29 replies to this topic

[MSwiss]

It's been hammered, but after tumbling a couple chassis for my hardbody racers, I (and many others) will reiterate, the way to go;
 
Thumler's Tumbler rotary drum tumbler
ceramic media from Buffalo Arms
detergent from Buffalo Arms
Lake Michigan water (essentially as good as bottled water)
overnight / approx.15 hours
 
I can't imagine a better job can be had.
 

 

 

 

 

[dc-65x]

You've got it Mike.

 

That's what Mike Steube told me and I shared in my thread.............more than a dozen years ago. Yikes! I'm old.   

[MSwiss]

Yes, of course.

 

Your stuff is the standard on clean building.

 

I pinned my post, as newbie's occasionally post, looking for advice.

[dc-65x]

I think the only thing I'd stress is that all water is not created equal. Where I used to live the water caused pitting and corrosion when the weather was hot....90+ degrees. Maybe it was acidic or something.    But, it was bad and the problem went away when I started using distilled water.

 

Pablo offered to send me his great Mississippi water but the shipping cost was to high.    

[MSwiss]

That's why I equated our Lake Michigan water to bottled water.

 

I haven't noticed any difference from it, to cheap, bottled drinking water, or distilled water.

 

I think the rule of thumb should probably be, if you aren't excited about drinking it, buy something that you would.

[CDavis7]

I use distilled water. Its a $1 a gallon and has nearly zero potential contaminates. I was not getting the best results with my regular tap water previously. Switching to distilled made a huge improvement. YMMV

[Matt Sheldon]

I do everything as stated by the op, however have switched to this with better results. It also prohibits rust. I typically add 3 tbsp.

 

 

 

[MSwiss]

Distilled water is always the safest bet.

One other tumbler "trick", I experimented with recently, and was happy with.

After tumbling by new CR052, .040" thick brass guide washers, which had the diameter, lathe turned, to fit the guide recess, I drained / strained out the dirty water, and retumbled the media and washers, with a couple microfiber rags in the drum, to dry off said washers.

[gas]

Which speed are people using? Thumblers Model B comes in low-speed (20RPM drum speed) and high speed (40RPM). This has stopped me from ordering one. SKU #TT140 and TT140HS at Buffalo Arms.

[MSwiss]

I never knew there was a choice.

1 revolution, every 3 seconds, sounds slow to me.

I'm guessing mine is a 40, but I wouldn't stake my life on it.

[Pablo]

Mine is the TT-140HS, motor is marked "3,000 RPM"

 

https://www.buffaloa...10-volt-tt140hs

[gas]

Thanks for your answers. Thats one of each, so speed isn't a concern.

[MSwiss]

Which speed are people using? Thumblers Model B comes in low-speed (20RPM drum speed) and high speed (40RPM). This has stopped me from ordering one. SKU #TT140 and TT140HS at Buffalo Arms.

As I suspected, mine is a 40 RPM.
 
Another good investment for tumbling with ceramic media, is the below basket, I bought as a strainer, for a few $'s, at (IIRC) Menards.
 

[JimF]

Having used both, I would highly recommend the 40 RPM motor. It takes much less time to acheive good results than the 20. I have used distilled water for years but even with that, a long tumbling session can occasionally produce some pitting. As a remedy to that, I have been adding possibly 1/4-1/3 cup of common antifreeze to the mix along with some 'Dawn'. Never had a pitting issue when I remember to put it in......... It also seems to polish a bit better than water and soap.

 

In all cases, when I'm done, I'll squirt a bit of isopropyl alcohol into the hinge tubes and bearings followed by a blast of canned air, then oil.

[Tim Neja]

I've been spraying my chassis down with WD40 after tumbling!! It seems to work well and I"ve had no pitting problems.

[Half Fast]

A few questions for the experts here:

 

1- How many pounds of ceramic medium?

 

2- How much fill of liquid?

 

3- Can more than 1 chassis at a time be tumbled?

 

Thanks in advance

[MSwiss]

1-I think the standard amount from Buffalo arms is 6 Lbs.

Use it all.

2-until you see it slightly above the level pellets seems to work fine.

3-Yes. The above 2 were done at the same time.
Whatever fits should be OK.

[Pablo]

1. Concur, 6 lbs.

2. Concur, about an inch above the media. If you mean how much soap liquid, one capful exactly.

3. I wouldn't do it

[MSwiss]

I guess if you had somewhat delicate, or concours chassis, they would possibly be banging into each other.

In the case of the 2 plate chassis I tumbled, I wasn't worried about it.

[Jay Guard]

I routinely put 2 and sometimes even 3 chassis' in my tumbler at one time, never had a problem or seen any damage from the chassis' hitting each other, YMMV.

 

Here's a tip... Put a piece of heat shrink tubing (and shrink it of course) over the threaded ends of a front axle.  It keeps the fine threads from being worn away.

[Zippity]

Multiple chassis will not result in any damage.

 

The tumbling motion has very little force, if any.

 

A teaspoon of Simple Green added to the water, works a treat  

[tonyp]

I’ve done multiple chassis at a time, you just have to tumble longer.

[mhslot13]

Hello - guys I'm new to this scratch building ! What with the tumbling? Is it really nessasary ? And whats the purpose can't you just clean with tooth bush or equivalent and simpel green and soap ? And about the chassis are there any kits for can am racing and which jig do you prefer

[Zippity]

Hello - guys I'm new to this scratch building ! What with the tumbling? Is it really nessasary ? And whats the purpose can't you just clean with tooth bush or equivalent and simpel green and soap ? And about the chassis are there any kits for can am racing and which jig do you prefer

 

There is nothing wrong with doing it the long hard way  

 

Some of us just prefer to let the Tumbler do it for 20 hours  

[Martin]

Just to add. I have a mixture of media and the smaller media can get stuck in the axle hole. So I routinely put a junk axle and nuts in place so media can not get stuck in the tube.

I have also used a similar set up in the rear with o-rings nuts and washers to protect the ball bearings.

 

Marlon, to answer your question.

I do both on older vintage chassis. First I clean with soap and water and tooth brush. Then look for stubborn stains and issues that would take the tumbler a while to polish out. May even do a bit of sanding with fine emery paper.This keeps the tumble time to a minimum. I personally do not like to round all those crisp edges off.

Its also a great way to look for damage etc. 

I only ever tumble for 3-5 hours. That gives me that nice even shine.