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Rock tumblers for parts cleaning question

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by Groucho, Jan 6, 2014.

  1. Does anyone here use a rock tumbler to clean nuts, bolts, and small parts? If so, tell me what media you use. Solid, liquid, or a combo of both. THX
     

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  2. Depends on what Im cleaning. I actually use a home type concrete mixer filled with sand and gravel for nuts and bolts and similar steel parts,,,,, plus it cleans out any concrete pieces from whe friends borrow it and dont wash it out after pouring concrete like they should.

    For aluminum, I use walnut shells in my tumbler. For stainless, wet sand.
     
  3. Drive Em
    Joined: Aug 25, 2006
    Posts: 1,748

    Drive Em
    Member

    Wow, I thought I was the only one who used a concrete mixer to clean parts.
     
  4. ems customer service
    Joined: Nov 15, 2006
    Posts: 2,634

    ems customer service
    Member

    so then i could a cement truck to clean engine blocks??
     

  5. badshifter
    Joined: Apr 28, 2006
    Posts: 3,535

    badshifter
    Member

    Nope, it's the three of us. I do it too.
     
  6. Works best from midnite to 4 am if you have neighbors that like to complain.
     
  7. How about some before and after pics out of the cement mixers
    I used to have a small 110 unit. Maybe ill borrow it back :)
     
  8. Ive never bothered to take pics of it, and its not something I do every day, but if you want to know what they come out like, its not as good as sandblasting (depending on how long you leave it) but lets say about 85-90% of what it would look like from a blaster, and MUCH less effort.

    With that said, it is kind of noisey, but no worse really than a air compressor running full tilt to run a blast cabinet plus the vacume to keep the air clean.
     
  9. czuch
    Joined: Sep 23, 2008
    Posts: 2,688

    czuch
    Member
    from vail az

    A little sand and a lot of water overnight. Then a lot of sawdust from hard wood and a little water for 2 days.
     
  10. Can you please start your own thread? Thank you in advance:D
     
  11. Rick Douglas
    Joined: Aug 7, 2009
    Posts: 2

    Rick Douglas
    Member

    I used to work in a factory that had a large tumbler. It was about 8 feet across and about 18" deep. They used these stones that were "manmade" kind of a uniform triangle shape. They lasted forever in this thing. I would say crushed stones would do the same. It laid flat and would turn.
    It had a stationary arm that would push the parts to the top as it turned.
    It didn't turn very fast, alot slower then a cement mixer.
    It would also spray a very small amount of water/rust inhibitor mix on it.
    It worked great but it was quite noisy.
    Rick
     
  12. Drive Em
    Joined: Aug 25, 2006
    Posts: 1,748

    Drive Em
    Member

    I have thrown brake backing plates, engine brackets and small suspension parts in my concrete mixer with excellent results.
     
  13. I too have used a small electric powered concrete mixer to tumble small parts, we sprayed the outside of the bowl with a heavy deck liner coating to keep the noise down .



    .
     
  14. OK, OK, you all use a cement mixer. If you're gonna derail my thread can you at least tell me WHAT you use in that cement mixer to clean? Solid, liquid, both? Please be specific
     
  15. Pretty sure I did :cool:
     
  16. doesn't a cement mixer and rock tumbler do the same motion? i don't know what a rock tumbler actually is and how it is different from a cement mixer. can you explain?
     
  17. I was addressing the bunch that didn't (I was hoping for a few options), thanks
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 6, 2014
  18. 6-71
    Joined: Sep 15, 2005
    Posts: 542

    6-71
    Member

    I don't have a rock tumbler or a cement mixer,but a body man friend of mine uses broken glass in a gallon paint can,and puts it in the paint shaker at the shop.Just whack a tempered glass with a hammer and scoop up the fragments. He swears it's better than sandblasting for bolts and small hardware.
     
  19. oldolds
    Joined: Oct 18, 2010
    Posts: 3,407

    oldolds
    Member

    I would try sand. Maybe something a little rougher Here in the northeast we have a material called anti-skid. They put it on icy roads. I imagine in SoCal you have never seen it. That glass thing above sounds good.
     
  20. I don't know what a cement mixer actually is, so I can't answer that
     
  21. I LIKE that, thank you
    (I'm thinking I can probly get a couple fist fulls of that from the rear glass area of a car at a local wrecking yard)
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 6, 2014
  22. Its really nothing more than a big rock tumbler.
     
  23. I know. I just couldn't help messin with the guy that was answering a question with a question. LOL:D. What do you think of 6-71's glass idea?
     
  24. Honest answer, I dont know, but Im parting out a caprice for the engine for a T sedan and I now know where the back/side windows are going to end up since its free to try :D
     
  25. Free experiment;)
     
  26. I picked up a Thumbler tumbler at a yard sale and have used the green pyramids with a couple cups of CLR on rusty nuts and bolts. Also, "Black Magic" sandblaster media works pretty well.
     
  27. I saw some green pyramids on the HF site. Gonna look at em tomorrow. How big are your pieces and do they get the nooks/crannies pretty good? THX
     
  28. I cant tell if you are being funny or a Wishy washy kinda dude.
    So just to help you out incase you really don't know,,,
    This is a cement mixer-
    It's bucket size cleaning vs rock tumbler- soup can size cleaning.

    Now no more talk of cement mixers
     

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  29. I posted this before on another thread but I thought I would throw this in the "MIX-er".

    I have taken a flat variable speed orbital sander, clamped it upside down in a bench vise, fastened a suitable sized container to the sanding plate, parts to be cleaned and cleaning solvent or glass media. Works almost like a ultrasonic cleaner. I used this with "Cheap" carb cleaner to clean very crappy model airplane engine parts and fasteners. Aluminum parts came out looking better than brand new and as shiny as chrome plating. I have also used this to shake rattlecans and small bottles of model paints.
     
  30. 302aod
    Joined: Dec 19, 2011
    Posts: 275

    302aod
    Member
    from Pelham,Tn.

    I bought a tumbler supposed to be used by a person cleaning brass bullet casings from Amazon. They had stuff, but it was very expensive. I bought some diamond shaped plastic stuff from harber freight and it did a very good job cleaning engine bolts. It was made to clean stuff in a tumbler. I also got some walnut shells from them, but haven't used it yet
     

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