Using sand in a tumbler

[Biff_N]

I use both corncob and walnut shell in my tumbler. The thought came to mind about using sand instead of walnut shell with an additive. The sand would be more abrasive to clean without adding anything. Would it be too abrasive? Has anyone tried this and what were the results?
Thanks

 

[Pinecone]

The problem is, you would need to clean the cases after tumbling with sand. Sand particles will damage your dies.

 

[sgt23preston]

Sgt Preston here...

Reloading has been around for a long time...

The process has been perfected over the years...

Why are we trying to re-invent a simple cheap & effective process..?

Corn cob & a polishing agent is all that it takes in a good vibrator...

Keep it simple...

Load it, set the timer & go do something else...

 

[Biff_N]

Sgt Preston here...

Reloading has been around for a long time...

The process has been perfected over the years...

Why are we trying to re-invent a simple cheap & effective process?

Agreed, that is why I asked the question to see if anyone had tried with positive results. As far as removing the sand afterward to protect the ties a thorough wash in plain water should do the trick. Thanks

 

[Traveler]

Crushed walnut or stainless steel pins for me. I have never seen sand recommended. Sounds like a bad idea. Heavy at the very least.

 

[HarCo2ANewb]

I would think it would be too abrasive. For my own use, I wouldn't risk it wearing out my brass faster than I was used to.

 

[tony b]

I would think it would be to aggressive for brass

 

[rseymorejr]

sand would probably shorten the useful case life, gouge the cases and wear out the bowl of the tumbler.

 

[Jerry M]

If your brass is really badly tarnished, 45 minutes in sand will clean most of the crud off. As stated above you need to wash the sand off or re-tumble in walnut, corn cob.

I do not recommend it for everyday use.

Good luck

Jerry

 

[Mulchman]

I have never used sand, but I have used crushed oyster shells. Oyster shell is used as a feed supplement for chickens. Chickens need grit. And it's not as hard as a mineral.

Anyway, I had some really old tarnished cases that I thought I would run a batch through as a test. I only ran them for 30 minutes and they came out very "clean" but dull as hell. I figured they were ruined until I ran them in walnut for 6 hours. They came back to life and beautiful as ever.

Eastwood Manufacturing makes some other products you can use in a tumbler to clean rusty parts like small bolts, nuts etc.

 

[Flipz]

Sgt Preston here...

Reloading has been around for a long time...

The process has been perfected over the years...

Why are we trying to re-invent a simple cheap & effective process..?

Corn cob & a polishing agent is all that it takes in a good vibrator...

Keep it simple...

Load it, set the timer & go do something else...

Things are continuously perfected. There will always be a new and more effective way to do something. That's just the way it is. And frankly, that's the way it should be. If you ask me, perishable media like corn cob & crushed walnut is a thing of the past. Wet tumbling with stainless steel or brass pins is the future. There's nothing to replace except for dish soap, water, and water softener. $6 will get you enough for cleaning thousands upon thousands of cases. And, it does a much better job in less time. It's hard to argue that it's not a more effective/efficient process than dry tumbling. And because of this, I'd say a more perfected process.

 

[Major03]

Meh...Sparkling clean and shiny brass isn't even needed, and won't do one iota of difference in the accuracy department.

It just needs to be clean enough to not damage the dies...EVERYTHING else is merely cosmetic. That said, I like clean and shiny brass.

Why go through the hassle of washing your brass after tumbling in sand? Rice works well BTW if you want a cheap and easy alternative to walnut or corn cob.

 

[Melnic]

As an Engineer, I"m all behind innovation. Who knows if sand is the answer and I think it was posed as a question to learn if there were any existing experiences to build on. I see there is a Dry vs. Wet type of dividing line that seems to appear. There is also people who want to tread on new territory and those who don't. I see there should be No problems being either type of person. The world needs both types of people. If sand was ever used or tried, I think the new innovation to that would be the steel pins in wet tumbler as an innovation. Just my 2 cents

 

[methlab]

I get great results from walnut shells. That said, I am looking for less case handling. I have to hand clean the primer pocket, clear some flash holes from shells and then blow the dust out of the casing. Any suggestions? Also, I don't use any liquid in my media. I don't care how they look, just consistency.

 

[John from MD]

Crushed walnut or stainless steel pins for me. I have never seen sand recommended. Sounds like a bad idea. Heavy at the very least.

How well do stainless steel pins clean? Do you have to clean the dust out periodically?

Regards,

John

 

[Traveler]

How well do stainless steel pins clean? Do you have to clean the dust out periodically?

Regards,

John

Stainless steel pins are used with water, dawn dish detergent, and a little lemishine. If you deprime first, even the primer pockets will sparkle. All the crap is washed down the drain. The pins never wear out.

http://www.stainlesstumblingmedia.com/

 

[Deep Creek Rock]

Wet tumbling seems like alot of work to get cases super extra clean, only for it to discolor a couple weeks later.

http://www.stainlesstumblingmedia.com/tips/

Q. The brass is shiny but after a week or two it starts to get darker and doesn't look as shiny.

A. When you clean with SS Media you are cleaning down to the bare brass. As the brass is exposed to the elements and air it will discolor or oxidize over-time.

As far as cleaning primer pockets ... I dont waste my time with it. Never had a high primer from a dirty primer pocket. Never had a misfire, and the moment you seat a primer over the dirty pocket, you cant see the carbon no more.

Inside of cases the same deal, they dont need to be spotless, and has absolute zero bearing on how accurate a load shoots or how safe it is. Once you charge and seat a bullet, you dont see the carbon no more.

As long as the outside of the case is clean, to keep dirt out of your dies & firearms, is good enough.

Tumbling is simple enough, and dont have to spend time drying water out of cases, or worry about getting your powder contaminated from water left behind. If you want them extra shiney, leave the in the tumbler longer, or add polish.

 

[Traveler]

Do as you like. I don't like the dust and mess of corn cob or walnut. I have never had an issue with water in the case. I can do a large batch in my Thumlers tumbler with minimal fuss.

That is why there are 31 flavors.

 

[Melnic]

I wet tumbled first w/o the steel pins and manually cleaned pockets. It seems like it only took 20 minutes to wet tumble and then dump the water and drop the cases onto an aluminum pan. Hit with a hair dryer (or not) and let dry for a day. I have been trying the steel pins and the trade off is I don't manually clean pockets but run it 2hrs instead. Very clean in and out. But pulling the cases out means you have to lift them out so the pins come out before the case comes out of the water. this does not take as much active time as pocket cleaning if I use to hands.

Listening to people say they don't clean pockets, I may try a run of 200 where I don't use pins and don't clean the pockets just to see. I'm thinking the pockets may take longer to try, but my active time dealing with the brass may go down.

I'm guessing that with sand, your gonna spend more time cleaning it out than cleaning out steel pins. Sand may be cheaper to start but compared to steel pins, your going to spend more time.

 

[Traveler]

I like the Dillon CM-500 Case/Media Separator. It is a pain getting the pins out a case at a time.