgOS4&t=40s"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hvp0sZgOS4&t=40s[/ame]

 

[oneounceload]

I use a mix 1/2 corn cob, 1/2 walnut, 1 cap Nu-finish; cleans and polishes.

 

[rsrocket1]

Don't add any liquid to the media unless you want it to turn black sooner. Just add a couple of cut up used dryer sheets in each load. Initially, they will come out tan as they pick up all the walnut dust. Later they will come out gray or black as they trap the soot. Much of that soot will stick to the media if you add NuFinish or mineral spirits to the media. Even oderless mineral spirits will stink for a long time and while NuFinish makes the brass shiny, it will also cause soot to stick to the media.

If you really want shiny brass, do your tumbling with dry media, dump and sift it. Put the cleaning media into another container then finish off the tumbling by putting the clean brass in some crushed walnut treated with NuFinish and run it for half to one hour. The dry media will stay clean longer because it wont pick up the soot and the treated walnut won't get dirty because the brass is already clean and you're just polishing it with the media.

I got 50 pounds for $17 a decade ago and am still using it with more than half still there. I heard someone got 50# from Grainger for about $14.

 

[BC38]

I use it with a cap full of Nu Car Finish and used dryer sheets. Works fine.

This works for me too - only I'm using lizard litter from the pet store.

 

[Huskerguy]

It has been so long I don't remember where I picked up my Lizard Sand so many years ago, I don't remember when it was. It is pretty fine stuff and yes it does plug up the charging hole. I use Nu Finish wax as well and while it gets the brass clean if I really want it shiny I run it through some corn cob media. The lizard bedding does OK but not if you want the bright look. I cleaned a ton of brass and didn't realize how dull it was until I started looking at the brass i had used corn cob media on.

I have tried the drier sheets and they plug up very quickly. I did find they work well by pushing them over the bolt/spindle on my vibrator to cover the vent holes. Keeps the dust from going all over my garage.

 

[dannyabear]

That harbor freight stuff is gonna be some kind of Chinese, imitation, artifical, hazardous, junk, like the chinese wallboard of a decade ago