Stainless Tumbling Media Test Results

[zuke]

OK I get you now.
I'm just reporting what I read on another forum.
I'm not sure what alloy mine are, but I like's 'em

[Jim]

Stainless Steel comparison and specification table

[cajun shooter]

I have used ceramic to clean my BP brass for three years now. It cleans as well as the pics of the SS media. The reason is that I use a mix of angle ceramic along with 3mm balls for the primer pockets. You do have to use a pick at times when the ceramic becomes jammed in your brass. I am referring to 44-40 brass

[Ziptar]

The results with SS media sure do look great.

Does anyone tumble them with corn cob or walnut and some nu-finish afterwards?

I'm wondering because I once cleaned some brass with hot water and LemiShine and let sit for a few weeks aftre I dried them. They'd gotten a bit tarnished again without the tumble with new finish.

[leadman]

Good question Ziptar. I had to tumble my brass after cleaning in the ultrasonic cleaner for the same reason.

[W.R.Buchanan]

Zuke: you didn't understand a word I said. You need to reread that first sentence again.

Feric surface contamination is caused by direct exposure to steel. Not SS

I said "even 316 WILL rust if it gets contaminated by regular steel". Like by wire brushing a SS weld with a steel brush.

IF the stainless is not contaminated it won't rust.

I didn't say anything about brass comtaminating anything. Brass will not make SS rust.

Since you have machined stainless for the last 15 years you must have had some of it Passivated?

What passivation does is disolve the exposed steel molecules on the surface inbetween the nickle and chrome molecules so that all that is exposed on the outside is the nickle and chrome.

You do this by soaking the parts in Nitric Acid. NItric does not eat chrome or nickle but it does eat steel. That's how that process works.

Stainless will not be contaminated by glass beading. But if you blast it with steel grit it will rust immediately when exposed to water because you contaminated the surface with steel..

If you would like to see your ss pins rust just tumble some steel cases for a few hours wet and see what happens after that mess sits for a few days.

Afterwards, If you washed them and then soaked them in 20% Nitric acid solution for a couple of hours and then rinsed very well they would be as good as new.

$55/ 5 lbs sounds very reasonable.

Randy

[sffar]

I know people who've used the Thumblers system for years with great results, but when I think of getting it I always get hung up on the idea that the brass would work harden from so many tiny "hammer strikes."

[Baja_Traveler]

It will not work harden the brass. The polishing is more of a rubbing action, not a peening one as the pins and brass slide across each other. The water and soap solution lubes it all up and prevents an actual peening.

[sffar]

It will not work harden the brass. The polishing is more of a rubbing action, not a peening one as the pins and brass slide across each other. The water and soap solution lubes it all up and prevents an actual peening.

I see. It 's an effective method–that's beautifully cleaned brass. No dust is a big plus, too.

[W.R.Buchanan]

When using balls in a vibratory tumbler any hole that is the same size or "nearly multiples of the size of the media will get plugged eventually.

A vibratory tumbler is the most efficient method of exploring random chance that theyre is.

Balls will find the correct combination to plug just about any hole eventually.

Ask me how I know this? I've got 30 years of stories. I generally get very good looking parts out of my tumbler (I have 3 Sm, med, and lrg.

Any Ceramic media will plug holes or wedge between two opposing surfaces. It happens to every type of part except one that has holes smaller than the media or no holes at all.

I do like the SS media. Running it dry after the cases have been cleaned would produce a very slick finish.

I use dry ceramic to polish SS and Titanium parts however you must clean the media by running it wet with Dawn everyso often as it gets clooged with SS dust and doesn't work as well. typical runs to polish to a high sheen for SS or Ti is 3 days continuous.

This is what you get. they actually look even better in person.

[Bob J]

The results with SS media sure do look great.

Does anyone tumble them with corn cob or walnut and some nu-finish afterwards?

I'm wondering because I once cleaned some brass with hot water and LemiShine and let sit for a few weeks aftre I dried them. They'd gotten a bit tarnished again without the tumble with new finish.

This is exactly what I do..... I tumble my brass in hot water and rinse/remove pins in hot water as well.... As soon as the brass is out I shake excess water off and then tumble in my vibratory tumbler with corn cob/nufinish.... The main reason for keeping the brass hot and shaking off as much water as possible is to keep the corn cob from (potentially) plugging the primer pocket... Don't need to tumble them long, just enough to ensure they are really dry....

Comes out out really bright/shiny and the nufinish keeps it looking that way....

[Doby45]

I tumble mine after a cleaning in hot water and lemi-shine just to dry them off quicker. It does not hurt that it adds a little NuFinish protection to the brass. I will tumble for about 20-30min and my brass is dry and stupid sparkly clean.. So approx 45min, from nasty range brass to bling bling blind your eyes clean and shiny brass.

[blikseme300]

I saw this thread shortly after it was started and was intrigued by this method. So much so that I purchased the complete kit of tumbler, media, media separator and Lemi-Shine.

All I can say is WOW!

I shoot a lot of pistol and I never have been able to get my brass as clean with both of my vibratory cleaners using any of the various media types.

Yes, it is pricey, but all hobbies cost money. This set-up compliments my other reloading tools and now form a permanent part of my reloading and sometimes shooting hobby.

Bliksem

[WildmanJack]

Well I bought the stainless from SSM and Have cleaned both Black Powder Cartridges, as well as bottle neck smokeless. It is honestly amazing how clean it gets the brass. I just bought some Lemi Shine today so I'll see how that works, but I got to say it's amazing...
Jack

[Artful]

I see on another forum people are using it to clean other gun parts like suppressor baffles - going to have to order some of this stuff - sounds like a cure all - cleans everything.

[7of7]

I see on another forum people are using it to clean other gun parts like suppressor baffles - going to have to order some of this stuff - sounds like a cure all - cleans everything.

Me too,... not sure what I will do with the vibratory tumblers.. as I don't want to have to make sure the corn cob media isn't fillng the primer holes..

may be getting rid of those.. or at least one..

[7of7]

I found a Lortone QT12 for a reasonable price and ordered some SS media. I have to say I am impressed with the results. The brass is clean, inside and out.. The primer pockets, are pretty clean, much better than corn cob or walnut.. I am definitely sold on this method.. May use my crockpot for the final rinse.. just to get everything really hot so it will dry faster..

[1hole]

There is nothing magic about stainless pins for tumbling, they are just practical. What cleans out the carbon is the 'wiping' effect on the wet, softened deposits while the soft polish look comes from metal burnishing metal in the tumbling. The media itself could be any number of materials and achieve the same effect. The exact size of the pins used isn't critical either, again the size being sold is just something that works, same as dry media.

[thehouseproduct]

I found a Lortone QT12 for a reasonable price and ordered some SS media. I have to say I am impressed with the results. The brass is clean, inside and out.. The primer pockets, are pretty clean, much better than corn cob or walnut.. I am definitely sold on this method.. May use my crockpot for the final rinse.. just to get everything really hot so it will dry faster..

I have the exact same setup and it is amazing how clean it gets the brass. I fuly realize that there was nothing wrong with my previous tumbling setup but I would never go back seeing how clean the brass gets. It also allows me to salvage brass that would have been considered too dirty before.

[hunter64]

I finally broke down and ordered some SS media and it cleans by far the best that I have tried.