Tumblers

[Sandra]

I've been reading comments about using tumblers to do polishing. I have a small rock tumbler, would that suffice? I have also read steel shot and soap is what's used. Looking at the prices of steel shot, is there a cheaper alternative?

[Dennis]

Your rock tumbler will work fine Sandra, but as they usually have a smooth surface inside instead of ribs, the tumbling effect might be a little slower. Allow about 3 hours for metal.

As for shot, the cheapest as far as I know is from Sutton tools, as they sell smaller quantities. The problem anyhow is that too much shot will weigh your barrel down, so that it will not go round.

Another serious problem is that if you have mixed shot with balls, satellites and needles, they will reach all the crevices, but the needles will leave unsightly pinpricks. So you might opt to sacrifice some of the effect, by omitting the needles.

As far as soap is concerned, the most basic washing up liquid, with the minimum of additives will do the job. Dennis.

[LydiaNiz]

haha, you just summed up what it took me about 5 hours to say in my cookson review Dennis! Pinpricks. Ech.

[silvermagpie]

As far as soap is concerned, the most basic washing up liquid, with the minimum of additives will do the job. Dennis.
Really?
So i've been wasting money on expensive barrelling compounds then? :/
Can you tell me which washing up liquids work best?

[Dennis]

Not entirely. We all have our favourite soap, but it is only used as a lubricant for the shot, so I doubt whether it makes that much difference in the long term. For instance, I use Burnishing Soap "B" freely available online, but after some hours the very high shine disappears.

If I were on a budget, I would choose a cheap washing up liquid from the Budget range in my supermarket, hoping that it would contain very few additives such as fragrance and oil to be kind to hands. You just want the plainest possible detergent that will not leave a deposit on your work. Dennis.

[mizgeorge]

Pure soap flakes (the sort for handwashing delicates) are a good budget alternative. If you want to use washing up liquid, it's very important that it doesn't contain any antibacterial agents, fragrance or bleach, which many do. I also use burnishing soap B (mainly because I live in a very hard water area and it gives me better results than barrelbrite), but on the rare occasions I've run out, I either use a mixture of pure soap and tsp, which seems to work well, and is inexpensive.

[Sandra]

I'm back with yet another question guys, I hope you aren't getting tired of me! When it comes to tumbling, will it smooth the small cutout areas that I have pierced and sawed or should I still get those nice and smooth with files before tumbling? Oh and would steel ball bearings work in place of steel shot? ( I'm not sure what size steel shot is)

[Dennis]

If cut out areas are jagged, they will not improve much with tumbling, so the secret is to use slightly finer saw blades than you might normally choose, saw light-handedly and accurately and finish where necessary with needle files.

The smallest needle files are called escapement files, but the finest files of all are the saw blades themselves, sometimes used in reverse.

Most of us use stainless steel shot, as it does not rust and remains smooth. If using steel ball bearings, make sure they are clean by tumbling with soap for some hours first. Store them dry to avoid rust. Ideally they would be mixed sizes between 2mm and 4mm in diameter. Shot for tumbling contains satellites for a better burnishing action. The needles, I have already mentioned above. Dennis.

[Sandra]

Thanks Dennis! I have an escapement file on its way to me. Just when I think I have all the tools I need I discover I need one more lol. Spent the day sawing, piercing, annealing, forging, texturing to the point my hands are aching but have nothing yet I'd want to show anyone!

[Dennis]

Spent the day sawing, piercing, annealing, forging, texturing to the point my hands are aching

It's the only way, Sandra.