? About tumblers

[Pop Bumper Pete]

I like tumbling parts, put parts in and pull out nice shiny new parts
Usually a day in walnut medium then an day in corncob

But I have found some parts need a few days in to get rid of hard to move crud
is their anything else I could add to speed thing up?
I tried adding Brasso, but that just turned my walnuts to cement

[GAP]

I put in a little bit of liquid Autosol with the parts then tumble then for a day or so using corncob medium.
It must be remembered though, that tumblers are polishers not cleaners - you will not get a shiny new looking part out if all that went in was a rusted, Coke stained bit of junk.

[Pop Bumper Pete]

It must be remembered though, that tumblers are polishers not cleaners - you will not get a shiny new looking part out if all that went in was a rusted, Coke stained bit of junk.

yeah, I know it cannot get rid of rust, but there is something on the parts that only seems to come off with days of tumbling
I dont want to use my buffing wheel on old stuff because I usually remove the last layer of Zinc plating

[GAP]

Agree with not buffing the old parts. What I resort to is hand polishing    using Purple Polish from Repco (not cheap).


Graeme

[Strangeways]

Sounds like the parts are very dirty and no amount of polishing will return the part to its original shine. Maybe hit the parts with a wire brush or green scotchbrite pad. I've been using an ultrasonic cleaner for years, and almost all crud is removed prior to polishing. If the part is zinc plated (90% of metal parts on a pinball are zinc), you can remove the old zinc and replate. If they are fiddly parts etc, just send to me I will re plate during my next replating "session" !

[Pop Bumper Pete]

While I like my vibrating tumbler for most parts, has anyone used a rotary tumbler for larger parts?

[oldskool1969]

I soak parts in CLR first for rusty crap then use Turtle wax swirl remover in the media and find this enough.
If it don't work any better I would probably buy new if applicable or spray paint.

[pinoffski]

Agree with not buffing the old parts. What I resort to is hand polishing    using Purple Polish from Repco (not cheap).


Graeme

I use purple polish as well
Autosol is cheaper the difference is chalk and cheese
i use the tumbler  all the time and use walnut as the medium
 

[Top Card]

Hey all,
I am finally getting started with pinball restoration after many years of false starts. So, a couple of questions about tumblers please. What would you buy if you had your time over again or what will your next tumbler be. How important is an ultrasonic cleaner. Which one would you get ?
Thanks in advance,
Dan

[Pop Bumper Pete]

Tumbers, in Australia you are limited. Locally there is only one brand available. But it works for me. I have had two going most of the day for the last two weeks. I do not over load, a generous handful of parts is enough. Walnut media works for me, but it will stain any plastic parts (slingshot tips). I do not use additives, they have not worked for me in the past.
I do not put in large brackets (pop bumper brackets). Things need to turn with the media, big stuff just sits and bangs on the bottom
Remove any grease on your parts, grease will shorten the life of the media
Media will last for years, even with heavy usage
I bought my tumblers and media from the local gun shop

Lyman Turbo, is what I use

I tried an ultrasonic cleaner. Did not work for me
Plastic parts I either replace, or put in the sink and scru with a toothbrush. Remember to count black stand-offs before you put them in the sink as they can go down the drain

[Strangeways]

I use 2 X Graf Tumblers and swear by them. One has a more course media for the really stubborn parts, and the other for a more shiny finish.

https://ssaa.org.au/stories/reloading-graf-case-tumbler.html

Ultrasonic - I bought one from eBay over 10 years ago and it works fine. It is the largest capacity I could find. Still need to be used in an area away from the workshop as it is VERY noisy, but I use it all the time.