DIY wet tumbler

[mtnboomer]

Here are some pics of a wet tumbler I just finished building. They have really started to catch on as they clean brass better and faster than conventional vibatory tumblers. Enjoy!

[Broken External Image]

[Broken External Image]

[Broken External Image]

[Broken External Image]

[Broken External Image]

[Broken External Image]

[Broken External Image]

[Broken External Image]

[Broken External Image]

[Broken External Image]

[Broken External Image]

If anyone has any questions, just let me know!

 

[Honeybee]

Have you totaled up how much this cost you to make??

 

[swampratt]

Very nice..Could be he had that stuff laying around...

 

[Shadowrider]

Have you totaled up how much this cost you to make??

I've priced out this same setup but haven't had time to build one yet.

Building the frame out of stuff laying around (wood/steel) and buying the motor, bearings, etc. new from Grainger I came out at a little over $100. Probably $150 total or less and probably less.

 

[swampratt]

I have made 2 wet tumblers ..one from a coppier machine i found in the trash..
The other from a treadmill someone tossed out..I used the rollers and it had a DC motor..
My container is the 2 quart V8 tomato drink bottle...
The wood frame is not ....I used an old file cabinet for my frame and just drilled and poked the metal rods through the holes.
But my rods do not spin as it is a roller like on a conveyor. 2 of them..
Total investment for the 2 is less than 3 bucks

 

[castleeleven]

can you list out the parts and where to buy it? and price. Thanks

 

[NikatKimber]

I still like the cement mixer idea.

1-1/4 Cubic Ft. Cement Mixer for $139.99

or larger version:

3-1/2 Cubic Ft. Cement Mixer for $189.99

 

[mtnboomer]

The motor is a 1/3 hp belt-driven blower fan motor I got new off Ebay for about $70.00.
The pillow block bearings were about $6.50 apiece. http://www.thebigbearingstore.com/index.html
The 1 1/2" and 5" pulleys were $18.00 and change. http://www.electricmotorwarehouse.com/pulley/pulley_sheave_menu.htm
The 1/2" round rods, nuts, bolt and misc. hardware were from the local hadware store - about $20 to $25.
The 6" and 1 1/4" PVC pipe (both precut to 24"), cap, 6" to 4" reducer and rubber cap were from Home Depot - about $40.
The stainless steel pins were just under $7.00 per pound - I have 10#. http://bestbyte.net/merchant/mercha...e=ACMIPL0471&Category_Code=ACMI&Store_Code=BB
The unistrut and 3/4" plywood was scrap off a job (I'm an electrictian).
The 2 x 4s were left over from an older project.

The tumbler barrel is 17 1/2" long and holds just over 2 gallons of water. I use 10# of pins, 10# of deprimed brass, a gallon of water, a big squirt of Dawn dishwashing liquid and a tablespoon of Lemi-Shine. Tumble for 2 hours and you have brass that looks brand new!

 

[swampratt]

Love the capacity..you did an excellent job building that one ..2 thumbs up from me.

 

[tyromeo55]

If another member wants to try this I'm pretty sure I've got a used motor and a length of 6" pipe I'd donate to them. That should make the project quite a bit cheaper. My only requirement is that the person who gets it post pictures of their finished tumbler

---Tulsa pickup---