[elfmdl]

Ow long can your tumbling media be used before it needs to be thrown away?

[ryguy00]

Until it stops working. How much brass you tumble at a time, how often, how dirty it is, how long you let it run for, how clean you want it, with or without polish added, etc all affect useful lifespan for your media

[robocop10mm]

Being a cheap azz, I wash my media. I ladle it into women's knee high hose, tie a knot and wash them in the clothes washer. Long, hot cycle and double rinse. I pour it into cookie sheets and heat it in the oven at about 200 degrees til dry. Re-treat with any one of the several media treatment liquids and viola. I have only bought media once in the last 15 years.

[billt]

If you use Stainless Steel Media you will never have to replace it because it will never wear out. You simply rinse it and it's ready for another use. It will also clean better than any other type of media.

[webbch]

I just posted a thread about cleaning tumbler media the other day. Looks like credit goes to robocop10mm for the original idea. I used it this last weekend after tumbling 6000+ pistol cases.

Media is pretty cheap, so others have pointed out that the savings from washing is minimal. On the other hand, it saves you a trip to the store if that's all you needed (or shipping if ordering online)

[KeysKelly]

I use corn cob media and usually get about 10,000 cases of handgun ammo out of it. A lot of it depends on the quality of the powder used in the ammo that was shot. High end ammo with clean burning powder will not leave the cases as dirty as reloads made with dirty powder like Unique. With corn cob media being off white to very light brown new you can watch it get dirty as you use it.

Another trick I learned to increas life span is run a fabric softner dryer sheet cut in strips through your tumbler with just media and no cases.

[Poof38]

I just bought a bag of lizard litter from the pet shop the other day and used it for some cleaning today. I added a cap of media polish and a dryer sheet cut into quarters. Most of my brass is pretty dirty since I do CAS in AZ. Lots of dirt, grit and the occasional small rocks to deal with. I generally keep the media until it is really filthy and takes longer to polish the brass. The shooting I do at the regular range stays pretty clean since I just pick it up off of concrete.

[1hole]

"Ow long can your tumbling media be used before it needs to be thrown away?"

About 4 months. ??

[noylj]

Go to
http://www.drillspot.com/products/521055/econoline_526040g-40_40_lbs_blast_media
for 20/40 grit corn. 40 lbs for $33, with free shipping.
Have no idea why any one would wash anything that cheap. There is some lead residue from primer ash.
Remember: any cleaning beyond wiping off the case exterior is done for the pleasure of the reloader and not for any reloading reason.

[robocop10mm]

Originally Posted by noylj

Go to
http://www.drillspot.com/products/521055/econoline_526040g-40_40_lbs_blast_media
for 20/40 grit corn. 40 lbs for $33, with free shipping.
Have no idea why any one would wash anything that cheap. There is some lead residue from primer ash.
Remember: any cleaning beyond wiping off the case exterior is done for the pleasure of the reloader and not for any reloading reason.

I did not say, I did it for a money saving. I do it because I am a cheap azz. Cheap and saving money are not necesarily related.

I disgree with the cleaing opinion. A very clean, polished case is much easier to inspect for defects.