Anyone with Tumbler experience?

I cannot comment on the Harbor Freight models. I purchased mine before the Harbor Freight in my area carried them, or even existed. Hopefully the following is helpful, and not off-topic. I have seen the Harbor Freight unit, it seems to be more substantial than mine, but the action seems similar.

I use a vibratory polisher with Walnut shells, and Flitz media. The results are mixed at best. The outfit (Pinball parts) from which I purchased my tumbler is no longer in business, and put their own name on it. I am reasonably certain it is a Berry model 400 tumbler. Here is a link:

http://www.berrysmfg.com/produ...-p0-400_Tumbler.aspx

The biggest annoyance with using Walnut media is that it will pack into just about every hole in the items being tumbled. The outfit from which I purchased mine suggested that holes be plugged with wax or something similar.

When everything is "right" (good media and proper amount of Flitz additive) it does a nice job of polishing and removing rust. But it has to run for a long time (can be days).

I find that it is best to clean the parts before tumbling to remove dirt and grease. The tumbling doesn't do much to remove dirt / grease, and the media winds up contaminated.

My unit is basically a dry one. Only a small amount of Flitz should be used. If the media is too wet, deposits build up on the parts.

Tumbling in the Berry does not do too good of a job getting into deep receses, and undercut areas.

Tumbling can remove plating if items are left in too long.

Tumbling can cause prewar pot metal items to vanish if left in too long.

Tumbling can cause an odd patina that does not match original finishes, and is easy to recongnise once you are familar with tumbling.

Sometimes I put a big handful of old Lionel axles in with the parts. This seems to help the tumbling action.

My (defunct) vendor recommended using Walnut media from a pet shop. Once of these days I will try buying some shells that are marketed specifically for tumbling / polishing to see if the results are any different.

I've had my tumbler for a number of years, and despite everything I wrote above, I do use it fairly regularly along with an ultrasonic cleaner.

I think the best advice is that a person new to polishing should experiment with some parts that are expendable.

Tumblers are old technology and extremely slow. When I first started restoring old trains I had a small 1/2 gallon hobby model. I obtained the step by step process from an old timer who had restored thousands of trains over the years.

The first step is to clean the parts. This is done by tumbling for several days in a soap and water solution with small ball bearings included, which is changed on a regular basis.

After the parts are cleaned you need to knock off the rust and other stubborn items. Allow the parts to dry thoroughly and tumble with just the ball bearings or other metal media for several days. This will leave the parts free of rust, and dull.

To polish, tumble the dry parts for several days in chopped walnut shells with Jewelers Rouge (red). This can be purchased in bags from various tumbler supply stores. Once the parts are polished for several days with the Rouge spend a few evenings getting the bits and pieces of walnut shell out of the wheels and other parts then tumble with cotton balls for a few more days to bring up the shine.

This process is time consuming and cumbersome. The results are fairly decent unless the rust was a little heavy and the parts pitted some then the Rouge settles down into those imperfections and you'll have to manually buff it out.

I gave up on tumbling decades ago. Depending on how big and/or sturdy the part is I use a Dremel Moto-Tool to wire brush and buff up parts then use the polishing wheels with Mothers Mag and Aluminum Polish to bring up a bright shine. A little hard on the fingers, but beautiful results. Larger metal items I use a medium bench grinder on with a medium wire wheel for the burnishing and a cotton polishing wheel for the polishing. I do not burnish brass as it scratches too easy. I have several different types of polishing compounds, a Red Rouge, a White and a Green. I use the White on Brass parts as its the most delicate, and I use the red Rouge on most steel parts. Before working brass parts I strip them with paint stripper to remove the varnish Lionel put on them to ease with the polishing process. Works much faster and results are excellent in a lot less time. I use this method for wheels and axles etc. If an item is really rusty I lightly bead blast it clean of corrosion then buff up to a high shine with the bench grinder or Moto-Tool.

I recently picked up a 220 Searchlight car where someone had used 400 grit sandpaper to try to brighten the light housings. I used the polishing wheel on the grinder with the White compound and they came up like mirrors.

Gandy

The short (and long) answer is "it depends." Tumbling is great for small and medium size parts of simple shape and made of brass or steel. It isn't so great for pot metal, low-grade plating, or complex parts with lots of nooks and crannies. I've been using a vibratory tumbler with walnut shells and rouge or corncobs and green polish for many years for brass ammo casings, both plain and nickel plated. Works great, and it doesn't erode the nickel because ammo cases have a heavy, well applied coat of nickel. However, the plating on old toy trains tends to be pretty thin, so tumbling can wear it off. 

I recently tumbled a batch of Lionel Standard Gauge small parts and it worked well. 

I use pre-mixed media with the rouge already mixed in. You can get the media at gun shops or rock shops (or Harbor Freight). Rock shops are the most expensive; the last batch I bought came from a gun show vendor and the price was right. I have two trays for my tumbler base; I keep one filled with corncobs and the other with walnut shells. I've never tried ball bearings or cone media, so I can't comment on those.

SWANKO,

Southwest Hiawatha is correct on all measures. It's not fast. If you want fast use a media-blaster w/walnut shells. I use my blaster for everything.

God Bless,

Pappy

TCA TTOS

I have a Lyman 2500 Pro Magnum tumbler at home to clean/polish brass when I reload ammunition. The factory where I used to work always had six to eight tumblers running to clean and polish small parts. These always were either Lyman or Hornady, and were purchased at Cabela's or MidwayUSA.

As far as the media goes, it will depend on the part material and the size of any crevices and holes. If you get media that is too big, it will not clean these small areas, and if it it is small but the wrong size, it will get wedged in and will be tedious to remove it from the parts.

Yes, they do work and do a great job. While you are at it, but a timer so you can start the tumbler (connected to the timer) and let it run unattended; I usually run mine at night in the shop or in the garage so cannot hear it. Also, test it to see if it will 'walk' so you can barricade it.

Good luck,

Alex

See my Hidden Pass Junction RR layout under construction here:

https://ogrforum.com/d...ent/2415514336550790

My tumbler works great for brass for reloading, but I've tried other stuff and as previously stated, the results are mixed at best.  I tumble brass for about 8 hours, but it took days to make any real progress with rusted steel parts.

I failed to mention earlier that I have also used my polisher with abrasive pyramids for agressive rust removal. I purchased the them from Eastwood Automotive.

While running, it was so noisy, I had to put the vibrator out in the garage.

The parts being tumbled were postwar Lionel freight car trucks,  wheels and axles that were quite rusty. It worked quite well, but I've never had occasion to use the pyramids again. I think they would damage most parts.

I also tried corn cob media with Flitz. I found it to be too mild for the parts I was trying to clean / polish.

Walnut shells are more aggressive than corncob media.  I've never bothered with the corncob, even though I have a bag of it.  I always use the walnut shell media.

gunrunnerjohn: Do you use walnut media that is marketed for tumbling / polishing, or the pet shop stuff, as my original vendor recommended?

Any additives?

I bought my walnut shell media from an on-line vendor that sells reloading equipment some years back.  I got a 25# bag of it, and I'm still working my way through that one.

Thanks to every one for your input.  I'm thinking using the old dremel might be the simplest way to go as member TheGandyDancer states.  It would be a large investment for a possible very small return if I got the tumbler and all the needed supplies.

KC

Unless you're doing stuff in large quantities, the tumbler is probably overkill, even if it worked for the application.  If I reloaded 10-20 shells at a time, I'd probably hand polish the cases.  However, I normally set up to reload 500-1000 at a crack, so it's out of the question to clean them by hand, that's why I have the tumbler.

Some notes on this subject which I saved from long ago:

Which tumbling media to use for best results (side  rods, wheels, trim, etc.) also the best polishing method.   

I learned this method from the late Al Ruocchio. It works well.

Your first tumble is with some sort of small metal (balcones are best but difficult to find in small quantities).  Washers, like number 8 size, will work also. I run this for about 24 hours. The next run is with walnut shells. This is usually available at gun shows. I get a few pounds for five bucks. Run this for 24 hours. The final run is for polishing. Go to your local craft store (for example, Michael's) and buy a sheet of suede leather (about 4x8 inches) Cut it into 1/2" squares. This is your final 24 hour run. 

Notes: I tumble this stuff dry. Some people like to use soapy water in the mix. It is not necessary. Also, when polishing brass and copper, note that Lionel did coat these parts with clear lacquer. They need to be soaked for a few minutes in lacquer thinner or you will get a gooey mess.