cleaning rust off parts.

[Butch 194]

Anyone ever try cleaning the nuts, bolts and other small parts in a tumbler instead of using a blast cabinet or sand blasting? The blast cabinets are good for removing the corrosion but leaves the parts dull. I was wondering if anyone tried to improve the finish in a tumbler like they use for polishing ammo brass. Thanks

Butch

S. Jersey

[Lane Ranger 11,395]

Butch: I never tried a tumbler -like a rock polishing tumbler -but I have used a wire wheel on a drill and a wire wheel on a dremel to clean many, many old bolts and nuts for reuse.

:omg:

[Coadster32 793]

We have tumblers at work. I never thought about it, but prob. get in the dog-house getting all the stones rusted up. A shop next to us uses a phenalic based media dry, and his sheet metal parts come out really nice. Good luck.

[Butch 194]

Lane Ranger,

I've used a wire brush on bench grinder but it is very tedious work plus every now and then a part goes flying across the garage!! I can't believe you use a dremel to clean parts! I have gone though a lot of dremel wire brushes. They wear out in no time for me. They're almost comical.

Coadster,

There are all kinds of media for tumbling. Eastwood has quite a few different kinds. Plus there are several that reloaders use and then the rock tumblers.

What's nice is you can turn it on and walk away. No fighting to look through dust with the blast cabinet! I also think the tumbler media lasts longer for the same type media and none of the media escapes. I lose some media in my blast cabinet through the door and other areas. The tumbler uses less media also.

Butch

S. Jersey

[SALTYWRIGHT 861]

HI......TRY SOME CARPET TACKS IN THE TUMBLER. THEY WILL GET IN SMALL

SPOTS.(LIKE THREADS ON BOLTS.) I USED A TUMBLER AT WORK MANY TIMES.

NOW I AM RETIRED I DON'T HAVE IT TO USE. :omg:

[Butch 194]

Tumblers aren't that expensive unless you want a big commercial one.

What did you guys use the tumblers for? Rocks?

Retirement is great, huh?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Coadster32 793]

TRY SOME CARPET TACKS

Sounds like a good idea. (Just make the new guy take them out though!) :omg:

[SALTYWRIGHT 861]

YOU TAKE THE TACKS OUT WITH A MAGNET. WE USED IT TO FINISH POWERED METAL PARTS. WE HAD VERY LARGE TUMBLERS. (200 LBS CAP) I MAY GET A SMALL ONE. (30 LBS CAP.) :omg:

[Coadster32 793]

YOU TAKE THE TACKS OUT WITH A MAGNET

Tricks of the trade, spoken from a true verteran. (or a guy who's been stuck 100 times on the back of his hand) :D

[ofs 0]

look up "rustbeeter" it is a sugar beet product, you add water to it , throw the clean (no dirt,grease etc.) rusty parts in a bucket,let set for a few days ,it will eat the rust right off........H

[Butch 194]

thanks OFS.