Vibratory Tumbler Recommendations Please

[BarnBuiltBeaters]

I have smaller intricate laser cut parts that I am looking to clean up the dross and shine up/polish the parts and therefore looking for a vibe tumbler as doing this by hand would not be efficient.
I would am not looking to spend a ton of money and have looked into cheaper options such as Harbor Freight/Eastwood/Northern Tool. I see lots of good reviews but also lots of poor reviews such as drums cracking, wing nuts vibrating off, etc which makes me worried. I am looking at this to test the abilities of vibing and if it will damage my parts before I sink more money into it.
Also what Type of media would I need? My parts are 3"X2"X.060" lots of small thin geometry measuring approx. .030" wide. Dross isn't terrible but noticable and looking to clean it up but does not have to perfect by any means.
I am a complete newbie to vibe machines/material. Any help would be much appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[mike93lx]

I'd done a lot of brass in my Harbor freight tumbler and walnut shells, but that's just light cleaning. Regardless, it's hasn't missed a beat. Heavy parts definitely will beat up the drum more.

 

[engineer2]

Do a search for "Vibratory Finishing Equipment" Tons of info an options out there. Buy one or hire out.

 

[Steve_P]

I've had the Eastwood for 15? years; I bought it when they first came out and before HF, etc, also had them. No issues. I use a ceramic pellet, or pyramid, for media, and add in some special "tumbler lube" (I cannot remember what it actually is, but it's not oil based). The Eastwood unit I have works great. It is fairly loud and will walk around on a cement floor unless you trap it- I just put some 10lb weights around the base to trap it. If the parts you are polishing have small holes, the media will get caught in it, if it will fit, and is a huge PITA to remove. I also have crushed walnut shells but almost never use them.

 

[david3921]

I have the Harbor Freight one. It's loud so I cover it with the box it came in. Also, I discarded the wing nut and installed a lock nut. Mine also moves depending on the surface. I see which way it's moving and just put something in its path. I use it to get rust off nuts, bolts, brackets, ect. I use Evapo-rust and rock tumbler grit.

 

[rustyzman]

What material are your parts made from?

Vibratory tumbling with corn cob or walnut shells that is normally used in the small tabletop tumblers will only polish brass. It also will not remove any actual burrs/dross. Even aluminum can only be mildly polished in those medias and burrs will not come off.

If it is a steel or stainless part, you will need a ceramic or plastic media. Wet tumbling will help in that case and keep the media clean, but a flow thru system is a better way to go. It helps reduce the residue on the parts, which can be difficult to clean off at times. Not a small tumbler method unless you rig it up yourself. Ceramic media leaves less residue, but can be hard on delicate parts.

You will be able to remove light burrs this way, but nothing very heavy without a very long cycle time. Steel parts will rust quickly, even while running inside the bowl, if using water.

You need a media that will conform into the shapes you need to deburr, but need it to be large enough that they cannot work their way into holes or slots. If it is close to fitting in a hole or slot, I guarantee it will get in there. You would be amazed at how badly media an pack itself into things...

Media with more corners will be more aggressive on burrs. I find round media to be pretty ineffective in general. Trapezoids in ceramic and cones in plastic work well. All tumbling with these types of media will dull the finish on your parts, not polish them, but the finish will be very uniform as long as the media edges can reach all parts of it.

We tumble our machined parts on an industrial level and each part needs a correct combination of media, method and time to be successful. It takes some experimenting sometimes, but when you work out the process it can really transform a finished product.

Tumble grit blasting is another option that could work for you as well. A bigger investment, but it can clean up larger issues and with the right media will leave a nice even matte finish.

 

[finn]

Don’t waste your money on the HF unit. It’s loud enough to be annoying and really doesn’t clean well.

We had a used commercial one at the fuel injection plant that worked very well. I was expecting similar results with the HF unit, more or less, but was greatly disappointed. Could be that the plastic bowl absorbs too much of the vibration compared to the thick stainless steel tub of the commercial unit, or the frequency and amplitude is just substandard.

 

[anndel]

I've been using a Dillon tumbler for over 20 years to clean brass with either corncob or walnut media.

 

[BarnBuiltBeaters]

What material are your parts made from?

Vibratory tumbling with corn cob or walnut shells that is normally used in the small tabletop tumblers will only polish brass. It also will not remove any actual burrs/dross. Even aluminum can only be mildly polished in those medias and burrs will not come off.

If it is a steel or stainless part, you will need a ceramic or plastic media. Wet tumbling will help in that case and keep the media clean, but a flow thru system is a better way to go. It helps reduce the residue on the parts, which can be difficult to clean off at times. Not a small tumbler method unless you rig it up yourself. Ceramic media leaves less residue, but can be hard on delicate parts.

You will be able to remove light burrs this way, but nothing very heavy without a very long cycle time. Steel parts will rust quickly, even while running inside the bowl, if using water.

You need a media that will conform into the shapes you need to deburr, but need it to be large enough that they cannot work their way into holes or slots. If it is close to fitting in a hole or slot, I guarantee it will get in there. You would be amazed at how badly media an pack itself into things...

Media with more corners will be more aggressive on burrs. I find round media to be pretty ineffective in general. Trapezoids in ceramic and cones in plastic work well. All tumbling with these types of media will dull the finish on your parts, not polish them, but the finish will be very uniform as long as the media edges can reach all parts of it.

We tumble our machined parts on an industrial level and each part needs a correct combination of media, method and time to be successful. It takes some experimenting sometimes, but when you work out the process it can really transform a finished product.

Tumble grit blasting is another option that could work for you as well. A bigger investment, but it can clean up larger issues and with the right media will leave a nice even matte finish.

Wow thanks for all of that info!
I found lightly sanding them with 150 grit on a DA makes quick work of the dross and shines it up nice. I will be selling these. If they end up selling well I will look more into a tumbler at that point. 100-200 dollars isnt a lot of money but I cant justify spending it on something I dont know sells or not.

As far as residue on parts, could you throw them in an ultrasonic cleaner to remove?

 

[rustyzman]

Ultrasonic cleaning can work, but you might have to experiment. Correct compound like Alconox or similar and a heated tank would help a bit. Plastic media residue can be a ****** to get off at times. Ceramic is much easier IMO. That is why we are really careful about utilizing enough water to flow through and inject a proper tumbling compound when using it.

I may have missed it in the first place, but what is the material in question?

If you get into a big volume and a little money is available, a Timesaver would clean down flat sheet parts quickly and leave a very nice even surface finish. Used or basic ones should be available if the opportunity arises to move in that direction, but costs would have to be considered.

 

[Oresti]

I've been using a Dillon tumbler for over 20 years to clean brass with either corncob or walnut media.

I can also vouch for Dillon vibratory cleaner. Well made stuff.

 

[slodat]

I ordered a C&M Topline Mr. Deburr today. Worth taking a look to see if it will meet your needs.