Tumbling cast balls

[uno676]

I've heard of tumbling cast balls in a rock tumbler to smooth out imperfections. Could you do the samething in a media brass polisher that vibrates?

 

[Black Hand]

Put them in a coffee can and shake them - if the sprue is cut fairly close, it doesn't take long. I don't think a vibrating polisher would work very well (or at all)....

 

[Coot]

A vibrating polisher should make the balls shiny but I very much doubt that it would have any effect on the sprues.

 

[FishDFly]

I've heard of tumbling cast balls in a rock tumbler to smooth out imperfections. Could you do the samething in a media brass polisher that vibrates?

If you have a decent mold, you will not have imperfections in the ball, only the sprue will be there, media brass polisher is not going to work.

 

[uno676]

It was a thought. And it hurt. Yeah I was just talking about the sprue. I came across an extra media polisher cheap trying to justify my purchase.

 

[hanshi]

I tumble mine in an ancient "Thumbler Tumbler" and it does a great job. I tried my vibrator tumbler and it also worked quite well. Do not tumble using cleaning media. A tumbler is an excellent investment.

 

[Patocazador]

I read about smoothing them up and tumbling them with no media so I tried it. It ended with my Thumler's Tumbler with a lot of lead dust and dirty balls with no visible sprue.

After loading balls with the sprue straight up most of the time and being a little sloppy about it other times, I could notice no difference in accuracy.

I think it's a waste of time.

 

[fleener]

I have been in Hornadys plant in NE and they put their balls in plastic cement mixers with a towel.

Fleener

 

[mooman76]

I have also heard of putting the balls in a tin can like what cookies come in and putting them in your vehicle to role around while you drive for a week or so. Mileage may vary.

 

[Cowboy]

Only asking because I really don't see any benifit in tumbling your balls unless the sole purpose would be to remove the sprue? :idunno:

I do not see any need to tumble them but that's only my opinion! If you do, that's how you do things and that's OK too!

For each his own! I'm not knocking it.

Respectfully, Cowboy :thumbsup:

 

[MSW]

I have also heard of putting the balls in a tin can like what cookies come in and putting them in your vehicle to role around while you drive for a week or so. Mileage may vary.

bwa ha ha ha ... (mad scientist laugh)

this fellow has obviously never seen my car, which is continually full of miscellaneous junk ... soda bottles, cut resistant gloves, bits of junk mail ... heck, there's probably a copy of the Magna Carta in there somewhere ... if I were to put a coffee can full of cast ball in my car, I'd probably see them when I cleaned everything out before taking it to the dealer to trade in ...

 

[Loyalist Dave]

I think if you have good cast ball, the tumbler idea is gaining you no measurable advantage. I think if you think that you could benefit from some optimal performance, you would do better to weigh your round ball to discover some possible imperfections, especially if they are not cast but swaged ball.

I also think if you were to "invest" in Dutch Schoultz accuracy system, you'll have some very pleasing results. I put quotes " " around the word invest as it's very inexpensive. :wink:

LD

 

[Grimord]

While still warm from the mold,I place the cast balls on a cookie sheet, and place a thick glass plate on top of them and roll them around for a minute or two. Flattens the sprues out so that you hardly notice them. I think Pedersoli sells a ball roller device (pricey) that does pretty much the same thing. As stated else wherein this post, I have yet to see a difference in my groups if the sprue is visible or not.

 

[Donny]

I don't know, but in the search for accuracy, the sprue issue is one that can be played around with when.......
all other issues have been addressed ? ?

25- 50 yds. I would think no difference.

 

[irishtoo]

i use a single drum harbour freight rock tumbler. i put in a couple of pounds of balls with several pieces of pencil lead. tumble for 2 hours, this leaves the balls with a dusting of graphite and looking quite professional. BUT it also leaves a light ring where the sprue was allowing you to load sprue up. my own o.c.d. irishtoo

 

[hanshi]

I read about smoothing them up and tumbling them with no media so I tried it. It ended with my Thumler's Tumbler with a lot of lead dust and dirty balls with no visible sprue.

After loading balls with the sprue straight up most of the time and being a little sloppy about it other times, I could notice no difference in accuracy.

I don't think it noticeably affects accuracy and it does dirty up the ball. I just like the way they come out, uniform and looking kinda like a golf ball. The only cure for the dirty dust I've come up with is to put them into a bag so the ball doesn't touch the inside of the drum. I might look into Irishtoo's pencil lead method. The vibrating polisher works just fine as is.

 

[okawbow]

I always load with the sprue up, and am careful to center it as much as possible. In my chunk gun, the ball I cast, with a sprue, are more accurate than the swagged Hornady ball I've tried.

I think it is fairly common to get bubbles or voids in cast and swagged balls. However, in cast balls, I think the void occurs in the center of the sprue most of the time. In the swagged ball, it could be anywhere.

By loading the ball with the sprue up, the void, if there is one, will always be front and center. In a rifle, that means the ball will spin truer than if the void is on the side.

Removing the sprue may make balls shot out of a smooth bore more accurate, because the smooth, round surface will fly straighter.

 

[Black Hand]

I think it is fairly common to get bubbles or voids in ... swagged balls.

I'm not certain this is entirely correct. Swaged balls are made from lead pieces that are compressed into the desired shape (http://www.corbins.com/intro.htm). Conceivably, there could be a void in the original lead piece, but I believe it unlikely a void would survive the compression...

 

[Cowboy]

I think it is fairly common to get bubbles or voids in cast and swagged balls. However, in cast balls, I think the void occurs in the center of the sprue most of the time.

I think your statement is very true! However, If you go a step further and weigh them you will know for a fact if your balls are consistent. If not and the ball looks good otherwise, it would definitely be a telltale sign that you have a small void in your ball(pinhole).

Usually if you do, it can be detected after you cut the sprue and you would in most cases see the pinhole on the sprue area of the ball.

Some weigh them and some don't. That is a whole different topic all together!

Speaking about Topics! ff I apologize for that! I'll now get off my soapbox! :slap:

Respectfully, Cowboy :thumbsup:

 

[fleener]

At Hornady they cast their lead into a fairly good size cylinder, then that is placed in a machine that squezes it into the desired dia. of lead rope. From there they use it to make the bullets and round balls. I think it would be most impossible for one of their round balls to have a void in it.

My guess is that the weight difference will some from swagging process.

Fleener