# Two questions on brass



## almanor (Jun 15, 2013)

They may be related. First how do you know when corn cob media is no longer good. Mine seams to be still cleaning as well as new after a couple thou rounds. Second while the outside of the brass is shiny and new looking the inside is not clean. There is a thin dark residue that won't clean out. I've left the tumbler going all night and it looks the same as 3 hours.


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## Glock Doctor (Mar 14, 2011)

Dirty tumbling media tends to clump, and has a lot of dark soot in it. Forget about the inside of the cases. That's burn residue. I used to change the media no more than once or twice a year. I used my tumblers alot; and I often left a tumbler on overnight. If you want the cleanest brass possible, you're going to have to go to wet polishing. That's RCBS; and those tumblers are very expensive. (Mine always leaked, too. Not much, but enough to be annoying.) 


NOTE: Try throwing a fabric softener, anti-static sheet in with your corn cob media, and brass. The sheet will absorb a lot of the powdered dirt. Change as often as necessary.


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## DWARREN123 (May 11, 2006)

The outside cleaning is really for protecting the reloading dies. Inside cleaning has never been an issue with me.
The media should last a very long time unless you add stuff to it. Dryer sheets if used should be very used with no fabric softener left in.
I like to use a half of a cap full Nu-Finish car wash to help clean/polish the brass.


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## retired_diver (Jun 22, 2013)

I'm with dwarren I use "used" dryer sheets in with my walnut media and it stops most of the dust trapped in the media. I also use nu finish as a polishing agent. Just add it first and turn on the tumbler make sure it doesn't clump and then add the brass.


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## Glock Doctor (Mar 14, 2011)

Well, another trick is to simply throw in a paper towel. That works, too!


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## noylj (Dec 8, 2011)

If it cleans, it is working and there is nothing to worry about.
You have never read in any reloading manuals that it is important to clean the inside (though I expect with the profit margins for cleaners, this will soon appear in all equipment supply companies' loading manuals).
All cleaning is a convenience. All you need to do is wipe off any dirt/grime from the case exterior. That is ALL you need to do.


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## mojo (Aug 18, 2015)

I realize I'm resurrecting an old thread but maybe to help a newbie, I'll go ahead and do it, lol. To the OP's original questions. 1) As long as your corn cob media hasn't broken down into fine particles, it will still clean. 2) You won't be able to get the inside of the case clean unless you use a sonic cleaner and then they come out looking brand new on the inside. There IS a reason to clean the inside of the cases. You may not be as concerned with this in pistol as we are in precision rifle shooting but little chunks of carbon from the primer get left in the cases and if you don't clean it out, the next time you fire that case, that little chunk will end up in your barrel and the next round fired will embed it into your bore. That's the main reason I don't use spent 22lr cases to dry fire my 2 Anschutz practice rifles - that left over primer carbon will be thrown into the bore.


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