'Nother tank tumbler

[vshearer]

Runs at about 130rpm but works great with phosphoric acid & aquarium gravel.

Skateboard for wheels $10 at KMart
Bowrollers at WalMart $3.60 ea

From Surplus Center
8" pulley $13
1.75 pulley $4.00
1/8 HP 115VAC motor $13
1/2" 40" belt $9.50
5/8 pillow block bearings $9.00/each
5/8 36" shaft $18

Motor turns at 1725 * (1.75/8)*(3/7.25)=156rpm for 7.25 dia. tank.
Looked to be turning between 130 and 140 under load.
Main concern was whether it would turn so fast as to keep the gravel/slurry pinned to the sides but it worked fine. I only used about 1/3 tank volume of gravel and acid mix, just lifted the tumbler to get the bottom. I used the motor/pulley solution as I could not find a suitable gearmotor at a decent price anywhere, of course right after I got this one turned up on ebay.

 

[do it easy]

What kind of motor did you use?

 

[vshearer]

1/8 hp 115 VAC

 

[do it easy]

1/8 hp 115 VAC

Did you buy it or "harvest" it from a washer/dryer/junk pile? What RPM does the motor spin at?

 

[vshearer]

See above. I added details. The neighborhood kids love this thing.

 

[do it easy]

See above. I added details. The neighborhood kids love this thing.

Thanks for the details. I have a homebrewed one too, but my motor spins around 3000 RPMs so I have to either get more pulleys or just hook it up to my bicycle/training stand.

And yes, there is something hypotic about watching tanks roll.

 

[vshearer]

One note, as you can see I was intending to set it up as a two tank tumbler. It runs fine with one tank (I ran it for 4 hours today without the motor overheating, did two tanks) but two at once might be a bit much. Now I just gotta go find some more rusty steel tanks to buy.

 

[WallDiver77]

Hey...... Very cool; I need this!

Could you please post one more picture showing what is supporting the tank on the other side? (the side we can't see in your original picture)

I live in the desert and we use swamp coolers out here.... most of these parts are readily available. THe shaft, though, I'm not sure about.

Thanks for sharing the design of a useful project!

 

[MSDT Mark]

Very nice, great break down on the details of your tumbler. What is your source for phosphoric acid?

Mark

 

[vshearer]

Here is the original intended design. There was another thread on here with a link to a tumble one of the ladies built and she had the idea for the skateboard wheels. Brilliant idea. But I found that it is hard to keep them from wanting to twist too much with only one set to the tank once it wants to walk, so I may use both on one side, or find a way to stiffent the wheel axle. You can buy phosporic acid as "Ospho" at most marine or paint supply stores. I dilute it about 20 to 1. Do a search on here and you will find several threads discussing tumbling methodology. It is what got me started.

Some tumblers don't use a center support for the shaft, but I would strongly suggest you do or it will flex. (Or use a 3/4 or larger shaft but that will bring on other problems.)