My tumbler saga...

[Snakeman721]

Dumb question here..maybe....but if you painted the inside of the tumbler, wouldn't all that paint eventually come off when you tumble the brass?

[xd ED]

Dumb question here..maybe....but if you painted the inside of the tumbler, wouldn't all that paint eventually come off when you tumble the brass?

Refer to the photos in the 1st post. The black rubber …thingie is the tumbling container- it fits inside the metal drum

[Rodentman]

Second coat of paint is now dry, so I consider the painting done.





I never thought of the holes as vents, although I suspect they could be. I'd hazard a guess that cohesion/adhesion between the rubber insert and the drum, rusted or not, painted or not, would be significant.

I plan to spray the insert with silicone and insert it into the drum for my next cleaning run this weekend. I may get another tumbler as well since I am processing a lot of 223 brass. If I do it will be a Lortone. I found a local source at a competitive price.

[Snakeman721]

Dumb question here..maybe....but if you painted the inside of the tumbler, wouldn't all that paint eventually come off when you tumble the brass?

Refer to the photos in the 1st post. The black rubber …thingie is the tumbling container- it fits inside the metal drum

Ahhh, ok.....thanks.

[67camaro]

Why not make your own I have less than $150 into mine and I can do about 500 .223 at a time. Holds a little more than three gallons of water. (Ignore my pvc primer craziness )

[Rodentman]

I probably could build one out of legos better than some of the ones I've seen. All seriousness aside, I hate rust even beneath the surface. It's insidious, just keeps festering and getting worse and worse. Rust is the Obamacare of metallurgy.

Disnonirregardless, I plan to put the tumbler together today and test it. Just need to decide what to put between the liner and drum. Probably silicone spray. I thought of Vaseline in case it needs a prostate exam now and then. Maybe I won't even pull the liner. At my advanced middle age it will probably outlast me. If it rusts through in a dew years I'll just heave it.

Stay tooned for the final chapter...

[OldmanFCSA]

the belt and pulleys will wear out before the barrel will.

order several belts when you can.

I will take the barrel assembly when all else is wore out - - - - in about10 years.

[Rodentman]

Oldman, I will put you in my will for the tumbler parts. I DO have a spare belt. So your advice at this point is to put it together and forget about it. Sounds like a plan.

[ZardozCZ]

That looks like a good way to dal with it.

I got a question, for anyone, at large: Don't those tumblers start out life as a 'rock polisher'/ tumbler, and get fitted with the rubber inner barrel?

My rock polisher tumbler has two half-size chambers that load from each end. The rubber chambers and gaskets are standard issue for tumbling rocks. The steel carrier isn't painted inside either, and I'm thinking some bead blasting (maybe just pin tumble it dry?) and rustoleum are in order to prevent further corrosion.

With two chambers I can't to large batches, but can do two calibers without 'nesting' problems. I wonder if a single large chamber can be found for it?

[Rodentman]

I put the tumbler back together and tumbled a bunch of .357 and .38's. No issues, which is what I expected since what did would not change the functioning of the thing. I didn't pull the liner and have taken the position that if and when it rusts thru I will deal with it at that time, maybe bury it with me. It DOES work well in cleaning brass and so it isn't flawless. Neither am I. BFD.

[OldmanFCSA]

With two chambers I can't to large batches, but can do two calibers without 'nesting' problems. I wonder if a single large chamber can be found for it?

Bring it out next time you come.
No guarantees, but maybe, since I have 3 full-size barrels.

[Rodentman]

Yeah getting smaller caliber cases trapped inside larger ones stinks. They don't get as clean and often pins get trapped in there as well. I have some little fishnet bags, like hairnets that I sue to segregate cases. I think they were sold for that purpose at GS although I no longer have the pkg. They work but sometimes the pins shred them.

[ZardozCZ]

What a good idea! Maybe the plastic nets that fruit/produce come in might work. I'll have to try it some time when I get some netting.

[bpacman]

I really appreciate this post.

So, if Santa is good to me this year and brings me a Model B for Christmas, my first move should be to primer and paint the inside of the drum before I use it? I have been using my Thumler's Tumbler Ultra Vibe 10 for almost 20 years now and it has seen some really heavy use over the past two years. I don't think it is going to die anytime soon, so I might as well evolve this process and start making the "Ultra Shinny Brass" that I have grown to love.

Bp

[Makarov]

After repairing my Thumler's drum and using it many times over about 2 months, I decided to pull the rubber insert and check the inside.
( Repairs involved removing the rubber insert, cleaning most of the rust by tumbling the metal drum with a few hundred BB's, painting the inside with Rustoleum rusty metal primer, silicone caulking the inside bottom joint where the metal barrel joins the ends, sealing the factory gaps)

Removing the rubber insert liner after painting and sealing the metal drum was a not a problem at all. It was much easier taking it out this time, than it was trying to remove it when it was rusted into place.
The insert is rubber and flexes. The top lip that seals against the lid is .250 in thick rubber. The sides of the insert are .190 in thick.


I did not notice any new rust or moisture in the bottom area of the drum. I think the fix is working just fine.


I did find another issue caused by the factory not painting or sealing the inside of the metal drum.
I noticed rust bubbling under the paint around the edges of the spot welded tabs. This is the result of moisture wicking between the 2 pieces of previously unpainted (from the inside) metal. A simple coat of paint inside the metal drum from the factory would have prevented this.


If you are starting with a brand new Thumler's Tumbler, I would strongly recommend removing the rubber insert, painting any bare metal you find, and then sealing the bottom joint to prevent water from gaining access between the metal drum and the rubber liner