243 replies to this topic

[Rob968323]

Ahhh... that tangerine smell!!

[tonyp]

Rob, by the time you could buy it they had made it safe. LOL...

[GTPJoe]

Hi Pablo!

A while back, and I do mean a WHILE, I was in the metal finishing business. From what I remember the media you want is a steel media called "pins". Metal media will deburr and burnish nicely. Pins in particular get into tight places and clean and polish without getting lodged. HERE's a local place that sells the stuff. Probably not cheap, but lasts forever with a little care.

You'd think metal would be too tough to use but we made jewelry and even thin delicate pieces that I could bend in my hand would come out smooth and shiny!

Check it out...

[slotbaker]

I tried "brickies" sand with dishwashing liquid in the tumbler on some Cox mag stuff and an old brass frame. Topped up with water to cover the lot.

It worked OK on external surfaces, but just hung inside the wheels, so didn't work too good there. The abrasive (grit/soda) blasting is still the best thing for the Cox mag bit.

I'm pretty sure all sand would give similar results.

The brass turned out OK, too, but not quite as shiny as with media. It ended up nice and smooth with an even finish.

[Dave Larsen]

Hey Rick, and others ...

I have tumbled another flying "A" chassis, and it came out great you might want to give this a try for a "solution" no rust, no water spots for obvious reasons and it leaves a very real-looking finish. I'm not one for the "polished" look on a chassis, never seen one that was raced look like that. As we all know, it comes down to taste, and what one likes. I dumped a tablespoon in and let the tumbler do its thing. This stuff has been around for a long, long time. It works!!!



Next, I will start getting after Dan's "Pro" cars.

[68Caddy]

That's what I would say, Dip It
Saturday night of course I would polish up the hardware, wouldn't you?
Vit you just made me think, that's what I need to polish my plastic chassis.
Have to say, you are absolutely right that things that are going down the race ways don't look like jewelry
Yea, I like pretty things but I like fast cars.
Thanks for sharing that.

Nesta aka 68Caddy

[dc-65x]

Hi Dave,

That chassis lools great !

The problem I was having with corrosion wouldn't show up right away but rather several weeks to a month later. Just to be safe keep you eyes open for little spots on the steel rails. You really have to look closely to catch them before they start to eat into the steel. This was happening even after the chassis had been soaked in WD40 for 24 hours and wiped dry .

Anyway, I'd sure appreciate it if you could report back here after a month or so .

Thanks for showing us the Flying "A" chassis and I can't wait to see Dan's.

[TSR]

I'm not one for the "polished" look on a chassis, never seen one that was raced

Indeed, the finish by tumbling is quite different from what the builders did then. But it is a fabulous way of getting rid of the brass corrosion without damaging the chassis. What I do AFTER the tumbling is to bring back the original finish by using a steel wire brush and a Brill-O pad as we used to in the old days. Several builders also used a criss-cross pattern at the bottom of the chassis, using rough sand paper to create the pattern, then the Brill-O pad to smooth it out.

But when building a replica, the polished look is hard to beat!

As far as rusting steel rails, the solution for me when building a replica is to tin the steel wire first. Once assembled, the chassis is tumbled and the tin "plating" stays thick enough (a few microns really!) to withstand the process. Hence no rust.

Dave, nice idea to include the Dip-It. That stuff REALLY works!

[Dave Larsen]

Hi Rick

Here's a picture of the FIRST flying "A" chassis I did in my first post, after I got my tumbler It's a great way to clean "OLD" chassis that's for sure! I do beleive it's been in that baggie for over a month, since it was tumbled in "DIP IT," which I used right from the start when I got my tumbler. I don't spend the time to tumble a "new" chassis, because I do it the "old way" as Philippe describes when I complete a chassis . There are some that know how long it takes me to do a chassis, and tumbling a "new" one will only add to their delay of receiving the goods.

The chassis was air dried, and them wiped down with a towel. No oil of any kind was used to prevent RUST these pictures were taken today...





A tip: When tumbling a "OLD SCHOOL" SPRING STEEL center section with a BRASS drop arm and bat pans style chassis. You need to clean the center section as best as you can by hand be it with a wire wheel on a Dremel, or with a pad. The simple reason when you tumble this chassis, is that the brass will be to your liking, and the center section will not be. This just might have to do with the different hardness of the two types of metals.

[dc-65x]

Thanks for the update, Dave. Looks like corrosion is not a problem .

One more question if I might. Does the Dip-It explode in blast of foam when you take the lid off the tumbler?

Thanks again, Dave.

[Dave Larsen]

Shoot, Rick... I forgot to tell you.

Yep, it's like opening up a shaken-up can of Pepsi. I'm very sorry, Rick, I forgot to mention to let it calm down for a few minutes after tumbling and then crack the lid.

As always, Rick

Regards,

Dave

[tonyp]

I am going to have to try that. I like the finish better than the really shiny one.

Thanks for the info.

[Pablo]

My experiments all failed.

Sand (mixed into the ceramic media) cleaned the crevices well, but clogged hinges and even just a handful mades the motor run warmer than normal. Ceramic media STILL clogged the axle tubes.

Lizard Litter (walnut) (mixed in with the ceramic media) didn't seem to clean any better, and clogged hinges and crevices. Ceramic media STILL clogged axle tubes.

Haven't tried steel pins yet but it sounds expensive.

Arm & Hammer laundry liquid is unimpressive.

Next experiment: back to regular ceramic media and automatic dishwashing soap.

[tonyp]

It's amazing where those ceramic bits will wedge themselves.

[bobo]

All,

To help keep the foaming to a minimum, put int some "anti-foaming" liquid used for carpet cleaning.

[Don Weaver]

It's amazing where those ceramic bits will wedge themselves.

I put an axle through the bushings/tube and stick some tape on the ends of the axle to keep it from slipping out. This keeps the ceramic media from getting into the tubes.

Don Weaver

[Phil Irvin]

Back when I was a young man, I remember a machine shop had made a tumbler and they used a small 3/16" to 1/4" three-pointed media and used auto trans fluid (ATF) rather than water. I saw some of the parts that had been tumbled and they were bright but not shiney. The points of the media did get in the small slots and corners pretty well.

Idea?

Phil

[Jerry Ward]

Hi Guys,

I have a few questions about tumbling chassis. On average how long do you tumble a chassis? And have you or has anyone tried to do other chassis besides brass, one like spring steel or your JK Cheetah 7 or Flexi chassis? Will this process clean them, too?

Thanks,

Jerry

[Pablo]

Jerry,

I have tumbled scratchbuilt brass chassis up to eight hours no problemo and they just keep getting better.

Steel chassis I have not tried. Why polish something you can buy for $20 ?

[Rick]

Fabric softener should be a good anti-foam agent to add. Probably a tablespoon or two would do the trick?

[Jerry Ward]

Thanks. Here we don't do much in the summer when tracks are closed so I take most of my cars apart and the chassis are real rough-looking so I thought I might clean then up some. Sometimes you get or got one that works real well and you don't want to get rid of it.

Thanks for the info. I didn't know you tumbled them that long.

Just wondered if anyone tried a steel chassis may give it a try as soon as I get my tumbler getting the AR-12 from Cabelas.

Thanks,

Jerry

[Bill from NH]

While not done with a tumbler, I've seen spring steel Eurosport chassis that were polished to a mirror shine using Mother's Mag & Aluminum Polish.

[Pablo]

OK Jerry, I understand.

I use Buffalo Arms ceramic media and the liquid soap that came with it, in my Thumlers Tumbler.

I think eight hours on your steel chassis would work well. Just remember, one chassis at a time!!

[Jerry Ward]

OK, thanks for the info, Paul.

Cabela's sells a kit of corn cob media with brass polish, iteM XJ-214211. The polish is a liquid. That's the only one they sell. Should I give that a try or just use the stuff you use? The kit is $13.00.

Think I will spray them with WD40 after I air blow dry them so they don't rust up on me.

Is there a web site for Buffalo Arms and their ceramic media and soap? Is that a kit, too? And you're right - one at a time!

Thanks again,

Jerry

[Pablo]

Jerry, use what you have, it will be OK. Just do it.

Eight hours. If the street lights dim, unplug and add more water.

Just do it.