Can I put pistachio shells in my polisher?

[Jim D. in TN]

Sitting in my hotel room late one night, rather bored and unable to
play the Segasa Monaco I have there out of consideration for my
neighbors, I found myself stripping and saving the shells from the
pistachio nuts I was munching on. I then washed and dried them with
the idea of throwing them into my polisher when I get home. This went
on for several weeks until I had several quarts of shells. It then
began to sink in that this may not be healthy behavior. I can afford
all the crushed walnut shells for my polisher I could possibly need.
Have those solvents I used to clean the mold off the Monaco gone to my
head? Or should I just bite the bullet and buy some of those pay-per-
view movies, the hotel keeps trying to sell me every time I turn the
TV on? But, the most important question is, "Have a found an
effective, zero-cost, renewable source of polishing material?"

Jim D. in TN

[lightguy]

With Pistachios at $6+ / lb, you may be better off renting a movie and
buying a six pack.
Thanks for the research though, shows your heart is in the right place.

[Fred Kemper]

I guess if you wanted to polish *them*?

Walnut shell media is cheap if you go to
the correct source. Find a local company
that sells sand blasting media. See/offer
to buy damaged goods, and explain your
hobby/sickness.

I received a 5 human lifetime supply for ~$5, loaded....
--
Fred
TX
CARGPB#8
******************

Post by Jim D. in TN
Sitting in my hotel room late one night, rather bored and unable to
play the Segasa Monaco I have there out of consideration for my
neighbors, I found myself stripping and saving the shells from the
pistachio nuts I was munching on. I then washed and dried them with
the idea of throwing them into my polisher when I get home. This went
on for several weeks until I had several quarts of shells. It then
began to sink in that this may not be healthy behavior. I can afford
all the crushed walnut shells for my polisher I could possibly need.
Have those solvents I used to clean the mold off the Monaco gone to my
head? Or should I just bite the bullet and buy some of those pay-per-
view movies, the hotel keeps trying to sell me every time I turn the
TV on? But, the most important question is, "Have a found an
effective, zero-cost, renewable source of polishing material?"

[deafdumb&blindboy]

Actually, pistachio shells sound like a pretty good polishing medium.
I recommend crushing them quite a bit more than shell halfs before
trying them, though. For that matter, I bet macadamia shells would be
good, too. But you would of course have to have your own tree since I
don't think you can buy macadamias in the shell anywhere. Not a
problem for me, my folks have a couple of macadamia trees. And
pistachios are only 3.99/lb at Trader Joes, not $6/lb. Macadamias, on
the other hand, are even more expensve, but that's because they've
already been shelled, and macadamia shells are insanely difficult to
remove without crushing the nut itself. I recommend using a vise, that
way you can slowly crack into it without crushing it. Never use a
hammer, that is a recipe for disaster. Unless you like flying
projectiles, about the size of a pinball and seemingly just as hard,
shooting around the house. I've got a big bucket full of macadamias
that need to be shelled, perhaps I'll try it and let you know. And the
next time I get a bag of pistachios I'll try to save them too and try
them. Couldn't hurt, could be amazing. Although I do wonder how well a
polishing compound added to the mix would work - it wouldn't just soak
into the media like it does with walnut shells, that's for sure. And
walnut shells are relatively cheap but I'm not convinced they are the
best media, any more than corn cob media. If the pistachio or
macadamia shells were crushed to the right consistency they might work
much better due to their inherent hardness and tendency to have sharp
edges when crushed, like walnut shells but different because of the
shapes, that would really take stuff off of your parts. Part of the
reason why I think macadamias would be so good is they have a
relatively soft inner lining that might really help in the polishing
process.
J.

[Jim D. in TN]

I purchased corn cob media when I bought my polisher but I found it
far too un-abrasive for what I'm trying to polish. I suspect corn cob
media is meant for brass which is relatively soft especially compared
to chrome, stainless steel, and hardened screws, bolts & nuts.

Jim D. in TN

Post by deafdumb&blindboy
walnut shells are relatively cheap but I'm not convinced they are the
best media, any more than corn cob media. If the pistachio or
macadamia shells were crushed to the right consistency they might work
much better due to their inherent hardness and tendency to have sharp
edges when crushed, like walnut shells but different because of the
shapes, that would really take stuff off of your parts. Part of the
reason why I think macadamias would be so good is they have a
relatively soft inner lining that might really help in the polishing
process.
J.

[BC]

Technically you are suppose to clean and first level polish with the
walnut shells then use the Corn Cob media to final polish the metal.
At least that is how my uncle does it with his reload casings.

BC

Post by Jim D. in TN
I purchased corn cob media when I bought my polisher but I found it
far too un-abrasive for what I'm trying to polish. I suspect corn cob
media is meant for brass which is relatively soft especially compared
to chrome, stainless steel, and hardened screws, bolts & nuts.
Jim D. in TN

Post by deafdumb&blindboy
walnut shells are relatively cheap but I'm not convinced they are the
best media, any more than corn cob media. If the pistachio or
macadamia shells were crushed to the right consistency they might work
much better due to their inherent hardness and tendency to have sharp
edges when crushed, like walnut shells but different because of the
shapes, that would really take stuff off of your parts. Part of the
reason why I think macadamias would be so good is they have a
relatively soft inner lining that might really help in the polishing
process.
J.