Tumble polishing anyone?

[Kevin Wilkins]

I really like blades finished by tumbling with ceramic balls but I don't have a machine to do that. Industrial ones are too expensive and the tiny jewelry maker's ones are too small. I see that Lyman has a rotating brass polisher that looks like it would work. I don't mean one of the vibration polishers. This one actually turns on its axis.

Has anyone tried that?

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www.wilkins-knives.com

 

[george tichbourne]

Made one a few years back out of 10" diameter plastic pipe. I looped a v belt over it and ran it with a small electric motor. I didn't bet enough tumbling action so I added a couple of wood strips on the ID to make the load tumble.

The end result was an incredibly noisy contraption that eventually left a very interesting finish on the metal bits that I had to polish. The pieces looked like granite when I took them out, quite attractive.

Sold the contraption soon afterward because Carol threatened to do something drastic if I ever used it again, did I say that the noise was incredible.

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george
www.tichbourneknives.com
sales@tichbourneknives.com