Does anyone have a good way of cleaning dust from your walnut/corncob tumbling media? New sand blast / tumbling media seems to contain a lot of dusty material. Normally I run the vibe outside with an open top. Winter is coming and I don't want this residue inside my house. Can it be washed out or am I stuck with buying a new setup with steel pins.
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cleaning dust from media
- Thread starter 308Loader
- Start date
Steve in PA
New member
Liquid case polish. Used dryer sheets also works.
wild willy
New member
Cut paper shop towel in 1 1/2 or 2 “ squares dampen well with mineral spirits.Replace when they get dirty.If you don’t have shop towels use cleaning patches. I think it works better than used dryer sheets also seems to help with the cleaning of your brass.
find an old cotton towel - cut a 6 to 7 inch square out of it - punch a hole into the middle of the square - then put it under your media below the corncob or walnut. What it will do is trap the fine particulates - it'll come out gray or black. I wouldn't wash the squares with your laundry or even by themselves as you'll introduce lead contamination into your washing machine. Either rinse them out in the sink and let them air dry, or replace them from time to time. Also - sift your walnut through a screen between uses until you trash it. Corncob isn't worth sifting.
When I was running low and had very dirty/dusty corn comb media that would not be replaced for awhile , I washed it . Pour into a bucket and filled with water and a bit of soap . Swirl it around then pour out over window screening or paint strainer bag . Then rinse a bit over screening or bag and spread out on flat surface to dry . Worked just fine . FWIW I used a 1/2 sheet of drywall as my flat surface which soaked up some of the moisture from the bottom allowing it to dry faster IMO .
I've used the dryer sheets but not sure how well that actually works . The sheets are dirty after but don't really retain any significant amounts of the dust or at least it does not appear to . It's not like your vacuum filter where if you pat the sheet a cloud of media dust does not go flying so I'm not sure that really works .
Washing it out actually removes the dust but I've never done it with walnut media only corncob .
I've used the dryer sheets but not sure how well that actually works . The sheets are dirty after but don't really retain any significant amounts of the dust or at least it does not appear to . It's not like your vacuum filter where if you pat the sheet a cloud of media dust does not go flying so I'm not sure that really works .
Washing it out actually removes the dust but I've never done it with walnut media only corncob .
Last edited:
Rangerrich99
New member
Pieces of an old towel or socks. Or pieces of a sponge.
D Michalak
New member
+1 for liquid car polish and used dryer sheets. I cut a sheet into 1x1 inch squares for each batch. Works good for me.
When I come in from shooting, I dump the brass in a five gallon bucket. When it is about half full, I add dawn and hot water. After it soaks for a couple of hours, I dump it out, drain and dry in the sun. Then and only then do I handle the brass. Then rifle brass is deprimed, pistol brass is not. When sorted, it goes in a citric acid bath to shine and clean further. When I do get my brass to the vibratory tumbler, it has had all the lead, primer residue, and lead salts washed away.
The tumbler is in the laundry room and I feel comfortable that there is no "cloud" of lead salts surrounding it as the brass is polished in chrome polish and walnut hulls. To keep the dust down, I stuff a dryer sheet in each batch. After polishing, brass goes into plastic bags by caliber and headstamp to await loading.
Sometimes, I can get grand kids to help me sort. I would not let them touch dirty brass because of the contamination. When cleaned in soap and water, I do not worry about them being poisoned.
The tumbler is in the laundry room and I feel comfortable that there is no "cloud" of lead salts surrounding it as the brass is polished in chrome polish and walnut hulls. To keep the dust down, I stuff a dryer sheet in each batch. After polishing, brass goes into plastic bags by caliber and headstamp to await loading.
Sometimes, I can get grand kids to help me sort. I would not let them touch dirty brass because of the contamination. When cleaned in soap and water, I do not worry about them being poisoned.
The best stuff is Rooster Bright Brass Case Polish , it's made for corn cob and walnut shell media. Just follow the directions . Can be used on new untreated media or to rejuvenate and to keep dust down....it's the best for media !
I've never had a bad dust problem like some , but Rooster Bright does keep dust down and adds to the media's life.
Gary
I've never had a bad dust problem like some , but Rooster Bright does keep dust down and adds to the media's life.
Gary
You could always leave the lid on.
What I do with mine; and when the corn cob media gets too dirty, I throw it out and put new stuff in.
I've tried the dryer sheets, paper towel, cloth thing. doesn't seem to clear the dust. the blast media is definitely better than the pet litter stuff in the dust category.
"You could always leave the lid on."
I run 2 vibes, one is a closed system and one has slots in the lid. the closed system (harbor freight) builds up more dust than the open (Lyman). in the summer months I run them outside.
"Pour into a bucket and filled with water and a bit of soap . Swirl it around then pour out over window screening"
was what I was thinking, flush out the fine particulates.
"You could always leave the lid on."
I run 2 vibes, one is a closed system and one has slots in the lid. the closed system (harbor freight) builds up more dust than the open (Lyman). in the summer months I run them outside.
"Pour into a bucket and filled with water and a bit of soap . Swirl it around then pour out over window screening"
was what I was thinking, flush out the fine particulates.
Used dryer sheets cut into roughly 1 inch squares. They're something you're already buying, so there's no additional cost in using them.
Drop several squares in the media before tumbling and discard them when you're done. You will note after a while that the dryer sheets come out a lighter and lighter color which confirms that it is removing dust.
Only problem may be getting your wife to remember to save them or remembering to extract them from the dryer yourself.
Also, DON'T use NEW dryer sheets.
Drop several squares in the media before tumbling and discard them when you're done. You will note after a while that the dryer sheets come out a lighter and lighter color which confirms that it is removing dust.
Only problem may be getting your wife to remember to save them or remembering to extract them from the dryer yourself.
Also, DON'T use NEW dryer sheets.
Swifters are better than the dryer sheets.
Good call , I'd bet they are WAY better at collecting the dust .