Tru-square Metal Products Model B Heavy Duty 15# Rock Tumbler, THU140

15lb tumbler and from a company that has been around for ages. My first Thumler Tumbler was bought for me about 1968 and it still works great today. I have only had to change drive belts after all these years. The new tumbler I bought for larger processing size. One thing to note for people not familiar with tumbling in general. this tumbler and any rotary tumbler are made for softening and rounding the stones and do so by the hexagonal barrel causing the material to move more with the grit and becomes a more aggressive tumbling process than a vibratory tumbler which is more designed for polishing than shaping a stone. That is why polishing such as ammo brass and other polishing is done with vibratory tumblers. If you only want to polish a stone that is already smooth then go Vibratory and Thumler's Vibratory tumblers are equally as well built as I own those also. PROs: 1) The heavy steel construction, it will last a lifetime 2) Rubber Inner Barrel cuts down on the sounds of tumbling. If you've ever heard a cheap tumbler with a plastic barrel you know what I mean - won't name names but buy quality not cheap junk. 3) Inner Barrel and lid gasket are replacable if you ever have to and they are not expensive. 4) Same strong motors they've used for generations and they just work! 5) Inexpensive rubber drive belt you can buy anywhere and they all work 6) Torque. The motor can drive heavy loads with ease. Cons: None really but one suggestion Only one and it has nothing to do with the tumbler but a person preference. I would much rather have a round knurled nut instead of wingnuts for the lid hold downs and maybe some rubber track on the bottom of the unit. In place of the missing rubber feet I just place the unit on an old shop towel to not have the vibration of the unit transferred to the concrete making it even quieter. I would buy one of these any day of the week. They work great!

I couldn't figure out why people were so excited about wet tumbling, until I tried it. I can get my brass SO MUCH cleaner and brighter in 2 hours, than in 6-8 hours of dry tumbling. The cleanout and separating of the cases is a little more involved (using my bathtub as my kitchen sink isn't big enough) and takes roughly 10 minutes as opposed to dry tumbling, but the overall results are very impressive. I don't deprime first so can't comment on how clean the primer pockets would get. I love that I will never have to replace the stainless tumbling media or buy it again. By the time you load 8 lbs of water, 5 lbs of stainless media, that leaves about 4 lbs of brass. Roughly 500 9mmm, or 400 40SW (I'm a pistol shooter) which is comparable to my large Lyman dry tumbler. Need to give the tumbler a little 'push' to get it started, but then it just runs and runs. So much quieter as well, just the tinkle of the brass hitting against itself without the buzz that I could hear through the walls of my garage into my house with my other tumblers. Some great videos on YouTube to get you started. $250 for the tumbler and media and 2 hours and you have perfect brass.

I bought this tumbler about two months ago and have used it through one cycle of polishing. It is huge! I only put 7lbs of rocks in it with plenty of room to spare and then filled up the empty space to 3/4 with poly plastic beads. The beach rocks turned out gorgeous! I set it up in a tray in my bedroom walk-in closet and it was quiet enough to leave in there the whole time, although it’s not close to my bed area. I thought maybe I’d have to put it in the basement but it was perfectly fine. I noticed that if I added too much water to the mix it sloshed more and was noisier, so I took some out and it quieted down. It ran 24/7 without a hitch. No rubber wore off as long as I positioned it right on the roller. I am going to attempt a heavier batch next, 11.5lbs with room for the grit and plastic beads. I am going to use ceramic pellets for filler at some point, but they will add weight and I won’t be able fit as many rocks, but I’m doing some big ones and may need them to keep the rocks apart. I suppose I could also use a combination. It’s also important to burp the lid once a day because the heat from the friction causes a small vacuum and the rubber seal will stick to the inside rubber liner if you forget makimg it harder to get off. I will see how the machine holds up to more weight. I’m very happy with this large barreled tumbler so far.

I'm using this with stainless steel pin media to clean cartridges for reloadiing. You can find the details of how to do this "around the web". The results are amazing. They come out looking brand new, both inside and out. My only concern is that the motor does tend to get VERY warm even though I'm not loading it to full capacity, so I'm wondering if that's going to shorten its life. DO apply some good quality lubricant to all the shaft bearings before you use it. I didn't on my first batch, and near the end of the processing time all the bearings were complaining pretty loudly. That hasn't happened since I lubed all the bearings with a good wheel bearing grease.

Love this product. It runs smoothly and quietly. I have mine on a piece of flexible insulation (K-flex eco) on a tile floor on concrete. I say all of that to say that it is almost silent, you can barely hear the rocks tumble. I had it directly on a wood cabinet and you could hear it 50 ft. away. So if you are having problems with the sound I would just change the location. It is built out of very thick steel and around 1/4 in rubber as the lining. The lid has a little bit thinner rubber, and wing nuts that are easily replaced at your local hardware store, but mine haven't worn out. I may post some pictures of polished rocks, but don't really see the point they are indistinguishable from ones that you can find at a souvenir shop. The motor is pretty cheap (I am an electronic technician), but built rugged, so although it is single speed and not very efficient it should last for years as long as you keep the dust out. The belt on mine hasn't worn at all after several months. The only parts that have seen any wear are the red paint where the drum sits on the drive shaft (from getting grit on it after changing to a finer grit), and the rubber guide piece on the drive shaft where it keeps it straight.

Have done several batches and is still working fine. Size is right for me.

I bought this after seeing it used on you tube for cleaning brass cases for reloading. I've been using it everyday this week to clean all of my 5.56/.223 brass. I use the SS pins with Dawn, Lemishine and water with about 175 - 200 brass cases , I let it tumble for 5 - 6 hrs. it comes out looking clean & shiny. Then I put the brass in a towel lined tray and put it out in the sun to dry. The Thumbler works great, the motor doesn't heat up, it just keeps rolling on. When I first start it with a load it squeak a little so I just lube the metal axle with a spray on Dry-Lube (no graphite).

Works OK, but all the parts break down overtime. For a very expensive machine, it is constructed incredibly cheaply. I have had to replace basically every moving part after about three years, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. Even the black rubber things that the metal thing rolls on start to disintegrate and turn into powder. The motor has held up incredibly well.