Noise level of vibratory tumbler...

[evan price]

I run mine while I sleep, it's three rooms and two closed doors away.

When it is chock-full (probably overfull) you get a grinding rattle that is the cases chunking together. When it is loaded to "proper" brass levels and enough media, it just sort of makes a hissing humming sound.

I like the white noise anyway.

 

[coloradokevin]

I have the same tumbler as the OP.

Make sure you use enough media, and make sure you have the lid screwed on tight (if there is any wiggle in the lid, it will make one heck of a rattle).

Anyway, I put mine in the basement, and it doesn't really bother me there. The reloading room is right below my office, so I can hear it slightly while I type. But, after five or ten minutes of hearing it, I drown it out just like other ambient noises (like you would a fan or air conditioner, etc).

They certainly aren't the quietest devices ever made!

 

[Corner Pocket]

Loving those shiny cases!

Thanks to all who replied. I've experimented a bit in the past couple of days. I now have a better idea of how to do it, and the batch that I tumbled this morning did not sound quite as loud as a helicopter landing on the roof.

CP

 

[orionengnr]

Mine is in the garage. I use a light timer (like you use for Christmas lights) and let it run while I'm at work.

 

[moooose102]

mine is loud enough to bother me. so i put it in a basement closet that has a concrete floor, close the door and plug it into a timer for 2 hours. being in the basement closet keeps it very quiet in the rest of the house, and the 2 hour timer is so i dont forget it is running!

 

[Corner Pocket]

Pleased with overall results...

The noisy operation of the tumbler notwithstanding, I've now tumbled several hundred cases of different calibers. These first experiments have shown me that a reasonably nice cleaning/polishing operation takes about three hours with the tumbler that I have. (Using walnut media.) By adding an additional hour to the process, the shine is MUCH better. Not that the shiny ones shoot any better, but it is nice to start off with some really nice-looking brass, no?

CP

 

[Halo]

You'll probably find that it starts to work better with each load you run. New media has a "break in" period, where initially your cases get cleaned but have sort of a filmy appearance. This goes away after a while. I think you'll also find that corncob media will produce more luster, whereas walnut is better at cleaning. I run a batch through walnut, then through corncob if I want it really, really shiny. And yes that nice shiny brass is nice! It may not shoot better, but then again a freshly washed and waxed car seems to run better.

 

[Fixxah]

Mine runs smooth and quiet with around 200 .45 ACP cases.