gingerbreadman Posted February 3, 2003 Share Posted February 3, 2003 Hey guys, i built my own case tumbler this morning, it cost me a total of $6, if youd like a pic email me at joshherman2@shaw.ca..... anyways i have a few questions....... is there something other than store bought media i can use???? the motor i used for it was from my moms old sewing machine, i used the speed control as well, it works good but it tends to heat up if i leave it for too long..... What can i do to eliminate the speed control yet slow down how fast the motor spins?????? thanks -gbm- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricW Posted February 3, 2003 Share Posted February 3, 2003 gbm, Is the motor AC or DC? If it's AC, you'll need a frequency converter to slow it down and not overheat it. A frequency converter will cost WAY more, like $800 to $1000 more than a large Dillon tumber new. A better solution is to use belts and pulleys to slow things down and let the motor run at it's rated speed. This really applies do DC motors too, although they can have their speed reduced more reliably with a resistor than an AC model. The problem is that when you slow down a motor, you're doing two things: 1) reducing the cooling, 2) increasing the amperage flowing through the motor. Both are bad bad things for motors. You need to keep in mind that a consumer grade sewing machine motor is probably not rated for continuous duty (a very important thing) and will either overheat or wear out sooner or later. I wouldn't be letting this run unattended until you get some flight time on it. My grandfather made an awesome tumbling system for rocks, but he used a commercial grade motor and stepped things down with belts to get the right speed. That thing ran day and night for *decades*, so it *can* be done safely if you know what you're doing. Safely = - Letting the motor run at its rated speed - Using a good motor rated for continuous duty, with a overheat breaker built in (VERY important if you don't want your house to burn down) - Using belts and pulleys to slow the speed down to an appropriate level. Good luck & Good job for doing it yourself! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TBF Posted February 3, 2003 Share Posted February 3, 2003 Someone here mentioned corncob pet bedding as a substitute for storebought media, have not tried it myself but it sounds like the perfect thing for your new tumbler. In addition I have heard "Mothers mag polish", a polish for mag wheels available at automotive stores works well added to plain corncob grit ( if I remember correctly Bill Wilson used to use it ), also something I have not tried. Keep an eye on that motors temp! good luck Travis F. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shred Posted February 3, 2003 Share Posted February 3, 2003 Media: Hit a pet store or sandblasting place for ground walnut. Pet stores typically stock 5-10 lb bags for lizards and small critters. They also have corncob, but usually way too large a grain size. Sandblasting places stock 50lb bags of walnut and corncob (bring a sample, they have many sizes) (Edited by shred at 2:42 pm on Feb. 3, 2003) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingerbreadman Posted February 4, 2003 Author Share Posted February 4, 2003 UPDATE: Ok well i went and bought some ground corncob from the pet store, they didnt carry ground wallnut shells..... I ran my sewing machine motor for about an hour keeping a close eye on it and it eventually stoped running after a miner smoke session...... So i guess your right ericw i need to find a better suited motor, unfortionatly a belt system wont work due to my design, shoot me a email and ill send a pic joshherman2@shaw.ca what would you think would be a suttable motor to use?? name a house hold appliance (remember its got to be cheap or i mide aswell go buy a proper tumbler) SHRED: you were correct the corn cob seems a little coarse, is there anyway i can grind it up a little more??? TBF: I heard brasso can also be used as a substitute for the expensive store bought media additive, does that sound safe to use??? is there any cleaning procedure that you must go through before firing off the brass??? thanks guys -gbm- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricW Posted February 4, 2003 Share Posted February 4, 2003 GBM, You want a *BIG, OLD* electric motor. Preferrably one made in the 1930's - 1950's off a washing machine or better yet, from a refrigerator. They knew how to make motors back in 'da olden days. Grandpa was an electrician, so I'm pretty sure he appropriated a high quality one off a dam project somewhere. If you can't put on a belt drive, you'll have to get a motor with a gear reduction. Don't even think about buying one new. Don't ask me where to get one on the cheap, maybe a junk dealer or an electronics surplus outlet. If you're in farm country, you could probably find everything in some farmer's bone yard. Trying to throttle down a motor to where it will turn a tumbler directly is a bad idea, IMHO. It's almost a guaranteed fire. (Edited by EricW at 6:36 pm on Feb. 3, 2003) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimel Posted February 4, 2003 Share Posted February 4, 2003 I don't think I would use Brasso as a cleaner additive. This has ammonia in it (if memory serves) and this is rumored to react with brass making it more brittle. Cheers! Kevin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shred Posted February 4, 2003 Share Posted February 4, 2003 I have to hunt around PetCo to find walnut. They seem to like hiding it far away from the other bedding material and refuse to admit it's existance. I haven't tried reducing corncob, but something like a blade-type coffee grinder should do it if anything would. Most of the drum-style tumblers I've seen that are sub cement-mixer size use the motor to drive small rollers that the drum rides on. That provides a pretty good amount of gear reduction and much less fiddling around with belts. Cheap vibratory tumblers are mostly an AC motor mounted directly to the bottom of the tumbler bowl, the drive shaft sticking down and a lopsided weight on the drive shaft to provide the movin and shakin. Attach to a base via springs. Add fan to the end of the drive shaft to cool the motor. (Edited by shred at 10:24 pm on Feb. 3, 2003) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingerbreadman Posted February 4, 2003 Author Share Posted February 4, 2003 Quote: from shred on 2:22 am on Feb. 4, 2003 Cheap vibratory tumblers are mostly an AC motor mounted directly to the bottom of the tumbler bowl, the drive shaft sticking down and a lopsided weight on the drive shaft to provide the movin and shakin. Attach to a base via springs. Add fan to the end of the drive shaft to cool the motor. (Edited by shred at 10:24 pm on Feb. 3, 2003) That is what i made and that is why i need to slow down the motor and why i need a small motor and why i cant use belts and pulleys to slow things down...... seriously guys if you email me ( joshherman2@shaw.ca )ill send you the pic and you will understand what iv got alot better...... i tried reducing the corncob but its too hard, my moms food processer couldnt do it and it its usually pretty good for that kinda stuff..... -gbm- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shred Posted February 4, 2003 Share Posted February 4, 2003 If you made a vibratory tumbler, the motor speed shouldn't be terribly important.. put on a smaller weight and it should be ok spinning faster. I didn't put a tach on it, but the motor on my Midway doesn't gear down and it's spinning pretty good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snokid Posted February 4, 2003 Share Posted February 4, 2003 This is a funny post, because I've done that been there.... ok for a motor find a small fan cooled motor speed really doesn't matter as long as it's fast enough. go to the hardware store and buy a threaded rod coupler and drill a hole through it the size of the motor shaft. insert that over the motor and put a bolt in the threads of the coupler and tighten. attach this mess to the bottom of a large rubber maid bowel and suspend it from springs.... that's it... Ok with that said it is cheaper to make it....but it's much better to buy one already done, they just work better... as far as brass polish let's say you try the mothers stuff instead of dillions polish what are you gonna really save? a buck or two? I know that I have found out that using the right tool for the job in the long run pays off... sno Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scandog Posted March 1, 2003 Share Posted March 1, 2003 If you realy feel you need to slow down the motor, capacitors will do it. That probably won't solve your heat problem. You need a motor with a fan on it. By the time you get done trying to save a buck, you will probably just buy one. That is what we did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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