Thread: HF Vibratory Tumblers

Greetings all,

I spend most of my time on the knifemaking forums, since that is my main interest. However, I recently took up straight razor shaving, so have been lurking around here too. Naturally, I started buying up old razors to spruce up and shave with.

While I have pretty much all the tools I need for making knives and razors, I am always looking for a better, faster, way to get things done. Therefore, I took an interest in the threads that discussed using a vibratory tumbler to clean and polish razor blades. It looks like most people are using the 5 lb bowl model from Harbor Freight Tools. I checked it out, but the bowl seemed a little small for me. However, I did see that they also have an 18 lb vibratory tumbler. It looked to be big enough to do knife blades too, but was quite at bit more expensive, at $199.99 from my local store. (Interestingly, the online store lists if for $169.99)

This post has already gotten too long winded, so I’ll get to the point. Today I got a flyer from Harbor Freight, and the larger tumbler was on sale for $149.99. My flyer also had a 15% off coupon on the back. I zipped down to the store and picked up the 18 lb vibratory tumbler for $127.49, which seemed like a pretty good deal to me. While I was there I also picked up a 25lb of the walnut shell media. So, if anyone else wants the bigger tumbler, it’s on sale until 12/26/08.

The 5 lb vibratory tumbler is also on sale at the store, for $49.99. The online store still shows if for $59.99, so I don't know if the sale's only at local stores.

Anyway, I thought I'd make everyone aware of the sales in case they wanted a tumbler too.


Thanks for all the great info and pictures you guys provide on the forums!

-Chris

Hi Chris! It's good to see you!

I only use my tumbler for .44 and .45 brass!

For general cleaning I usually stick to my Foredom. But, then again, your tumbler deal is a lot less expensive. It might be worth a try.

Tim Z.

Got mine at MidwayUSA — Shooting Supplies, Reloading, Gunsmithing, Hunting, Ammunition, Gun Parts & Rifle Scopes

Frankford Arsenal Quick-N-EZ Case Tumbler $45.99 and it works GREAT

Here is a link to there page of tumblers. I know quite a few guys here use them. EXCELLENT customer service.

MidwayUSA - Advanced Search

Hi Tim, it's nice to see you here too!

I used my Foredom tool to clean up the first eBay razor I bought, but the tumbler idea sounded like it's worth trying.

In case you are interested yourself, these are the threads that I got the idea from;

From the Straight Razor Place Forums: New Idea for Experimentation...

and from BladeForums: Stonewash Media