DIY SS pin tumbler

[Scratchthejeepguy]

I finally took my homemade tumbler apart and painted it. I also made a quick video of it.

[Tacticalk9]

Freaking awesome! I wish I had some fabrication skills

[latech15]

Pretty cool. The motor issue could have been taken care of with a couple of gears or a belt and pulley system. Your way is cleaner, but as you found, finding the right motor for that setup can be difficult.

Does the cooler just fit tightly into your cup or is it fastened there somehow?

[rtp]

Nice!

Too bad you couldn't leave the spigot, would be a great way to drain off the water.

[Scratchthejeepguy]

Does the cooler just fit tightly into your cup or is it fastened there somehow?

Thanks all, yes the cooler just fits in snug to the cup. Hasn't started slipping yet and I don't see it happening. I like being able to remove it quickly and easily, but if it does start slipping, I suppose a couple of wraps with some 2" wide blue painters tape should do the trick.

[Scratchthejeepguy]

Nice!

Too bad you couldn't leave the spigot, would be a great way to drain off the water.

I was thinking about leaving it and cutting a slot for it in the cup... It would even help with grabbing the cooler and turning it, but decided there was enough friction to hold it in place and it would look cleaner without it, less chance of breaking the spigot off too.

Plus I would rather drain it just by pouring from the top. Faster, easier, I wouldn't have to hold the spigot open the entire drain time, and no worrying about getting the pins stuck in the spigot valve.

Also, I dont have to worry about the .22LR brass getting stuck in the spigot hole.... Hee hee

Edited May 14, 2013 by Scratchthejeepguy

[ummm]

If you can remember the motor, or it's specs, please post up....I think I'll take a swing at making something much like yours!

Also, just to give me a starting number, do you mind if I ask...what's the distance, from center of axle to center of axle, between the trucks?

Great work, and thanks for sharing

Edited May 14, 2013 by ummm

[DinoR]

The motor looks like a Bodine gear motor, We use to use A LOT of those on conveyors. The last a VERY long time.But they are NOT cheap. Scan Ebay and you will see many people selling them.

Edited May 14, 2013 by DinoR

[Scratchthejeepguy]

DING DING DING! I looked and the motor is a Bodine. It says:

Bodine Motor Company

Model NSI-12RG

115V 75A

1/50 HP 1725 RPM

Continuous Duty

120:1 gear ratio

32 Torque 14 RPM

Distance between trucks are 6" on one side and 5-3/4" on the other.

They're a little crooked since the wheels that touch the cooler need to be a little higher than the cup side.

Hope it helps.

[ummm]

Thanks, Scratchthejeepguy, hopefully I can find a suitable motor.

DinoR, you are right -- they cost almost as much as a new thumbler. I'll see what eBay has to offer.

[Steve RA]

What weights of pins and brass do you use ???

[Scratchthejeepguy]

What weights of pins and brass do you use ???

Not sure, haven't weighed my brass, but I have 5 pounds of pins. I think the Thumlers Tumbler can only spin 15 pounds, I'm sure mine can spin much more, but I'm not sure how many I need to be effective.

[Steve RA]

A couple of pounds of pins more than brass weight seems to produce the best results.

[Heavyopp]

I use the larger, .062x.495 pins and generally run 10 pounds at a time with about 8 pounds of brass -- I've tried different combinations and this is what works best for me

10 pounds of pins with 750 to 800 .45 acp cases in a drum made from 6" pvc pipe.

[818-DVC]

just started wet tumbling at a friends house, and I must say WOW. love the DIY tumbler. While sitting waiting for my media to dry outside in the sun, and then cool down, I drove to the hardware store and bought him one of these http://www.lowes.com/pd_332186-576-DHR30L_0__?productId=3740241&cm_mmc=SCE_PLA-_-Appliances-_-SmallAppliances-_-3740241&CAWELAID=1437538829&kpid=3740241+&%22cagpspn=pla%22

for my friend. Brass dried, and cooled in about 20 minutes. at 160F, for 10 minutes, and another 10 minutes of fan only, they were dry and ready to load.

[stick]

That looks awesome. How are the results wet tumbling versus using dry media?

[Heavyopp]

That looks awesome. How are the results wet tumbling versus using dry media?

There is no comparison -- I could never get my brass this clean, inside and out, using dry media --

The biggest thing for me is the primer pockets -- Spotless, if you run long enough, with wet tumbling when you pop the primer before you tumble

Does it matter? Most guys say no -- but it matters to me -- I started loading precision rifle rounds 20+ years ago -- Cleaning primer pockets was engrained into my reloading habit

It just doesn't feel right for me to put a primer in a dirty pocket -- Pistol or rifle round

[DyNo!]

That's really slick.

If I did one, I'd use a treadmill.

[stick]

That looks awesome. How are the results wet tumbling versus using dry media?

There is no comparison -- I could never get my brass this clean, inside and out, using dry media --

The biggest thing for me is the primer pockets -- Spotless, if you run long enough, with wet tumbling when you pop the primer before you tumble

Does it matter? Most guys say no -- but it matters to me -- I started loading precision rifle rounds 20+ years ago -- Cleaning primer pockets was engrained into my reloading habit

It just doesn't feel right for me to put a primer in a dirty pocket -- Pistol or rifle round

Thanks for the info!

I agree they look brand new

[Matt1911]

Bad ace, gotta love the DIY jobs. Thanks for sharing.

[Rob Tompkins]

A couple local guys have started using small cement mixers with out an y SS pins. Brass is reported to be clean but not shinny. However, they can do HUGE amounts of brass at one time.

[Joe A.]

Sometimes the need,,promotes the braincells to come up with sometime more then a brain fart. Yes,reduction gear drive motors are pricey,,attempting to get the right desired R.P.M. with pulleys and belts is not practical. As a hobby machinist,with the ability to cut gears and fabracate an enclosure,,if I put a dollar amount on the raw matteral cost,,and time invested to produce a reduction drive gearing,,along with the correct shaft alignment,,it is more practical it locate a preassimbled motor and drive unit and deal with the drum and drive connections that will produce rotation.My photos exceed kilobite rate to upload a photo of my drum and drive system,,with PM to anyone that is interested...can be reached at < aircavvietnam@yahoo.com > Also if anyone can advise me how to reduce a JPEG image that has 2.38 MB (2.497,782 bytes) to a size that will not excees the 500 k size allowed to post an image would be appreciated...JoeA

[Joe A.]

Did some toy-ing with my photos in an attempt to resize a photo that shows my drive link to my home made drum. The drum is made from 8 inch utility water pipe..The drive link is a simple square plug that fits into the base of the drum.. Hope you do not think that I'm jumping into your posting,,I like your effort and steel media does do a great job...

[Justified]

Very nice setup. I'm wondering if a motor from an ice cream maker would work.

[Brassaholic13]

Nice work. Mine is a bit bigger. I used a piece of 8" sewer pipe, 2 caps for the pipe, then turned a 6" hole into one of the caps, to which I use an expansion plug to seal up.

It appears your rig is a little slow on the speed, which won't hurt anything, but will increase cycle time.

Mine will hold 3 gallons of water, 12 lbs of pins, and 20 lbs of brass. I use one .45 ACP full of Lemi Shine and a 2 second squirt of Dawn per gallon of water. Tumbling time is 2 hours.