How long do you tumble brass?

[HAWKEYE10]

Yea I know till it gets clean. I was watching a video on the tube and they ran their tumbler for twenty minutes. They put some Blue Magic polish in there to help it along. I polish mine for two or three hours to get it clean. I am using Lyman corn cob media with a little Nu Finish car wax. I still have a little stain on some of the brass but that is OK just so it's clean. The Lyman seems to last for ever. I have cleaned over 2000 rounds of 45 brass this week and it's still going strong. The last media I threw out was so old I was ashamed to use it. So how long do you let your tumbler run? Don

 

[snowman]

When I do things right(which I didn't this last time), it takes 4-5 hours to get them the way I like them.

Andy

 

[gmiller0737]

Average about 2 hours I usualy check it after about a hour to see if it's clean.

 

[Bumper]

1 to 1 1/2 hrs. Just turn it on and go do something else, so depending on what that something else is, the time varies. Corn cob media, with a splash of Dillon polish. Mostly .45acp and .44 brass. Can't see how the brass could be any cleaner.

 

[OKFC05]

Depends on the brass and media. If it's cleaning, walnut is quite a bit faster than corncob. I use walnut with a bit of polish added and run until dry.

If I just shot and picked up nickel cartridges from the range, 10 minutes is fine.
If I just shot and picked up brass cases, maybe half hour or however long it takes me to eat lunch.
If it is range trash brass that is stained and discolored, maybe a couple of hours.

As far as finish polishing brass until it shines like a mirror (4 hours in corncob) I just don't bother anymore.

 

[hawgleg]

At least a hour but mostly just when I remember to turn it off.

 

[DGT]

Two to three hours. I don't mind letting it run longer if I'm busy doing something else but I set two to three hours as a minimum.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

For me it seems the more times brass gets shot the longer it takes to clean. Can get clean brass in as little as 2 hours but sometimes it takes 6 hours. BTW, adding wax to the media will make it shine but it does not aid in cleaning the brass.

So, even though it's not exactly what you want to hear, as long as it takes...

 

[socal s&w]

Two hours in a stainless steel pin Thumbler's tumbler and all my brass is not only clean, but shiny too! It's a wet method and not for everyone, but I like it a lot versus the dry dusty method. Just have to think ahead a little bit if you don't have a means of drying it quickly.

Stainless Steel Reloading Supplies | Tumblers, Seperators, Media & More!

 

[Rule3]

2 hours. Lyman Turbo 1200. Set on a timer. 50:50 corn and walnut with a squirt of any kind of cleaner.
I do change my media often. 40 lb bags of corn and walnut.

 

[kennyb]

3 hours here

 

[Titegroups]

Mine 45 mins in coarse corn cob.

 

[Alk8944]

Use a Lyman 1200 that is about 35 years old and has run long enough that it had polished the inside of the bowl like a mirror years ago.

Use Walnut shell, rarely any additives. Dampen with a little Isopropyl Alcohol to keep dust and static down. Start it at night and turn off in the morning if I remember, otherwise when I get home from work. So, 6-18 hours. If I didn't want it bright I wouldn't polish brass at all, just like we used to do.

Often, just to remove case lube when needed, is Corn cob for a couple of hours. Still use a little alcohol or Trichloroethane to help de-grease.

One question I had from what was posted is what possible reason would anyone have for mixing Walnut and Corn? They have different purposes.

 

[KLNC]

I have my tumbler set on a digital timer for two hours. Just push the button and forget it. Corn cob media and a bit of polish and they come out clean and shiny.

 

[Rule3]

One question I had from what was posted is what possible reason would anyone have for mixing Walnut and Corn? They have different purposes.

What are they??

They are both listed as cleaning media. Perhaps Corn shines better and Walnut cleans better. Best of both worlds? But I use polish also.

 

[GTbob]

I run mine for 4 hours with a shot of Nu Finish car polish. I have an outdoor light timer I bought at WalMart that I use, that way I can start the tumbler and forget it.

 

[max]

I have often said that the tumbler is like a crock pot not a microwave. I often run mine for 10-12 hours.

 

[Nemo288]

I was getting tired of how long the corn cob was taking so I added
some walnut. Shazam! the combo works. When it's worn out
I will go back to straight walnut but the combo cleans mirror
bright in about an hour or 2. I never keep close track.

...Nemo...

 

[Snapping Twig]

I use a 50/50 combo of corn cob and walnut with a splash of Dillon case shine.

Takes me @ 45 minutes to an hour, or just about the time my guns are clean and it's good to go.

 

[mtime7]

I run mine for about 15 min, before I size them in 50/50, then after sizing I run about 30 min. but mine don't haft to be pretty just functional