Vibratory Tumbler

Ocelot85 · Jun 18, 2019

Is the larger model tumbler from Harbor Freight worth it for tumbling small blades? I saw a few reviews that seemed to be from knife makers who said it worked alright. I'm looking to try tumbling some of my smaller EDC blades with ceramic media to give a stonewash finish. Anyone have first hand experience with one of these models?

https://www.harborfreight.com/18-lb-vibratory-bowl-with-liquid-drain-hose-96923.html

jll346 · Jun 18, 2019

Works EXCELLENT! Get a 20 or possibly a 25% coupon and its a bargain. Liam Hoffman recommend It to me. He uses his a ton and his work speaks for itself!!

Jim

Robert Erickson · Jun 18, 2019

Yep, just got one and it works great. I can't speak for it's longevity but so far it's been great. I wish I would have gotten one sooner. It's easy to use. I bought 15lbs of ceramic media and filled it roughly 2/3 full of windex and it's ready to go. About 20-30min is what I've been doing.

Lieblad · Jun 19, 2019

Glad to hear of good reviews on it.
Fwiw, I would look into making it variable speed. Vibratory tumbling is a science to itself. So many variables play into it. Size & shape of parts, type of abrasive and speed.
Having a fixed speed seriously hinders. But once speed is dialed in right, parts can roll thru like a beauty.

Ocelot85 · Jun 19, 2019

Robert Erickson said:
Yep, just got one and it works great. I can't speak for it's longevity but so far it's been great. I wish I would have gotten one sooner. It's easy to use. I bought 15lbs of ceramic media and filled it roughly 2/3 full of windex and it's ready to go. About 20-30min is what I've been doing.

Those blades look really nice! Do you do a etch or media blast before tumbling or just straight from the belts to the tumbler?

Robert Erickson · Jun 19, 2019

Ocelot85 said:
Those blades look really nice! Do you do a etch or media blast before tumbling or just straight from the belts to the tumbler?

Thanks! I etched in FeCl for 5 min before tumbling.

JAGKNIFE · Jun 19, 2019

Check the gun equipment stories on line such as cheaper than dirt and midway etc. I picked up one on one of those sites for about $50 and it worked like a Champ.

REK Knives · Jun 19, 2019

I have that hf tumbler and it works pretty good for matte stonewashes, but don't expect to get a nice polished stonewash from it - it does not have enough energy or mass to do that. That's why I want to step up to a mr deburr!