Anybody else try adding Comet to their tumbling media?

The other day, a coworker said that his dad would add some powdered cleaner to his tumbler to help clean his brass. When I got home, I looked around the house, and found some comet. It wasn't the brand that I was told about but I was going to try it anyhow. My walnut media was to the point I was about to replace it, so that was as good a time as any. I had been trying to clean up some dirty brass with no luck. I knew it would clean up, cause I had taken neverdull to it with good results, but it took time.

The Comet worked good. The brass cleaned up a lot better. I think I will still have to hit the brass with neverdull or let it go longer in the tumbler, but it looks a lot better.

Attachment 30
What do you think?

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Originally Posted by jebsca

Attachment 30
What do you think?

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Show me the primer pockets. Mine comparing 6 using a vibratory and six using a rotary tumbler using wet steel media. No black left in the pockets and inside the case with the rotary.

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1) Don't use anything that has an alkaline component to it's construction. Comet certainly does. The alkaline will actually attack the brass, and leave it weakened! IT may look clean at the moment, but it's now a ticking time bomb. You should, and I'm NOT KIDDING, throw all of that brass away, and be pissed off at your buddy who suggested it.

2) Use either crushed walnut shell or corn cob media, and add only non-brass attacking materials, specifically:
* NuFinish Car Polish - This is a polymer car polish that does NOT contain any microabrasives (allow the media to do its job!), and also does not contain any alkaline materials.
* Mineral Spirits - Yes, paint thinner....add a splash of mineral spirits to the media. Helps keep the dust down, and helps dissolve all the nasty smokeless powder residue.

Add those two ingredients to the media BEFORE adding any brass to the tumbler. Allow to mix in for 20 minutes or so. Empty the media into a bucket, or suitable container. Fill the empty vibratory bowl 1/2 way full with brass. Now, add the media with additives on top of the brass. It's not the weight of the media pressing against the brass that polishes it. It's the weight of the brass, pressing the media against the brass, that makes it go faster. Most people UNDER FILL their tumbler. Sometimes I re-polish brass (that's already polished) just to get the volume to half fill the tumbler.

Now, if you are going to use a wet type rotary tumbler, then LEMISHINE (a weak citrus acid based cleaner) and a small drop of dish detergent will suffice for fast cleaning.

Please don't use comet again. It will destroy the strength of your brass.

I've been teaching this subject for decades.

BTW, Using the NuFinish and mineral spirits media, I get bright shiny JEWELRY polished brass in about three hours, using walnut shell media. I get the walnut shell media at the pet store, in the department where they sell snake/lizard bedding for terrariums.

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Originally Posted by DukeInMaine

1) Don't use anything that has an alkaline component to it's construction. Comet certainly does. The alkaline will actually attack the brass, and leave it weakened! IT may look clean at the moment, but it's now a ticking time bomb. You should, and I'm NOT KIDDING, throw all of that brass away, and be pissed off at your buddy who suggested it.

2) Use either crushed walnut shell or corn cob media, and add only non-brass attacking materials, specifically:
* NuFinish Car Polish - This is a polymer car polish that does NOT contain any microabrasives (allow the media to do its job!), and also does not contain any alkaline materials.
* Mineral Spirits - Yes, paint thinner....add a splash of mineral spirits to the media. Helps keep the dust down, and helps dissolve all the nasty smokeless powder residue.

Add those two ingredients to the media BEFORE adding any brass to the tumbler. Allow to mix in for 20 minutes or so. Empty the media into a bucket, or suitable container. Fill the empty vibratory bowl 1/2 way full with brass. Now, add the media with additives on top of the brass. It's not the weight of the media pressing against the brass that polishes it. It's the weight of the brass, pressing the media against the brass, that makes it go faster. Most people UNDER FILL their tumbler. Sometimes I re-polish brass (that's already polished) just to get the volume to half fill the tumbler.

Now, if you are going to use a wet type rotary tumbler, then LEMISHINE (a weak citrus acid based cleaner) and a small drop of dish detergent will suffice for fast cleaning.

Please don't use comet again. It will destroy the strength of your brass.

I've been teaching this subject for decades.

BTW, Using the NuFinish and mineral spirits media, I get bright shiny JEWELRY polished brass in about three hours, using walnut shell media. I get the walnut shell media at the pet store, in the department where they sell snake/lizard bedding for terrariums.

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I've heard of using mineral spirits, but never tried it. But I sure will attest to the Lemi-shine in a wet rotary tumbler. And you don't use a whole lot of dishwashing detergent, either. Just a few drops.
I always found that corncob gave me a MUCH better shine, it just takes longer to clean the grunge off.

I mix in a polishing silica to crushed walnut in an older tumbler for the tough jobs. Then do another pass in just plain walnut in my new tumbler. A two step process. It's not as good as the SS wet pins in a rotary tumbler, but it does come out pretty shinny.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by DukeInMaine

1) Don't use anything that has an alkaline component to it's construction. Comet certainly does. The alkaline will actually attack the brass, and leave it weakened! IT may look clean at the moment, but it's now a ticking time bomb. You should, and I'm NOT KIDDING, throw all of that brass away, and be pissed off at your buddy who suggested it.

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Sounds like the people who use Brasso to shine up their cases. Yeah, Brasso will make them nice and shiny....and eat away at the metal, weakening it!

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Originally Posted by 1blue

I mix in a polishing silica to crushed walnut in an older tumbler for the tough jobs. Then do another pass in just plain walnut in my new tumbler. A two step process. It's not as good as the SS wet pins in a rotary tumbler, but it does come out pretty shinny.

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Maybe, but corncob will put on a much shinier finished appearance than walnut. And have you seen my results from some really tarnished brass I cleaned in my rotary wet tumbler with stainless steel media?

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I've traded on the old site with an individual who used the wet SS pins in a rotary tumbler and at first I thought what i received in trade was new brass. Someday I'd like to get setup to use that method. There was a time when I didn't tumble my brass. Just made sure it was clean. But over the years I have gotten more picky and I now also sort my brass by headstamp....

Yep, sounds like my first brass trade with Happyguy. He is why I got the Thumler's rotary tumbler.

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Originally Posted by DukeInMaine

You should, and I'm NOT KIDDING, throw all of that brass away, and be pissed off at your buddy who suggested it.

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I can't get mad at my buddy about this. He didn't tell me to use comet. He said his dad was trying some other clean, and I tried what I had on hand. I put it into some walnut that was all but done, so the media was not really a loss. I also tried it on some brass that was no good anyhow, so I am not out any brass. Now, my question is, if the comet is still dry, have I activated the alkaline content of the comet? I know it gets a lot more harsh once its wet. I have had this brass coated with powdered comet for almost three weeks, and have not seen any change.

High humidity could set it off, if it is actually worse wet than dry.

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Originally Posted by gandog56

Yep, sounds like my first brass trade with Happyguy. He is why I got the Thumler's rotary tumbler.

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Me too! Wet rotary tumblers is the way to go.