The Down Range Forum
Member Section => Reloading => Topic started by: billt on July 28, 2011, 12:51:05 PM
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Anyone done this? I've heard of it, but have never done it myself. I just got through resizing and prepping 2,500 .223 cases for reloading. I've run them through the dishwasher twice thus far. First to remove as much dust and dirt before I resized them, then after resizing to remove all of the case lube. They are clean and dry, but tarnished. Next I'm going to swage out the crimp in the primer pockets because most of them are military cases, then trim them to length in my Giraud Power Trimmer.
After that I want to give them a final polish before running them through the Dillon. They aren't dirty enough to warrant using a wet Stainless Steel Media tumble, so I'm going to go with ground corn cob with a polish. I normally use Dillon Rapid Polish with good results. It's a fantastic product. I've heard that Flitz Metal Polish works great for this also. I tried a dab on a paper towel, and in just a couple of passes the case was as bright as could be.
I have a 2 pound can of this stuff I bought from Midway because it works so good on Stainless Steel handguns. I thought of putting some in the ground corn cob to really brighten up these military .223 / 5.56 MM cases I'm currently working on. This stuff has the consistency of toothpaste. I don't know if it will get spread around like the liquid Rapid Polish will, and I don't know what to thin it out with? Perhaps I could just place small pencil erasure sized globs of it all over the media before I dump in the brass and fire it up?? Anyone done this, or have some suggestions? I'm real anal about having nice looking brass, which is why I bother with it. Bill T.
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When I want to get a "Jewelry" bright finish on my brass(Easier to find them in the grass) I use a 50-50 mix of corn cob and walnut with rouge then tumble them for 5 to 7 hours. They will come out looking like gold plate. I tried adding flitz but it didn't mix well with the media.
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What kind of "Rouge"? And where do you buy it? This isn't the ruby red stuff that leaves red dust everywhere, is it? Bill T.
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Bill,it's already added to the media, The reason I mix it 50-50 is the corn cob removes the "red dust" and the brass comes out sparkling.
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Bill,it's already added to the media.
Are you talking about mixing half and half of the Lyman, pre treated stuff that comes in those big clear jugs? Bill T.
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Yup, That's what I did. I found out that it worked by accident, I was low on both medias so I just mixed the 2 and put it in the tumbler and forgot about it. When I went n the reloading shed the next morning the brass was polished like jewelry.
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The "rouge" (French for red ) is ground ruby, you can mix your own by going to a good jeweler and buying "Jewelers Rouge".
I don't know the proportions you would want to mix.
You can also get Ruby sticks for deburring small parts.
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I use nushine( atleast I think thats the name, the NU I'm sure about)
you know that car polish in the orange bottle
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Bill, I used to use Flitz in my Lyman 1200 tumbler and got a great cleaning with corn cob. I haven't seen them lately but Flitz did come in a small tube (I want to say 2 oz. but I think that's wrong) that I haven't seen recently and that in the 1200 lasted for quite a while and worked great. These days I'm using Dillon polish and it cleans well but high shine as like new brass.
Enjoy, Pecos who's answering now 'cause he wasn't here yesterday.
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I just use walnut media exclusively and leave the brass in it for 4-5 hours. I add some brass polish from Midway to the walnut.
http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduct/?productnumber=198878
I tried the corn cob media a couple of times and didn't any difference so I don't even bother with it anymore. If the brass is shiny like new, which it is, that's plenty good for me.
The more you putz around with brass the less time you have for shooting and reloading!!
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I heard using powder laundry detergent works well too, but I have not tried it yet.
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(http://i812.photobucket.com/albums/zz50/billt460/223Brass002JPG.jpg)
This was the result. Fresh ground corn cob, Flitz liquid polish, Flitz paste, (about a tablespoon), and Dillon Rapid Polish, all tossed in at once. 7 hour tumble. Bill T.
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What advantages do the polishes provide that you don't get from the mildly abrasive tumbling media ?
It seems like it would be better to use just the corn cobs and avoid the residues left by polishes.
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What advantages do the polishes provide that you don't get from the mildly abrasive tumbling media ?
It seems like it would be better to use just the corn cobs and avoid the residues left by polishes.
The Flitz adds a much more noticeable lustre to the brass the photo doesn't show very well. There is zero residue left on the brass. It is all absorbed by the media itself. As I mentioned, I'm pretty anal about having good looking brass in my handloads. I've tried just about everything there is to try to obtain good looking brass.
Stainless Steel media is the absolute best for cleaning brass inside and out. It doesn't produce much of a shine however. I got the idea of using Flitz paste because of how well it works on Stainless Steel handguns. I've gone over several with it and it really gives them a beautiful sheen. It only stood to reason it would work the same way on brass. Flitz also makes a liquid brass polish that I used as well, along with the paste.
One way to judge how well it works is by how long the corn cob media itself lasts. This stuff was black after just 2 loads in the Dillon, (about 1,600 rounds). Again, it's hard to see in the photo, but this stuff was aces on the inside, as well as the primer pockets. I have yet to see new brass that shines as well as this stuff does. Bill T.
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Might be cool to have an ammo box that looks like a treasure chest and open it to show rows of cartridges glowing like a pile of doubloons. Eye catching.
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Might be cool to have an ammo box that looks like a treasure chest and open it to show rows of cartridges glowing like a pile of doubloons. Eye catching.
What really sold me on the Flitz was the job it did on an old round of .50 BMG ammo I bought at a gun show back in the 70's. The headstamp said "49", and it was really tarnished. I think I paid a buck for it. After I bought a small tube of Flitz I decided to have at it with a Terrycloth towel. It shined up that round of .50 BMG better than new. It's the same round I have displayed with the rifle I bought over 35 years later. Bill T.
(http://i812.photobucket.com/albums/zz50/billt460/BushmasterBA-50.jpg)
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The Flitz adds a much more noticeable lustre to the brass the photo doesn't show very well. There is zero residue left on the brass. It is all absorbed by the media itself. As I mentioned, I'm pretty anal about having good looking brass in my handloads. I've tried just about everything there is to try to obtain good looking brass.
Stainless Steel media is the absolute best for cleaning brass inside and out. It doesn't produce much of a shine however. I got the idea of using Flitz paste because of how well it works on Stainless Steel handguns. I've gone over several with it and it really gives them a beautiful sheen. It only stood to reason it would work the same way on brass. Flitz also makes a liquid brass polish that I used as well, along with the paste.
One way to judge how well it works is by how long the corn cob media itself lasts. This stuff was black after just 2 loads in the Dillon, (about 1,600 rounds). Again, it's hard to see in the photo, but this stuff was aces on the inside, as well as the primer pockets. I have yet to see new brass that shines as well as this stuff does. Bill T.
Asking, not nit picking.
Does this enhance accuracy in bench rest type shooting, or give some other advantage ?
Or is it simply a matter of taste.
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Asking, not nit picking.
Does this enhance accuracy in bench rest type shooting, or give some other advantage ?
Or is it simply a matter of taste.
Mostly taste. It does absolutely nothing in regards to accuracy. What it does do is allow you to spot splits, cracks, and other abnormalities much easier. In semi auto rifles it can make extraction a little easier. But mostly it is just a cosmetic thing. For me, I don't like reloads that look like reloads. It really doesn't take that much effort to accomplish. You pretty much have to tumble to remove all of the case lube, because it would take forever to wipe off each one individually. So with just a few additives they come out looking like jewelry, as opposed to looking so so. But in the end it's all personal preference. Bill T.
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Mostly taste. It does absolutely nothing in regards to accuracy. What it does do is allow you to spot splits, cracks, and other abnormalities much easier. In semi auto rifles it can make extraction a little easier. But mostly it is just a cosmetic thing. For me, I don't like reloads that look like reloads. It really doesn't take that much effort to accomplish. You pretty much have to tumble to remove all of the case lube, because it would take forever to wipe off each one individually. So with just a few additives they come out looking like jewelry, as opposed to looking so so. But in the end it's all personal preference. Bill T.
Taste aside, that seems like a worth while benefit.
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Here's your ammo box, Bill.
(http://www.brassbinnacle.com/Merchant2/images-04-2004/UD-W1534b-lg.jpg)
http://www.brassbinnacle.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=br1&Product_Code=UD-W1534&Category_Code=TR1