tumbler cost?

[peter r]

im in the market for a tumbler. i want to know the cost of one with some ceramic media. for stonewashing titanium.

 

[jonnymac44]

The OP links to the one he used here in this thread:thumbup: Looks like a nice machine, but a bit pricey for me at the moment.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=828406

 

[EdgeCraft]

I read somewhere that someone used a childs rock tumbler as an inexpensive trial run.

 

[johnnym]

I tried a rock tumbler and then a small reloading tumbler with ceramic media and even after several hours could not get a very good finish.

 

[Los Angeles]

Well, it depends on what size pieces you want to tumble, but this one is bare minimum, and works wet/dry (comes with steel shot for polishing light metals and jewelry with soap and water).

Make sure it's bone dry and fill it half way with ceramic pellets and you should be good to go. The make one with a 6" can and another version with a 10" can. That's the one I have.

http://www.riogrande.com:80/MemberArea/ProductPage.aspx?assetname=202209&page=GRID&free_text=tumbler

 

[bhyde]

I wouldn't think it would be too difficult to built a tumbler given the ingenuity of the folks on this particular forum...
This one here is kinda funny..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ukZM_y3CS4

Some quick google-fu and this..

http://unabiker.imgur.com/vibratory_deburring_machine

 

[Matt Brook]

Get a cement mixer and modify.

That's what we use for Chains and it works well!

Matt

 

[Nathan the Machinist]

tumbler cost? Industrial units cost thousands, but ebay is your friend.

 

[EdgeCraft]

I tried a rock tumbler and then a small reloading tumbler with ceramic media and even after several hours could not get a very good finish.

Rocks in rock tumblers take days.

 

[delbert ealy]

I think your expectations are too soon, you will not get miracles in a few hours. I have used tumblers and I don't even open it up to check until the third DAY. The beauty of tumblers is that you can be doing something else while they are working. They have their place, but don't expect results fast.
Think turtles
Thanks,
Del

 

[johnnym]

I think your expectations are too soon, you will not get miracles in a few hours. I have used tumblers and I don't even open it up to check until the third DAY. The beauty of tumblers is that you can be doing something else while they are working. They have their place, but don't expect results fast.
Think turtles
Thanks,
Del

Hmm, I am inherently not a very patient person, but i get the finish shown this thread in 20 minutes in my tumbler.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=828406

I think that if i left it for more than a couple of hours i would not have any steel left.

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

A commercial tumbler starts at $1000 and goes up from there. The one linked to is a deal at $700, but is probably underpowered for much continued use. A vibratory tumbler ( not really a tumbler, but they had to call it something) is what you want, as a rotary is for rocks and such. I have used several 10# units to tumble small knife parts and jewelry, but for blades you probably need a 20-50 pound unit or larger. I now use a magnetic burnisher ( still called a tumbler by everyone) for jewelry and small stuff. These are not cheap at all.

 

[beochie]

Make one. Get a 4 pillow blocks bearings some cold rolled rod a motor and some sort of container and call it good. I can't see spending so much on something so simple

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

I can.
I have built a large barrel tumbler and also used a large commercial vibe finisher. They are in two different worlds.