Thumler Model B Owners I Need Your Input

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thump_rrr

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I started wet tumbling with stainless steel media several months ago using a Thumler Model B.
I found it a little annoying to need to limit my loading of the drum to a maximum of 15lbs as is recommended in the instruction.
When you load the drum with 5lbs of stainless steel pins and 1 gallon of water(8.3lbs) all that remains for brass is 1.7lbs.

Since I'm an HVAC Technician and work with motors all day long I set out to see how much heavier I could load the drum without adversely affecting both the finished product or the tumbler.

I will give you the particulars on my Thumler Model B tumbler since I have heard that there are some Thumler tumblers out there with 3600 rpm motors out there.

The motor on my unit is a Fasco Type U63 P/N 71637284 0.8Amps 115volts 60Hz.
I put a small piece of tape on the side of the drum as a mark and measured the Revolutions Per Minute of the drum which was 20 RPM.



I first loaded the drum to the recommended maximum of 15lbs using 1.7lbs of brass. I started the tumbler and measured the amperage of the motor which was 0.62A. This told me that the motor was able to handle a greater load since it wasn't working to its rated capacity.

I gradually increased the weight of the brass to 5.5lbs still using 8.3lbs of water and 5lbs of SS pins.
The current draw is only at 0.72A which still leaves room for more brass.
I only needed to increase the tumbling time from 4 to 5 hours to maintain the same level of cleanliness I had before.

I'm nearing the point where I will need to reduce the amount of water in the drum so that everything will still fit in the drum.

If your Thumler Model B has a different model of motor with a different speed can you please post up the particulars of your motor including the RPM of your drum. Amp readings would be greatly appreciated but I know that most people out there aren't equipped for that.
 
Last edited:
my thumler's model B has this motor:

Fasco No. 71215777
Type U21
3000 RPM
115v
60 Hz
1.12 A
1/30 HP

maybe tomorrow i'll get around to timing it to give you the drum RPM. but if the pulleys are the same sizes, the RPM should be directly proportional. i believe my tumbler was the Model B High Speed. i've got access to a clamp-on multimeter at work, but not at home :(
 
The Model B comes in two versions.
The standard version is for lapidary uses and has a 1/50hp motor.
The HS version is for case tumbling having a 1/30hp motor.
Both the standard and high speed versions have a rated capacity of 15lbs.

I have the HS version and the barrel rotation is around 32 RPMs.

Here's a video of a HS in action.....go to the 2:50 minute mark.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqSMvcGLWZQ&feature=related
 
I have the 20 RPM version. I get my brass clean in 1 hour or less most times however. I put in what brass will fit in a large yogurt container (32 OZ) heaped up to just before spilling. I can put in more brass but it will clean better with that ratio in my tests. Along with that I add 5 LBS SS media and just enough water to cover the brass. I first resize/decap the brass and pretreat it by soaking in IOSSO case cleaner in a larger container for a couple minutes. Then I drain off what will pour out before dumping it in the tumbler with a squirt of Dawn. Then run 1 hour and check. I only need to run it 1/2 hour when the brass is really clean already and I don't care if the primer pockets end up spotless.
 
I also have the Mod.B tumbler with a Fasco Motor and my research says if you overload the Motor which will get Hot the Motor will automaticaly shut off with no Harm to the Motor. I quit using the pins to clean my Brass & use a formula that will get them just as clean without mess of the pins and just as quick.
 
I'd bet that the stated 15 lb. limit has as much to do with the general engineering of the tumbler as it does the capacity of the motor.
I followed advice when I first got mine and made an additional support bracket for the tail end of the motor. If you watch it without it you can see how the sheet metal frame allows the motor to bob-around a bit under operation. I also got a spare belt to have on hand for when the original gives up the ghost.
I also saved back about a third of the stainless pins and replaced thier weight with brass.
Now I am processing 2-1/2 to 3 lb. of brass in a tumble without any drawbacks or lack of the spotless cleaning of every square millimeter of brass.
 
LBEE said:
I also have the Mod.B tumbler with a Fasco Motor and my research says if you overload the Motor which will get Hot the Motor will automaticaly shut off with no Harm to the Motor. I quit using the pins to clean my Brass & use a formula that will get them just as clean without mess of the pins and just as quick.
Click to expand...
This is why I'm trying to get close to the maximum rated amp draw without going over to prevent the overheating of the motor.
 
Pinless Receipe

I got tired of the pins & The Mess came up with the following to use in the tumbler. 3 Tablespoons of Simple Green
1 Tablespoon of Dawn DW Soap
1/8 teaspoon of Lemi Shine

When I remove them they look look Gold Cases. This works for me & is a lot quicker Than spending time messing with the pins. I just use a Metal collander
pour everything in & RINCE VERY WELL & put the Brass on a Large Bath towel
& roll around or just let air dry or if in a hurry use a Hair dryer.
 
Thanks LBEE. I agree the pins are a big pain but I sure like the results. I am going to give your recipe a try. Thanks again.
 
No , it is even bio-degradeable, works just as good or better than the pins when mixed with water about 1-2 " from the top in the tumbler.
I have done without deprime but either way will work although the pins do clean the primer pocket better which never has been a consern to me.
 
I don't understand what you mean when you say that the SS pins are a pain in the butt.
If you're talking about separating the pins from the brass all it takes is 10 seconds.

I have an RCBS media separator which I pour the contents of the Thumler drum into. After pouring out the dirty water and rinsing with clean water.
I leave enough water in the media separator so that it reaches the brass + 1".
Spin the separator for 10 seconds and your pins are separated from your brass.
 
LBEE said:
I got tired of the pins & The Mess came up with the following to use in the tumbler. 3 Tablespoons of Simple Green
1 Tablespoon of Dawn DW Soap
1/8 teaspoon of Lemi Shine

When I remove them they look look Gold Cases. This works for me & is a lot quicker Than spending time messing with the pins. I just use a Metal collander
pour everything in & RINCE VERY WELL & put the Brass on a Large Bath towel
& roll around or just let air dry or if in a hurry use a Hair dryer.
Click to expand...
Interesting.......

........and you add the above amount of ingredients to 1 gallon of water?

Thank you for info!

FjLee Denver CO
 
I fill the Model B tumbler one inch or two from the top before adding the Simple Green,etc. , This works for me without the SS pins with Excellent results. I clean 9mm & 45 acp cases & put hundreds in at a time with No problems. The Thumblers Tumbler Has a Shut off if the Motor gets to hot without any damage to the motor. I think if you guys will just give my way a try you will like the results with less steps to clean your Brass which will give you just or good or better results.
 
LBEE said:
I got tired of the pins & The Mess came up with the following to use in the tumbler. 3 Tablespoons of Simple Green
1 Tablespoon of Dawn DW Soap
1/8 teaspoon of Lemi Shine

When I remove them they look look Gold Cases. This works for me & is a lot quicker Than spending time messing with the pins. I just use a Metal collander
pour everything in & RINCE VERY WELL & put the Brass on a Large Bath towel
& roll around or just let air dry or if in a hurry use a Hair dryer.
Click to expand...

With this method, are the primer pockets as clean as when using SS media?
 
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