Thumbler Tumbler with SS pins, how has your durability been?

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ruger22

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Thumler's Model B Tumbler guys how is your durability been?

I have had mine a few years and must have 150 hours on it

Thinking I should buy a spare belt
Just cause I heard guys do

But the other moving parts are available and inexpensive too.
My nylon bearings show no visible wear

So was just wondering how is your durability been?
Had to change anything?
 
I must have at least double that in hours on mine, maybe much more. I have replaced the lid gasket (still drips a few drops per session) and the belt. Belt broke and they sent me a new one right after I bought it. The leak is an annoyance but not a problem. I do see a bit of wear on the rubber rollers it sits on but it will be a while before they ever wear out.
 
I have had my Thumler's Model B Tumbler for over 10 years and have not replaced any parts. The only problem I have is rust under the rubber liner. And this is my fault by filling it in a deep sink and splashing water.

I sent a new rubber liner to a forum member here in Spirit River, Alberta who wore out the liner to the point it would not hold water. I say this because to wear out the rubber liner on a tumbler is a lot of tumbling.
 
gmartinqc said:
I am looking to buy a wet thumbler myself.
Noise is a big issue for me. How loud is this thumbler ?

Thanks.
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Far, far less than a vibratory tumbler and if you place it on a folded towel it goes into stealth mode. And if I take my hearing aids out I don't even know its running. :evil:

Bottom line, I can run the Thumler's Model B Tumbler down stairs in the basement after my wife goes to bed. ;)

And I can't run my Lyman 1200 Turbo Pro after she goes to bed and not get yelled at. :(
 
I can't comment on durability as I have a Frankford with maybe 20 hours on it.

As far as noise, if it's in the room with me, its annoying. I use it in the garage and keep it in my mechanical room and it disappears.
 
Been running one for thirty years and it was used when I bought it, to the point I had to replace the nylon bushings within a few years, have had to replace the belt twice since then. Bought a spare the last time, dont think I'll live long enough to wear out the spare.
 
threecentsolution said:
Been running one for thirty years and it was used when I bought it, to the point I had to replace the nylon bushings within a few years, have had to replace the belt twice since then. Bought a spare the last time, dont think I'll live long enough to wear out the spare.
Click to expand...

You can extend the life of the nylon bushings by rotating them 180 degrees. 90% of the force on them is in one direction and so is the wear.
 
I have a Model A-R12, which is very similar to model B. I bought it used on ebay, and it must have had thousands of hours tumbling rocks (not sure wtf people tumble rocks...), only the belt was dry, very near its end of life. it broke the first time I used it. I ordered a set of 5 new ones on ebay for a pittance, like 5$ or 10$ including shipping. I'm still on the first one.

I also have a frankford arsenal tumbler, which I bought when an amazon seller messed up its price and got it for cheap. The differences:
1-The frankford is a LOT faster. 1 hour in the frankford is about like 3 hours in the Thumler;
2-The frankford makes more noise. A LOT more. It's normal since it turns a lot faster. The thumler makes about the same noise as my dishwasher, which is a high-end very silent model.
3-Capacity of the frankford is quite a bit more. Almost double the Thumler.
4-The pins in the frankford are smaller. So they definitely clean the primer pockets better, but they are lighter so they scatter farther and are more annoying to pick up.


So, overall, compared to the FA tumbler, the Thumler is a lot more silent, much slower, has less capacity, and both will probably last me a lifetime.
 
I have the model A-12 with two drums walnut shells in one SS pins in the other been running 4 years with no problems I was thinking about getting a spare belt who sells them? I bought mine at WSS so no hope of looking there.
 
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