Ceramic tumbling media

[frontstuffers]

Has/does anyone use ceramic tumbling media to clean their brass? If so, how do you use it? Not sure if I am supposed to use it dry or wet (i.e. with water, soap, brass cleaner, etc.). Bought some from Midway and am looking to try it, but want to make sure I do it right and don't ruin a bunch of expensive brass.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Laserbait]

Unfortunately, I have not used the ceramic media myself either, but I have wanted too. From what I've read, it should be used wet, but I'm leery of doing wet polishing in in my vibratory tumbler because splashing water and electricity doesn't seem like a great idea to me.

 

[contender]

Use wet media. Also, use a sealed rotary tumbler,, not a vibrating one.

 

[frontstuffers]

Thanks for the reply guys, it's much appreciated. Contender, do you use plain water, maybe add a little soap, or something like IOSSO. I've never used this before and the one video on you tube using this it appeared to be dry and in a vibrating tumbler. Luckily I have a rotary as well as a vibrating tumbler.

Thanks for the help.

 

[contender]

Many lifetimes ago, I worked at a company that made ceramic items. Wet will always work better. A little dish soap will do wonders.

 

[357Nut]

Use a teaspoon of the granular Lemi-Shine detergent or Citric Acid and a little Dawn dishsoap and enough water to cover the cases. I have used this with ceramic media in a rotary tumbler for years and get much cleaner cases and better overall results than dry media in vibratory tumblers.

I dry the cases with a heat gun, my buddy uses stainless media which will work in bottle neck cases as well. He just sets them out to dry in loading trays. Don't try the ceramic media in bottle neck cases, you may get away with it in something like the 30/30 but it will stick pack in most bottle neck cases. Don't ask me how I know.

For bottle neck cases stainless media is the way to go. The same recipe will work with the stainless media.

 

[Jimbo357mag]

Homemade tumbler. Just to get the creative juices flowing.

 

[mikld]

Ceramic media is normally used wet in a rotary tumbler (or in industrial uses a huge wobbler type unit), and ceramic is pretty aggressive on brass. Of course size and shape will make a difference, but you won't get a high polished shine on your brass...