Thumler's Model B Tumbler

[Zaydok Allen]

Hey all,

Do to some unforeseen expenses and a decision that new windows in my home was more important than purchasing reloading equipment, I had to take a several month hiatus from accumulating the needed items to begin my adventure into the wonderful world of reloading.

So now that the holidays are past and my wallet is recuperating, I figured I better stress myself out once more financially, and acquire the rest of the needed equipment. MY Dillon 550B just looks at me and sobs every time I go into my attic, so I figure I better put her to use soon.

This brings me to a tumbler. I had my heart set on a Dillon CV-2001 vibe cleaner, but I've read some disturbing reviews of them quitting after a year or two, and the warranty is only for one year. Then I read about Thumler's rock tumblers, and that they are very well made, last a long time, and are considerably quieter than vibe cleaners. I read reviews by a few different people saying theyhad bought a new one because their 20+ year old one was starting to get beat up. That's a pretty good endorsement as far as I'm concerned.

Here's the other factors. I am very sound sensitive. I do not have a garage either. But I do have a basement. I'm concerned a vibe cleaner will drive me crazy while it's running. I also have two cats, who are also very obviously sound sensitive. I also have an interest in polishing stones. I actually inherited a large lapidary setup, but haven't found the time to use it yet. So being able to polish stones as well as clean brass is rather appealing to me. So I'm thinking this might be the model for me. In addition, Cabela's carries them, and I have enough points to completely pay for it. I wouldn't have to spend a dime.

I'd appreciate any input and anecdotes about Thumler's Tumblers. Good or bad, please share. If I'm overlooking something, please point it out.

 

[MEHavey]

Vibe cleaners are actually very quiet, while the true tumblers are akin to rattling marble in a tin can.
But if you're into stone polishing stone as well, the Thumler B is the only way to go -- even tho' noisy

 

[splattergun]

I recently bought a Thumlers B model at a yard sale for $20. They said it was about 25 years old. It was missing a couple parts, but I easily found them with a quick google search. All parts for the model B are available and reasonably priced from several vendors. ONe of the parts that I forgot to add to my order was a package of replacement belts (the one on the machine was old and brittle), so I tried a belt from the package that came with my Harbor Freight double barrel tumbler. They fit! This yard sale find runs like a charm and the motor is quiet. You will notice that there are 3 different notches for the static rod to go. These different notches are how the barrel rotation speed is adjusted.

Any tumbler is going to have a certain noise level, what with all the stuff banging around in the barrel, but this is fairly quiet IMO.

My daughter and I were sharing my HF tumbler. I just gave it to her for keeps for her rock polishing.

 

[NeuseRvrRat]

You will notice that there are 3 different notches for the static rod to go. These different notches are how the barrel rotation speed is adjusted.

Those notches are for smaller drums. You can't change the drum RPMs unless you change the speed of the motor or the size of one of the pulleys. I guess the drum RPMs do change when you put smaller drums on it, though.

 

[MEHavey]

I was scratching my head too.

 

[mahansm]

There are two motors available from Thumler; the one you want for brass is the high speed version. The low speed is for rock polishing.

 

[Zaydok Allen]

There are two motors available from Thumler; the one you want for brass is the high speed version. The low speed is for rock polishing.

Good info

 

[dredd]

I have been using the Thumler B for a few years.
I am very happy with it.
There are also other machines in the market now that do the same thing.
I have a friend that uses one of the others.
It does the same job just as well.
It is also just as "noisy".

In a nut shell, you will be pleased with the results using a rotary.

 

[joed]

Are they any good? I've owned one for 38 years and it's still going strong. The base is starting to rust but other then that no problems. If I get a chance I'll post a picture of it.

About 6 years ago I said once it died I'd get into the pin tumbling but it doesn't look like that will ever happen.

As to quiet. I wouldnt want to be in the same room with it but I've run it in the basement and it's fine.

 

[Bayou52]

I've been wet tumbling with SS pins for over 4 years now. I bought a new Thumler's model B high speed. It's a workhorse, for sure. My tumbling batches are around 5 pounds of brass, but I've, on occasion, tumbled over 8 pounds of brass with zero signs of stress on the tumbler.

Since I purchased the Thumbler's, several newer rotary wet tumblers have come to market including the Rebel 17 (similar to the Thumler's but with ball bearing axles on the carriage) and the Frankford Arsenal rotary tumbler. I've read a lot of good reports about each of them.

The only issue I've had with the Thumler's was that the factory belts were wearing out too quickly. I changed to a same-sized o-ring and the very first o-ring is over 3 years old and still going strong after countless tumbling hours. It was about 50 cents. If anyone wants the website to the same-sized o-ring, just let me know.

Other than that, the Thumler's is a Trojan, and I'd be hard pressed not to recommend it for SS rotary wet tumbling if the capacity suits your needs.

Bayou

 

[Laphroaig]

I've had mine for 25+ years. Its the only tumbler I've ever had so I can't compare.

The belts are vacuum cleaner belts. Find the same size and you are GTG.

 

[Zaydok Allen]

Hey again gents. Well, I think I'm sold on the Thumler's. I have been saving 9mm, 45acp, 357 mag, 38 special, 45 Colt, 454 Casull, and 460 S&W brass for about 8 years now, and have several hundred pounds of brass to reload. However, time constraints are only going to allow me to load a few hundred rounds at a time, so the capacity on the Thumler's sounds fine to me. this is a hobby I expect to engage in for the rest of my life. So I'm not terribly concerned about cleaning 1200 cases at a time.250-500 at a time will be great. And honestly, I only have a 45 acp tool head and dies anyway right now. Expanding to other cartridges will have to wait.

Based on some of the length of service times people have mentioned, I think a $200 investment with a new belt here and there is a pretty reasonable cost. Additionally, I may put it to use tumbling some rocks also. Should be fun.

Ok, so now I have to ask what I'm sure some folks will think is a little silly. I'm looking to reload range ammo. I want to shoot a lot more than I do, so reloading in a progressive setup makes sense. So I'm not concerned about getting a mirror polish on my brass. I just want it clean enough that my hands aren't covered in fouling when handling the reloaded ammo, and to help aid in smooth feeding. After reading about stainless steel media, it sounds like you need some room to rinse, and dry your brass and media. To be honest, that is not real appealing because of the setup of my home. I don't have a convenient drying area, or even a utility sink to rinse brass in. I guess I could do it at my kitchen sink though, but I'm not wild about having potential lead contamination in the same sink where I am preparing food only inches away.

So I'm thinking about just doing the traditional walnut/corn cob media method rather than wet tumbling. Of course, that means some dust will be generated, and I may need to tumble longer. What do you guys think? How well does a Thumler's contain dust? Am I being silly by not just jumping straight to stainless wet tumbling?

Also, since I'm using a Dillon 55B that deprimes cases before repriming them, wet tumbling seems like kind of a bad idea given that moisture could sit in the primer pocket. I guess I could use my press to deprime first, but that seems like I'm defeating half the purpose of the first stage.

It's a lot of questions, I know.

 

[NeuseRvrRat]

I like my Thumler's, but if I was buying one today, I'd go for the Frankford Arsenal Rotary Tumbler. I like that the whole end unscrews instead of having to mess with a bunch of wingnuts. It also comes with stainless media in case you want to try that eventually.

 

[mahansm]

My process now is sort, resize/deprime (with lube, for bottleneck cases), wet tumble with pins, dry for 24 hours or so, do other bottleneck prep (trim, primer pocket swedge, chamfer, debur), and then run through the progressive without resizing. I typically have batches of brass lying around ready to load.

Thumler's tip: Lightly lube the insides of the nylon bushings with silicone grease. This reduces friction and operating temperatures.
2nd Thumlers's tip: Don't leave the barrel sitting upright on the rollers with the lid loose, pins inside, power switch on, and connected to the timer...

 

[Laphroaig]

First, the tumbler is air tight w/r to dust with dry media. I use corn cob with a splash of polish and I'm pretty satisfied after 2-3 hours. I do take it outside to empty.

I agree with your logic w/r to the stainless media wet tumbling. First, it takes awhile to be absolutely sure your cases are dry. Second, the big advantage is to do it after depriming for sparkly primer pockets. That means fully progressive loading isn't an option. There's another thread going on now about that subject. I'm one who likes to go from start to finish on my 550B, especially with pistol ammo. But I do agree the wet tumbling results are impressive.

 

[salpal48]

I tumble Cases as well as Rocks. As per the Noise . Thumler with Cases and Media will not be Loud. . Thumbler with Rocks Is. The constant Grinding for day on end will be Old shortly.. To use it i for both I think would be a disaster. I prefer Tumbling rock with a Better made machine. On a Thumler You can't Get 15 Lb of cases in it . With rock 15 -20 Lb is another story
With thumler 5/16 shaft you will Replace it faster using rocks.
I prefer My machines to Be Sears, Star diamond, Diamond pacific or Scott murray.

Hey all,

Do to some unforeseen expenses and a decision that new windows in my home was more important than purchasing reloading equipment, I had to take a several month hiatus from accumulating the needed items to begin my adventure into the wonderful world of reloading.

So now that the holidays are past and my wallet is recuperating, I figured I better stress myself out once more financially, and acquire the rest of the needed equipment. MY Dillon 550B just looks at me and sobs every time I go into my attic, so I figure I better put her to use soon.

This brings me to a tumbler. I had my heart set on a Dillon CV-2001 vibe cleaner, but I've read some disturbing reviews of them quitting after a year or two, and the warranty is only for one year. Then I read about Thumler's rock tumblers, and that they are very well made, last a long time, and are considerably quieter than vibe cleaners. I read reviews by a few different people saying theyhad bought a new one because their 20+ year old one was starting to get beat up. That's a pretty good endorsement as far as I'm concerned.

Here's the other factors. I am very sound sensitive. I do not have a garage either. But I do have a basement. I'm concerned a vibe cleaner will drive me crazy while it's running. I also have two cats, who are also very obviously sound sensitive. I also have an interest in polishing stones. I actually inherited a large lapidary setup, but haven't found the time to use it yet. So being able to polish stones as well as clean brass is rather appealing to me. So I'm thinking this might be the model for me. In addition, Cabela's carries them, and I have enough points to completely pay for it. I wouldn't have to spend a dime.

I'd appreciate any input and anecdotes about Thumler's Tumblers. Good or bad, please share. If I'm overlooking something, please point it out.

 

[Tilos]

Hey all,

Do to some unforeseen expenses and a decision that new windows in my home was more important than purchasing reloading equipment, I had to take a several month hiatus from accumulating the needed items to begin my adventure into the wonderful world of reloading.

So now that the holidays are past and my wallet is recuperating, I figured I better stress myself out once more financially, and acquire the rest of the needed equipment. MY Dillon 550B just looks at me and sobs every time I go into my attic, so I figure I better put her to use soon.

This brings me to a tumbler. I had my heart set on a Dillon CV-2001 vibe cleaner, but I've read some disturbing reviews of them quitting after a year or two, and the warranty is only for one year. Then I read about Thumler's rock tumblers, and that they are very well made, last a long time, and are considerably quieter than vibe cleaners. I read reviews by a few different people saying theyhad bought a new one because their 20+ year old one was starting to get beat up. That's a pretty good endorsement as far as I'm concerned.

Here's the other factors. I am very sound sensitive. I do not have a garage either. But I do have a basement. I'm concerned a vibe cleaner will drive me crazy while it's running. I also have two cats, who are also very obviously sound sensitive. I also have an interest in polishing stones. I actually inherited a large lapidary setup, but haven't found the time to use it yet. So being able to polish stones as well as clean brass is rather appealing to me. So I'm thinking this might be the model for me. In addition, Cabela's carries them, and I have enough points to completely pay for it. I wouldn't have to spend a dime.

I'd appreciate any input and anecdotes about Thumler's Tumblers. Good or bad, please share. If I'm overlooking something, please point it out.

As far as noise goes, I just put the tumbler on a piece of carpet and drop a cardboard box over it, while it's running.
works for me
I suppose you could line the box with foam to further quite it down.

 

[H&R Glock]

Thumbler's can supply some slightly used parts at sweetheart prices if you ask them.
Tumble stones and brass in different drums. Stone grit becomes embedded in the drum walls and can be excessively abrasive on brass. (been there done that)