Tumblers?

[rarms]

Looking for a tumbler, and swaying towards a wet stainless one.

 

What would you recommend? Where to get from at a good price?

 

Thanks

[1066]

I was lucky and picked up a rock tumbler at a boot sale for £30.

 

Here's a short video of how it works with my brass.:

 

[fieldwanderer]

I'm not over-keen on my dry media tumbler, makes almost as much work as it saves

[mick miller]

I bought rebel 17. Eeek.

[Redgum]

Made mine from a car wiper motor, 12 volt computer charger (off a skip at the tip), couple of old casters in my shed and a container from wilko. Most expensive item was the media, the wet tumblers really do clean the brass inside and out as well as primer pockets.

[Redgum]

Here is my effort, she ain't pretty but performs well and will clean 40 x308 cases in a go.

[mick miller]

It don't got to be pretty to work, good job there.

[Redgum]

It don't got to be pretty to work, good job there.

 

I will get around to sending you a pic of my annealing machine sometime

[Walker570]

I've got one of Tim Hannams originals. Still does the job admirably. It is a Tupperware container on a vibrating table. If you could find one of these then they work fine, wet or dry.

[welshwarrior]

Here is my effort, she ain't pretty but performs well and will clean 40 x308 cases in a go.

That looks really good how have you connected the motor to the pot?

[Dunkield]

Search for "How to make a Vibrating Parts Tumbler" on YouTube

[spandit]

Mine cost about £4 and does a great job

 

[Redgum]

That looks really good how have you connected the motor to the pot?

 

I got an adaptor of flea bay, a female/female M8 I think then drilled a hole in the bottom of the container ( dead easy to get central as there is a little nipple in the centre from the injection moulding) Then bolted the container with bolt and large washer ( with some silicone behind for more strength) to the adaptor. The container was from Wilco,cost about £2,00,now on sale for a quid, brilliantly water tight for the money. Have screwed three strips of old mower belt inside the container, also siliconed, to agitate the mix. Most computer chargers will work the motor and its a strong motor. Did experiment with little motors off flea bay but the little geared motors cannot deal with the weight. Its always worth looking in the recycling centres as most people chuck, out good chargers with dead computers. I will have a look on my ebay purchase history and see if I can get you a link to the adaptor.

[Redgum]

Link for motor to drum coupler, obviously depending on your wiper motor but most will be M8 I think.http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/THREADED-ROD-BAR-STUD-ROUND-CONNECTOR-NUT-BRIGHT-ZINC-LONG-NUTS-TUBE-ADAPTOR-BZP/121799429686?_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D2%26asc%3D41433%26meid%3D5f5511ca38cb48ecb4809595d97159f2%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D2%26rkt%3D6%26mehot%3Dpp%26sd%3D361652624175

[alendil]

Just my 2p

 

This is what i do use ( 5 kg version ) for my jewellery polishing and when i am not making any bits my hornet brass is being polished there.

 

remember that after a while brass will go harder and harder as thats what tumbler does ( compressing material.)

also someone told me that clean highly polished brass is not good in bigger guns as expanding case does not grip chamber and put more pressure on bolt and locking lugs.

 

but i dont know if its true.

 

dont use only needles more sizes and shapes you have in ss media than better and more efficient cleaning. ( dont go more than 2mm in balls)

 

Do get Stainless steel as its low maintenance media normal steel need to be cleaned and dried and that is PITA

 

only water is not good enough. as minimum use drop or two of washing up liquid

much beter is special burnishing soap

you can find it in cooksongold jewelry supplies.

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/3-kg-Automatic-Rotary-Tumbler-Jewelry-Polisher-Finisher-Polishing-UK-Shipping-/231194620900?hash=item35d445f3e4:g:jwkAAOSwo6lWJwhU

 

 

any questions just fire away

[Redgum]

I'm not sure if tumbling with media will harden cases, why should it, working the brass with a die, compressing and squeezing yes but tumbling does not work it. I have heard of the highly polished cases not gripping the chamber walls but once again unless there is hard evidence I'm not convinced. There are massive pressures pushing the case into the chamber wall, the bolt stops it going back, a highly polished case will have more metal touching the chamber to grip plus how smooth is the chamber. Much better to concentrate on your stalking than worry about things that just aren't worth worrying about

[mick miller]

How dirty are new cases? Clean cases don't grip the chamber wall? I call cobblers. Good God people come out with some claptrap don't they?

Edited March 5, 2017 by mick miller

[alendil]

I only reload .22 Hornet and with Lil gun powder so not to much to worry about.

never paid much attention to that clean brass thing i like it shiny and spotless.

 

When i make Jewelry i always finish it off in tumbler for surface hardening.

 

Polishing with mop and paste is abrasive and takes material away

Polishing in the tumbler is smoothing surface by tiny hammering action of falling cascades of shot/shapes. this will harden the metal ( in marginal amount )

[Redgum]

Good job I anneal then

[1066]

Think about how a Mores taper works - shiny and smooth is good.

[Malinois]

Here is my effort, she ain't pretty but performs well and will clean 40 x308 cases in a go.

 

What weight of SS media do you use in that?

 

Cheers

 

Ian

[LeadWasp]

Taking the claptrap stance I have always worked with the concept that polished brass obturates less effectively with the chamber wall - despite many an informed opinion pointing this way it is easy to ask yourself the question which is rougher, shiny or dull brass. Now think of sand paper vs silk. Additionally it is quite common for a newly reamed chamber on a custom rifle to be dulled slightly for obturation purposes.

 

I recently made a comparison with identical brass clean and dull with a top end load. I had early pressure signs with the shiny brass.

 

A morse taper is used under compression and the ange of the taper plays a large part in whether the taper will bind to the female or not. Compare to say a BT40 taper tool holder and that just falls out - nice and shiny too.