Topic: Bench Top Vibration Tumblers and Media

[MorganLeBlanc]

ADMIN NOTE: This post (8 posts in total) was separated from another section and moved here so focus could remain where it was originally posted and we can focus on this question here


Awesome story and beautiful Shelby.   What media do you use in the tumbler?  I saw some tumblers for sale at Harbor Freight and thinking of purchasing one.

[J_Speegle]

Depends on what your attempting to clean, restore  or improve.  Also consider the use of a wash with pump for certain needs.

I use my bench top circular ones mostly for polishing and cleaning up plastic, bake-o-lite, brass and mixed material items. Sometimes it dist caps, solenoids, junction blocks, PVS, and other smaller items. For these uses I use corn husk (rabbit bedding) with a light compound added

Sure others will use ceramic and or plastic to clean metal parts and such

[RoyceP]

I bought a Hornady tumbler at Bass Pro Shops, also a Lyman Ultrasonic cleaner that holds about 1/2 gallon. They are handy for cleaning small items that you would not want to subject to bead blasting.

For example the vacuum ported switch on the water neck can be cleaned in several steps. Usually you have to begin with paint stripper to remove overspray. Then clean the unit with alcohol and let it dry. Plug the ports with rubber caps and use the vibratory cleaner. I like using crushed walnut shell media with a bit of Simichrome added. 


This process also works well for distributor housings.

[jwc66k]

These are some of the types of media I've used in small tumblers and vibrator cleaners.
Media:
Green ceramic pyramids: expensive; reusable, does wear; clean; use with water. I sometimes add a tablespoon of TSP. I don't know why, but it appears to leave a protective coating on iron or steel that reduces flash rust.
Walnut shells: expensive; wears out; clean; use dry; leaves a dull finish; good for aluminum.
Aluminum oxide: expensive; reusable; use dry; messy.
Iron filings: cheap (I get mine from shops that do brakes); messy; use for a week on steel or iron; replace after 4  or 5 weeks.
Silicon carbide: expensive; wears OK; use with water (This is what rock tumblers companies recommend for rocks. You can try it, I went to iron.)
Steel B-B's: expensive; reusable; clean; not effective; used in large shops.
Consider what type of finish you want, and is the media harder or more abrasive than what you are trying to clean.
Jim

[Chris Thauberger]

I purchased all my supplies from Raytech. I highly reccommend you read this.

Chris

[jwc66k]

In the "Processes, Products and Techniques" section, Read "Phosphating 101", "Reply #5" on "Hardware Preparation". It takes time to do these things. You get no instant gratification on automobile restoration.
Jim

[beatlemike]

Does anyone have thoughts on what kind of tumbler works well? Also, what kind of media do you use?  Is the 18 pound tumbler from Harbor Freight a good choice?

Beatlemike

68 Dearborn Plant

[Bob Gaines]

Does anyone have thoughts on what kind of tumbler works well? Also, what kind of media do you use?  Is the 18 pound tumbler from Harbor Freight a good choice?

Beatlemike

68 Dearborn Plant

That is a pretty general question . A lot depends on what parts and what amounts and what purpose you plan on using it for.

[67gtasanjose]

Does anyone have thoughts on what kind of tumbler works well? Also, what kind of media do you use?  Is the 18 pound tumbler from Harbor Freight a good choice?

Beatlemike

68 Dearborn Plant

I'm not impressed with that tumbler.

[jwc66k]

Does anyone have thoughts on what kind of tumbler works well? Also, what kind of media do you use?  Is the 18 pound tumbler from Harbor Freight a good choice?

I have one. I use green pyramids, water and TSP, Tri Sodium Phosphate. An item over 6 inches won't fit. For most of the parts I need to clean (hardware), I use a rock tumbler with metal filings I get from a brake shop.
Read topic - "Phosphating 101" - in Processes, Products & Techniques.
Jim

[beatlemike]

Well, I was looking for something I can put on a work bench. I don't have room for anything bigger. As far as what I wanted to tumble, of course it would be fasteners and small parts.  In other words, all the stuff most restorers need to clean up. A wire wheel on a bench grinder works great on flat parts but parts that have a 90 degree bend make the wire wheel useless.
Thanks

Beatlemike

68 Dearborn plant

[jwc66k]

The rock tumbler I use for hardware cleaning takes up less than a square foot. You can also use it to polish rocks.
Jim

[Bob Gaines]

Well, I was looking for something I can put on a work bench. I don't have room for anything bigger. As far as what I wanted to tumble, of course it would be fasteners and small parts.  In other words, all the stuff most restorers need to clean up. A wire wheel on a bench grinder works great on flat parts but parts that have a 90 degree bend make the wire wheel useless.
Thanks

Beatlemike

68 Dearborn plant

You still didn't answer all of the questions needed to give a informed answer. Apparently you are not familiar with all of the possibilities. If your expectations are complete cleaning and corrosion elimination on all parts you put in the tumbler then prepare to be disappointed . The tumbler will get you most of the way there on most parts depending on media. Other parts may need more help with a different supplement process or treatment. Chemical bath may be one . A number of different chemical choices there.  The bead blast cabinet will typically finish off the parts that don't clean up all of the way depending on media. Many choices there also. Of course a bead blast cabinet is a all around integral part to the successful prep of the vast majority of parts. I have several larger units that I keep different media in so that I can save time (from having to stop and change different media)when stripping parts prior to using the vibrating tumbler . I have several of them also with different medias as well as size . Control arms or strut rods takes a large vibrating tumbler for example. The metal filling or steel shot type media in the tumbler gives the best surface prep of a steel already cleaned off part IMO. I have a small Harbor Freight table top blast cabinet model that I use special media in like walnut shells or baking soda for fragile small parts. I could see that successfully supplementing (with correct media) a small tumbler for a more over all success rate on small parts surface prep.   That is why I said before that your question was fairly general. There are many faucets of surface prep depending on the part and depending on the finish desired . Not one answer but many .

[J_Speegle]

Agree with Bob - need to know what your trying to accomplish and many of us have multiple ones each set up for different purposes. I've been very happy with a Harbor Freight bowl style (large size) I've used for years to clean, refresh and/or polish things like dist caps, small plastic clips, rubber bushings and grommets and things like starter solenoids using corn husk (rabbit bedding material) and a compound added to the husks. Would not want these or just about anything I'm doing, in a rock tumbler with all that forced contact with other items in the can at the same time. Just my choice as we can see others are very happy with doing this.

Been happy with a wire wheel with light bristles but our stuff rarely has any real rust and if it did I'ld just replace it with a unrusty one. Wire wheel will leave it nice and pretty but its only good for me to prepare the surface for later plating . If course it time consuming to clean by hand so I can understand why many choose to use something that will clean while you do something else. With products like evapo-Rust that has become the second (first is a cleaning to remove any grease or oil) step and often the last step before hardware is sent out. 

[beatlemike]

Thank you all for the discussion. This is the information I was looking for. I know there are 101 variables but I was looking for info for a "starter unit".

Beatlemike

68 Dearborn Plant