Vibratory tumbler denting 6061 T6??

Looks like a classic case of Aluminum Mold. Carried by some Chinesium packing material. Unboxing the item liberates aluminum mold particles into the air which settles onto unsuspecting aluminum in your shop. The only way to eradicate it has to do with setting off strategically placed, small piles of thermite, chanting exorcism rites, and all while playing Taylor Swift music at 110db or higher. :D

Seriously, as others have suggested, contact between the other part would seem reasonable.
Have you tried running just one part?

Another thought, from way out in left field, is to change the frequency of oscillation.
Might not be an option though.
 
Garage Dog said:
Anyone ever try these?

I use these to clean brass in a rotary tumbler I built. I mix in water, dawn, and a small amount of Lemishine. Not sure how it would work on your application. I'd like to try it on aluminum but I dismantled it a while back to poach the motor for another project.
Click to expand...
I've been wet tumbling with stainless for 7-8 years now. Ever since my lead levels tested high and I determined that it was from dry tumbling my brass. (Or rather, the dust produced...).

I've never thought about trying it on aluminum (that I recall), but it'd be easy enough to throw a few pieces in next time I run a load of brass. I suspect it will just clean it real well.

GsT
 
I use a drum rotary tumbler with a 4 step process for Brass and Aluminum. The final step is with Stainless steel medium. I always use liquid with the medium and can get mirror polish on the aluminum and brass parts
 
Boswell said:
I use a drum rotary tumbler with a 4 step process for Brass and Aluminum. The final step is with Stainless steel medium. I always use liquid with the medium and can get mirror polish on the aluminum and brass parts
Click to expand...

I'm thinking about digging out my rotary tumbler and reinstalling the motor and see how it does on alum and steel. I would be interested to learn what your 4 step process is.
 
Garage Dog said:
I would be interested to learn what your 4 step process is.
Click to expand...
Here is my basic process. I have only done small parts so your millage may vary but it will give you a place to start.


some additional nodes:
  • After each step, I pour out the drum through a colander and then rinse and separate the parts from the media. Let the media dry before returning it to storage.
  • I have often found I needed to extend these times, sometimes by hours, if the parts are particularly rough
  • I have only used this on 6061 aluminum and 360 brass. bty, by avatar was polished this way straight from the mill
  • I have found that the proportions and not very critical so I often just mix mix by eye
  • Sometimes have had to substitute some supplies due to availability. has not caused any problems.
  • If you have blind holes in your parts, you will find that the media will get stuck inside the holes. If you do large quantities of the same part you could experiment with different size of media to prevent or reduce this.
  • As someone else said, you can probably replace the sunsheen with soap. but I have not tried that yet.
  • I got this process from a Jeweler who uses a similar process to polish all of the jewelry that they make and sell.

Supplies from Rio Grande Jewelry
Ceramic Grinding Media Green Fine Cut #339-400
Ceramic Aluminum Oxide Cylinder Media #339-416
Ceramic Mixed Polishing Media #339-071
Stainless Steel Shot Mixed #339-097

Sunsheen Deburring Compound #339-307
Sunsheen descaler #339-391


Mix sunsheen at 1/3 cup to Gallon of Water.

Process

For each step. Parts and Media should fill barrel to 50%
Add Sunsheen to 85% full

Step 1: 4 hours
Sunsheen Deburring Compound #339307
Ceramic Grinding Media Green Fine Cut #339400

Step 2: 4 Hours
Sunsheen Deburring Compound #339307
Ceramic Aluminum Oxide Cylinder Media # 339416

Step 3: 4 Hours
Sunsheen Deburring Compound #339307
Ceramic Mixed Polishing Media #339071

Step 4: 5 hours
Super Sunsheen Descaler #339391

Stainless Steel Shot Mixed # 339097
 
I
GeneT45 said:
Happened to me several years ago and I chalked it up to parts banging against each other. My tumbler (Thumler's) bowl is molded up around the center post, so it definitely wasn't that. I've pretty much given up on tumbling for finish / deburring - it just never does quite what I want.

GsT
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so Gene I had some issues cleaning these up. plastic no good, walnut, no good, so I went to sand. I wish I had some alum oxide to try.
The sand was slow, but did a so so job. It's all about trying things.

These aren't polished, but for the most part cleaned up.. 2 didn't come clean. I might see about picking up some blast media. Not going to try the ceramic on these.

BEFORE
PXL_20240728_200359016.jpg
AFTER
PXL_20240730_193134354.jpg
 
woodchucker said:
I

so Gene I had some issues cleaning these up. plastic no good, walnut, no good, so I went to sand. I wish I had some alum oxide to try.
The sand was slow, but did a so so job. It's all about trying things.

These aren't polished, but for the most part cleaned up.. 2 didn't come clean. I might see about picking up some blast media. Not going to try the ceramic on these.

BEFORE
View attachment 498385
AFTER
View attachment 498384
Click to expand...
I meant with respect to deburring. I can clean stuff pretty well with the aforementioned SS pins. Be careful using sand in a vibratory (depending on what it's made for*) - I had the motor break loose from its mounts on a large Dillon tumbler trying to tumble "heavy".

GsT

*The rock tumblers are pretty robust, the brass tumblers not so much...
 
I had a friend who started a die-casting business using molds & tooling he created and farmed-out the EDM and heat-treating work. He bought a couple die-casting machines and produced a line of mason's trowel handles and a hod-carrier. A couple years before buying a huge vibratory finisher he used cheap HF cement mixers loaded with wet media which worked wonderfully. You could hear those mixers clanging-away every day, day-in and day-out from half a block away. I miss Paul, he was an accomplished machinist with a Louie De Palma attitude about everything else.
 
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