TUMBLER, TUMBLING, and more TUMBLERS

[salpal48]

Now that the 2017 Gun show calendar Is up, I have been busy rebuilding and preparing to bring Machines to the show. My obsession with Tumbling equipment started @ an early age. My father and mother were as they say Rock tumblers.
Living in Manhattan @the time It was a difficult. Me and my parents would Go and dig Rocks In the parks and By the Hudson River for specimens
My father and I were also shooters not Loaders. When I started Loading in 1966, Tumbling Cases were I think Not popular. . I tumbled my First case Then. Not using media But Non abrasive Ceramic Pieces.
Still use them Today
i have posted Part of My obsession. . all of these have been or in the process of Rebuilding. All are Rock tumblers, From various Manufacturers ,Lortone, Star diamond, Diamond pacific, Wards, , Sears., Bishop Super Drive. and Others.

[OS OK]

Looks like it can get pretty noisy around there at times...neat collection. I use an old Thumblers model B myself.

[Bayou52]

Nice collection of tumblers, Sal. Like OS OK, I have a Thumlers model B, high speed. Bought it new over 4 years ago, and it's a hard worker.

Since I bought the Thumlers, Rebel 17 came out. It's similar in design and operation to the Thumlers. However, the carriage appears improved as it uses ball bearings on the axles rather than bushings.

Have you tried this Rebel 17 carriage, and if so, how would you rate it in comparison to the Thumlers? Thanks -

Bayou

[salpal48]

I have seen The rebel17 . and with the Bearing Makes it a winner. . Since you can Get both In HI speed 3000 Rpm, It would be a difficult decision. . The Thumler on my table is a Hi speed. and that one is 20 years old. . I have changed the Bushings twice but there cheap. . If there is some place selling the rebel @ a Discount but new there expensive.
The thumler is a tried and True

[VHoward]

STM from the banner ad at the top sells just the Rebel 17 base with the bearings, pulley and a belt. You just move the Thumblers motor you already have over to it and use your Thumblers drum. I did that. The belt is a heavier duty than the Thumblers also.

[Bayou52]

^^^^^ Are the Rebel 17 axle bearings sealed or are there grease fittings for each bearing?

Thanks -

Bayou

[L Erie Caster]

^^^^^ Are the Rebel 17 axle bearings sealed or are there grease fittings for each bearing?

Bayou

They are sealed and completely maintenance free.

[VHoward]

STM from the banner ad at the top sells just the Rebel 17 base with the bearings, pulley and a belt. You just move the Thumblers motor you already have over to it and use your Thumblers drum. I did that. The belt is a heavier duty than the Thumblers also.

The motor is also mounted using the front and rear threaded rod coming out of the motor can. It is totally supported and does not vibrate like it did on my Thumblers base. And the axle bearings on the rebel 17 base are sealed maintenance free type.

[Whiterabbit]

Salpal, can I bounce an idea off you?

I always thought it would be neat to make a tumbler from a 5 gallon bucket, mounted on a 45 degree angle. The rest of the design details (rotation speed, internal fins, etc) are assumed to be done correctly.

But the idea of a 45 degree bucket would be to let it run without a lid. Capacity would be severely reduced, but you could run a couple batches without changing the water, and empty cases by using a colander to scoop cases out and shake to dump the pins. This could be done inside the bucket, it could even be running.

It would neatly solve a fundamental issue with rotary tumbling brass to clean, namely the mess of case and media separation. That is either a long by-hand process or a messy process using a water bucket and rotary crank basket. And open-top tumbler solves that issue.

But it's never done. Do you know why? Just a real estate issue? the cleaning volume per sq foot of machine would be terrible.

[salpal48]

What You want to do, Is called an Oblique tumbler.. If you look @ my 4th picture it is appox 4.5 gallons. . that machine is made by SILK. Oblique Tumblers are Fast cleaning not Fast Moving. meaning The items inside Fold over each other,the shaft Bounces a little and shake. speeding the cleaning action.. Covinginton still makes a 12 LB version called Covington Delux tumbler.. In reality it keeps the material close to the Bottom . Large machines have an auto Dumping like a Cement Mixer. Most large Obliques have a Gear reduction Motor because of the weight . The one above is appox 56 LB's.. What your Looking for Is a Commercial De- Burring tool. If you look On ebay. Commercial Companies Get rid of them all the time. When I had My Company we used this machine Below. I also enclosed a Photo of my Covington

[Mossy Oak]

Now that is a bunch of tumblers! Thanks for posting them, I didn't know there that many tumblers manufactures.
Joe

[lightman]

Thats an interesting collection of tumblers. I knew there were several but you have a few that I've never seen.