Thread: New Idea??? Experimentation....

I don't know if anyone else has had this happen to them, so just in case...

Lyman Tuffnut pre-treated walnut media can stain scales. It also doesn't seem to be a very good media in general.

I'm going to Harbor Freight to buy some of their aggressive little plastic pyramid media to use on a rusted Red-Injun I have coming from fleabay.

I've only seen one report on the Harbor Freight media.. anyone else had any experience with this stuff?

So, since Midway doesn't ship to Canada (at least that's what they're website says...) I'll be picking mine up at Le Baron Outdoor Products tomorrow. They have the Lyman Pro Turbo 1200 for $65 Cnd, or what seems to me the same thing with a second bowl for $85 (how expensive are these bowls?) Which would you go for? http://www.lebaron.ca/pdf_files_fall.../lyman_kit.pdf

Also, I'm looking at media, which would you suggest?The Lyman Easy Pour treated Corn cob and/or Tufnut media? THe stuff from Pet Smart, or something else all together? I'm looking here at the moment: http://www.lebaron.ca/pdf_files_fall...yman_media.pdf

Thanks for the help, guys - I know NOTHING about guns, or reloading, or any of this, so any advice would be appreciated.

Mark

Originally Posted by Milton Man

So, since Midway doesn't ship to Canada (at least that's what they're website says...) I'll be picking mine up at Le Baron Outdoor Products tomorrow. They have the Lyman Pro Turbo 1200 for $65 Cnd, or what seems to me the same thing with a second bowl for $85 (how expensive are these bowls?) Which would you go for? http://www.lebaron.ca/pdf_files_fall.../lyman_kit.pdf

Also, I'm looking at media, which would you suggest?The Lyman Easy Pour treated Corn cob and/or Tufnut media? THe stuff from Pet Smart, or something else all together? I'm looking here at the moment: http://www.lebaron.ca/pdf_files_fall...yman_media.pdf

Thanks for the help, guys - I know NOTHING about guns, or reloading, or any of this, so any advice would be appreciated.

Mark

I can answer this as I asked gssixgun myself via PM .... His answer is as follows,

"Treated "IF" it is the RCBS, I only know that their media treatment is steel safe I don't know about some of the others..."

RCBS - Precisioneered Shooting Products - Home

So if it is not from RCBS then get the untreated.

Check out this thread for a little more insite into the tumbler treatment and the entire resto process.
http://straightrazorpalace.com/works...r-restore.html

I am suppose to have my tumber delivered tomorrow with the media from Midway..... I can't wait to see the results !

Originally Posted by lawman2

Has anyone experimented with the pet store walnut and/or cob to determine whether the larger media usually found at pet stores makes any difference in the result as compared to the media purchased from reloading suppliers?

I use crushed walnut from the local pet store. It's the same stuff you order from the reloading suppliers, only it comes in a 25lb bag and costs only $6. I think they have a more coarse grade as well.

I also have a small 2-3oz bag of xxf red powdered rouge (should be able to google it up) that I bought at the local gunshop that makes stuff ultrashiny. Maybe a half teaspoon in the regular sized tumbler. A lot of handloaders use automotive rubbing compound or flitz. The red powdered rouge works much better IMHO. I would think it'd work well in this application.

Originally Posted by Iron_Beard

Has anyone tried this media? It is green like CrOx and I was wondering if it was of any value beyond the walnut shells.

Harbor Freight

I just loaded up my polisher with this media about an hour ago. The stuff is *really* loud. With the lid off the polisher, it's so loud it's physically uncomfortable to hear. With the lid on, it's tolerable, but just barely.

I watched the blade in the media for a few minutes... it seemed to be working its way through the media and around the polisher better than it was doing in the walnut media.

This blade had been sanded through 400 grit, but I did notice a few scratch marks left from a more coarse grit, and I found a few defects i had missed. So we'll see how this media works on a good range of scratches and defects.

While at Harbor Freight, I also picked up five pounds of 320 grit aluminum oxide powder. I'm thinking about adding it to walnut media to give it some additional teeth, but thought I'd run it passed you guys first. Thoughts?

The ceramic media from HF is very aggressive. Much more so than walnut. The marring it left was not removed by two days in treated walnut media. It is removed easily with 400-600 grit paper, though.

Update on the Harbor Freight Ceramic Media (again):

As mentioned before this stuff is loud, and very aggressive. I've done several razors in this media now, with amazing results, as well as no blade damage.

If you don't mind waiting a few days, this stuff is capable of removing some pretty serious rust, scratches, stains, pitting, patina, defects, you name it. Just *one* day is enough to do a stained razor. Three to four days will do some pretty amazing things.

Of course, all this comes with a big but(t)... I haven't been able to chuck a razor done in the ceramic media right into the walnut shells with good results. The walnut shells (at least the way mine are treated, I need to try other rouges/polishes) are not capable of removing the, uh, well, for lack of a better term, "sanding marks" that the ceramic media leaves in the steel. Glen (and others) have been able to get the walnut shells to remove 400 grit sanding marks, and I think if you're able to obtain that kind of result, it would probably remove the marks from the ceramic media. My walnut shells, however, aren't even capable of removing 800 grit sanding marks. I'm using the pre-treated Lyman Tufnut shells, fwiw.

If you prefer to do it by hand, the ceramic media marks are easily removed with 800 grit paper. I said 400-600 previously, then tried 800 on the latest blade. Marks came right out. Guess I'll try an even finer grit next time...

Several rock polishing sites recommend using stainless steel shot to polish up metal. Has anyone tried this with a razor yet? I'm thinking of buying some but it's kinda pricey.

Glen, using the red walnut media, how many days do you find you need to leave a razor in the tumbler in order to remove, say, 400 grit sanding scratches?

I must not be using the correct type of additive to my walnut media, as I'm really not getting very good results in removing even 800 grit scratches after five days in the tumbler. I'm able to get the walnut media to remove the abrasion marks from the ceramic tumbler media, but even that takes about a week.

I'd like to be able to sand a blade through 400 grit and chuck it in the tumbler like you do.

I wonder if my vibrating polisher doesn't vibrate as hard or something.

Originally Posted by FloorPizza

Glen, using the red walnut media, how many days do you find you need to leave a razor in the tumbler in order to remove, say, 400 grit sanding scratches?

I must not be using the correct type of additive to my walnut media, as I'm really not getting very good results in removing even 800 grit scratches after five days in the tumbler. I'm able to get the walnut media to remove the abrasion marks from the ceramic tumbler media, but even that takes about a week.

I'd like to be able to sand a blade through 400 grit and chuck it in the tumbler like you do.

I wonder if my vibrating polisher doesn't vibrate as hard or something.

I've had good results with the walnut shells & rubbing compound removing scratches from 600 grit using the polisher mentioned here somewhere (it's blue). I don't get much out of the corn cob though. Usually 3 days in the walnut is as good as it's going to get. I do another day or two in the corn cob but there's not really much difference that I can see.

The liquid rubbing compound does make a difference, but yeah I am in the 3 day rotation basically too...

Aaron is trying some 20 micron diamond right now in his to see if that makes a difference....