Vibratory tumbler question

[handyman]

Not quite a welding project but not sure where to post it. I need to remove paint from quite a few small to mid size aluminium parts. I have tried beadblasting but that takes time. I have thought about this

http://www.eastwoodco.com/jump.jsp?i...emType=PRODUCT

As you can see, the cost is up there. Anyone have any experience with something like this? Homemade units? I have been told that a tumbler will beat the parts up too bad. Help or input appreciated. Thanks.

[MAC702]

I have a large Dillon model. Never tried a media designed for removing paint.

Works great at polishing brass, though.

[JHCHOPPERS]

Works great at polishing brass, though.

MAC, can you polish T6061 in your tumbler? Do you have any before and after pictures of some parts you have polished?

I have been thinking about one of these for some time now, but have no experience with them.

Thanks,
Joel

[Burnt hands]

Hi handyman,

I have one very similar in size to your link. I got it to clean rifle cases for reloading and it worked great for this. For the brass cases, I used ground corncobs and a bit of jewelers rouge. I have also use it to clean rust off 3/4" diameter ball bearings. Used plain dry sand for the ball bearings (heat it in a metal drum to dry it) as damp sand clumps up. I would suggest using the cones or pyramids as this will speed up the cleaning process. It will be a slow process so be prepared to wait for at least 4 hours or more before checking. Also don't overload the mix with your parts as they will not allow the vibrator to develop the proper "motion". It should look like a milkshake in a blender when it is working correctly.

good luck

[Some Creep]

We used them alot (like 100+ units running at a time) at Honeywell for removing burrs and rough edges from heatsinks and lids. We used geometric ceramic media and it works well.
The paint that's adhered to your parts will require a certain degree of abrasion to get it off, and the material underneath will show wear once there's no paint left to remove. What finish can you live will in the final product? Rough? Smooth? Somewhere in between? This will work but you may need to play with media types to get into tight spaces and sharp inside corners (if there are any).

[IRONLORE]

I have used a cement mixer with just sand in it to deburr parts. It works well, but never tried to remove paint in it or put in aluminum parts. Might give that a try. Mixers can be borrowed, rented, or purchased cheap.

Glenn

[MAC702]

MAC, can you polish T6061 in your tumbler? ...

I've never polished anything in it except for ammunition brass before reloading.

[tnjind]

Could you put the parts in a chemical stripper?

[handyman]

The parts will be painted after being cleaned so a polished finish is not needed or desirable. I have thought about trying a cement mixer as mentioned but most I have seen have paddles which I think may beat the stuff up. Can anyone recommed a chemical stripper. The parts are from snowplow pumps. Can I dip in a bucket in a bucket and hose off? My past experience with stripper hasn't been enjoyable. I have limited space so the beadblaster/large air compressor is out. I had hoped to be able to disassemble the pumps and toss them in something like the vibratory cleaner and forget about them for a while.

[Vicegrip]

Eastwood is way expensive for parts cleaners. Look online for gun brass cleaners. The cleaning is a factor of the media used. There are all kinds of abrasives in all kinds of shapes and carriers. checking online will show you many aspects. I made one from a 5 gal bucket a motor with a bolt welded to the output shaft and a bungee cord. Bolt motor to bottom of bucket. I used some plywood as an adaptor. Weld bolt to motor shaft to one side and add nuts jammed to prevent them from coming loose and secure the power cord well. Fill with parts and media, hang from something and plug it in. Tune the vibrations by adding nuts to the bolt and using a router speed control.

A real donut shaped cleaner works better size for size.