harbor freight rock tumbler (used for AS tumbling)

[justin 561]

I have seen this on a few different forums used for tumbling with SS media. It holds 3lbs in each drum. So I would guess 1lb SS media, 1/2 lb solution, 1 1/2 lb brass?

Here is the tumbler


Anyone have experience with this? I have heard the only flaw is the belts (6are included) and this can be solved with vacuum belt.

Thanks for reading.

 

[rhinoh]

I've got the single drum version but have not used it for reloading purposes.
One thing to note- the Chinese rubber really stinks! On mine I had to set it outside for a few weeks to let the smell dissipate.

 

[Analogkid]

I use several. The dual drum style and the single drum. I put a in handful of stainless pin media in each along with a pinch of lemi shine and 3 or so drops of dawn. I fill them up enough(38/357) to where there's just enough room for them to tumble a bit with hot water.

I run them for 2 hours and they are spotless including pockets.

Never had any issues with any of them. I saved and cleaned brass for years before I started reloading. I think they all come with replacement drive belts but I have never had anything break on me.

You can get them to not stink from the rubber(which really isn't that big of a deal) just by throwing in media when they are new with dawn ,Apple cider vinegar and letting that run for a hour or so.

 

[Analogkid]

Tried to put this all in one post... Silly phone .

One thing I did is Make sure to mark Rotation on the units so I can give each one a twist in that direction upon flipping them on. I'm sure that has saved the stock belts for so long.

Sometimes I overload the drums and if you flip them on they can take a second to get to speed.
If you were to let them gather speed the belt would be wearing out faster than usual.

You can fit a bunch of 9mm and 38s in them for what they are. 1 hour run times usually get them near perfect. But I always just let them run for 2.

I say get them. They work great.

 

[<*(((><]

I've used that exact model for about a year and half and haven't had any problems with mine, still on the original belt. I ordered a couple extra belts as I've heard they break easily, only to realize that HF sends about 6 extra belts with the unit, so money wasted there.

When I got it i took off the top stainless looking metal on the left side of the picture and oiled the spindles and made sure the belt was in good alignment (others have said theirs needed some adjustment), mine was pretty good from the factory. I try and take that off and put a little bit of oil on the spindles occasionally.

It works great for what I use it for, and the price was right with a 20% off coupon.

 

[justin 561]

Thanks for the replies. I guess I will go out and get one as everything I've read thus far has SS tumbling looking like the better option than walnut/corn cob or ultra sonic cleaning. I could careless about how shiny the outside looks as long as it gets primer pocket/inside clean. The harbor freight (Chicago tools) tumbler seems like a better deal at $54+ 20% off coupon that i have rather than the name brand at $250+.

About how many .223 or .308 win can be tumbled with media/solution in each barrel? Is the "3lb maximum" the added the total weight of both barrels or is it per barrel?

 

[Analogkid]

The twin drum is 6#s total

I do not have a answer for the rifle ammo.

 

[mdi]

I dunno about the "reported" belt problems are with the HF tumblers. I got my first one in '86 and it worked quite well until I "improved" it in 2009. I got a dual drum tumbler in 2009 and it is still working great. Never had to replace a belt on either unit. I made a larger drum out of 4" PVC and one out of a nut jug (32 oz.). I also found a plastic jar that is about 6" in diameter and 8" long and it'll easily hold 150 45 ACP cases and about 80-90, 30-06 cases.

 

[<*(((><]

I think that I get about 50 .223 per drum, so running both it would be somewhere in the neighborhood of 100, I haven't actually counted, I just fill up the drum 3/4 full of SS pins, cases and water.

 

[Panfisher]

I bought the dual drum tumbler from harbor freight a few months ago and used the heck out of it with no problems. It came with extra belts but haven't needed them. A drop of oil on the bushings and made my own canister out of a length of 4" PVC sewer pipe and 2 Oates 4" compression plugs. Took a little fiddling to get the overall length right. 100 .223 cases with 2 lbs of pins in about right. I have even expirament ed with longer run times, (actually forgot it once and it ran about 12 hours), as long as the soap suds don't run out it was fine. About 2 - 3 hrs in more than enough. I was a little skeptical at first but am happy with the unit. You can get the 20% off coupon on your phone and the cashier will key it in.

 

[LocoGringo]

I bought 2 of that exact model and 1 broke a belt and 1 didn't. I replaced the broken one easily and they've both been running like a top for about 3-4 years. I fit 40 .308 brass cases in each drum, so I run about 160 .308 brass cases at once for 4 hours. I haven't experimented with how long to tumble, but if someone is saying they come out looking like new after 2 hours, maybe I need to experiment a little to find out. I've been running them for 4 hours. I also polish 6.8 SPC brass and do about 60 cases per drum.

 

[edpm3]

I've been using one for about three years with no problems and no belt breaks. Last summer I ditched the two canisters and also went with a length of PVC pipe with stoppers at both ends, the kind that tighten with a hex nut. I hated opening and unsealing the original dual cans. Now I get more in one tube and it pops open in ten seconds. I glued inside four strips cut lengthwise from some thin wall PVC pipe to make sure the cases tumble and not just slide. Works great.

By way of reference, it takes about 300 9mm cases at a time. I haven't counted the .223 or .308 but will next time.

 

[Gravedigger56]

Being from Harbor Freight, I was a bit skeptical but they DO work I must admit. My problem with them was that they just don't have any capacity so I was forced to retire them in favor of a larger tumbler. Now about the only time they get used is when I need to clean a batch of SS pins or the wife's jewelry

 

[konertjm]

I do not have a HF tumbler, I do have a home built unit that uses 6" or 8" sewer pipe.

Generally speaking, your ratio of brass to pins should not exceed 80% brass. Otherwise there are not enough pins to go around, pun not intended.


BTW, I use 10 lbs pins, that allows me about 8 lbs of brass. This works out to approximately 900+ 9mm, 800 40, and 650 45 ACP.

If you can use 4" PVC, you could probably use 6" as well. But you will need some sort of agitation to make the brass and pins tumble.

I also use the Oates test plug, and have 2 comments.
1. mine tended to leak when rotating in the direction that made the threads run similar to an Archimedian screw pump. Possibly tightening it up would have stopped the very slight leak. My drum revolves at 60 RPM, that may have an impact as well.
2. Swap the carriage bolt out for a stainless one.

After reading this thread, I may get one of the large HF tumblers for smaller lots of brass. The overall satisfaction seems pretty high for such a budget friendly piece of equipment.

 

[Analogkid]

I filled my dual drum up with 9mm brass the other day started it and then heard a bunch of crying upstairs... Seems my 2 year old son bonked his head pretty good and even though Mommy and Grammy were upstairs with him only Daddy Kisses would help his bonked head.


Needless to say the harbor freight tumbler ran for several days before I remembered it.
Silly mistake but it never faltered. The brass was especially shiny! And water especially dirty.

This one I have had for a few years and it's still on its original belt even after this fiasco.

 

[abijohn]

Got one a couple years ago when I first started reloading. Still works fine. As stated above, give the drum a little help to get started and it seems to help save on the wear and tear.

 

[jradisch]

just finished running mine to clean approximately 125 9mm cases. Got it a few months ago and use it quite a bit. It works great. I have the single drum cuz HF did not have the double drum in stock. Use 1 pound of ss pins, approx 1 pound of cases and then fill the drum with cold water to just cover the cases. (I remove the spent primers first). Using a few drops of Dawn and a pinch of Lemishine, I only run them for 1 hour and they come out looking like new. I dry them in a towel and then use a heat gun to finish drying them. This system works great.

 

[lckdnldd]

I have had my HF dual drum for about a year. Works fine. No issues. I checked the belt adjustment before it's first use. Lubed all bearings. I keep it lubed and it is still kicking.

 

[justin 561]

Thanks for all the replies. I did actually go out and buy one the day after this post because the posts I read confirmed what I thought already. I have used it pretty much nonstop for almost a month. The only problem I had so far was it kept tripping the gfi in the garage but that may have been because I had a freezer, fan, deWalt battery, and the tumbler on 1 socket..oops. and the puppy getting a hold of one of the inner lids and chewing it up. I ordered another inner lid though. My only real complaint is that it is awful to open them. The top seems to be overly snug on the barrel and I usually have to pry it open with a flat head screw driver (with a rubber tip). Still not bad for $40 and some change. I am however interested in yall's pvc barrels. Is there any way you can post some pictures of them (inside and out) so I can steal ...I mean borrow your engenuity? Thanks again.

P.s. I really despise those barrels it come with.

I hope this post comes out well, my thick fingers don't type well on these small Touch screen doo-dads.

 

[lckdnldd]

Just an FYI. Try using the flat washer that sets on the lid to pry off the lid. Less tools to keep track of.

 

[Analogkid]

Ditto on the washer trick. All of the tumblers like this style and design are hard to get the lid UNsuckered from the barre especially when new and tight. Since mine are well broken in a bit I can just bend the mouth of the barrel out and that releases the suction and allows me to pull off the lid.

Never loose the nylon threaded lid knob....they aren't readily available and are metric.

 

[Capybara]

I have the dual drum model, works great, except that sometimes the nylon threaded knob for the lid rotates on the little black plastic pad on the tumbler, loosening it and it leaks a little. I just tighten it down and keep going. Great deal, little money for a lot of cleaning capability. I am going to upgrade to the Frankford Arsenal tumbler when my gun fund has the money in it. Would like a bit more capacity but I will keep the HF, it's alwats handy to have more than one SS tumbler.