Tumbler advice

frumious · June 29, 2009, 09:48 PM

All,

I bought one of these from a local Harbor Freight a couple weeks ago:

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=93252

All the vibratory tumblers I've ever seen look alike so I figured they are all made by the same place in China or somewhere anyway...figured I'd save the shipping and get some instant gratification.

OK, so the thing works, but I have to fiddle with it sort of a lot. The main thing bugging me right now is the fact that the bowl really wants to come loose and spin around. I have to tighten the nut holding the bucket pretty tight in order to keep that from happening.

The other thing that happens is that the wing nut on top holding the lid closed wants to come loose too. I fixed that with a couple of soft rubber washers from a toilet repair kit. Tightening the wing nut down "into" those washers keeps it from backing out...unless the bowl itself comes loose and decides to start spinning around. Why does the dang thing have to spin counter-clockwise?!?!?!

None of this is really too bad I guess, but it is sort of hard to tell how loose the nut is that holds down the bowl. I worry that if I give it a good half turn after every 4-hour run, I'll just end up running it down too tight and stripping threads.

Anyway, do any of you have troubles like these?

-cls

Tuzo · June 30, 2009, 12:09 AM

The only reliable and long-lasting item I bought at Harbor Freight is a 50# anvil. My friends have bought other tools from Harbor Freight including a wrench set from India made of metal softer than SAE 2 hardness (the nut stripped the wrench), anything electronic that did not burn itself out after an hour or two of use, a multimeter that was exchanged twice before getting one that worked for a few testings, plus other junk that was not worth the effort of ordering.

My Frankford Arsenal vibratory cleaner was bought about 6 years ago on sale at Midway USA and has not given me any worries after cleaning several thousand casings.

Moral - stay away from the low-price temptation offered by Harbor Freight because the cost is too high.

**Unclenick** · June 30, 2009, 12:44 AM

The unit you got is really intended for polishing metal with heavier media than the corncob and walnut used for vibratory case cleaning. It's getting loose because without that added weight it is just shaking too much.

I would try putting Loctite on the bowl nut first. If that doesn't go over well, try some BB shot in the bottom to add weight.

DaveTrig · June 30, 2009, 01:20 AM

I make it a rule not to buy anything from HF that has electronics or a motor.

Short answer, no, I have no such problems with my tumbler from Cabela's, and I spent the same amount on the kit that included the tumbler, strainer, media, and polish.

djb_249 · June 30, 2009, 03:12 AM

The tools I buy from Harbor Freight grow about as well as the tools I buy from Snap-On!

alloy · June 30, 2009, 05:30 AM

Quote:

The main thing bugging me right now is the fact that the bowl really wants to come loose and spin around. I have to tighten the nut holding the bucket pretty tight in order to keep that from happening.

I recently bought a lyman and noticed it uses what is called a well-nut, one inside holding the bowl and one one outside on the lid. Maybe they would help. You tighten them down untill the rubber starts to compress and it acts like a lockwasher, large side against the surface.

They are a brass nut inside a rubber sleeve, you can buy them at lowes about a buck, or rob them off a FXR side panel

Like this.... http://www.amazon.com/4-20-Rubber-We.../dp/B000NC4O20

Uncle Billy · June 30, 2009, 06:44 AM

The only tool I ever bought from Harbor Freight was a MIG welder. I wanted to learn to weld because I had a project on a kit car I was redoing (the exhaust system), and often come across situations in my garage where welding would be the solution. The cheapo welder worked fine and I was able to figure out how to do it, at least for simple jobs. But I fully understand the probability that it won't last very long, although it hasn't failed yet and I've used it a lot, practicing and learning. My plan was to start out as cheap as possible and go from there if it seemed worthwhle. When the Harbor Freight welder quits I'll buy a Lincoln or Miller. All my other general tools are name-brand with good reputations like Craftsman and Snap-On; all of my gun-associated tools are well-known high-quality brands. Cheap tools are the worst- soft wrenches make for bloody knuckles and banged up fingers and flying metal chips when they fail under stress.

Pocketfisherman · June 30, 2009, 01:53 PM

Double nut the bowl with the two nuts locked against each other. As mentioned, you need a lot more weight in that tumbler to make it work right compared to brass and walnut/corncob. It's be great for a final polish on finished rounds though.

SamStafford · June 30, 2009, 02:54 PM

I have bought a few items from HF and I hated them. I don't buy from them any more. They just have too cheap made stuff. Just my 2 cents.

jag2 · June 30, 2009, 04:10 PM

Bought mine a couple of months ago and had the exact same problems.
Did two things, make sure the nut in the bottom of the bowl is really really tight. The other, I removed the metal sleeve on the screw post.
With that on you can't get it tight enough and it comes loose. Without
it you can screw that top wing nut very tight. Its not perfect but a lot better.
I still check on it about every 30 minutes.
Hope this helps.

frumious · June 30, 2009, 08:13 PM

Thanks for all the helpful advice. I will probably try loc-tite, then double-nutting the bowl if that doesn't work. I may try the well-nut idea too...funny...seems like I made a sort of rigged-up well-nut to keep the top on (wing nut + random rubber washer). The only possible problem I see with that is that down inside the bowl, there is not a very big surface to tighten the well nut down against. Not a lot of surface for the rubber to mate with. Oh well, we'll see....

-cls

James R. Burke · July 1, 2009, 07:20 PM

Unclenick is correct with the locktight. That should do it. I have never owned one, but I would think that would correct that problem. I am pretty much RCBS all the way. No problems.

Naear · July 1, 2009, 08:55 PM

I have a lyman those well-nuts work pretty good holding the bowl and lid on.

Quote:

They are a brass nut inside a rubber sleeve, you can buy them at lowes about a buck, or rob them off a FXR side panel

Hrmm does Alloy have an fxr?
Mines a 1988 fxrs love them fxr's great bikes...

alloy · July 1, 2009, 09:40 PM

Quote:

Hrmm does Alloy have an fxr?

Of course, and lots of spare well-nuts.

Blue · July 2, 2009, 09:54 PM

There are some real useful items at Harbor freight. I expect you will get the bugs out of your tumbler and it will be fine.

A lot of stuff at HF is of no use to me, at all. But there are exceptions. I have found some things over there that greatly enhanced my reloading production efficiency and were totally fit for purpose. I have to admit that I was surprised that some of them held up and continued to perform long after I thought they would with results like much more costly tools. I don't expect my Taurus to act like a Hummer - but for the most part they can both get me to the range just fine.

I already have a tumbler (Lyman) and it is an old rattle trap that has served well but required rescue from self destruct mode more than a few times. I was looking at that same one you got and said to myself "I can make that work just fine - just needs a little tuning". But that's me. I didn't get it simply because my old Lyman is still kicking. I can make almost anything work when I put my mind to it. Enjoy tinkering and reloading. After all I guess you could say reloading is sort of tinkering with ammo. The satisfaction of making something fit for purpose that needed a little work is sort of like working out the bugs in a load for a particular troublesome weapon. Just part of the game.

Good luck - and buy what you want that does it for you.

fields · July 2, 2009, 10:31 PM

Which is the right walnut media-the coarse or the fine?

richard

JohnLaird · July 3, 2009, 03:07 PM

Probably the fine. Just stick it in the tumbler for 8 or 10 hours overnight.

Mudrunner111 · July 5, 2009, 09:38 PM

I may have missed this thought reading through all of the posts but I will throw it out now. Have a regular nut to first thread down on the shaft to secure the bowl. Then use a lock washer and your wing nut bringing it down snug to the first nut. Use a small wrench on the first nut and tighten down the wing nut onto the lock washer and regular nut. This should not come loose. If it does you can safety wire the wing nut. Drill a small hole in one of the wings and then pass the safety wire to a small hole of your choosing on the top of the bowl (if no hole create a small 1/16" hole) and twist the safety wire. You will know if the safety wire moves no mater how much it vibrates around.

June 29, 2009, 09:48 PM	#1
frumious Senior Member Join Date: May 13, 2009 Location: Carrollton TX Posts: 521	Tumbler advice All, I bought one of these from a local Harbor Freight a couple weeks ago: http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=93252 All the vibratory tumblers I've ever seen look alike so I figured they are all made by the same place in China or somewhere anyway...figured I'd save the shipping and get some instant gratification. OK, so the thing works, but I have to fiddle with it sort of a lot. The main thing bugging me right now is the fact that the bowl really wants to come loose and spin around. I have to tighten the nut holding the bucket pretty tight in order to keep that from happening. The other thing that happens is that the wing nut on top holding the lid closed wants to come loose too. I fixed that with a couple of soft rubber washers from a toilet repair kit. Tightening the wing nut down "into" those washers keeps it from backing out...unless the bowl itself comes loose and decides to start spinning around. Why does the dang thing have to spin counter-clockwise?!?!?! None of this is really too bad I guess, but it is sort of hard to tell how loose the nut is that holds down the bowl. I worry that if I give it a good half turn after every 4-hour run, I'll just end up running it down too tight and stripping threads. Anyway, do any of you have troubles like these? -cls

June 30, 2009, 12:09 AM	#2
Tuzo Senior Member Join Date: June 14, 2007 Location: Louisiana Posts: 797	Harbor Freight The only reliable and long-lasting item I bought at Harbor Freight is a 50# anvil. My friends have bought other tools from Harbor Freight including a wrench set from India made of metal softer than SAE 2 hardness (the nut stripped the wrench), anything electronic that did not burn itself out after an hour or two of use, a multimeter that was exchanged twice before getting one that worked for a few testings, plus other junk that was not worth the effort of ordering. My Frankford Arsenal vibratory cleaner was bought about 6 years ago on sale at Midway USA and has not given me any worries after cleaning several thousand casings. Moral - stay away from the low-price temptation offered by Harbor Freight because the cost is too high.

June 30, 2009, 12:44 AM	#3
Unclenick Staff Join Date: March 4, 2005 Location: Ohio Posts: 21,063	The unit you got is really intended for polishing metal with heavier media than the corncob and walnut used for vibratory case cleaning. It's getting loose because without that added weight it is just shaking too much. I would try putting Loctite on the bowl nut first. If that doesn't go over well, try some BB shot in the bottom to add weight. __________________ Gunsite Orange Hat Family Member CMP Certified GSM Master Instructor NRA Certified Rifle Instructor NRA Benefactor Member and Golden Eagle

June 30, 2009, 03:12 AM	#5
djb_249 Member Join Date: June 10, 2009 Posts: 24	Harbor Freight The tools I buy from Harbor Freight grow about as well as the tools I buy from Snap-On!

June 30, 2009, 06:44 AM	#7
Uncle Billy Senior Member Join Date: June 10, 2009 Location: Small city in New York Posts: 482	The only tool I ever bought from Harbor Freight was a MIG welder. I wanted to learn to weld because I had a project on a kit car I was redoing (the exhaust system), and often come across situations in my garage where welding would be the solution. The cheapo welder worked fine and I was able to figure out how to do it, at least for simple jobs. But I fully understand the probability that it won't last very long, although it hasn't failed yet and I've used it a lot, practicing and learning. My plan was to start out as cheap as possible and go from there if it seemed worthwhle. When the Harbor Freight welder quits I'll buy a Lincoln or Miller. All my other general tools are name-brand with good reputations like Craftsman and Snap-On; all of my gun-associated tools are well-known high-quality brands. Cheap tools are the worst- soft wrenches make for bloody knuckles and banged up fingers and flying metal chips when they fail under stress. __________________ Despite the cost of living, have you noticed how popular it remains?

June 30, 2009, 01:20 AM	#4
DaveTrig Member Join Date: May 11, 2009 Location: Putnam County, NY Posts: 96	I make it a rule not to buy anything from HF that has electronics or a motor. Short answer, no, I have no such problems with my tumbler from Cabela's, and I spent the same amount on the kit that included the tumbler, strainer, media, and polish.

June 30, 2009, 01:53 PM	#8
Pocketfisherman Member Join Date: June 2, 2009 Location: Central TX Posts: 92	Double nut the bowl with the two nuts locked against each other. As mentioned, you need a lot more weight in that tumbler to make it work right compared to brass and walnut/corncob. It's be great for a final polish on finished rounds though.

June 30, 2009, 02:54 PM	#9
SamStafford Junior member Join Date: May 16, 2009 Location: Portageville, MO. 63873 Posts: 162	HF items I have bought a few items from HF and I hated them. I don't buy from them any more. They just have too cheap made stuff. Just my 2 cents.

June 30, 2009, 04:10 PM	#10
jag2 Senior Member Join Date: June 30, 2009 Location: dallas Posts: 773	Bought mine a couple of months ago and had the exact same problems. Did two things, make sure the nut in the bottom of the bowl is really really tight. The other, I removed the metal sleeve on the screw post. With that on you can't get it tight enough and it comes loose. Without it you can screw that top wing nut very tight. Its not perfect but a lot better. I still check on it about every 30 minutes. Hope this helps.

June 30, 2009, 08:13 PM	#11
frumious Senior Member Join Date: May 13, 2009 Location: Carrollton TX Posts: 521	Thanks for all the helpful advice. I will probably try loc-tite, then double-nutting the bowl if that doesn't work. I may try the well-nut idea too...funny...seems like I made a sort of rigged-up well-nut to keep the top on (wing nut + random rubber washer). The only possible problem I see with that is that down inside the bowl, there is not a very big surface to tighten the well nut down against. Not a lot of surface for the rubber to mate with. Oh well, we'll see.... -cls

July 1, 2009, 07:20 PM	#12
James R. Burke Senior Member Join Date: January 3, 2009 Location: U.P. of Mich/Quinnesec Posts: 1,897	Unclenick is correct with the locktight. That should do it. I have never owned one, but I would think that would correct that problem. I am pretty much RCBS all the way. No problems.

July 2, 2009, 09:54 PM	#15
Blue Senior Member Join Date: June 6, 2009 Posts: 113	Tumbler There are some real useful items at Harbor freight. I expect you will get the bugs out of your tumbler and it will be fine. A lot of stuff at HF is of no use to me, at all. But there are exceptions. I have found some things over there that greatly enhanced my reloading production efficiency and were totally fit for purpose. I have to admit that I was surprised that some of them held up and continued to perform long after I thought they would with results like much more costly tools. I don't expect my Taurus to act like a Hummer - but for the most part they can both get me to the range just fine. I already have a tumbler (Lyman) and it is an old rattle trap that has served well but required rescue from self destruct mode more than a few times. I was looking at that same one you got and said to myself "I can make that work just fine - just needs a little tuning". But that's me. I didn't get it simply because my old Lyman is still kicking. I can make almost anything work when I put my mind to it. Enjoy tinkering and reloading. After all I guess you could say reloading is sort of tinkering with ammo. The satisfaction of making something fit for purpose that needed a little work is sort of like working out the bugs in a load for a particular troublesome weapon. Just part of the game. Good luck - and buy what you want that does it for you.

July 2, 2009, 10:31 PM	#16
fields Member Join Date: March 20, 2009 Location: Deep Southeast Texas Posts: 23	harbor freight Which is the right walnut media-the coarse or the fine? richard

July 3, 2009, 03:07 PM	#17
JohnLaird Member Join Date: May 27, 2009 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 42	Probably the fine. Just stick it in the tumbler for 8 or 10 hours overnight.

July 5, 2009, 09:38 PM	#18
Mudrunner111 Junior Member Join Date: March 1, 2009 Posts: 2	I may have missed this thought reading through all of the posts but I will throw it out now. Have a regular nut to first thread down on the shaft to secure the bowl. Then use a lock washer and your wing nut bringing it down snug to the first nut. Use a small wrench on the first nut and tighten down the wing nut onto the lock washer and regular nut. This should not come loose. If it does you can safety wire the wing nut. Drill a small hole in one of the wings and then pass the safety wire to a small hole of your choosing on the top of the bowl (if no hole create a small 1/16" hole) and twist the safety wire. You will know if the safety wire moves no mater how much it vibrates around.