MRB

Thanks for the replies. I’m located in NJ. That makes sense about burning the scale off, and I assume that the hammering helps shock some of it too. I’ve also seen guys use a torch to pop some of the scale off too. Next time I go to the yard I’m going to ask about cold roll instead of the hot rolled stuff, will probably save me a ton of time even if it costs slightly more.

Well, after tumbling for about 2 hours, my pokers came out fairly clean. It seems that the portions that were hammered, like the poker tip, had no scale left on them, but the shafts that remained untouched still had mill scale on them. I’ll have to figure a better media alternative to sand and pea gravel. The pea gravel I think is too smooth and rounded to be aggressive, and the sand gives a dull look. I’m going to cut up some scrap 3/8 bar I got into small chunks, and maybe that will be more aggressive in scale removal. Any other recommendations?

Got er running today! The casters did the trick. I gotta spin it by hand first to get it started, but then the momentum rolls it on its own. Added three pieces of angle like you said running down the barrel, and got a small load in now to see how the gravel/sand cleans the pieces. Only complaint is that it’s very loud, like I assumed it would be! Does the bed liner in yours make it quiet? I plan on only running this during the day, mon-fri, so it shouldn’t be a huge issue with the neighbors. But having a little bit of noise reduction would be nice! Thanks IMG_3915.MOV

Thanks for the replies! As far as adding linseed oil to finish... how would that work? I feel as if the point of tumbling to strip and clean the metal would result in being counter active when trying to add a coating to finish it. If that works, it sure would save a ton of time! And frosty, for the lifting lugs, do they span the entire width of the barrel? And I like your idea with the hinged motor frame, but unfortunately at this time I don’t have the time to make one. I’m going to pick up some casters tomorrow to modify this setup, and hopefully it will get me through the holiday orders. Then I’ll disassemble the treadmill, and could probably reuse the motor for the framed design you mentioned.

And how about baffles... are they required to get an effective finish even with long items like pokers?

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Hi All, I’m in desperate help to get a tumbler going as soon as possible. I am trying to keep up with fire poker orders, but need a much more efficient way at cleaning them before applying a clear coat. Currently, I soak them overnight in vinegar, then hit them on the wire wheel. But I hate the wire wheel, crouched over it for hours each night, it’s dangerous, and too slow. I picked up a treadmill for free, and tried making a simple tumbler out of that with an old 15 gallon drum. The treadmill rolls the drum fine empty, but once I add sand or gravel to the barrel as media, the belt just slips. I’ll add a picture to show what I’m talking about later on. But basically, all I did was use the current treadmill, and add some boards to the sides to prevent the barrel from rolling down the belt. I saw a video online of something similiar, which seemed to work a lot better then mine! Any recommendations for a quick fix that would make it work? If not, any ideas for a more efficient way to clean all the scale off the pokers? I might get a sandblasted if that’s quicker then the wire wheel. Thanks!