Vibrator/Tumbler

v-6

v-6

Joined
Nov 24, 2007
Messages
952
what do you guys that have one of these use in them,and where did you get it.thanks vern
 
And what are the tumbler specs and what's your whole procedure, tumbling mediums, duration, etc?
 
I tried a vibrator/tumbler with ceramic media to remove forge scale on my forged stainless parts. It had very little effect.:(
 
It's really only good for a final surface finish in my limited experience. I use mine for cleaning reloading brass. Have friends who use them for knives, but I don't know the media.
 
Harbor Freight sells an 18lb unit that is suposed to work well. I found it in a catalog but couldn't locate it on their web site. Kit Carson uses a ceramic media. You can purchase the media from MSC.
 
You need the real deal not those little wussy table/bench top ones. A nice quick tumbler, one of those plastic drum cement mixers, throw in some nuts and bolts or steel drops and let it spin. Seen many blacksmiths make them in many different versions, works great for removing scale and as an antiqued or stony surface finish. You can make one really easy to, just find a canister, or a section of tubing, weld one end caps, weld on some round bar on either end attached to a couple pillow blocks, cheap motor and some pullies and scrap steel for the frame. Seen some made from old oxygen cylinders that worked GREAT, noisy as heck though.
 
All of these processes or similar is called "Mass Finishing"

It was first created by an American Compcny called Walther Throwal.
The principle Mass Finishing is to use Media mixing with parts and put inside the drum or similar and then using some kind of energy driving to move the media and parts. The system is best to use some chemical compound inside the drum too as the chemiacll compound will help lubricating the polishing action and also protecting the parts from rust too.

To be better understanding of the polishing action, you should imaging how rounded the stone from the water fall the polishing each other while the water energy creating the action.

Media is a kind of abrasive that bounded with polyyester resin or may ceramic chips or any knide of natural stone may do the job.

In choosing of media size and weight and shape you should emagine how the variuos sizes of Media will be able to go to the neaches of the parts.

The result from Mass Finishing will somehowdeburing the angle of the knife also example the spine , the edge will be rounded.

Choosing the proper media also concerning the mash sizes of abrasive in the media too.
Heay grinding, mediam grinding and luster finish are available.

For those who use steel ball or poicelain ball, he should bear in mind that these sourses of media is equivalent to 1200 - 2000 micron and it will not work for finishing when the parts still have rough finish. In this case the Heavy cutting Media should be apply first.


I think this one is worth looking at.

http://www.kdcm.com/english/main.asp
 
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threw my brass zippo in it once, ! Came out all nice and shiney ! Other than that, I used it to clean fired brass.
 
Vern, I bought a Harbor Freight vibrating tumbler. I tried to use it for cleaning rusty bolts for a old car. The thing shook it's self apart. I put it back together. It then broke the wussy 1/4 bolt that goes up through the center. Some day I'll put it back together with a larger center bolt. With the ineffective cleaning I observed I can't think of a use for it other than the previously mentioned brass cartridge polishing.
~Alden
 
I bought a pretty big commercial units 50lb I think, I have tried it a couple of times but it takes quite a while. I need to get the more agressive grit, I got the medium thinking it would grind the stuff to nothing. no chance of that happening. Overnight it does ok, really needs a couple of days.
 
One thing we need to remember here is if we want to remove mill scale or rust removal (anything more than just polishing) you need a media that is abrasive. Check out any tumbling supply website and you will see they have ceramic shapes rated at different grits kinda like sandpaper. Obviously a media with a 500 grit rating will not remove mill scale or heavy rust. I was not trying to call out the guy who had mentioned mill scale in another post, just using mill scale as an example cause that stuff is kinda tough. Most--wait--almost all reloading tumblers do not have the power or capacity to do anything but tumble slippie parts or super short blades.



This is why I have been trying to build my own tumbler cause the commercially available tumbler I know will work for me costs almost 2 grand. If I cannot get my homemade jobber going, I will tear it down and get a cheapo blast cabinet and blast with ceramic.
 
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