I normally use corn cob for the fine polish of my brass to finish.  But I had some old crushed Walnut media that was all caked up with polish over the years of use.  This was before I started adding the charcoal lighter fluid to each run, this helps to cut the carbon and other deposits and clean the media too.   

So I put a load of it in the vibra tumbler and added some charcoal lighter fluid (normally I use one tablespoon these days) but this old stuff being caked up I used about 4 tablespoons and added in about 12 1"x1" pieces of Scott's shop towel (blue ones) to collect the dust and dirt.

After I ran a batch of 223 range brass in this media, the brass and the media came out looking great.

Looks like I have rejuvenated that old media.

Be sure to let the charcoal lighter fluid and media run and mix thoroughly for about 5 minutes before adding the brass.
This de clumps the media and keeps the wet media from getting stuck inside the casings, even those with smaller openings.
The blue Scott shop towels collect the dirt, dust and grit.  I was using "used" dryer softener/static sheets, but some brands can dissolve with the lighter fluids...what a mess!

I used nu finish car polish, and it worked really well.  Best thing was it seemed to give the brass a protective wax finish that retarded oxidation and facilitated sizing.  I use it even in new media.

Lizard bedding is just ground walnuts, and can save you a bit.  It generally runs about $0.80/lb versus about $0.95/lb for tumbler media.  Reviews indicate it works just the same.

That said, I bought a frankford arsenal rotary wet tumbler, and it is fantastic.  Dirt ends up in the water which is way cheaper than any tumbling media.

Quote from: sqlbullet on June 27 2016 10:19:15 AM MDT
I used nu finish car polish, and it worked really well. Best thing was it seemed to give the brass a protective wax finish that retarded oxidation and facilitated sizing.  I use it even in new media.

Lizard bedding is just ground walnuts, and can save you a bit.  It generally runs about $0.80/lb versus about $0.95/lb for tumbler media.  Reviews indicate it works just the same.

That said, I bought a frankford arsenal rotary wet tumbler, and it is fantastic.  Dirt ends up in the water which is way cheaper than any tumbling media.

Not criticizing, just asking, does the wax cause the case to have 'less grab' on the chamber walls causing more thrust on the slide?

Clean smooth cases are slicker and tend to slide in and out of the magazines and in and out chambers with less friction.  This also helps get a better combustion seal to the chamber walls, that keeps carbon deposits from getting between the chamber wall and brass.  This is where "cleanliness is next to godliness".

I will say I have shot some old brass that had scars, scratches and dings that have fed and ejected without failures, but these were just for range use.  I only load the best and cleanest stuff for defensive or hunting use, with expectations, where I do not want any issues of feeding. 

This is another reason I like the Pass-Through sizing system, as it has tightened primer pockets, uniformed ejection rims in addition to ironing out the bulges down the entire length of the casing.

The polish tends to gather, build & cake up on the media if you don't clean it.  The charcoal lighter fluid will loosen the old polish and it even rejuvenates it as well will cleaning the media.  Many polish products have petroleum based solvents in their formulas, but this is steadily changing with Politically correctness and environmental concerns.

The charcoal lighter fluid is very slow to evaporated, as it needs to be above 104 degrees to emit flammable vapor. 

Beemer, I can't tell a difference when I shoot them to be honest.  They function just fine.

And coating is a strong word.  The only way I can tell the are different from ones that are tumbled without the nu-shine is to mix them together when reloading.  Even then, it is pretty slight.

The big clue is how long they hold that bright yellow gold luster.  It lasts a bunch longer than brass that is just tumbled.

Thanks for the tip, that's good to know.

I have always been very careful about getting all the case lube off of rifle cases and this seemed to be similar.

I also have used drier sheets to clean the media.  They always seemed to make the corn cob 'move' better also.

No where near lubed like lubing a rifle case.  Think more like waxing your car.