homemade tumbler

woodchopper said:
I was thinking of making one like that but using one of those concrete mixing drums you can buy at LeeValley

has internal baffles to help mix

Fogducker you may want to weld in a few to mix your media or it might just slide around

Oh and how fast is that going to be turning ?
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ya i know i will have to add some kind of baffle on it..im thinking of maybe something like a few pieces of about 1/2 in.diam. round bar..i,ll weld them inside the tank on the wall of the tank,but i have to add a access door first..

i took a rough count on the the turning of it,i would say it turns around 80 turns per min...a bit fast,but im looking to experiment with some other motors ,im looking to slow the speed down to about half of what it is now..
and if i cant find another motor,ill just gear it down using other pullies
 
On the inside you might want to try something like bedliner rather than welding a bar inside, it will be gentler on the brass. Or if you want to be really cheap, you could glue in piece or pieces of rubber something, floor mat, etc, something that will have a bit of friction against the media.
 
Suka said:
Just a thought, would a paint shaker be too violent? Probably, eh? A paint can's just a blur.
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ya i would think so..unless there is a way to slow it down.....



on another note all.........if any yous ever get to talk to any one i work with:eek:..if you mention this tumbler..
just remember its a rock tumbler eh;)..
by the end of next week...i should have the few wee bugs worked out of turning roll tumbler..then i,ll blast and paint it up to look purrdy:)..
then just for kicks ,i think i will attempt at making a vibrating tubler out of a bbq tank also..stay tuned..
also get ready for a ad in the EE for both tumblers,as they both are way over kill for my needs..
i,m only making them just to say i made them..
did i tell you,s what i made up at work today?lol
 
I don't know the speed of a rock tumbler but a clothes dryer is 43 RPM, that way the clothes will fall from the top of the dryer because it isnt going to fast and wont bail up in the middle of the dryer because they are going to slow. I wonder if we could use the same principles here? I would like to make one on a smaller scale, say using a length of plastic 8" pipe and put two plastic ends on it and you could even tilt it slightly so liquid could be used if you wanted.
 
ok......i ran the unit for a few hours this weekend..
looks like i,m running into problems with the motor overheating..
any electric small motor geeks in the crowd here?whats a good motor for this application?and what kind of appliance can i rip one out of?

or should i be like Tim the tool man and add a gas motor to it?

member JYC,showed up at our deer camp for a visit..i gave him a demo of the tumbler in action..
he gave me the idea adding a emery belt around the tank,to use as a knife or axe sharpener:dancingbanana:
 
You need a motor that not only delivers the power you need (which isn't too much) but that is rated for continuous operation and ideally has a built in fan. Furnace blower fans are usually available dime a dozen, and may work if not overtaxed, but they spin pretty fast, usually 1750 or 3400 rpms and don't have built in cooling fans, as they operate in an airflow environment. You might be able to find a speed reducer, either that or run a shaft with pulleys as a speed reducer. Personally, I'd skip the rock tumbler type polisher and go with vibration, less problems to overcome with speed and torque.
 
an old treadmill motor would work fine as well. take the rheostat control that goes with the motor, and now you have variable speed!
 
Still hoping to see more details of that vibrating model that was shown a few posts ago. It sure looks like the ticket but I am a little unclear on how it all goes together.
 
Just fill an icecream pail full of media and brass, throw it in the box of the truck and take a drive on some backwoods country roads...:D LoL
 
berjerkin said:
try kijiji.com or check your local garmage dump/ scrap metal salvager
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NOPE...........as i said from the start..im cheap......if it aint free i dont need it..:D..dont want to spend money on something, that i,ll probly just end up being giving away..,as i said this unit is way over kill for what i need..
i so much love the idea of that motor and speed control though..
but onto another part of the project...

im looking for ideas to line the inside of the tank..im thinking of using,one of them ribbed rubber floor mats for a cars or trucks...i,ll just cut a piece of one that will fit nice in the inside of the tank,and just use a few pop rivets to hold in place..

opinions all?
 
Ahead of you there! Did a roller drum with a motor a year ago!

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Got a inner tube from a tire shop and cut some strips and put them on the wheels. Helped with the tracton on the driving cylinder.
 
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I built one using a rotisserie drive from a BBQ and a couple tobacco cans with screw-on lids. Punched holes in the cans and lids to run the skewer through. Even used the skewer forks to drive them. Worked fine for small quantities.

BTW-DC motors can be controlled by a ceiling fan controller (not a light dimmer)
 
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