[Quoheleth]

Ok...I give up. After managing to turn 150+ .38 Special cases greenish-colored with the water/vinegar/salt solution, I'm going to have to go for a tumbler and hope to salvage some of these.

I was thinking of the Midway/Franklin Arsenal 110 tumbler kit, on sale for $55, but reading the reviews there, most indicate that after an initial good start the tumbler soon fails after only a few months' moderate use. "Cheap" to save money is one thing... "cheap" forcing me to either spend S&H to replace it, or buy another machine is wasteful.

So, I've been internet shopping the various on-line sources, among them Midway, Grafs, Midsouth & others.

Lots of choices...Lyman, RCBS, Graf's own name (is that a re-name Franklin? looks like it) et. al.

My budget is under $60 which gives me a good selection to choose from. Any specific recommendations to narrow down my choices? I appreciate Midway's inclusion of reviews, but I've seen a few choices elsewhere that Midway didn't have.

Thanks,
Q

PS. If anyone has a nice, used one they would be willing to make a deal on, give me a PM...

[moojpg2]

i have a lyman, works good, cheap enough

[RichardInFlorida]

I've had good luck with the Frankford tumbler from Midway. I've cleaned A LOT (multiple 55 gallon drums) of range brass with it and a Lyman. No problems out of either one. I like the Lyman better, but I have no complaints about the Frankford.

[Halo]

Lyman Turbo 1200

[jibjab]

I have a Hornady case tumbler, before that I had a Frankfart that lasted about a month and haft, I am happy with the Hornady, about the same size and it is quieter.

[tomh1426]

I got a cheap kit from Cabelas http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/product/standard-item.jsp?_DARGS=/cabelas/en/common/catalog/item-link.jsp_A&_DAV=MainCatcat602007-cat20853_TGP&id=0012554212869a&navCount=2&podId=0012554&parentId=cat20853&masterpathid=&navAction=push&catalogCode=IJ&rid=&parentType=index&indexId=cat20853&hasJS=true Ive used it alot, it works good and is pretty big.

[Quoheleth]

Which Lyman? The 600 or 1200?

That Cabellas rig looks promising...

[RichardInFlorida]

Which Lyman? The 600 or 1200?

I've got the 2500, which is a little more than you wanted to spend, but I imagine the quality is the same in the 1200.

[Otto]

Midsouth has the Lyman 1200 Pro for $43.79. Unfortunately it isn't in stock right now.
But if you can wait, that's the one I'd suggest for your price range. http://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/item.asp?sku=000157631318

I had a Midway tumbler that lasted for years but it was recalled due to a fire hazard. The replacement they sent me (a Frankford Arsenal) lasted about two months.

[RugerBob]

I guess I got lucky with my Frankford tumbler ,going strong for almost 2 years now. I have only used it about 15 times with 150 cases per tumble of 45LC.

[Urbana John]

I've had an RCBS for years, and many thousands of rounds through it, sometimes runs 24/7 for a couple of weeks in a row. Been thinking about getting another one.

UJ

[ir3e971]

My Frankford Arsenal tumbler burnt out after two years of light use. I have since bought the Lyman 1200. If you go that route, I wouldn't bother with the auto flo feature, just get the base model tumbler, it works very well.

[no_problem]

My miday tumbler has been running for about 10 years or more now (lost count after a while but I recall buying it during the Klinton years )

[Floppy_D]

The Frankford Aresenal has worked very well for me. It gets run about 4 times a week, about 4 hours at a time. It's somewhere in it's second year of life.

[onehungwaylow]

I haven't had any issue with my Frankford Arsenal tumbler, going on a good 5 years of on and off tumbling.

[chbrow10]

I have the base model Lyman 1200 pro turbo. I think I paid 35-40 for it on sale. I didn't bother buying a kit or anything. Even with the holes in the lid, nothing spills out, surprisingly. I bought a $3 kitty litter shovel with slots in it and used an old tupperware container. I pour the media/cases out into the tupperware and shovel them out with the kitty litter scoop. I also use crushed corncob from the Wal Mart pet department, $5 for a large bag.

[rantingredneck]

I'm about a year in with my Frankford. No problems so far. Got it from a local shop for 35.00.

[coyotehitman]

Cabelas (made by Berry's) is the best tumbler for the money.

[rudyc]

I picked up a used Thumler Model "B" for $56.00 including shipping. If you are not in a big rush, a used one can be a pretty good deal.


rudyc

[ZeSpectre]

+1 on the Lyman 1200 pro turbo.
Mine sits on a set of wooden slats to allow more airflow up inside to the motor to keep things cool.

[ForneyRider]

I have a Lyman.

I may upgrade to the separate bowl.

Works great, had it for 6mos and no issues. I think it was the cheapest one at Midway when I was tooling up for the first time.

[DEDON45]

I use the Lyman 2500, it was about 75.00 ... a smaller unit would work fine... I've seen more Lyman tumblers in reloading rooms than any other brand. The others are fine, too, I'm sure.

[762 shooter]

+1 on Midway tumbler.

Mine has been in operation for about ten years.

It has run almost continuously for the last year.

It started making a sound (you know the sound) about a year ago and I put two drops of thirty weight on the thingy that turns around in the motor (armature?) and quieted right down.

last six months 10,000 of 223
2,000 of 30-06
12,000 of 45 acp
Misc others

[kennedy]

I like my frankfort arsenel from midway, I got the kit, that included the drum media seperator that works great. I think the trick for long life on this tumbler is to only fill 3/4 full of media, other wise I think it overheats. I could smell a hot smell when I overfilled it and have cut back the amount of media.

[ranger335v]

"+1 on the Lyman 1200 pro turbo. Mine sits on a set of wooden slats to allow more airflow up inside to the motor to keep things cool."

I suspect MOST of the tumbler failures is due to heat. For whatever reason, most of them have less than ideal ventalation.

My Lyman 1200's motor lasted for something like 20 years but then the oil dried. That made it stop, over heat and melt down. A trip to an electrical supply house found a simular size motor, made for bath exhaust fans, with ball bearings instead of a bronze sleeve bearing, for something like $15 and it's doing great. BUT, I also drilled a row of 1/2" holes about an inch apart around the bottom of the base before I reassembled it. Don't know if it's the new motor or the better circulation but it doesn't get warm in use anymore.

I agree that the "Auto-Flow" bowl isn't very helpful. I just empty mine into an expanded mesh office trash can sitting in a clean 5 gal platic bucket and sift the media into it. I store the tumbler empty, at least most of the time!

[marsofold]

I use the harbor freight rock tumbler that I bought for the princely sum of $29.99. Works well but the single drum is rather volume limited (about three dozen 454-casull brass). Wish I had splurged for the dual-drum model. :p

[rangerphil]

I second the Cabelas tumbler made by Berry's. Great price and quality.

[Halo]

Regardless of which tumbler you end up getting, I heartily recommend the media sifter Midway sells. It sits in the mouth of a standard 5 gallon bucket and with a bit of shaking all your media will end up in the bucket, leaving behind that beautiful shiny brass that warms the heart of all reloaders. I have a bucket each for walnut and corncob and I just leave the media sealed up in the buckets when not in use.

I also recommend Flitz metal polish. That stuff is a great media additive. I've heard people have good luck with car polish too, which is certainly a cheaper alternative.

[tbtrout]

I bought the Cabelas kit a few months ago. Works great.

[Quoheleth]

Thanks, all for he helpful thoughts. That Cabelas kit looks pretty good. In the meantime, a friend at church said I could borrow his tumbler if I buy new media (mice got into his). So that saves me $50...or, another way to look at it is that's $50 into my CCL fund.

Q

[BeJaRa]

Looks like you have a tumbler now, but I'll chime in with my experience for anybody intrested in tumblers. I have a Lyman twin tumbler, which is a lyman 1200 with an extra 600 bowl. I never really use the small bowl. Tumbler works great and doesn't make as much noise as I thought it would. been running strong for 1 yr. I ish the larger bowl had a solid top like the smaller bowl, but for $60 I can't complain.

[evan price]

Picked up a Midway 1292 on eBay for $26 with the media strainer, bucket, both lids and 5# media, looked brand new. Shipping was $18 more. Total $44.

Personally, there is one tumbler that the lid is also a strainer- it has holes in it- and I can't think of a better way to cover the entire room with grey dust than use a perforated lid on a tumbler. I think it is Lyman that is this way. Just be aware of that.

[RustyFN]

Another vote for the Cabelas tumbler. It's a high capacity tumbler, quiet and light weight. It will hold 650 38 spcl cases. I have one and love it.
Rusty
http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b8dc36b3127ccec3368c89b69d00000010O00DZOGblm4Yg9vPhI/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D480/ry%3D320/

[jetrecbn]

My Franklin/Midway case vibrator is over 10years old and still cleaning.

[aerod1]

I bought a Chicago tumbler from Harbor Freight for $39.95 and it works great so far. I had money left over for media.

[DEDON45]

As to the media sifter; I don't know how much the "official" media / case separators are, but for around 4.00 I picked up a small bucket and a plastic pasta strainer to fit on the bucket at the dollar store.

[RichardInFlorida]

I've had good luck with the Frankford tumbler from Midway. I've cleaned A LOT (multiple 55 gallon drums) of range brass with it and a Lyman. No problems out of either one. I like the Lyman better, but I have no complaints about the Frankford.

Well, an unfortunate update for anyone trying to figure out which tumbler to buy.

My Lyman Pro 2500 died last night. I had it for only a few months before it burned out on me. On the other hand, the Frankford Arsenal I have been using for a couple of years is still churning away.

YMMV.

[offthepaper]

I bought a Franklin a couple of months ago, have only cleaned about 1000 cases with it, but so far no problems. I am a little concerned after reading some of the posts on the Franklin however.
I keep my triggers crossed. :D

[rc109a]

The only problem I had with the Midway tumbler is the connectors have broke on both hot leads. It was a very easy fix and it is still worth the money I have paid for it. Going on 3 years and it runs daily.

[Jimfern]

+1 on the Lyman 1200. I set it outside in the Texas sun when I run it and it keeps on going.

[xcalibre]

I see that some older Frankford Arsenal tumblers sold by Midway were recalled for motor replacement. Check here ---

http://www.midwayusa.com/rewriteaproduct/317981

If you have one of these you can send it in for repair.Luckily mine had the aluminum baseplate so not part of recall.:what:

[lordgroom]

I have used the Frankford Arsenal for over a year. Light to moderate use and it works fine.

[Quoheleth]

Since this was my original thread, and since my tumbler money went to gas for generator usage post-IKE, I have a follow-up question.

WHile cleaning my garage Saturday, I found my old ice-cream maker with a "stainless" steel canister for the cream - it's got rust both outside and inside. The motor works, though. I can't use the canister for ice cream, and to buy a new one costs as much as a whole new maker at WMart. So, I think I might try using the old ice cream maker as a tumbler.

Anyone ever try this before?

I'm still planning to get the Cabelas kit, but for now, renew, reuse & recycle...

Q

[rondog]

My Frankford Arsenal tumbler kit from Midway works just fine. I've heard that if they quit, it might actually be the in-line switch and not the tumbler. Loose or broken wiring internally is also easy to fix.

[easyrider6042004@yahoo.ca]

BUT, I also drilled a row of 1/2" holes about an inch apart around the bottom of the base before I reassembled it. Don't know if it's the new motor or the better circulation but it doesn't get warm in use anymore.

This is OT, but a great idea. Heat is the biggest killer of any motor.

My Thumler's Tumbler Ultra Vibe doesn't need these holes, though. You could actually see the motor through a two inch high window all around. Maybe that's why it's still working after all these years:)

[rondog]

Very good point! You want to put them on a hard surface such as a floor, and not on carpet, so they can get airflow into them.

[LJH]

I picked up a Harbor Freight tumbler over a year ago when it went on sale for $29. It runs 24/7, at least for the last 6 months. Only problem I had was the bowl started to rattle so I glued it to the platform.

[rondog]

I picked up a Harbor Freight tumbler over a year ago when it went on sale for $29. It runs 24/7, at least for the last 6 months. Only problem I had was the bowl started to rattle so I glued it to the platform.

Man, I looked at one of their big ones, and it was nearly $200! I damn near choked. $200? From Harbor Freight?

[jhansman]

Well, like so many others here, my Frankfort Arsenal tumbler is going strong (although getting louder). Of course, when it does eventually die, I'll be wondering how to find this thread. :D

For the OP, stay with the vinegar/water soak, but skip the salt. It's what discolored your brass. A 5-6 hr. soak really makes the media's job easier during the tumble (and don't forget the toss in a cut up dryer sheet to collect the crud and extend your media's life).

[rondog]

You can also soak tarnished brass in orange Kool-Aid (without any sugar). It will actually eat the tarnish off, but they'll still have to be polished afterwards.

[ranger335v]

Quoheleth, Your "green brass" error wasn't the vinegar/salt solution, as such, it is that you didn't flush/rinse it clean after the soaking and before it dried.

[jhansman]

It will actually eat the tarnish off

Yikes! I can only imagine what it does to your stomach.

[creativetownsman]

tbtrout I bought the Cabelas kit a few months ago. Works great.


I've been pleased with my Cabela's tumbler kit, also.

[Riss]

Lyman Turbo 1200, I think. ON SALE NOW at Midway. Was $67 IIRC.

[Zeede]

I have the Graf's one, and if I remember the warranty card correctly, it's also made by Berry's. It's rather noisy though, with it running I can't really have a conversation in the same room. Any suggestions?

Cameron

[Quoheleth]

I have the Graf's one, and if I remember the warranty card correctly, it's also made by Berry's. It's rather noisy though, with it running I can't really have a conversation in the same room. Any suggestions?


Yep. Use my "Post-Ike Noise Comparison System."

Shut off all power in your house.
Crank up your 10hp generator and run it non-stop for 12 days.
Shut off the generator.
Turn on your tumbler.
It will seem like a mouse's whisper. :p

Seriously...put it on a piece of rubber matting, like OSHA recommends for standing on at work. If that doesn't help, take the conversation elsewhere. :o

Q

[dafitch]

Frankford was not good for me. Lower motor bearing failed almost immediately. I replaced the bearing, then the one of the wires worked its way out of the connector crimp.
I also have an old Lyman, and although I liked the clear lid on the Frankford, the Lyman is much quieter as compared to the Frankford with good bearings.

[rangerphil]

Another vote for the Cabelas tumbler made by Berry Mfg.

[shouldifail]

i just picked up a vibrator tumbler at harbor freight on sale for $40, plus a 25# bag of walnut shells for $10...tumbled about 400 9mm cases for less than an hour and they were clean and shiny!!! just added a dryer sheet to the dry media to attract dust. couldn't be happier!!!