Home made tumbler

Gibbs505

Gibbs505

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Location
Terrace BC
With the assistance of a friend, I have built this tumbler. It is anazing what you can do with the help of a worn out photocopy machine, and a piece of sewer pipe!!!

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This is the motor and drive band

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I have one question, what would be the best mix of media and brass? 50/50? or more media then brass? Also I assume that the tumbler would operste best if it is fairly full, say 2/3 rds or 3/4's?
 
I would think that the speed at which it is turning would also come into the equation. A clothes dryer is specifically engineered to turn at 44-46 rpm, any faster and the clothes will stick to the outside of the drum and take for ever to dry, any slower and they will bail up at the bottom of the dryer and the same thing will happen. Can you adjust the speed of the motor? Looking at the pictures I don't see any sort of motor control other than changing the size of the pulley. I would try 50/50 at first and run it for a couple of hours and see what it does. I would think that I would want the brass to be constantly rolling around in the drum. I made a brass cleaner out of an old motor, I offset the shaft and supported a big plastic bowl with springs on the bottom, basically I copied the same idea as an RCBS one that I saw at a gun show. It is OK but takes forever to clean the brass and I have been thinking about building something like you built.
 
To get things moving, There is a baffel bolted into one sied of the drum. This is to keep things mocing arounf. The motor has a geared speed of about 75 rpm so the drum will be moving slower then that. Will just have to see how she go's I guess!
 
I found out that I had to replace the belt with a new one, 6" rubber band! It turns slowly, about 10 rpm and I am slowly working up the amount that the motor can turn!

Did you know that dropped media gets EVERYWHERE!!!
 
I tried to build a tumbler, got mad at it and bought a hornady. Best $90 I ever spent in regards to reloading.


I still work on that homemade one though, its fun. Plus I have a steady supply of motors thanks to GM's crappy window regulator design.:rolleyes: I figure I got about $500 dollars invested in it so far.:D and yours looks way better designed than mine.
 
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