Ceramic Tumblers

[pumpguy]

Does anyone here use ceramic media. Can you use a regular tumbler with that stuff or is it too heavy? Do you have to use it wet?

[GabbyM]

Yes a regular tumbler.
Ceramic may be lighter than the walnut. ?
I've used it to help clean 5.56mm brass that comes in government surplus out of the rain and mud. It helps a little. 5.56 isn't a good cartridge for it though. Tends to get stuck inside. 9mm too. I think it's more popular with black powder cartridge shooters. They usually wash their cases in something like Murphy's Oil Soap solution to naturalize the corrosives. For smokeless it's more of a pain than anything. Bit expensive too.

You have the option of using it wet. Dry works too. But if you're not looking to run it wet their isn't much popint in bothering with it. IMHO.

What I like to finish with regardless. Is corn cob with a dolop of case polish.

[EDK]

My AR-6 (?) THUMBLER'S TUMBLER is elderly...over 20 years old and still going strong. I use it for everything, including ceramic media. I bought the media set from SAGEBRUSH PRODUCTS at the Quigley shoot two years ago. It is used for black powder cartridges and some of the crummiest looking range brass I've ever purchased. Follow the instructions...including the detergent and water...and your worst brass looks like new. It's that good, but you don't need it for most smokeless empties.

[hiram]

If you don't know what detergent to use, pour some vinegar in. It's a mild acid and helps in the cleanup.

[dromia]

I use it wet in a relatively new Thumlers Tumbler for all my BP brass.

Corn cob or walnut does fine for smokeless brass, again in a very old Thumblers Tumbler, I don't think this one is designed to run wet.

So if it isn't for BP then save the ceramic money and use corncob or walnut.


I can highly recommend Thumlers for brass cleaning, they do some pretty hi speccy vibratory machines too.

[prs]

I also use a Thumbler's Tumbler with my BP brass and I use Cascade dishwaser powder (or Wally World knock-off there-of). I was using the cylinder shapeped ceramic beads, but it was such a PIA to seperate and mess with. I intended to order the smaller round type media, but then tried the cases in just water with the detergent. Dang! It got even cleaner than before and has a bright finish instead of that bead blasted appearance. I wash my brass in hot soapy water in a range jug. Rinse it at home. When I have a couple hundred or more, I toss 'em in the tumbler with just enough water to cover and a quarter cup of detergent -- they tumble overnight. Rinse and dry in an onion sack. No media to bother with. Try it.

prs

[montana_charlie]

I was using the cylinder shapeped ceramic beads, but it was such a PIA to seperate and mess with. I intended to order the smaller round type media,

When the 'small balls' media first appeared, it was intended for use in bottlenecked and small-caliber cases. Those using it said it did a great job, but it did not clean up the 'corners' of case head interiors and primer pockets.

but then tried the cases in just water with the detergent. Dang! It got even cleaner than before and has a bright finish instead of that bead blasted appearance.

I am sure your cases are burnishing each other as they roll around in the solution.
But I wonder if case interiors and primer pockets need special attention afterward.

I wash my brass in hot soapy water in a range jug.

How do you keep the water hot at the range?

If somebody would like to use ceramic, but his wallet can't manage the $45 (and up) wanted by BPCR suppliers, it can be had more cheaply from Kingsley North...whose main business is the sale of stuff for making jewelry.
CM

[Aeolus]

FWIW, I've be doing some experimenting with a Cole-Parmer single stage Lab jar mill I picked up on Ebay for 140 bucks (they run 2 grand new) and I've been loading it with Stainless Jewelry Mix shot (little balls, trapazoids and pins that don't get stuck in the primer hole-> thank God) with a cap full of any car cleaner/carnauba wax one step and I can see my reflection on the inner walls and bottom of the inside of my dirtiest 45-70 cases after a four hour run. They literally come out looking like a display at Tiffany's. Actually Tiffany's uses a similar set up, that's why it's called Jewelry Mix. The nice thing about snagging a cheap jar mill is they typically have a 30 pound capacity, will roll damn near any kind of cylindrical object (think restaurant sized mayonnaise containers) and basically will run forever. Plus you can swap containers and let the kids polish rocks.