21 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.