Second tumbler crashed in 3 yrs????

My Thumbler model b uses 5 pounds of pins, 2.5 pounds of brass, water up to an inch from the top, small quirt of Dawn, and a half teaspoon of lemmeshine. 3 hours max, then you're done. For the ss tumbling,the biggest hassle is spreading them on a towel for a couple days to dry (i have a decent size reloading room, so i leave each towelful for a week.)
 
A couple of months ago when CT had them on sale, I bought one of those tumblers. Three weeks ago it crapped out - threaded rod in center stripped - so I brought it back. The warranty is for one year so even if CT would/would not replace it just on name value you don't have to worry you can get another one anyway.

I also noticed that it would get very hot after a couple of hours use (not overloaded).

Anywho, I returned it and got a Frankford Arsenal Quick-n-Ez Case Tumbler from Amazon.com for about $75. One week delivery and no shipping costs. You can get a kit that includes a brass separator but not worth it as far as I am concerned. This little unit runs great. Works like you want it to and is less than half the noise that the CT one was and relatively cheap.
 
sulisa said:
My Thumbler model b uses 5 pounds of pins, 2.5 pounds of brass, water up to an inch from the top, small quirt of Dawn, and a half teaspoon of lemmeshine. 3 hours max, then you're done. For the ss tumbling,the biggest hassle is spreading them on a towel for a couple days to dry (i have a decent size reloading room, so i leave each towelful for a week.)
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Have you tried the kitchen oven at 200 degrees for 20-30 minutes?
 
TrollGRG said:
A couple of months ago when CT had them on sale, I bought one of those tumblers. Three weeks ago it crapped out - threaded rod in center stripped - so I brought it back. The warranty is for one year so even if CT would/would not replace it just on name value you don't have to worry you can get another one anyway.

I also noticed that it would get very hot after a couple of hours use (not overloaded).

Anywho, I returned it and got a Frankford Arsenal Quick-n-Ez Case Tumbler from Amazon.com for about $75. One week delivery and no shipping costs. You can get a kit that includes a brass separator but not worth it as far as I am concerned. This little unit runs great. Works like you want it to and is less than half the noise that the CT one was and relatively cheap.
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The CTC units have a 3 years warranty (according to the literature with it).
 
Here's a little more history on the Mastercraft vibratory tumbler as it is just a harbour freight 5lb tumbler rebranded to Mastercraft.
The reviews pretty much parrot what was said about them here.

IMG_0477.jpg

http ://m.harborfreight.com/5-lb-metal-vibrator-tumbler-67617.html?utm_referrer=direct%2Fnot%20provided

And a review from an American forum
During its short one-year life, the 5-lb Harbor Freight Vibratory Tumbler did a good job of noisily cleaning cartridge brass. A little over a year ago, I bought it on sale for about $45. After 6 months the threads on the vertical shaft that secures the lid stripped. I replaced the threaded shaft and nuts with new parts from the hardware store and got another 6 months of use before the motor failed. I think that the motor is doomed to premature failure due to the cost cutting design. The eccentric counterweight is directly mounted to the motor's shaft causing the motor itself to suffer massive vibration. High quality Vibratory Tumblers have the motor firmly mounted to the base and extend a spring-shaft up to the bowl's base and mount the eccentric counterweight to the top of the spring-shaft, not the motor's shaft. In this way the motor is spared of life robbing vibration.

My recommendation - buy a different brand vibratory tumbler.

After reading reviews on Amazon of with some people lauding Lyman 1200 Turbo Tumbler's 15+ years of good service, I ordered one.
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I've got a Lyman 600 turbo tumbler second hand from a friend who used it a lot and he got it second hand as well.
Have cleaned close to 15000 rounds of various calibers through it in a little over a year. I used to leave it running over night and even now it will run 3 to 4 hours per batch. No issues so far.
 
My first vibratory tumbler packed it in after 11 hard years of use....motor seized.
On my second one [a Lyman] now, and it is about 3 years old, and going strong.

For many years, we older reloaders simply wiped off our brass, used fine steel wool on the
ones that were soiled or to remove carbon residue from the necks. We did not have access
to tumblers in many instances.

Since I am not anal about super-shiny brass, I have no intention of going to the wet/SS pins
system of cleaning my brass, But, of course, to each their own. :) Dave.
 
I bought the large Dillon tumbler in the late '80s, had no problems until it was submerged in a flooded basement for a week in the late 90's. I called Dillon to inquire about a replacement motor, they asked what happened. When I told them they said send it back they would replace it with a new one. I did and they did! Still going strong in 2016 ! Can't beat that with a stick !
 
To dry my wet brass I use the clothes dryer with the stationary rack installed into the revolving drum. A towel folded across the rack to hold the brass and the drier on the permanent press cycle so it doesn't get too hot. I also dry the SS pins on a cookie sheet (with sides) no towel and on a higher dryer temperature setting. I dry the pins as I was worried about them growing mould in the plastic bottle I store the pins in.

I have an RCBS tumbler I vacuum out the motor an oil the front bearing occasionally asUniversal motors run hot as a design idiosyncrasie.
 
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For the pins, I just dump into a open wide mouth bucket in 2-3 days it's dry never had a issue with mold, but they do "breath" so low chance of mold in a heated house. In the summer I let the sun dry both my brass and pins.
 
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