Der homemade tank tumblerator

[OMyMyOHellYes]

Today's project - der homemade tank tumblerator - primarily intended for oxygen cleaning ....

Recipe:

1 Cheap BD Workmate table/bench (amazon)​

1 pair of cheap skateboard trucks (wide as possible) (amazon)​

1 set wide skateboard wheels and bearings (amazon)​

8 #10-32 pitch machine screws, 1 1/2" long, washers and self-locking nuts (Home Despot)​

​

Mix together; screw down; load bottle with favorite cleaning tumbling materials; plug tank; adjust bench opening (this is why I wanted the BD table: good height for working, but more importantly, the ability to adjust the width between the two turning axles for bigger/smaller tanks (not that size matters), but better yet, the ability to change the width at either end of the tank so the tank will run true and not want to run towards one end or the other...)

Supervisory Saint Bernard is optional, but recommended.

OMMOHY

 

[sharknutz]

Sweet rig! Are you turning the tank by hand or do you have plans to add a small electric motor?

 

[OMyMyOHellYes]

Sweet rig! Are you turning the tank by hand or do you have plans to add a small electric motor?

Just hand turning - easier to control and given the likely small quantity of tanks to be done (from my own stable of probably 25-30 bottles) didn't see adding complexity or cost, but mostly complexity.

10/15 minutes at a time is not too much drudgery.

OMMOHY

 

[Boarderguy]

Small "high torque" and low speed motor for $10. Easy to install a rubber wheel on a tensioner to turn the tank for you. Adjust the wheel size to get more rpm on your tank. $10 is worth saving my energy and likely to get a more consistent result.

https://a.co/d/3kO87o5

 

[happy-diver]

There's always a treadmil on the side of the road somewhere during hard rubbish collection where I was at

 

[ScubaBunga]

There's always a treadmil on the side of the road somewhere during hard rubbish collection where I was at

that's how I built mine - I didn't gear it so motor control is a bit touchy using the treadmill controls but it tumbles the tanks! Nice to turn it on and walk away for a while, come back and empty/rinse/dry and have nice shiny inside tank.

 

[tmassey]

Clever! I had a similar idea, but *much* less sophisticated:

https://scubaboard.com/community/attachments/wheels-png.723914/

A dozen 1-inch rubber wheels. $12 plus a scrap bit of board and wood screws.

Works well enough. I chose the height of the wheels and distance between the rows such that a 5.5” tank (e.g. AL40) and an 8” tank (e,g, HP130) would both work. I’ve used it a few times and I’ve never had a problem with the tank wandering.

For hand-powering, I’m not sure there’s much of a difference between our designs in result. But your idea would make integrating a motor below the table a lot more straightforward. I haven’t needed to tumble a tank yet (especially since I figured out phosphoric acid cleaning) but if I do, I will certainly consider an upgrade!