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Post by Son Of Beach on Nov 1, 2021 6:35:50 GMT -5
Woke up around 2:30 this morning and right away I noticed the white noise that is my tumblers was much louder like it was in the same room. Snapped out of my drowsy, jumped up, and went into the next room and I find the culprit of the extra noise The paper thin lid
The aftermath. Most everything stayed on the table and not on the floor. Now I had put the equivalent of two quarters on the right side to level it out. Straight out of the box and on my table the motor pulley squeaked badly. Even after that it was still slightly leaning right and not left where the leak happened. Part of me wonders if it was gas blowout, but when I look at the lid my initial blame is on the lid and not a buildup of gas. I read through some older posts on this forum that people had to replace their lids every so often (year or longer?) so I expected it to fail, but I've only had this for a month and there is no way they can sell a lid that will wear out after 4 tumbles, right? I'm pretty much over this tumbler at this point, compared to my little lortone 33B, it's not even close in quality. I'll call Thumler's and see what my options are. Frustrated.
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Post by knave on Nov 1, 2021 12:56:04 GMT -5
That rubber piece does wear. Usually in the center there. Larger grit accelerates the wear.
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Post by Son Of Beach on Nov 1, 2021 12:58:05 GMT -5
So after talking with Thumler's customer service, it seems I'm partially (mostly) to blame. He suggested the rocks I'm putting in are too large or at least that I'm putting to many large rocks in at once....possibly one got stuck in a bad position and just bored a hole in the center. I found this post about AR12 Lids. I'm going to order a couple new lids and try the Plastidip method and of course (maybe) lessen the amount of large rocks in each batch. At the very least I need a spill tray. Just surprised it wore out in 3.5 weeks.
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Post by rmf on Nov 1, 2021 15:40:28 GMT -5
I hate tumbler vomit. It is a mess to clean up.
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Post by jasoninsd on Nov 1, 2021 20:24:30 GMT -5
Son Of Beach - My heart goes out to you...I absolutely HATE it when things like this happen! One way or another, it's gonna serve as one of those "life lessons". Cleanup could have been FAR worse...so you had that (at least) going in your favor.
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Post by Son Of Beach on Nov 2, 2021 8:57:06 GMT -5
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Post by Starguy on Nov 8, 2021 16:36:26 GMT -5
Son Of BeachAre the first two photos showing the lid liner? I’ve had two gas blowouts due to the material I was tumbling. I haven’t had a barrel or liner blowout so far, knock on wood. I try to check the barrels every day to watch for bulging. Check the bushings at the ends of the rollers before you start rolling again. If they got grit in them, they can get damaged and possibly damage the ends of the steel roller. Good luck. Sorry you have to clean up the mess. Chalk it up to a learning experience.
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Post by Son Of Beach on Nov 8, 2021 16:52:26 GMT -5
Starguy Yea, that's the end result of the lid, not my favorite to wake up to lol. That's good advice on the rollers, I noticed there was some rust from the water that spilled on the rollers so I'll need to clean those up and add some lubrication. I bought an acrylic lid and used the PlastiDip for extra coating. I'll post pictures if the results are good. I also added ceramic media for the first time and I imagine it will take much longer, but I'm hoping that it helps cushion some of the impact on the back side of the lid.
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Post by Starguy on Nov 8, 2021 17:11:02 GMT -5
I’ve never owned a Thumlers. I use Lortones. I can’t say one is better than the other but I have a Lortone 12 pounder that is 28 years old. I replaced the lid gasket once, the belt once, the knurled nuts that seal the barrel three times. It’s still rolling rocks.
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CLErocks
spending too much on rocks
Member since October 2021
Posts: 342
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Post by CLErocks on Nov 8, 2021 17:57:29 GMT -5
Oh NOOO! Sorry this happened!!
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Post by Son Of Beach on Nov 8, 2021 18:20:20 GMT -5
I’ve never owned a Thumlers. I use Lortones. I can’t say one is better than the other but I have a Lortone 12 pounder that is 28 years old. I replaced the lid gasket once, the belt once, the knurled nuts that seal the barrel three times. It’s still rolling rocks. I think the tumbler is fine, but the lid is a bit of a headscratcher...nothing I can't work thru. I wanted a Lortone 12lb but I grew impatient and I had to have one that weekend...
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Post by Starguy on Nov 9, 2021 12:04:09 GMT -5
Son Of BeachImpatient and tumbler should never be used in the same sentence. LOL. This tumbler failure should not have happened. I’m sure you will resolve the problem but a leaking barrel is a major inconvenience. Let us know how it works out. I’m sure you will be rolling rocks again soon.
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Post by Son Of Beach on Dec 23, 2021 23:34:51 GMT -5
When procrastination meets redneck engineer wannabe
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Post by jasoninsd on Dec 24, 2021 0:07:05 GMT -5
When procrastination meets redneck engineer wannabe
If you can't duck it.... (I'm sure you know the rest of that phrase! LOL)
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Post by Son Of Beach on Jan 19, 2022 19:12:16 GMT -5
I'll just keep posting fixes on this tumbler to this thread...maybe someday, someone will find it useful...or just laugh at my half assed fixes Better to be lucky than good. Managed to jam this caster between the plate and ball bearings and it took. I'd prefer it swivel, but it seems to be holding for now. Yes, that is a sock
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Post by Son Of Beach on Feb 24, 2022 18:12:03 GMT -5
Just a quick update, I know this is a hot take thread. I've toned down the duct tape (make a cross and maybe a third strip if you are really feeling it) and also learned that, ideally, you want to use duct tape that is between 8-10 years old. So if you can scour your father or grandfather's basement or the shelf under their workbench, you should find the right fix. Don't go for the Gorrila Glue version, you'll never get it off. The cheap, old stuff wears just enough that the grinding takes care of half your mess, letting you layer up for the next run. Flip your lid for extended use . Also the caster is a life saver, I'm cleaning every other week instead of every 4-5 days.
I still think my Rebel 17 is a superior tumbler, but these little tweaks help bridge the gap.
This is after one week of wear.
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Post by parfive on Feb 24, 2022 20:36:18 GMT -5
Duct tape sucks. Use black electrical tape.
The lid on your coarse barrel . . . keep an eye on it and when you feel it getting thin, tape it. It’ll last for months and you can just add more when needed. Easy to get a year or more before you spring for a new lid.
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Post by Son Of Beach on Apr 1, 2022 15:52:29 GMT -5
So I just went to do a cleanout on a different tumbler and noticed my AR12 wasn't moving. Picked up the barrel and the motor started spinning again and was really hot to the touch.
I took out 2-3 "larger" rocks and am going to let it cool down before trying again.
Is it safe to assume I just overloaded it, or could there be something else I'm not thinking of?
Also, was the motor shutting off a safety stop, or was it trying to turn that whole time and that's were the extreme heat come from?
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JBe
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2019
Posts: 103
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Post by JBe on Apr 1, 2022 16:14:17 GMT -5
For what it's worth I keep my larger rotaries on a large baking sheet. That way if there's a blowout or a leak it stays contained. It's pretty cheap insurance against dried slurry ending up everyehere you don't want it.
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stefan
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2005
Posts: 14,113
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Post by stefan on Apr 17, 2022 16:46:39 GMT -5
Late to this post but here is how I solved the problem of the AR12 lids wearing out in 6 months (all I use it for is course so yeah they go quick). I got a hold of some 1/4" acrylic. I used a jig saw to cut a slightly smaller piece that fit the lid. I used Harbor Freight super glue and baking soda to attach the lid. A put a full tube around the edge (just to be sure it is sealed tight. Allow to dry a week and add a layer of plasti-dip (not really needed). The hardest part is centering the patch on the lid. How long does the repair last? Going on 8 years now.
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