Build a giant parts tumbler?

[sixdogs]

From time to time I have piles of rusty metal ag parts that I normally brush or scrape and then paint, which takes too much time and never really does a very good job. So I've been thnking maybe build a giant rotary or vibratory tumbler. Something like a case cleaner on steroids. Certainly it would do the job but it would have to be rugged to hold the weight and it would need to be big.

I could use a plastic 55 gallon drum by running a pipe through the center and gearing down to an electric motor. I would have to figure out some way to make a cover so the media and parts don't fall out. I could also put the barrel on an angle like a cement mixer so things wouldn't falll out but I don't think the cleaning action would be the same.
For that matter, maybe buy a new Harbor Freight cement mixer and fill with media but I don't want to spend that much to just clean parts. plus I'm not even sure it would work. How about a 3-PT cement mixer?
Maybe I could make a "vibratory" cleaner like a case cleaner but I have no idea how those things vibrate. Maybe just build a vibratory platform and set the barrel on the platform?

A big tumbler or vibratory cleaner seems like a workable idea and I have not seen this discussed before.
Anyone built anything like this or have any ideas?

 

[J_J]

Perhaps a used cement mixer and convert it to use a hyd motor or leave it as is using AC or engine driven. If you are trying to tumble heavy small parts, you may beat the tub up pretty bad.

A 1/4 in tub would be better, and lay it on rollers and drive it by a rubber tire wheel.

 

[bikerdib]

I don't know if anyone has built something like you are discussing but I do know that some have used cement mixers for the purpose you are discussing. Why not wait till Harbor Freight or Northern Tools has one of their big sales? I have the 4.1 cubic ft. model from Northern and I've lost count of the number of bags I've put through it. Just be sure to have it running before you add any ingredients; that's where most people mess up. I remember reading a review where someone was complaining that the motor burned up after only the 4th bag of mix. Turns out he was putting all the ingredients in the mixer then turning on the switch.

Cement Mixers - Portable Cement Mixers - Electric Cement Mixers | Northern Tool

Cement Mixers at Harbor Freight Tools

BTW, Harbor Freight has been running ads in lots of magazines lately with some big discounts.

 

[forgeblast]

An old dryer? just run it on no heat. There are holes in the tub, you might be able to put screen in there or spray it with a bedliner to plug the holes.

 

[tcartwri]

Dip it in Mollasses. It will completely strip the metal. Pressure wash it, do your body work, prep work, and then paint.

You must use ag mollasses that it sold in bulk at the local feed store.

Technical Molasses bath made me a believer !! - THE H.A.M.B.

 

[jamtuc]

I saw an article where a fella made a rock polisher.... actually a boulder polisher. He used an old ( Large) tractor tire... bolted steel plates where the rim should go then ran a shaft through the middle. There was door in the side he had cut out. He was making lots of money selling polished landscape rocks from rough boulders out of his fields. Dont remember how he spun it.

 

[crash325]

I've been using a Harbor Freight 3.5 cu mixer to tumble horse shoes. They have been thrown in the dirt for years, are really cruddy & rusty. Takes a little while and is real noisy. Only problem has been from not clipping the nails off of them. Once they get tangled up its a pain to get them untangled.

Just using river bottom sand and odd ball scraps of metal as a medium.

 

[wdchyd]

How about using electrolysis.......washing soda & battery charger

Restoration guys do it all the time

Rust removal by electrolysis

http://youtu.be/R5I5WBG5HPw

 

[jamtuc]

Or a cheaper, less work intensive method look up "removing rust with electrolysis" on you tube. Easy with very little work. It works really well.

 

[jamtuc]

You beat me to it

 

[wdchyd]

You beat me to it

Sorry.....:ashamed:

 

[wdchyd]

I did see where a guy did a whole utility trailer frame using an old pool liner to cover the trailer in solution....

I've never done it myself

 

[jamtuc]

No I didnt see that, but it really works. Usually just a little wire brushing on even fairly pitted metal.

 

[jamtuc]

I have an old 48 volt DC charger. Water gets hot. I have read some of the newer battery chargers will not work because they need reference voltage or something. I bypassed the circuit board on the one I have. It wouldnt work otherwise.

 

[rjmack]

sounds like the original poster is more concerned with rust removal than polishing.

this guy uses the word 'actually' quite a bit, but provides some compelling evidence to use molasses.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZCFcxf5IBw]Remove Rust from Metal and Panels the Easy Way: Video 1 - YouTube[/ame]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-gBAjEga1s]Remove Rust from Metal and Panels the Easy Way: Video 2 - YouTube[/ame]

 

[SandburRanch]

If you decide to try the plastic barrel approach, you may need to add baffles similar to a concrete mixer so the parts will tumble rather than just sliding and staying near the bottom.

 

[wdchyd]

Would gravel or crushed stone be a good media ?

 

[charlz]

I have an old 48 volt DC charger. Water gets hot. I have read some of the newer battery chargers will not work because they need reference voltage or something. I bypassed the circuit board on the one I have. It wouldnt work otherwise.

Yes a 'smart' charger will not work because it is expecting to see some kind of charge coming from whatever it is hooked to.

 

[charlz]

I don't know how well a plastic drum would hold up long term. I was just at an auction where the company that went out of business had several large tumblers. The drums were hexagon and about 3' in diameter and 6' wide. I couldn't tell what the original metal thickness was but off to the side was a old drum that had been worn through and you could see it had been patched a few times with new steel. I guess it depends on how much you plan on using yours as to how long plastic would last.

As for design the drum had posts on each end that rode in bearings and one end had a sprocket. I didn't look to close at the gearing but they had it geared down pretty good. The doors were rectangular holes in the drum with an oversize piece on the outside. The handles were threaded so that when you turned them a tab on the inside of the drum went up against a stop and then you tightened the door down tight. Overall the design was pretty simple.

 

[sandman2234]

Boss at the machine shop I worked at started building a hex shaped tumbler, but came across a vibratory one before the project got finished. The vibratory one worked GREAT, but if you have parts with small holes, the ceramic rocks we used could be a pain to get out because they work their way into the holes and jam. Takes a little patience to get them out without messing up threads.
David from jax