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Thread: My DIY ball and nail tumbler

  1. #1
    Sandwich Shooter SteveFury's Avatar
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    Default My DIY ball and nail tumbler

    Since I have a couple machines to restore I made a tumbler.

    The motor and gearbox came from one of those battery operated outdoor child ride-cars.

    The 2x4 post has a steel rod sticking out of it which used to be the car's axle which the motor assembly slides over. The steel rod extends all the way to the plywood square for stability.

    The steel box is supported by the 1/2" plywood square which has 8 perimeter screws and washers on the inside to keep it from flexing under the weight of shifting contents.

    The motor is high current high torque and requires a sizable 12 volt power supply. The power supply shown (a 1.5amp charger) is not sufficient, and the motor burned it out. (Burned the rectifier)

    Loading and unloading the box is easy because the plastic piece which is bolted to the box just slides off the end of the supporting rod. It is not attached to the motor assembly.

    It works good and here's a video I made- The YouTube video fixer made the end of it look kind of funky:

    Last edited by SteveFury; 04-04-2012 at 03:34 PM.
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  3. #2
    Pachi Puro Card Shark's Avatar
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    Default Re: My DIY ball and nail tumbler

    Very cool!!!
    "Life consists not in holding good cards but in playing those you hold well."
    Pachiholic and Proud!!! サメ

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  5. #3
    Pachi Puro mxfaiman's Avatar
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    Default Re: My DIY ball and nail tumbler

    nice job.

    I got a great deal on a tumbler a few weeks ago. It is a dual drum model. American built (gotta love that) And the thing is silent. It makes my harbor freight one sound like a freight train. But the best part was that I found this 100% working and complete tumbler for FREE! I also got some rock polishing compounds with it.

    Did some quick research and the thing sells for close to $90 new. Not a bad find. Now I have 3 drums to polish things in.

    100 machines and counting...

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  7. #4
    Sandwich Shooter SteveFury's Avatar
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    Default Re: My DIY ball and nail tumbler

    Has anyone used a tumbler to polish pachinko balls?

    I have a number of them that have tarnished and turned dark. I put them in my tumbler with a media of hamster cedar bedding and brasso, let it run for about 8 hours.

    The balls look really clean and smooth with a lot of specular shine but remain dark.

    I am wondering if anyone has successfully used a tumbler to restore a mirror type finish. If so, what medium did you use and how long did it need to tumble.
    Thanks.
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  8. #5
    Pachi Puro Moparformances's Avatar
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    Default Re: My DIY ball and nail tumbler

    i use my tumbler all the time..

    i use the original brass shell case cleaner that my unit came with

    http://www.cabelas.com/product/Cabel...h-All+Products

    if the balls ahve chrome left there are restored to a high shine.. if there black or rusty there is little or no chrome left and will only be smooth like you described
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  10. #6
    Pachi Puro mxfaiman's Avatar
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    Default Re: My DIY ball and nail tumbler

    I use ground English walnut shell lizard bedding (found at pet stores) and Turtle wax chrome polish. (found at Ace) Use a ratio where you fill drum 1/4 full of balls. Cover balls completely with the walnut shells. Then put 4-5 blobs of the polish in. Works great. Though like mopar said if there ain't no chrome left they won't shine but it does make them cleaner.

    100 machines and counting...

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