Thread: New Idea??? Experimentation....

I just finished reading all 30+ pages of this thread and have been researching vibratory tumblers. I thought I'd share this one at cabellas : Cabela's: RCBS Vibratory Case Cleaner

They have a $10 mail in rebate through the end of the year, which will help a bit.

I'm also interested in some of the media choices that have been discussed as I also restore vintage watches. In jewelry making they use stainless shot to burnish metal jewelry pieces. Those machines are a little more pricey since the motor has to be larger to handle the weight of the shot. There's also magnetic tumblers (google it for anyone interested)... but I won't even go there. So what I'm looking for is some kind of media that won't round off the straight lines/profile of a watch and that also won't get little bits of dust and particle trapped in the crevices. At this point I'm only thinking about using it to shine up the watch case, not the mechanism, btw. We don't have a lot of extra space, so I'd be interested in finding one media that could do everything, particularly with the addition of a polishing grit like Chromium oxide to the hopper. If anyone has tried any other media choices, please report back with your results.

I use walnut with Turtle Wax Rubbing Compound and corncob with Flitz. Works great for razors and my brass cases of various caliber...

Originally Posted by denmason

Ok, here's my first try. Walnut with a few ounces of metal polish. Ran it about 13 hours and the blade came out pretty shiny. I did tape the bevel with electrical tape before tossing the blade in the vibrator. Sorry I didn't take "before" photos so it's kind of a waste to post "after pics..... but here they are:







After the Vibe treatment I still had a spot of pitting at the tip. Hit it with sand paper and then the buffing wheels.

That looks awesome.

Originally Posted by gssixgun

Lots of good work going on in this thread, many people here have jumped in with both feet and done more experimenting then we could have ever hoped for.....
I think with out a doubt we have established that this is a viable method of getting an almost perfect mirror finish with out spending hours of hand cramping hours working on each blade...
My system has been proven on my 3rd razor now, and here is my break down
Sunday morning, Scrape away excess rust off blade, using a small corn razor... Start with 220 grit sandpaper and rough off the worst of the stains and rust, move to 320 grit and continue as normal, cleaning up the blade, then moving to 400 and finaly leaving a smooth clean finish ( this takes 1/2 to 1 hour)
Sunday morning the blade goes in the Treated Walnut tumbler....
Wed night after work, blade comes out of the walnut and I switch it to the Corn Cob...
Sunday morning the blade is finished and I start again...
Using this system I can work 2 blades every week if I have the need....
This is what I have done with my first 3 blades so far and I am getting mirror results... This one is a DD Special #1


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I really appreciate the input from this post.....'saving' in my subscribed threads.

Just checking in to see about vibratory tumbler recommendations nowadays. Which brands and models have held up well. The one listed on the Midway website still sells for under 40 but it's out of stock there and much more expensive elsewhere. The Harbor Freight one is up to 60 but found a 20% off coupon (read some negative things about this one throughout the thread though). I found this one on Amazon for under 40 shipped, but wondering if it's big enough?

Anyway, I figured there may be some opinions established about them by now or maybe you reloading guys would have an idea where to find a good cheap one.

Thanks to gssixgun for starting this thread and everybody else who posted. I read through most of it and it seems like a fun thing to try.

That "nano" may be a bit small. I use a Lyman Pro Magnum & the one before that was one that Cabela's put their name on & it held up for a long time. I'm just going to say "no comment" on the Harbor Freight stuff.

Originally Posted by shooter74743

That "nano" may be a bit small. I use a Lyman Pro Magnum & the one before that was one that Cabela's put their name on & it held up for a long time. I'm just going to say "no comment" on the Harbor Freight stuff.

I started hand sanding my first ebay razor and realized the only way to preserve the etching well was the tumbler.

I actually did pick up the Harbor Freight because it was convenient. The nut that holds it on was too loose and it shook free and bored a hole in the plastic cover. I did fix it by stacking a bunch of washers and lock washers and a tighter nut. The good thing is they have a 90 day return policy.

I'd used just a smidge of Blue Magic to polish out some water spots and it worked great. It also made a big difference when I added it to the crushed walnut in the tumbler - I put a whole 7 oz container in there (probably overkill, but after running it in there for 5 days or so and thinking I was done I re-upped the stuff with the bottom quarter of the jar). I've since found a 4lb tub on Amazon for $25. Over 10 times as much for about 4 times the price.

Originally Posted by RADisorder

I started hand sanding my first ebay razor and realized the only way to preserve the etching well was the tumbler.

I would love to see how that works out in the end. I have a blade that has some etching on the face that might benefit from this treatment as well.

To jumpstart an old thread. Just wondering how u went saving the etching on the blade Jonah?

I am SOOO glad I found this site a month ago... and SOOO SOOO glad I found this thread. Got my first razor a month ago...DOVO Best Quality, now own that and a new Ralf Aust, a vintage Boker, and 2 W R Case and Sons. Was going to leave it at that for a while but I sniped a Wade and Butcher last night off of Ebay with Masonic etching. Since I am past master of my lodge, I couldn't pass that one up. I immediately ordered every know grit of greaseless buffing compound and a half dozen buffing wheels and was gearing up for my first restore as soon as my razor arrives. I should also note that I am a retired Law Enforcement Major and I have what in the South passes for an impressive gun collection and in California equates to several life sentences Suffice it to say that I reload for EVERY gun I own ( a LOT), so all of those supplies are on hand.

It might be early onset alzheimers, or the recent onset of Razor Acquisition Disorder but it never dawned on me to drop a razor into my vibratory cleaner ... and I have several lifetimes worth of walnut and corn media in the barn. Yet another reason I LOVE this site. Thanks a bunch guys for your insight and the help you are giving me in reducing the learning curve. I am on 2 other sites with forums such as this ... a reloaders forum, and Predator Masters ... and I have found that it is MUCH less painful to learn from others experiences. I will post before and after pics when I get the razor. Thanks again guys ... great thread.