Good Evening All,

I have read all the threads I could find concerning vibratory tumblers and media choices. It had been some time since the topic has been discussed and I'm hoping to start a discussion about what is working well. I'll kick things off with what I'm using and hopefully some others will join the thread with some other ideas!

I am using a two or three step process depending on how much help a blade needs.

If the razor is in bad shape/ badly oxidized I start with green pyramids that have been treated to Turtle Wax Rubbing Compound and 3m Marine Metal Restorer. In adding the Turtle Wax/3m the mixture can get too thick to keep moving in the tumbler. Adding it slowly over time for the initial load helps with this. Once it's loaded and going frequent refreshing in small amounts seems to keep this from repeating. I've considered putting a dollop of the TW/3m on something a few days ahead and letting it dry out, then grinding the resulting (I assume) dirt clod-esque lump into a powder and adding it to the tumbler, but haven't tested this yet. This step doesn't really polish the blades, but cleans them up pretty well and lets me see what I'm dealing with. If there is Magnetite (black rust) it won't remove it but at least there is some sense of where things are before heading to the buffer.

The entry on vibratory tumblers in the library references mixing pyramids with walnut shell to remove scratches from as low as 320 grit sandpaper. I haven't had success getting green pyramids alone to do this. I haven't tried with the walnut but am very interested in being able to use the tumbler to remove scratches that are deep. Has anyone had success with this? Have you tried other media? Has anyone given ceramics a try? I am concerned ceramic may be too abrasive and could round off parts of the blade that shouldn't be rounded.

Step two is 18/40 walnut shells impregnated with Mothers. This smooths out the green pyramid marks (I'd call it a rough satin finish) and begins the polishing process. Depending on how far the blade went on the buffer/sanding it can start here after finishing that step. If there was no magnetite or pitting just some tarnish I just begin here. If the buffer/sanding scratches are deeper I go back to the pyramids first. Does anyone have experience with 12/20 walnut shells? Is there any difference from 18/40?

The last step is the final polishing. Corn cob with semichrome is my go to here. It seems to do a great job.

Thanks everyone for reading my long first post (after the introduction post). I'll look forward to seeing your responses!