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Posted: 7/29/2010 11:26:05 AM EDT
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Im having a problem with my cases becoming dirty after Im finished reloading.
They come out good from the tumbler, but by the time I get them finished their dirty again. Does anyone throw the cases back into the tumbler? Is that even safe? Any way to get them to shine again? Thanks |
I use a polish added to the media, and I tumble rounds after loading to get the One Shot case lube residue off..I'm lazy ....I wonder why it's turning dirty?
FYI my dad (RIP) did this for more than 30 years and neither of us ever had a round go off in the tumbler....I've even broken down reloads to see if the powder got messed up after tumbling.... |
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Yeah, it's safe to tumble loaded ammo..... but why? Ammunition doesn't perform based on looks. Your guns or targets aren't going to care what your cartridges look like!  It's a PITA to wipe down every dang lubed case––––they tend to build up in the chamber if you don't clean it off and cases start to get hard to extract
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Somewhere around here there's a thread in which someone took microscopic photos of powder before/after tumbling for >24 hours. No degredation was noted. I have yet to hear of a KB story of loaded rounds in a tumbler. I tumble cast loads for several hours to get the lube off of the exposed portion of the bullet, never had any problem so far. |
| You can add a used dryer sheet to your media or use a polish as was stated above. What you have is patina, not dirt. Patina will actually protect the brass. The brass acts w/ oxygen, thats all. I never polish my high power brass such as 8x57 or 7mm Rem Mag. Never tumble live rounds. Ther is a chance of detonation, not to mention if you have soft point ammo it will eat the tip. I use Walnut media. |
| A tumbler will not ignite a primer in a loaded round, it's not like the rounds are hitting one another hard to even make a mark on a primer much less hitting one as hard as a firing pin does to set on off, they barely rub against one another in the tumbler, I tumble all my loaded rounds except HP Match bullets because I don't like the media stuck in the tips. |
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After resizing and trimming I tumble in untreated corn cob. The cases are handled with surgical style gloves from thereafter. Sweat and salts as well as plain old dirt doesn't help the brass, the gloves keep it clean. It's indeed the handling. I wear cotton gloves when handling brass most of the time. That keeps my fingers off the metal and that keeps the brass clean. |
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I guess you could try washing your hands
i tumble after final case prep as well. then i just need to prime charge and seat. i'v never had an issue with the rounds getting "dirty" at that point. eventualy, after handleing alot the brass will tarnish, but i have never had an issue at the loading stage. |
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I am pretty sure manufacturers tumble loaded ammo. I tumble mine, especially my cartridges with cast projectiles. Gets the excess lube off. Plus shiny ammo is something you can show off and take pride in. There was a thread about this a while back. So like bling, some don't care.
jonblack |
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I am pretty sure manufacturers tumble loaded ammo. I tumble mine, especially my cartridges with cast projectiles. Gets the excess lube off. Plus shiny ammo is something you can show off and take pride in. There was a thread about this a while back. So like bling, some don't care. jonblack they do. there was an article posted a while back. it said the mfg.'s do it and it was safe. the two major concerns, detonation in the tumbler and degradation of powder, were refuted. |
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When I load, the raw brass goes through the dishwasher or washing machine. (I know, EPA, yadda yadda yadda, but I live on the Gulf Coast, so its ok) Then after lubing and sizing, brass is tumbled in raw corn cob, loaded, then polished with corn cob treated with some kind of car wax. NuFinish works awesome, but right now I'm using Turtle. Cases stay shiny and are even a little water/oil/dirt proof.
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When I load, the raw brass goes through the dishwasher or washing machine. (I know, EPA, yadda yadda yadda, but I live on the Gulf Coast, so its ok) Then after lubing and sizing, brass is tumbled in raw corn cob, loaded, then polished with corn cob treated with some kind of car wax. NuFinish works awesome, but right now I'm using Turtle. Cases stay shiny and are even a little water/oil/dirt proof.get your family's lead levels tested regularly. |
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When I load, the raw brass goes through the dishwasher or washing machine. (I know, EPA, yadda yadda yadda, but I live on the Gulf Coast, so its ok) Then after lubing and sizing, brass is tumbled in raw corn cob, loaded, then polished with corn cob treated with some kind of car wax. NuFinish works awesome, but right now I'm using Turtle. Cases stay shiny and are even a little water/oil/dirt proof.get your family's lead levels tested regularly. I have. Don't do it anymore though. The agitation, hot water, and detergent did seem to do a lot that tumbling didn't. 
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Quoted:
Quoted:
After resizing and trimming I tumble in untreated corn cob. The cases are handled with surgical style gloves from thereafter. Sweat and salts as well as plain old dirt doesn't help the brass, the gloves keep it clean. It's indeed the handling. I wear cotton gloves when handling brass most of the time. That keeps my fingers off the metal and that keeps the brass clean. I agree - I've had the same thing happen, and if you look close, the tarnish is in the shape of fingerprints
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Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
After resizing and trimming I tumble in untreated corn cob. The cases are handled with surgical style gloves from thereafter. Sweat and salts as well as plain old dirt doesn't help the brass, the gloves keep it clean. It's indeed the handling. I wear cotton gloves when handling brass most of the time. That keeps my fingers off the metal and that keeps the brass clean. I agree - I've had the same thing happen, and if you look close, the tarnish is in the shape of fingerprints Yeah it looks like my dirty paws are doing it
Going to pick up some gloves now! |
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