Squirreldog

Good Morning all!
I have a coulple of questions about case cleaning!
Ive never used a tumbler to clean my cases before, ive always used a product called G96 a brass case cleaner, but a friend gave me a tumbler the other day and i was wondering what is the best media to use and do you use and additive brass polish and how long does it usually take to get a good clean finish on your brass?

Thanks in advance!

bronko22000

I use the ground walnut shells. Fill tumbler about 1/2 way with media. Dump in your cases, put top on and let them go for about an hour or so. The media will go inside the cases so when I take them out, I leave the tumbler on and as I pull out the cases I hold them upside down against the rim of the tumbler to vibrate the media out.
Be sure to clean the primer pockets as a lot of times the media gets lodged in the flash hole.
I clean my cases after sizing as I use Hornady One Shot as a lube. If you use the old lube like RCBS, you may want to clean prior to sizing as the lube may contaminate the media.

Solitary Man

I tumble my cases prior to sizing. I don't worry about cleaning lube off later since I use Lee collet neck diesand don't have to lube in the first place. Presently I'm using Walnut media with Flitz polish added. I tumble2 or3 hours and like bronko I leave the tumbler on as I'm taking cases out so I can hold them against the rim of the tumber to dislodge the media from the case. However, you always need to check the flash hole as there will just about always be a few cases with media stuck there.

Dan in Alaska

I've used both corn cob and walnut media. They both work well, but the corn cob seems to give a brighter shine. I currently use the Lyman treated corn cob media (green stuff). It does a good job, and it's the cheapest stiff I can find in my area.

If I'm using untreated media, I use the Dillon polish (blue stuff). I have also used a Turtle Wax/mineral sprits combo and Brasso. I have heard that using Brasso isn't a good idea, since it contains ammonia (supposedly weakens the brass). I have never had a problem with Brasso, but I don't use it anymore.

I leave the tumbler running a hour at a minimum to clean the cases. The longer I leave them in there, though, the brighter the shine is.

mossy33oak

I use the Walnut shells, and after 4-5 times I use the Lyman additive. I put a glob of that stuff in and let it run for about 15 minutes and then add my brass. It kinda refreshes it.

Squirreldog

Thanks all!