Was awaiting delivery yesterday of SS pins bought online so I could use my new HF dual drum tumbler. I knew I'd need a separator, was going to purchase one eventually but for the time being thought I'd cobble one together.
The drum is an 8" diameter X 4 1/2" deep veggie strainer the wife didn't want to use anymore (Chinese plastic). Had a (discarded for the same reason) IKEA cutting board too. used a jig saw and file to cut the board into a disk that fit snug in top of basket, used another piece of board to make a lid for plug so it sealed against top of basket.
screwed top & plug together. Bought a 12" pic. of 1/4" all-thread at HD.for axle. Center drilled basket & lid. Used nuts & washers to permanently fix rod through bottom of basket, double nut & washer to keep plug/ lid from being pushed too far into basket, wing nut to hold lid tight to top of basket. A couple holes drilled in old square bucket and a piece of tube to hold drum away from side of bucket.
First run, removed lid, set basket upright in bucket and put 2 HF tumbler drums of .45 brass & pins in basket. Tightened lid on with wing nut & fished axle rod through bucket holes one side at a time.
Rolled basket couple times & most pins fell out. Rolled another ten times while running garden hose over basket to get rest of pins out & rinse brass. Drained water out of bucket and dumped pins into old fine mesh coffee filter.
worked great! I will probably lower basket axle holes 2" down, a few pins went over top of bucket on initial roll.
I paid $1.05 for threaded rod, rest of parts were laying around waiting to be repurposed. Pretty sturdy, guess I'll put off buying one.
Second batch was 2 drums .30 carbine, same results. Any smaller brass than .30 may fall through basket holes.