No Make Tumbler

[Eddyde]

I had to make a small run of some special sized nuts for an upcoming project, just shy of 100 pieces about ⅝" square in 8-32 and ¼-20. Making them was easy enough but they had burrs and sharp edges that needed to go away. The thought of processing them individually was rather unpleasant. A tumbler is on my short list of things to make but I simply didn't have time for it right now. I like quick and expedient so I looked around the shop and there it was!
A rectangular plastic jar, I didn't have to make or modify anything, it was even labeled correctly!

Just threw in the nuts, a handful of 80 grit blast media and some kerosene, chucked it in the lathe at 40 rpm.

After a few hours.

The 2 on the left are unprocessed.

Night and day.

Tossed em with some rust proofing...

...and set them out to dry, Done.

Video here

Thanks For Looking

Eddy

 

[gr8legs]

That's pretty slick! Thanks for the idea

Stu

 

[MarkM]

Cement mixers are a good option.

 

[uncle harry]

I had to make a small run of some special sized nuts for an upcoming project, just shy of 100 pieces about ⅝" square in 8-32 and ¼-20. Making them was easy enough but they had burrs and sharp edges that needed to go away. The thought of processing them individually was rather unpleasant. A tumbler is on my short list of things to make but I simply didn't have time for it right now. I like quick and expedient so I looked around the shop and there it was!View attachment 293596
A rectangular plastic jar, I didn't have to make or modify anything, it was even labeled correctly!
View attachment 293597
Just threw in the nuts, a handful of 80 grit blast media and some kerosene, chucked it in the lathe at 40 rpm.
View attachment 293598
After a few hours.
View attachment 293599
The 2 on the left are unprocessed.
View attachment 293600
Night and day.
View attachment 293601
Tossed em with some rust proofing...
View attachment 293602
...and set them out to dry, Done.

Video here

Thanks For Looking



Eddy

Great idea! I should have thought of that too since I use my small lathe to "shake" my rattle cans for painting. I chuck them at a skew for purposeful runout.

 

[tjb]

I had to make a small run of some special sized nuts for an upcoming project, just shy of 100 pieces about ⅝" square in 8-32 and ¼-20. Making them was easy enough but they had burrs and sharp edges that needed to go away. The thought of processing them individually was rather unpleasant. A tumbler is on my short list of things to make but I simply didn't have time for it right now. I like quick and expedient so I looked around the shop and there it was!View attachment 293596
A rectangular plastic jar, I didn't have to make or modify anything, it was even labeled correctly!
View attachment 293597
Just threw in the nuts, a handful of 80 grit blast media and some kerosene, chucked it in the lathe at 40 rpm.
View attachment 293598
After a few hours.
View attachment 293599
The 2 on the left are unprocessed.
View attachment 293600
Night and day.
View attachment 293601
Tossed em with some rust proofing...
View attachment 293602
...and set them out to dry, Done.

Video here

Thanks For Looking

Eddy

Very clever idea.

Regards,
Terry

 

[rwm]

By nuts I assume you mean walnut shells? Then you used Naptha mixed with Boiled linseed oil?
Robert

 

[Eddyde]

No, the "nuts" were actually the parts I was tumbling. I didn't have a any walnut shell or corncob media so I just used 80 grit Aluminum Oxide blast media and kerosine. I know it wasn't the ideal mix but it worked.
Boiled Linseed Oil mixed with Japan Dryer makes a great rust proof coating for steel, its essentially oil based paint without pigment. I thinned it out a bit with the Naphtha as I didn't want to gum up the threads and the nuts are only going to be used in a dry location.

 

[Shootymacshootface]

I do something similar once in a while. So far I've rolled a fuel tank for a Sportster and several of these gerry cans.

I mounted the can holder on the cover of my big tumbler and throw in a bunch of nuts, bolts and screws.

 

[tjb]

Boiled Linseed Oil mixed with Japan Dryer makes a great rust proof coating for steel, its essentially oil based paint without pigment.

Never heard of Japan Dryer before. Just googled it and found out how it's used. What is your mixture ratio with the Boiled Linseed Oil?

 

[markba633csi]

Nice, Ed. I'm sure your lathe was humiliated to be a crank turner
M