My 38$ homemade tumbler

bobfortier

bobfortier

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Hi

I wanted to build myself a tumbler to clean my brass, so I found a plan on the net that needed an electric motor with a weight to induce vibration. I found this motor under my bench.

Tumbler001.jpg


A bit too big. So I check in an armoire, and I found this. I paid 5$ at a yard sale 2 years ago.

Tumbler002.jpg


I tried this, but the sander was way too fast

Tumbler004.jpg


So I bought a bowl at the dollar store, a dimer at Canadian Tire, and crushed walnut shell at the pet store and a couple other things

Tumbler005.jpg


I assembled the bowl on the sander, then I installed foam underneath, and I assembled on a piece of wood

Tumbler008.jpg

Tumbler017.jpg


Et voilà !! A tumbler for my 303 brass !!

Before

Tumbler012.jpg


During

Tumbler011.jpg


After

Tumbler019.jpg


I hope you like it !!
 
bobfortier said:
Hi

I wanted to build myself a tumbler to clean my brass, so I found a plan on the net that needed an electric motor with a weight to induce vibration. I found this motor under my bench.


A bit too big. So I check in an armoire, and I found this. I paid 5$ at a yard sale 2 years ago.


I tried this, but the sander was way too fast


So I bought a bowl at the dollar store, a dimer at Canadian Tire, and crushed walnut shell at the pet store and a couple other things


I assembled the bowl on the sander, then I installed foam underneath, and I assembled on a piece of wood



Et voilà !! A tumbler for my 303 brass !!

Before


During


After


I hope you like it !!
Click to expand...


I like your mechanical inclanation. I have a question: How long did you tumble your brass for? I like my brass alot shinier that what you did or is that the best the tumbler could do?
 
I ran them for 2 hours, it was the first run. The motor did not produce any heat at all, it stayed cool to the touch.

If I put them back in there for longer I think I,ll have better result. I'll give it a shot.
 
I remember as a kid reading about making a tumbler(for rocks) It is much the same as this tumbler built into a wood frame but suspended on springs not foam. Two bowls put mouth to mouth with one missing its bottom as the media pot and 1/56hp motor with a weight. The sander seems ready made for this however.
I believe Popular Mechanics encyclopedia was the source.
In retrospect the sander IS ready made and the electric motor is not, however finding a cheap sander is much easier than in the 60-70's when the popular Mechanics books were wrote. A palm sander back then was an industrial grade cast aluminum Gem that cast half a weeks wages by today's standards and lasted a lifetime.
 



Did basically the same thing. Found a motor at princess auto for 8 bucks, made a box out of an old cupboard and mounted a plate on top held up by springs. I offset the motor by adding a long bolt to a collar that fit over the drive shaft and there you have it.

I made this about 20 years ago and it is still going strong, only thing I have done is change the 1 gallon ice cream pail to a larger plastic salad bowl since this picture was taken.
 
I added a small can of brasso. WOW, those things really shine !!

To the left uncleaned brass from tha same batch, to the right, tumbler with brasso

Tumbler2002.jpg
 
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I have cleaned thousands of cases with brasso and never once hand an issue with the reloaded round. I wouldn't worry about it. you only need one or two cap fulls in a pound of media. NU Finish car polish works good two same amount 1 or two capfulls.
 
I have read that Brasso should not be used as it has Ammonia in it - Supposedly will harden/degrade the brass.
I use Meguiar Swirl Remover in my shaker, run for 4 hours and presto!
 
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