Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Question for reloaders

Sorry for the simple question, guys, but I'm just getting started. After running the brass through the tumbler, how do you get all the polishing compound dust out of the cases?

I use walnut hull media and don't have a dust problem if I keep it changed regularly, I also don't de-prime the brass till I tumble it, save picking the primer holes clean!

Right on .Just use a rag to wipe it off

If you're using straight walnut, you might try dumping in a couple of capfuls of mineral spirits. Also, invest in a birdcage type of separatar.

+1 on the walnut.
Use of a good separator also helps, I find.

I had problems with that when I first started cause I didn't know better.

I started out with that Lyman Walnut media. That always coated my cases.

Since then I've gone to a 50/50 mix of plain corncob and plain ol' crushed up walnut with a [b][color:#3333FF]capfull of Flitz[/color][/b] every once in a while.

If you are using corn media it can get stuck in the flash hole and be a problem. Each case gets the neck cleaned with a bronze brush. After the cases are cleaned, tumbled in your media, then and only then deprime inspecting each case for this problem. BTW, I ad, to my corn media, in a small amount of case polish. Case polish actually being Turtle Wax cleaning polish. Same stuff that you pay extra for at Midway for a much smaller bottle. $3.00 at Walmart for good old green Turtle Wax. I have been doing this for yrs. now with no found problems other than media has to be changed out more frequent. I do wipe all cases on a rough terry cloth towel for piece of mind after depriming and inspection for obstuction in the flash hole. Good luck and good shooting. MTG

What MTG said,..very important. Always check the flash hole for media before you prime.

What everyone else said plus I run a nylon cleaning brush of the appropriate size through the neck to remove the dust from it.

Tumbling? What's this tumbling stuff I'm hearing about?

If I want shiny brass, I buy new stuff.

I found that the primer pocket cleaning tool would often remove the piece of media from the flash hole. If it did not a small drill bit would handle it.

Now I use a RCBS case prep station and the flash hole deburring tool does it nicely.

Build a tool that fits the flash hole and pick it out.
I used a piece of welding rod ground down to fit,then put a wooden file handle I had laying around.

I use a lot finer mesh ground cob that is sold as a polishing media and used by the plastic industry, works great and doesn't stick in the flash holes. Can buy from several sources online...Russ

Try throwing some used dryer sheets in while they tumble. The sheets will collect lots of the trash.

I use corncob with A LITTLE polish added (happens to be Midway's). Too much polish and the mix clumps up in the case. Then maybe 20 minutes in untreated corncob which removes all traces of polish. I have a small compressor in the garage so it's quick and painless to blast any pieces of corncob from the flash hole. Kinda fun really.

Obviously I resize first so resizing lube gets polished away. Cases never have gotten so gritty that I had to worry about damaging a die, at least after a quick roll in an old towel.

Toothpicks are cheap and plentiful.

But yet another excuse for picking up a compressor for the garage. I got mine just for convenience and it turned out to be one of the most used power tools in the garage. I don't remember the CFM but besides keeping tires round it's big enough to run lower volume air tools continuously and the high volume ones if I'm a little bit patient.

I do and have one of the separators.

Ask your wife or mother to save the used dryer sheets. When you throw the brass in throw a couple used used dry sheets.
Dust and such are on the dryer sheet.

Jim

The dryer things work. I was amazed the first time I tried it.