Tumbler

[Chris Pook]

Never got to see if anyone answered my question on tumblers.

Does anyone use one for cleaning there parts? how did you make it? did you use a vacuum to suck the dirt out or a blower to blow the air out?

is it in a room to keep the noise down? Got any pictures of your setup?

[Glenn]

I have used a tumbler to clean things. Tumble media was nails, 1" sections of 1/4" round stock and small drops from the shop. Did a good job and leaves a matt surface or hammered look to the metal.

Noise is an understatment - it is LOUD and continious. Usual run time was 1-2 hrs minimum per load, and can go 4 hrs. "Dirt" was simply scooped out when it got ojectionable.

[frogvalley]

I have a tumbler made from a 5 gallon plastic pickle bucket that runs off a funky belt drive system for speed reduction and a 1/2 hp motor. For tumbling medium I originally used driveway gravel and assorted small chunks of metal from my scrap bins. Now I use a medium grit aluminum oxide with the sam small chunks. I like the driveway gravel better.

As to dirt/scale removal, don't bother unless it really bothers you. Its abrasive and unless really rusty it can only help.

NOISE LEVEL IS INTERMINABLE. I moved mine outside under a shed roof years ago cause it made more noise than my power hammers. I got tired of shouting.

I intend to redesign this one as the belt slips a little, so when I get that done I'll take pics.

[Ellen]

Well, a friend of mine, Gordon Williams makes his living smithing and just outside his shop he has made a tumbler from an old style water tank. He puts in his forged pieces, and drops in pieces of scrap steel; old nails, round drops, pieces of cut offs, etc, and spins it with a v belt, it sits on two rollers , and a small electric motor...maybe 1/3 hp. It makes a racket. He says it takes 1 to 4 hours to clean a load of forgings. It leaves a matte texture on the finished work. He runs it in the day when hopefully his neighbors are at work......I've heard it and it is a horrible sound indeed. But it works.

[Chris Pook]

I'm mostly looking for a way to clean small product without having to be doing it myself, part of the fun of the 1 man show. I'm hoping this can help keep cost down for the small ticket items were the stores need to mark them up.

[Ten Hammers]

I have tried an old cement mixer here at home but didn't really get the results I wanted as quickly as I wanted. I use a tumbler at work a lot and it works pretty well and pretty fast ( but it has a LOT of parts in it ). Yeah, they noisy for sure.

[Dodge]

Steve, We use a tumbler at work for small parts that don't get drilled. ( tumbling can raise burs on corners that are hard to set level in vise. But machine is virtually like a cement mixer however VERY heavy duty. Walls of barrel are 1/2" thick! Hydraudlic motor drives it and yes, It is VERY noisy!!! :)

[yesteryearforge]

I have a small [2 ft x 4 ft ] bead blaster with a tumbler inside
just fill the basket , swing the mounted nozzle to blast into the basket close the top and turn on. does a good job and is pretty quiet too

[Chris Pook]

I have a small [2 ft x 4 ft ] bead blaster with a tumbler inside
just fill the basket , swing the mounted nozzle to blast into the basket close the top and turn on. does a good job and is pretty quiet too

That sounds interesting... got any pictures?

How long does it take to clean a fireplace set or something similar with that setup?

[yesteryearforge]

Chris
Ill try to round up some photos
It will in no way do something the size of a fireplace set / that would require an enormous tumbler althought you can remove the tumbler basket and just bead blast but that would require you to stand there and do it ,

[lefthand forge]

Evening. If your looking to build a simple effective tumbler, Then scrounge up an electric treadmill." I suggest looking on craigslist.com" . which will give you a ready made drive system with a great speed control. A couple of 30 gallon barrels laid on their side on the walking belt w/ vertical rods welded or clamped to the frame to hold them in place and keep them from rolling off and you are in buisiness! If you need a longer container for your fireplace sets, I suggest large diameter Pvc pipe W/possibly some second hand store roller blade wheels as coster rollers on either side of the tube.

Hope this helps
Johnny :)

[Innovational Iron]

Here's a 100 gallon tumbler I made last year....

http://www.innovationaliron.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=56&page=1

[Chris Pook]

Here's a 100 gallon tumbler I made last year....

http://www.innovationaliron.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=56&page=1

Thats pretty close to what I was looking at building, thanks for the link.

Thats also a pretty cool forum, never been there, I'll have to do some looking around.

[GobblerForge]

I'm at a bit of a loss here. Are you trying to clean items you have forged? If so, then you need to consider your forging techniques. I mean no disrespect here, but I have seen this before. The culprit is that pesky wire brush hiding on us. Going back to basics tells us that brushings after we bring the iron from the fire removes scale and dirt and rust. The metal is already hot. A few seconds with the brush may save you hours with the tumbler. On finer work I brush after heating AND after working. Only a few strokes does it. If wax finishing, then wax after the last brushing. Otherwise, let cool and put on your finish of choice. Good luck.
Gobbler

[Ten Hammers]

Tumblers work really nice to clean up forge and mill scale ( that may perhaps be on the same piece). Muriatic acid works well in evening up scaled pieces as well. I don't have a working tumbler here at home but use one at work a fair bit ( to remove cutting fluid/mill scale before welding parts). Also de-burs some as well if you leave it in long enough. Shot blasters are used to clean up castings in a foundry ( tumbling shot blasters ). I use a wire brush daily but if I've got some pieces I wish CLEANED, I use the muriatic. It is Caustic, Dangerous and not recommended for use by untrained folks. It is however the king in my opinion. My 5

[Innovational Iron]

A few seconds with the brush may save you hours with the tumbler.

Gobbler, actually I don't use mine that often unless its a big project with lots a small pieces. However, one advantage to a tumbler is the opposite of your statement. They save time. I have tumbled an entire Chandelier in mine in less than 20 min. Its like anything else...they have their place.

[Chris Pook]

I'm at a bit of a loss here. Are you trying to clean items you have forged? If so, then you need to consider your forging techniques. I mean no disrespect here, but I have seen this before. The culprit is that pesky wire brush hiding on us. Going back to basics tells us that brushings after we bring the iron from the fire removes scale and dirt and rust. The metal is already hot. A few seconds with the brush may save you hours with the tumbler. On finer work I brush after heating AND after working. Only a few strokes does it. If wax finishing, then wax after the last brushing. Otherwise, let cool and put on your finish of choice. Good luck.
Gobbler

I use wire brushes when doing small parts and hand hammering but when your feeding large quantities of pieces to a power hammer wire brushing each piece isn't an option, fuels to expensive to leave sitting idle and when the next batch of steel is ready to go you got to hit it.

[GobblerForge]

Fair enough. Gobbler