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

I got a tumbler for Christmas and just wanted to add some information to this thread. I'm not a reloader and found that the two gunshops in my area didn't carry media. Normally I'd be content with giving Midway some business due to their glowing reviews, but I wanted to try my new toy out immediately.

I found that you can get the media in pet sections or pet stores. Here are some links from the manufacturers. These brands were carried at Wal-Mart and Pet Smart by me:

Hartz corn cob bedding
Kaytee KayCob (corn cob) bedding
Kaytee walnut bedding
Zilla walnut reptile bedding

I didn't see any specific mentions of them on this thread but when I searched for the products I found a lot of positive reviews on gun forums as being inexpensive and effective media. I have the Zilla walnut and Hartz corn cob (my local stores only had the 25lb. Kaytee stuff) and while I've only done two razors, I'm happy with the results so far. HTH!

Originally Posted by balaban9331

took peices of my leftover sandpaper and cut them into small peices and threw them into the walnut mix.trying to speed up the process or eliminate sanding to 400.after eight hours results look promising.will post if it works.

Any word on this good sir? Sounds like and interesting idea kinda like adding Crox to the mix like a few others have tried.

Originally Posted by commiecat

I got a tumbler for Christmas and just wanted to add some information to this thread. I'm not a reloader and found that the two gunshops in my area didn't carry media. Normally I'd be content with giving Midway some business due to their glowing reviews, but I wanted to try my new toy out immediately.

I found that you can get the media in pet sections or pet stores. Here are some links from the manufacturers. These brands were carried at Wal-Mart and Pet Smart by me:

Hartz corn cob bedding
Kaytee KayCob (corn cob) bedding
Kaytee walnut bedding
Zilla walnut reptile bedding

I didn't see any specific mentions of them on this thread but when I searched for the products I found a lot of positive reviews on gun forums as being inexpensive and effective media. I have the Zilla walnut and Hartz corn cob (my local stores only had the 25lb. Kaytee stuff) and while I've only done two razors, I'm happy with the results so far. HTH!

Thanks for the links commiecat are you planning to add anything to the media?



and as so many others have repeated awesome thread and idea Glen

Originally Posted by mbwhoosh

Thanks for the links commiecat are you planning to add anything to the media?

I picked up some liquid Turtle Wax rubbing compound for use with the walnut. I also had some Turtle Wax polishing paste which clumped the first time I loaded it in the corn cob -- so I removed the clumps, softened some paste in the microwave (15 - 20 seconds) and then reloaded it. Seems to have loaded fine now. I've only done about 6 razors, mostly experimenting, and I really love the results.

Yes, compound will clump when added to the Corncob or Walnut. Just stir with a wooden paint stick like your trying to cut it. Scrape the sides and bottom to break up the clumps as it is running. In just a few mins it will break up.

Adding the paste does add moisture, running without the cover for an hour or 2 will dry it out.

Adding a few pieces of brass seems to keep the blades from sitting on the bottom. Right now I have 15 or 20, 9mm in with 3 blades. The brass rolls them up the sides and through the medium.

Marty

I was at my local Cabela's yesterday and happened to see a container of Tuff-nut (they have been out of it on my previous visits). I was surprised to not that it is much more coarse than the walnut I picked up from the pet store. The stuff I got from the pet store (Zilla Desert Blend) is roughly the same grain size as the corn cob that I already had.

Does anyone have experience with both to give a comparison? It seems that the Zilla is giving a fine mirror instead of the rougher satin I was expecting from this thread. So I am assuming that the larger grained stuff what many of you have been using for a first stage. Or am I over-thinking this stuff?

Many thanks to Glen and all the others who posted their results in this thread. You've just added a whole 'nother shopping list onto my, ahem, habit...

Not trying to be a big burden, but having the details from this thread put together in an article would be really helpful. Particularly some of the recipes for different loaded medias. I'm guessing there's still some experimentation going on, so maybe once the final verdicts come in.

30+ pages is a lot to sift through so I decided to try my hand at a wiki page. I think I covered the basics, but there is plenty of room for more.

Restoring with a Tumbler - Straight Razor Place Wiki

I wont be polishing more than one blade at a time any longer. I want to share a quick experience with you guys. I am currently trying out something to see if it will work. In trying this I have been trying multiple blades in the tumblers. I had three in one and two in the other. One is filled with walnut and the other with corn cob. Both RCBS medias from midway.after a day I've checked them to see how they are coming and i have found scratches in most of the blades in both tumblers. before introducing the blades to the tumblers, their surfaces were etched so that they were completely dark gray in color. This is how i know these scratches are in fact "fresh" as the scratches are shiny and cutting right through the etching. So it looks as though at least for me, this will be a one blade at a time thing.

I went to Harbor Freight today to look at their ceramic tumbling media as an option for heavy rust and pitting. There was a question a while back ago about whether people were using the ceramic media or the resin media. Was anyone ever able to figure that out? Has anyone experimented with both? Thanks to all who have contributed to this great thread!

I'd like to know about that option too...so far I've been using the walnut media...

Originally Posted by droach

I went to Harbor Freight today to look at their ceramic tumbling media as an option for heavy rust and pitting. There was a question a while back ago about whether people were using the ceramic media or the resin media. Was anyone ever able to figure that out? Has anyone experimented with both? Thanks to all who have contributed to this great thread!