Midway USA 1-800-243-3220 has an incredible vibratory tumbler for around $40.
Hello Julia,
This setup of yours sounds very appealing. May I ask how much
stainless shot you are using in this tumbler.
Cheers,
Trevor F.
in The City of Light
That’s so true. You only need just a pound or so. Only problem is,
they don’t sell shot in single pound lots. Or at least I haven’t
found lots that small. Perhaps you could find someone who would be
willing to split an order with you. And I also agree with the others
who have suggested using stainless steel versus carbon steel. It
just stays clean and doesn’t rust.
Good luck with your tumbler quest.
Betty
With regard to this tumbler-- Does anyone know whether the barrel is smooth inside, or has multiple flat sides?
The Harbor Freight tumbler has a heavy, flexible, cylindrical rubber
barrel with smooth sides. I know that some folks might doubt the
efficacy of this, but it does work well with mixed shot for
burnishing. Doesn’t peen as badly as a larger, flat-sided tumbler,
either; I sometimes use it to tumble flat items made from sheet and
it leaves a pleasing, even texture. Maybe I’m weird, but I like that.
Cheers,
Jessee Smith
www.silverspotstudio.com
Cincinnati, Ohio
Hi Sojourner,
It sounds like the single-barrel Harbor Freight would probably be
the all-around best tumbler for your needs (IMHO). I would go all out
on the shot, though - I bought stainless for around $30 and it has
been an immeasurable boon to me. It saves oodles of time. I’m
honestly not sure what weight of mediaI have in there, but I want to
say three pounds? You can always take some out if the motor seems to
be laboring.
However, the Harbor Freight is not suitable for use with final
finishing media, like Sunsheen or charged walnut hull and such. I
think that Judy Hoch is right: the tumbler for that stuff should have
flat sides, since you’re running the medium dry and it is so light
that it will just slide around in a round barrel. Not only that, but
I tried it once in my tumbler and it interacted with the rubber to
produce a gunky black coating on all the pieces inside. (This was
brought up in a fairly recent discussion, but I canna find it.) It
was not fun. Don’t try it at home.
I’ve found (she says, ducking to avoid the scoldings that are sure
to come) that for a lot of pieces that have textured surfaces, lots
of detail, and raised or rounded areas (i.e., no flat, smooth spots
that need to be mirror-bright), the burnishing is enough. Mind you,
I do a lot of prefinish work on these with rubber wheels and bristle
discs, so they have a smooth satin finish before they go into the
tumbler. If the post-burnishing result still isn’t bright enough, you
can hit it with rouge or some Semichrome on a muslin buff. The latter
will really make the finish “pop,” but it can be quite messy.
I just want to be able to finish small silver pieces, mostly bangles/bracelets, earrings, a lot of woven/braided or knit/crochet work.
It’s hard to say without seeing your actual pieces, but I’d be
awfully leery of putting fine knitted or woven work into a tumbler.
It might come out as a squished wad of wire. That said, I’ve
burnished surprisingly delicate (-seeming) pieces in the tumbler,
including the dobsonflies on my site. The work-hardening that occurs
through tumbling is wonderful for these pieces.
HTH, and have fun!
Jessee Smith
www.silverspotstudio.com
Cincinnati, Ohio
Julia,
Midway USA 1-800-243-3220 has an incredible vibratory tumbler for around $40. Making it even better is the lifetime warrantee. I bought one 6 years ago and used it daily. It quit recently and I returned it as per warrantee. Not only did they send a new one at no charge, but they also paid me back for the shipping.
Interesting site, Midway USA. Can you tell us which model Tumbler
you purchased? There were so many on the site.
Thanks.
It sounds like the single-barrel Harbor Freight would probably be the all-around best tumbler for your needs (IMHO). I would go all out on the shot, though - I bought stainless for around $30 and it has been an immeasurable boon to me. It saves oodles of time. I'm honestly not sure what weight of mediaI have in there, but I want to say three pounds?
I think that’s what the Lortone says, not sure about the HF. I’d be
surprised if its any more than that, though. And shot will last
forever, so I have no problem spending money up front on that. I’d
rather not spend big bucks on a tumbler until I know better what I’m
REALLY going to need in the long run, though. If the $19 model is
“good enough”, then, well, its good enough for me, for the short
haul at least.
I'd be awfully leery of putting fine knitted or woven work into a tumbler. It might come out as a squished wad of wire.
Actually I was more worried about the shot getting stuck in between
the wires. But maybe I should worry about squished wads, too…
It seems to me I’ve read bad things about vibratory tumblers, and
then sometimes good things - there is a vibratory tumbler another
lister pointed out that’s under $40 - would this do a better job for
final finish than a rotary tumbler? Or what’s the general opinion on
vibratory versus rotary?
Sojourner
Continue from:
Hi Zen,
It seems to me I've read bad things about vibratory tumblers, and then sometimes good things - there is a vibratory tumbler another lister pointed out that's under $40 - would this do a better job for final finish than a rotary tumbler? Or what's the general opinion on vibratory versus rotary?
I’ve used a small vibratory tumbler for about 15 years. In my book
there’s no comparison between a rotary & vibratory tumbler. The
vibratory wins hands down!
Vibratories produce a finished piece much faster, typically 1/2
hour. More time won’t hurt, but usually isn’t necessary. I’ve
forgotten & left things in over night with no ill effects. The
vibratories are also more trouble free. There’s no belts or rollers
to worry about & no lid that is prone to leaking or hard to install
& remove.
The bowl on a vibratory is shaped similar to an angel food cake pan.
It’s mounted to a spring supported platform to which the motor is
also permanently attached. The motor shaft has an off center weight
attached to it. This causes the platform & bowl to vibrate when the
motor is running.
There are several sizes & types of vibratories beginning with the
basic model described above & going up to larger units that have
adjustable speeds & amplitudes as well as a flow through system for
any liquids the system uses.
Prices range from around $50 to several hundred, depending on model
& place of purchase. One of the lowest cost places to find the basic
units is a gun shop or shooting sports store/website. Folks who
reload their own ammo use them to polish their brass prior to
reloading.
Dave
Sojourner,
I love my vibratory tumbler! I have a Raytech 25ss and It is
wonderful. It is faster than the rotary. I put things in for 15 to
20 minutes and the come out beautifully burnished. It is sturdy and
easy to use and to drain. I am using less than the 50lbs of shot
because of the price even though my budget is higher than yours.
This is the second tumbler I have had. I started out with a used
Gy-Roc which did a great job but I kept having to replace the
springs. Hope this helps.
Lori
Dave, Of course you are speaking to the use of vibs for polishing
metal…correct?
I use (have used) both for gemstones and find that some stones
polish better in vibs, such as apache tears, hemetite, nephrite,
and a few others, but the agates and jaspers grind and polish better
in rotary. I grind ALL my tumbled stones in a rotary then decide
which to use for polishing.
For metal I use both, depending on what I am doing at the time.
Cheers from Don at The Charles Belle Studio in SOFL where simple
elegance IS fine jewelry! @coralnut2
Betty,
Re using stainless steel vs just steel shot…I don’t believe there
is any question that stainless is best. However, regular steel is
about $38 for 5 lbs whilst stainless is about $138 for 5 lbs.
Cheers from Don in SOFL
Re using stainless steel vs just steel shot....I don't believe there is any question that stainless is best. However, regular steel is about $38 for 5 lbs whilst stainless is about $138 for 5 lbs.
If you use regular steel keep the shot wet and keep it alkaline
-(basic) Do this by adding a little washing soda when you finish.
jesse
Hi Don,
Of course you are speaking to the use of vibs for polishing metal...correct?
Yes.
I use a small vib with a bowl about 4 " deep & 8" across with about
4# of stainless steel shot. When starting with a clean dry tumbler &
shot, I add a pinch of burnishing soap (a drop or 2 of a non sudsing
liquid soap would work as well) & about 2 oz (a little dixie cup) of
ammonia. The stuff comes out sparkling in 1/2 hr. or less. When
it’s time to clean the tumbler & shot, I add a tablespoon or 2 of
Draino & a little water. Run it 1 - 2 hr., dump, rinse in warm
water, drain, wipe the bowl out & replace the shot & am ready for
the next load.
It works for me, you mileage may vary.
Dave
However, regular steel is about $38 for 5 lbs whilst stainless is about $138 for 5 lbs.
Whoa, Don! Where did you buy your shot?
Rio has stainless steel mixed shot for $27.95 for 2 lbs., $114.95
for 10 lbs. 2 lbs. is plenty for the little Harbor Freight tumbler.
Best,
Jessee Smith
www.silverspotstudio.com
Cincinnati, Ohio
Jessee,
Whoops, your right to Whoa me…but, at Graves, we sell 5lb of
steel for $38 and stainless for $109 for 5 lbs. I have seen
stainless go for $138 but don’t remember where it was…except I
figured it was a bit high at the time.
Do the math, at $27.95 for 2 lbs the Rio stainless would still be
$69.87 for 5 lbs. Your right that 2 lbs is fine for the HF
tumbler…actually probably less than that. I wonder how Rio can
sell stainless for nearly 1/2 price?
Cheers from Don at The Charles Belle Studio in SOFL where simple
elegance IS fine jewelry! @coralnut2