Homemade tumbler... Who's made one?

I did one, probably wouldn't repeat the effort. Used the motor bracket off of an auger, scrapyard bench grinder motor, and pillow block bearings with some shaft. ABS vessel and rubber hose on the shafts to get some grip.
 
My big issue with all the home made versions I've seen on YouTube ect is their size...

You could always check craigslist, flea markets, ect for a rock tumbler.
 
I built one. By the time I was done building it I was 175$ in the hole.( no access to old parts). Then I had to modify it, at that time I decided to pull the plug and bought a Frankford Arsenal tumbler for a great price.
My thoughts are to make it work well and be a finished design, you will spend far more and make a similar product to what is available in the market.
 
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'Made a few minor adjustments and a couple more drums... 'Been running great for four years...
 
I use to tumble with lyman,....now I just use a big empty peanut butter plastic jar with hot water, a touch of dish soap, whatever my wife buys & a teaspoon of citric acid or lemon juice.
Just shake gently, roll around & end over end for 3-4 minutes & drain! Rinse with running water with the lid on a few more times & that's it. Dump out on a flat surface to dry for a few days & enjoy the shinny brass for reloading. No dust, noise or tumblers!

Try it, you may like it!:)
 
I made one from old copier parts its been purring right along since 1982 or so I used it with walnut/corn media turns at 30 RPM with a coffee can. I have a Thumlers for steel pins

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Just registered today. Made a wet tumbler last year. As always, I overbuilt it and maybe went overboard. Wasn't cheap but really happy with it.



I made 2 sizes of drums so I could tumble 2 calibres at once.



A look inside the drum...



Brass comes out spotless inside and out.
 
I built mine, but I use the old dry walnuts and corn cob. Cost me about 25 bucks and hangs on the wall under my reloading bench. A piece of 8" sono tube (the cardboard tube you use to pour concrete) 12" long, plywood rounds cut out to close the ends, plywood pulley, 10", attached to the one end and a 1/2" steel tube running through. No bearings, the steel tube just runs on holes drilled in the 2x4 frame. A belt to a secondary shaft made of the same steel tube riding in drilled holes, with a 3 dollar Princess Auto pulley on it for 5 - 1 reduction. Another plywood pulley right beside that, 10" again and a 2" pulley attached to an old motor I pulley out of a furnace at a junk yard. 2x4 and a piece of OBS make up the frame. Cut a rectangular hole in the side of the tube and cut out a bigger piece of sono tube to cover it. Bungee cords wrapped around would be a better way to close it, but I drilled holes and pushed machine screws through from the inside. Cover goes on and two nuts hole it. Duct tape around the "hatch" while it tumbles. If I did it over again, I would use an 8" sewer pipe which you can easily scrounge for free at a construction site or junk yard. Everything you need to build these things can pretty much be scrounged for nothing and spend a few bucks on the stuff you can't find. If you spend more than $50, you aren't thinking about it. Wet or dry makes no difference in build cost. Good luck

PS - there is no need whatsoever to put baffles inside, the rolling action will do everything perfectly. It works in ball mills in the mines, and it works fine in these things
 
yomomma said:
You need to learn to scrounge. I made my Annealer for less than $100
Click to expand...

Exactly!!! Unless you do it for the pleasure of exercising your creativity, building with new parts will cost more than purchasing a factory made unit.

If you scrounge it can be done for zero dollars, It will work but may be as ugly as a monkey's great grandmother,,,,

As seen here,,,, LOL https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juYGEe7hv1g
 
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