Rock tumblers for parts cleaning question

Steel shot from a wheel abraider maybe?

 

I actually saved your idea to a word file so I can try it when I have time.

 

These will go back in, but I wanted to show you the results after just 4 hours.

 

Bought one of those vibratory tub things from Eastwood; it came with some green triangle
abrasives. It did not seem to do much, and in fact kind of gummed up the internal threads with a rusty scum when used with water as advised. Set it a side for while; but one day tried it with the black sandblasting slag and that stuff seemed to work half way decent.

Good for batches of stuff; but easier just to clean stuff you need right away in the blast cabinet.

 

Small, hand held pieces are really tough on the gloves

 

Usually until they are clean. Sorry couldn't resist. lol

A shop I worked at had a tumbler that worked good. It was a rectangular metal container filled with some type of solvent and had a metal hexagon or octagon shaped "basket" that held the parts that was maybe 1/2 submerged. It had some type of ceramic media in it...cylinders with the ends cut at 45 angles. It didn't leave parts looking polished but did a good job.

 

I have a variety of fixtures I made for blasting commonly blasted small parts along with a mesh basket for odd stuff, saves on the gloves.

My kid has a '40 hub cap in his bead blast cabinet; the inverted lip on the edge keeps small parts in and they kinda chase around inside the hub cap while blasting; but come out good.

 

you can use two screen strainers with small parts in between as well.

 

I have and tried a mesh basket, but the parts blow out of it immediately, way before they're clean. "fail" LOL

 

Try making the basket (actually can shaped) out of 1/4" hardware cloth, roll the top edge in and down to form a concave lip facing inward, it will keep the parts in.