Media Jam

[selzbytes]

Happy as can be with that old Thumler, but dang it - my .223 is now packed with corn cob media. I'd say a good 75% of it has granules jammed in there, and it seems to have swollen some from the cap of mineral spirit I tossed in. :( Most have loose ones under a nice little corn cob plug thats in the case neck. Poking back in does not do the trick due to the swelling..................arghhhh

2 questions: 1) how do you prevent it from packing in?
2) what's the easiest way to get it back out?

[AdamN]

I use walnut just for that reason, (smaller ) To prevent it you need smaller media. you can get smaller ground corncob

To get it out something like a small scewdriver and a little spare time, pick, pick....

[MullahElRon]

http://www.macworld.com.au/data/4/9/e/Toolkit%20Paperclip.jpg

Put a little 90 degree bend on the end. Bet you don't do that again. :cool:

[nitesite]

Let them dry for a few days in a really warm place.

Breach the plug with whatever tool works (maybe a 5/32" bit in a cordless screwdriver) then hold the inverted case against the inside rim of the bowl on your running tumbler. The vibrations might cause the rest to pour out.

I have no idea if that works. I'm just trying to come up with a quicker solution than when I once found myself in that predicament.

My first ever attempt to tumble .223 I used corn cob that was way too big (Wal-Mart pet section junk). I spent two evenings with a tiny screwdriver poking and pushing and twisting. Stuck my hand at least a dozen times. Cussed a lot. Bled a little bit, too.

[selzbytes]

That's exactly where I'm at NS. Thanks at least for letting me know I'm not the only one that's ever been in this predicament.

[Bultx1215]

I got a load of range brass that the guy tumbled in that big cob from wallymart. I spent a long time picken the stuff out of the cases. :mad: Finally, I tried my kinetic bullet puller. While it didn't work on about 15% of them, the rest were emptied fairly easily.

[nitesite]

That's a damned excellent idea!

[MONTEGOD7SS]

You are using the Thumler drum with regular media? My understanding is that they are made for wet polishing with ceramic, so that might be the problem. Mullah has been wanting to roll out that paperclip pic for over a week now since his "it'll teach you things. Like the value of a paperclip." post in the other tumbler thread.

[Bultx1215]

I used my Lortone tumbler with dry media and had no issues. As long as the media is the right size, it will work perfectly. I can actually get the brass looking better fater in the rotary than in the vibratory. The vibe will get the same results, it just takes a bit longer.

[cletus123]

When the same thing happened to me, i put just the packed cases without any media in my tumbler for a while, it got nearly all of the corncob out. My tumbler is the vibratory kind.

[Fatdaddy]

Next time mix 2 tablespoons of Metamucil in the media. I hear that stuff works wonders.

[MullahElRon]

You are using the Thumler drum with regular media? My understanding is that they are made for wet polishing with ceramic, so that might be the problem.
It's the size that is the problem, just too big. I wouldn't use it for anything but finished rounds. Tried grinding it in a grain mill, a blender... all a crap and dust making exercise in futility. The WalMart cob sucks!

[MONTEGOD7SS]

You didn't break out your vintage mortar and pestle and mill it all down, Mullah? Dissapointing.

[selzbytes]

All picked out - was a nice day to sit on the deck yesterday, and jr. selzbytes and I spent some quality time. Good lesson - will never do that again.