mashburn
posted this
18 August 2021
Hello John,
I will agree with Riicin Yakima on the best choice for cleaning brass. I bought a vibratory cleaner from Midway in the mid -eighties, one that came with two lids, one clear and one solid. Why you need a clear lid, I don't know. As to it's long lasting durability, it should be put in the Smithsonian. I had been using it for over ten years when I read some where that certain serial numbered of these had been recalled because of possibilities that they could catch on fire. I checked the number on mine, and sure enough mine was one of those to be sent back. I thought If hasn't caught on fire by now that it probably wouldn't. After that when I wasn't in the shop with it, I would set it outside on the concrete. From then on I set it outside to do away with the noise. Back in the good ole days when it was allowed on Ebay I was in the reloading component business. I sold on Gun Broker also but items wouldn't bring near as much as on Ebay. At one time I hauled in a pickup load of used brass in sacks ,all of that was cleaned with my midway vibratory cleaner and that much doesn't make but a small percent of the brass that it has cleaned.
You can spend a lot more money on higher tech cleaners, but myself, like the old saying, "he's tighter than Dicks hat band" definitely describes me .I took some 1X4's and some hardware cloth and made a square sifter. When I take the brass out of the vibratory cleaner, I pour it into the sifter which I have setting in a larger box. With this setup you can really rattle the cases around and they come out pretty Dad gum free of dust and media.
As far as media, I use walnut shell with some polishing compound added. I have corn cob media but hardly ever use it, it's too slow. I will at times put cases in corn cob media after the walnut shells. When the media wears out it makes very good filler for shooting bags. Another thing, make sure you look in the primer pocket and make sure there isn't a peace of walnut hull in the flash hole.
Mashburn