Cheap media for cleaning...

[Topher]

Got a tip from a buddy...

Instead of buying walnut shell for cleaning from the tradition gun supply stores go to Pet Smart and ask for Lizard Litter.

100% crushed English Walnut Shells. Less than 1/2 the price of Midway.

 

[trickg]

I've also been told that you can go to the local farmer's Co-oP and ask for groud up corn cob - it's used as bedding and lining for bird cages and that kind of thing - and that you can get quite a lot of it for next to nothing.

So far I have had good luck with corn cob media, but I'd like to try crushed walnut sometime.

 

[Topher]

I have been told:

Walnut best for cleaning...
Corn Cob best for polishing...

 

[trbon8r]

Hey thanks. I will definitely pick some of this stuff up the next time I'm at Pet Smart buying some grub for the mutts.

It also goes to show how bad Midway is sticking it to people with their prices. I rarely buy from them anymore. Graf and Sons, or Natchez usually has better prices.

 

[JasonMD85]

What do you guys use shells for?

 

[alucard0822]

+1 on the walnut lizard litter.

also a lot cheaper than walnut shell blasting media. Just the thing to strip a block and some heads

 

[trickg]

I have been told:

Walnut best for cleaning...
Corn Cob best for polishing...

Is there really that much of a difference? If you polish something, isn't it also being cleaned?

 

[alucard0822]

Is there really that much of a difference? If you polish something, isn't it also being cleaned?

The walnut has more edges, and scrapes dirt off a little faster and doesn't get dirty as fast, the corncob is more porus and softer, holds liquid polish better

You can also throw peices of used fabric softener sheets in it, they turn black after a couple hours of tumbling, and takes a lot of the dirt out, making the media last longer.

 

[trickg]

The walnut has more edges, and scrapes dirt off a little faster and doesn't get dirty as fast, the corncob is more porus and softer, holds liquid polish better

You can also throw peices of used fabric softener sheets in it, they turn black after a couple hours of tumbling, and takes a lot of the dirt out, making the media last longer.

Fair enough, but the corn cob I use gets my brass plenty clean in about 2 hours worth of tumbling - that's good enough for me.

 

[alucard0822]

Fair enough, but the corn cob I use gets my brass plenty clean in about 2 hours worth of tumbling - that's good enough for me.

I don't see much of a difference either, until you add polish or rouge to walnut, then it makes a mess, and a film on the cases, it works best dry, but can clean a bowl full of cases in as little as 30 minutes well enough to keep dirt out of dies. Then corncob polishes them nice in about 4 hours. Most of the time, I just use corncob, but will throw some walnut media in the tumbler if I have a lot of scuzzy range pickups. I like corncob better, but use walnut media for blasting car parts, but probably wouldn't use it if I didn't have it already.

 

[Topher]

I did not know the dryer sheet trick. I will be trying that out!

 

[jsashooter]

What should I use to get black stains off, especially on my .357 shell cases. I assume that its just burn't powder flashing back on the case, but niether walnut shell or corn cob media removes the stains. Any help is appreciated, I'm just starting to get into reloading.

 

[Scottysan]

Hey, good tip... thanks Topher! nothing's cheap these days!

 

[Topher]

What should I use to get black stains off, especially on my .357 shell cases. I assume that its just burn't powder flashing back on the case, but niether walnut shell or corn cob media removes the stains. Any help is appreciated, I'm just starting to get into reloading.

Are you using a brass polish? I have .357 shell casing I just tumble for an hour or two with a little bit of the Frankford Arsenal brass polish. Don't go heavy on the brass polish or it will clump the media together inside your shell casings.

 

[jsashooter]

Yes I'm using Hornady One Shot brass polish. I use about a cap full in the corn cob media, and haven't noticed any media clumping. The crushed walnut shells I use without polish. The casings come out pretty clean except for what appears to be powder burns on the outside of the casing. Light Scotch Brite will take it off, but thats way to time consuming.

 

[Topher]

jsashooter...
Other than let it run longer I am not sure what else...
Next time I am at the range I will ask around and see if any one has suggestions.

Could be you powder is when heated is reacting with the brass????? Just a guess...

 

[trickg]

I'm using corn cob with Flitz brass casing polish in an RCBS vibratory tumbler - my brass looks almost new when it's done and it only takes a couple of hours. That said, I almost bought some of the lizard litter when I was at Petsmart tonight picking up some chow for the boys - my two yellow labs. The only reason I didn't is because I still have several pounds of fresh corn cob media left, and I imagine it will last me quite a while.

 

[DZ]

Using used dryer sheets works really well, as suggested above. I toss three of them in with each load of cases and it really keeps the dust off the cases and collects the dirt.

In general, the smaller the grain media, the better. The ~1/16" diameter walnut media I use works great.

 

[GNLaFrance]

"Me too!" I got 5 lbs of Critter Culture Desert Reptile Bedding, which is ground walnut shell, and paid $4.97 (before tax) for it at Wal-Mart. Midway sells the exact same thing as RCBS Formula 1 Brass Cleaning Media Walnut Hull for $18.29 (before shipping).

'Course, now I need a vibrating shell case cleaner and some shell cases to put in it, but at least I have the media now

 

[trickg]

I picked up a 10 quart bag of crushed walnut lizard litter the other day - I think I paid $9. I had noticed that my corn cob media wasn't working as quickly, so I decided I'd try the walnut. I'm using the standard Flitz polish/media additive so we'll see how it works. I just put a bunch of dirty brass in there so I'll be able to post an update in about an hour or so. I hope that it works better than the corn cob because if I buy it as lizard litter, it's just as cheap as any corn cob media I can get through Midway, and I don't have to order it - I can simply pick it up when I'm in getting chow for my Labs.