Walnut Media Sticking

M

muslmutt

Guest
I just got some new Frankford Arsenal Treated Walnut Tumbling Media and it is sticking inside the cases pretty bad. Why? And how do I fix it?

Thanks.
Matt.
 
Walnut media

What caliber cases and did you have case lube in the case mouths or were your cases wet?

After I shake out my cases I run a tubing brush up inside to brush out any remaining media and a toothpick through the flash hole to make sure it's open. nhk
 
1) UltraSonic? "Oh yes; one day it will be mine."
2).17 Remington and .243. One Shot lube, I tap them out on a hard surface and also use a toothpick to clear the flash hole. These will not tap out.
 
I use corn cob, plain, or with a little Lyman Turbo-Charge, but usually plain. The treated media is too sticky and will lodge inside cases which seems to be what you're experiencing. Walnut shell is also slightly oily which doesn't help the cause either. Corn cob works as well and is dry so that it doesn't tend to clump up like walnut shell media does.
 
tumbling media

Ditto to what Larry said: plain, dry corn cob. Tried a liquid additive years ago, and it too stuck and built-up inside the cases, probably my fault for adding too much. It's always the same, if a little is good, more is better. Nothing but dry corn cob since, and never any problems.
 
alot cheaper to buy the untreated, and then add your own polish. try throwing a couple dryer sheets in your tumbler and run it for a few hours, may help a little.
 
Walnut media

muslmutt said:
.17 Remington and .243. One Shot lube, I tap them out on a hard surface and also use a toothpick to clear the flash hole. These will not tap out.
Click to expand...

Ditto on the other comments.

Depending on the size of the media itself I can see it compacting itself in the bottle neck cases, especially the .17. nhk
 
You might also trying to dilute the treated media with some untreated media.

In place of a tooth pick to clear out flash holes, I find a piece of clothes hanger wire that is just under the diameter of the flash hole. Use any kind of piece of wood as a handle, file a dull point onto one end, epoxy the unsharpened end into the handle material and then you have a wood handled flash hole pick that works great. The best part is that it is easy to make, and basically free. I really like free things that work.
 
Go to the pet store, find some Zilla, which is ground walnut shells about the consistancy of sand. It's used for reptile litter and it's fine enough that it gets in everywhere, also cheaper than tumbling media.
 
You can also go to a feed..................

store for farm animals and buy "laboratory animal bedding" which is another name for ground corncob media(plain) in 25Lb. bags(this way, you'll be less inclined to run your media until its heavily contaminated, changing it more frequently). Then you can use your own cleaner(NON-AMMONIA), put some in the tumbler w/the corncob media and NO brass, turn the tumbler on and run it for an hour or so, til it stops clumping, and then you can usually tumble your cases. Let them tumble till done and remove them and get them free of media, promptly. As for the treated walnut media(w/jeweler's rouge on it) this stuff is for ROTARY tumblers, (although you don't have to be a member of the Rotary Club to use it :D) and will usually shake all the rouge off, depositing it in the bottom of a vibratory tumbler. There it will clump up, requiring a thorough cleaning of the inside of the bowl, just an extremely intensive effort to get all that stuff out. As far as a toothpick, a wigpin is better. You can find them at beauty supply houses, they have a T-end, and are a heavily made straight pin of quality steel, for holding wigs on head forms for styling. They are very handy around the loading bench, and due to their ruggedness, you'll lose 'em before you break 'em. HTH ;)
 
ck procedures

it sounded like you sized cases before cleaning them. i wouldnt run dirty brass thru my dies as it wears out the expanding ball prematurely. i clean brass first (with fired primers in pockets.) i use midways separator that fits in a bucket. each brass piece gets a tap or two on the edge with neck pointed down as i place the clean brass in trays. i too use one shot on cases and then brush necks that brushes the inside and dipps mica on the outside neck. does some flakes of walnut media float in the mica? yes but that is why i brush in part. then i resize. after that i measure random pieces to determine if i have to trim while wiping the lube off with a cloth and cleaning primer pockets with a tool. always inspecting brass for flaws in every step. if they need trimmed i trim at this point, then deburr inside then outside edge of the neck rim. now i have brass that is prepaired to prime and assemble into cartridges. Fred
 
Take 3-4 regular paper towels and cut them into 2 inch squares and run them with your cases.Run your cases for 4 hours then one at a time empty them of all media and run them for an additional 8 hours.The paper towels will get rid of alot of the dust and extra moisture.The second run allows you to empty out the sticky media and it allows for fresh media to do its job on the inside of the cases.Don't add any additional media it just allows the existing media into the inside of the cases.

You didn't say how much you were using but if you over crowd the machine the media doesn't get a chance to fall out of the brass like it should.I use a cement mixer with a pizza tray for a cover when doing large batches of brass and they are both cheaper and more reliable than the little tumblers/vibrators out there today.
Waterboy aka Lynn
 
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I just use citric acid followed bu a soapy

water rinse and don't have to worry about media clumpimg or poking media out of primer holes. The formula is in the NRA reloading manual and a small bottle of citric powder to mix with water lasts for years. Just leave the cases in the citric acid solution for 10-15 minutes rinse with hot water and then with hot soapy water, (soap, not detergent, Ivory flakes work) then allow to dry by towelling off and air drying. Nice bright finish and the soap retards tarnish. Works for me. Max
 
Bob

only if the shine is on the interior of the case! helps to reduce varibles, not having caked mud or media inside your case. Fred

PS im only jisting so dont take it personal, OK?
 
I have never found a way to keep media from sticking to the inside
of a case or two. What effect a dryer sheet would have, escapes me.
If there was one fly in my shop, he would find a home in a case waiting
powder. You know, we fuss over turned necks, so they will perform
on paper, then put them in a tumbler and let the case mouths hammer
on each other for hours. This on inspection causes the mouth to be
peened rivet style, and has the effect of screwing up your nicely
turned neck and clearance.
 
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