Errorgance Posted January 26, 2016 Share Posted January 26, 2016 Some steel sling shot ammo, soap and water, and the tumbler took care of an entire days worth grinding and brushing off scale! Why didn't I think if this before?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coldironkilz Posted January 27, 2016 Share Posted January 27, 2016 I'm interested but, some pictures would help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Errorgance Posted January 27, 2016 Author Share Posted January 27, 2016 Right, here's a picture of the steel shot, it's from a few packages of steel sling shot ammo from Walmart. The rotary tumbler here, is the kind you'd use for polishing rocks or cleaning cartridge cases. Thing is, it knocked 90% of some really thick scale off for me, works fantastic, although it did round the sharp edges, though that might of been the two axes rubbing against each other since I put them both in at the same time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DSW Posted January 27, 2016 Share Posted January 27, 2016 Doesn't surprise me at all. We use a fairly coarse grit alum oxide media ( 3/16" chip roughly) when we tumble steel dive cylinders to clean out rust after hydros before O2 cleaning them. I used to have a "bucket" similar to that I could put on my cylinder roller to clean misc parts. About 6-8 hours will get rid of light rust, and 24 hours will typically make even heavily rusted cylinders look like new. My buddy used to use an old concrete mixer and some sand and 3/8" screenings to clean and debur a lot of CNC plasma cut parts he used in production. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ausfire Posted January 27, 2016 Share Posted January 27, 2016 They are great rail spike axes! They are now in my inspirations folder for rail spikes! I would like to make one of those tumblers, maybe from an old 100lb gas bottle (?) In the meantime, the concrete mixer idea sounds like it's worth a try. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fergy Posted January 27, 2016 Share Posted January 27, 2016 just ducked out the back to take a photo for you ausfire this shows the insides of the mixer with some parts in it this is the media we use its just old holes got a year out of it before I had to replace skin with 1/8 plate could wrap some insulation around it because of the noise but I just put it out the door and insulated the door the sooner you get one the better I should have had one years ago fergy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ausfire Posted January 27, 2016 Share Posted January 27, 2016 Hey fergy, thanks for the pics. I can imagine that would be pretty noisy, but that's not a worry for me here. I thought maybe some sand would soften the din a bit. Good idea with the punchings. I have loads of those because the local metal fabrication shop blokes chuck them in a drum for me. So how long does it take to get the bits as shiny as the ones you're holding? (P.S. Hope you weren't affected by the bushfires over there. Serious stuff.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fergy Posted January 27, 2016 Share Posted January 27, 2016 Hey ausfire takes about an hour to get shiny and just get the burrs off to take the edges off like the weld on the lifting lug about 4hours i grew up in yarloop mate lived there from when I was 7 to when I was 19 Lots of good people homeless but also great to see people getting behind then to get them back on there feet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Errorgance Posted January 27, 2016 Author Share Posted January 27, 2016 Fergy, I'd try lining the inside of your tumbler with plastic or rubber, (mine's rubber) it'll last much longer and be significantly quieter! Ausfire, thanks for the complement, if you can't find a mixer, you can make a upscale knock off of mine easily with any cylinder. Though I think gas cylinders are a bit thick and heavy for the job. You could even make one out a 55 gallon drum if you're so bold! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGGUNDOCTOR Posted January 27, 2016 Share Posted January 27, 2016 We had urethane poured into some we made at a foundry I was at. Lasted longer, and they were dead quiet afterwards. Not sure how well it would last but Line-X or similar coating may help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caladin Posted February 8, 2016 Share Posted February 8, 2016 I was lazy and got one of these for taking forge scale off small armor pices, I have several media, the triangular stuff HF sells for taking off scale(wet), then crushed pecan hulls from eh pet store(they use it in lizard cages) plus some polish for the fine work. Just make sure the polish is an abrasive polish not a coating.. (dry) it'd do a fairly big hammer, but not tongs, nice for small stuff though.. works great for gauntlet parts... Cal- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpankySmith Posted February 8, 2016 Share Posted February 8, 2016 I have a tumbler just like that, but I've actually had MUCH, MUCH better success just using a vinegar soak to remove scale. I haven't tried the tumbler yet as a strictly polishing method but will soon, but for scale vinegar bath is still my go-to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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