Thread: Best way to remove tumbling dust

Hi all. What's the best way to remove tumbling dust after tumbling? Thanks

Water wash and oven dry… say 50 degrees for an hour.

Small batches I just rub rash case down with a microfibre towel


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Are you talking about surface dust or dust inside the case? Surface dust just wipes off using a cheap micro fibre cloth.
Otherwise the best way to remove the dust (which is abrasive) is don't tumble to start with.
Or, on the very rare occasions when I do tumble I blow out each case with compressed air.
A wee cloud of dust comes out, the last thing I want heading down my barrels.

Add a capfull of car wax or tumbling media polish to your tumbler.

Originally Posted by gqhoon

Add a capfull of car wax or tumbling media polish to your tumbler.

I use the Dillon brew which appears to be grorified car polish but you still get some dust.
I use Lyman media and it cleans best without any additives. Adding media polish slows down the cleaning a bit IMO but gives nice shiny cases for sure which makes most people happy. I'm not hung up on nice shiny cases. My dull but clean ones shoot just as well as shiny ones.

To be honest I gave away this intense cleaning regime, wet and dry tumbling, untrasonics, a couple of years ago. It just isn't necessary. Except maybe for pistol shooting where you gather up your fired brass off the ground and throw it straight into a tumbler.

A blast with some canned air.

If you get ahold of some clothes drier anti static sheets, cut them in half. One sheet into the case tumbler. Takes up a lot of the dust. Change them every few cycles....they come out black, but you will have a lot less dust. Media seems to stay cleaner too.

A bit of turps thrown in, about 2 mins before you put brass in.
Worked a treat for pistol and 223 brass.

Tumbler dust you can expect to be most toxic. From fired primers mostly. Lead compounds. Use your favourite additive so there is no dust rising up when separating brass from media. I've used Serious Shooters stuff, a Hornady one, also car polish. Various recipes online for making your own. If you get your media too wet it clumps. If too dry it gives up dust. If you use it for too long it leaves black waxy stuff on the brass. Then its time to wash the media. Put it in a bucket, add hot water and dishwashing liquid, stir, drain (old pillowcase helps), repeat, then rinse with cold water until clear. Drain again, spread in large plastic container to dry. Sun helps, as does stirring and mixing once a day. Media will take several days to dry. I get two years between washes. Have used same corncob media since 2005 with washes every 2-3 years and topped up with new.

I repeat if too much additive it clumps, if not enough it gives dust.

if you want to get the dust of brass, stick it in an ultrasonic cleaner, that gets the dust off.