Case tumbler RPM question...

[montana_charlie]

I have no plans to buy a rotary case tumbler, as I run brass through an ultrasonic cleaner. But, I sometimes find myself toying with the idea of building one.
The ultrasonic leaves them quite clean, but not shiny.

I was going through my 'treasure trove' of might-come-in-handy-stuff and found an operational bar-b-que rotisserie motor. They are intended to run for long periods of time, can turn a fairly heavy load, and the gear train produces a slow turn that appears to be 6 RPM.

I would like for anybody who knows...or uses a tumbler...to tell me the RPM the factory jobs use, and the approximate diameter of the drum on something similar to the big Thumler.

Thanks...
CM

[fecmech]

Charlie--I have no idea what a factory tumbler turns but I made one with an old 1/3 hp electric motor that drives a shaft upon which I set a 3lb. coffee can full of media and cases. I have 2 small baffles in the coffee can to tumble the cases. I just checked it and it turns 85 rpm. I use corn cob media and Nufinish car polish, after about 1.5 hrs cases look like polished gold. Nick

[Cherokee]

Years ago I built one using a regular 1750 rpm motor and a 1 gal paint can with a belt over the can and the motor shaft. Worked great and the cases got clean. Don't know the rpm's of the rotating pant can but its fast.

[KCSO]

The Thumbler ran at about 50 rpm( a guess by watching) and had a double reducer from a 1750 motor. The BBQ motor wil work just fine.

[wills]

This may work

http://www.unitednuclear.com/ballmill.htm

[redneckdan]

you can go as fast as you want until the cases and media are pinned to the walls of the tumbler by the inertia of the mass. Once that, happens, you are no longer tumbling cause the media and cases are not moving around.

[DaveInFloweryBranchGA]

As cheap as they sell those things these days, I doubt you can build one as cheap as you can buy a good one and nowadays, even the cheap ones are pretty good.

If you're doing it for the fun of it, that's another story.

Dave

[montana_charlie]

I doubt you can build one as cheap as you can buy a good one and nowadays, even the cheap ones are pretty good.

Dave,
If you have a link to a site that has one which is both cheap and good, I would look at it.

Meanwhile, I have this motor just laying around...and these three pound coffee cans...and some bearings...and a
CM

[LAH]

Perfect speed 48 rpm..............Creeker

[carpetman]

LAH---Did they make em 48RPM so folks wouldnt get them confused with a 45RPM record player?

[largecaliberman]

I use an old 1.5 cubic foot cement mixer I purchased for $40.00 at a garage sale then got an old washing machine motor to turn the drum.. My "new" tumbler will handle just about 5 gallons of brass with 25 pounds of walnut media I purchase at a pet store and a bottle of car polish of the amonia free type.

[LAH]

LAH---Did they make em 48RPM so folks wouldnt get them confused with a 45RPM record player?

Sounds reasonable to me. HEE HEE

[rbstern]

I've been using this for about six months (several thousand cases). It works well. Capacity is a limiting factor, but cases come out clean after 30 minutes, so it's no big deal. Guessing RPM is somewhere in the 50 to 75 range.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=46376

[shooter575]

montana_charlie ,some years ago I did the same thing.My BBQ motor was 4 RPM. I used a new 1 gal paint can.3/8 bar stock welded to a 10 ga hole saw knockout 3".soft soldered to bottom of the can. Ground flats on the bar to fit motor.Some scrap lumber,pair of plastic wheels to hold up off side. I soldered 3 blades inside[aka cement mixer]
Anyway it would work but is was way to slow rpm and the fall was not enough.I think with a 5 gal bucket @ that rpm it would work better and or incerase the the speed.I figured 25-30 rpm would be about right. My set up would never get a case shiney,even after 24hr running. I got a Cabellas unit for real cheep and quit messing with it.

[fecmech]

Fellows--I'm almost ashamed to show this but here it is my case tumbler. Consists of an old electric motor, some scrap helicopter bearings,some 2X4, a broom handle, a 3lb. coffe can and other scrap laying around. It will do about 200-300 pistol cases in about 1-1.5 hrs using Nu Finish car polish and cob media. I use the plastic lid from the coffee can by snapping it on and running a piece of masking tape around the edge. Cases are separated from media using one of those mesh lingerie laundry bags. The only thing I purchased was the two pulleys. Hardly an engineering marvel or joy to look at but it's been polishing cases for over 20 years now! Nick

[wills]

That's great. I would not have been optomistic about the chances of the lid staying on.

[NucEm]

Hmmmmm, mine isnt a beauty either but works fine in around 50rpm. My question, i used ordnary bearings in mine, if i change them to helicopter bearings, would my B.C.of the cases start to hover higher? and what about aeroplanes bearings?
Sorry, couldnt resist it but the only difference i found when testing rpm from around 50 to include 100 and a tad more was the cleaning speed of the cases but also the sound of them too so i use around 50rpm now, higher would do i f my can was made of a more "silent " material instead of alu

[ANeat]

This is my tumbler I made a couple of years ago. It is a 110 volt gear reduction motor that runs at 30 rpm. I savalged it from a machining center I was repairing. It was originally meant to turn a chip auger.
So with a little "engineering" I attatched a 5 gallon bucket and made some "flaps" to go on the inside out of a PVC downspout.
It can handle 2000 45 cases but I usually do around 1000 at a time as the cleaning time is a lot less. Usually only takes an hour and runs very quiet compared to my vibratory tumbler.

I load it up in the vertical position and tumble in the horizontal position.

Adam

[LAH]

Well ANeat , that's A Neat tumbler. I have a couple plastic 55 gal. drums I thought might make a nice tumbler if I get back in the brass business. Thanks for the pictures. Is that a plywood base or metal?............Creeker

[No_1]

A simular set up with rollers instead of a "thru-bar" and this speed would probobly work good with a plastic coffee can to tumble lube. I would think the slow speed and plastic can would minimize the damage to bullets and provide great coverage to a BUNCH of them in short time.

Just my .02 worth,

Robert

[QUOTE=shooter575]montana_charlie ,some years ago I did the same thing.My BBQ motor was 4 RPM. I used a new 1 gal paint can.3/8 bar stock welded to a 10 ga hole saw knockout 3".soft soldered to bottom of the can. Ground flats on the bar to fit motor.Some scrap lumber,pair of plastic wheels to hold up off side. I soldered 3 blades inside[aka cement mixer]
Anyway it would work but is was way to slow rpm and the fall was not enough.QUOTE]