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Tumblers & Media
- Thread starter jbolt
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Okay thanks. Back in my machine shop days we used Palmolive as a detergent in the drum tumbler. I' can't recall what we used for media other than getting chewed out for running it too long. Ahh the days when employers could yell at, threaten and berate their employees.
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I use a drum tumbler and not a vibratory tumbler and I have no idea if this will transfer to a vibratory tumbler or not but it might still might give you a place to start
here is the BOM of Media and solutions
I typically run 4 steps
Step1: 4 hours with Deburring compound and Green Fine Cut
Step 2: 4 hours with deburring compound and Aluminum Oxide
Step 3: 4 hours with Deburring compound and Mixed Polishing Media
Step 4: 5 hours with Descaler and Stainless steel mixed shot
This gives a more polished result so for a more Matt finish you might leave out step 4. Bottom line is to experiment. Also depending on the shape of the part you are making you may need to adjust the size and shape of the Media so they don't get stuck in hard to get places.
Again, experiment with times and media to get the finish that you are looking for.
here is the BOM of Media and solutions
I typically run 4 steps
Step1: 4 hours with Deburring compound and Green Fine Cut
Step 2: 4 hours with deburring compound and Aluminum Oxide
Step 3: 4 hours with Deburring compound and Mixed Polishing Media
Step 4: 5 hours with Descaler and Stainless steel mixed shot
This gives a more polished result so for a more Matt finish you might leave out step 4. Bottom line is to experiment. Also depending on the shape of the part you are making you may need to adjust the size and shape of the Media so they don't get stuck in hard to get places.
Again, experiment with times and media to get the finish that you are looking for.
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If the parts are somewhat small this works well, I have run mine for hours and hours.
https://www.harborfreight.com/18-lb-vibratory-bowl-with-liquid-drain-hose-96923.html
And for media
https://www.harborfreight.com/540-lbs-medium-ceramic-abrasive-polishing-tumbler-media-63673.html
https://www.harborfreight.com/18-lb-vibratory-bowl-with-liquid-drain-hose-96923.html
And for media
https://www.harborfreight.com/540-lbs-medium-ceramic-abrasive-polishing-tumbler-media-63673.html
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the short answer is that "I don't know" This process was handed down to me and I have not tried to fix what is not broke. I have thought from time to time about what the difference in the two different SunSheen liquids are. They both feel like dishwashing soap 
and could be just expensive soap. I mix just a small amount (couple of tablespoons) to 3/4 gallon of water so what ever they are, there is not much of it.
and could be just expensive soap. I mix just a small amount (couple of tablespoons) to 3/4 gallon of water so what ever they are, there is not much of it.
the short answer is that "I don't know" This process was handed down to me and I have not tried to fix what is not broke. I have thought from time to time about what the difference in the two different SunSheen liquids are. They both feel like dishwashing soap and could be just expensive soap. I mix just a small amount (couple of tablespoons) to 3/4 gallon of water so what ever they are, there is not much of it.
and could be just expensive soap. I mix just a small amount (couple of tablespoons) to 3/4 gallon of water so what ever they are, there is not much of it.
https://www.harborfreight.com/catal...e,f,EAFeatured+Weight,f,Sale+Rank,f&q=tumbler
This is what you want for aluminum, the little green pyramids. You must run it wet or it will turn black and glaze over. I use water and ivory dish soap in a recirculating pump.
This is what you want for aluminum, the little green pyramids. You must run it wet or it will turn black and glaze over. I use water and ivory dish soap in a recirculating pump.
I use the same system but got it from Eastwood about ten years ago (mine's the 5 lb. size). About $20 more than Harbor Freight, but it's lasted a long time. No complaints. Does a great job. Throw in the parts, turn it on, go do something else, come back, and it's done. The only issue might be size capacity. They make larger sizes, but for my purposes (mainly nuts/bolts/small parts when dismantling an old car) the size I bought was fine.
Regards,
Terry
Regards,
Terry
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Basically the recirculating pump is just a Harbor Freight pond pump (like 15 bucks). The bowl has an inlet towards the top that is a 1/4 pipe thread, and a drain hole of the same size. The water is pumped through the top inlet regulated by a petcock and it drains out the bottom hose into a 5 gal. bucket. The bucket has an overflow tube about 2" from the top. The overflow runs back into the originating bucket where the pump is. By draining into a separate bucket first, the solids will fall to the bottom, and the cleaner liquid overflows to the pump bucket.
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I ended up getting the HF 18 lb unit using a 25% off coupon. Pleasantly surprised on how quiet it is. It didn't burn to the ground in under two hours of use like some of the reviews suggest so it appears to be a decent tool. I tried their green plastic media and the ceramic media. The ceramic media is too large for the size of the parts. The green seems to be working okay. I'm not sure what to expect on time but it took about 16 hours to get close to the finish I'm looking for. I'll have to explore some higher quality media in the future. I will say it did a fantastic job of deburing the edges.