Comments on: Need Tumbler Help – Sterling Silver Keeps Coming Out Black!

By: Kathy Bankston

Kathy Bankston — Thu, 03 Sep 2020 21:19:06 +0000

Just had this happen to me, with a brand new barrel. I tumbled my shot with straight windex for about 1/2 an hour. It worked like a champ.

By: Linda

Linda — Wed, 29 Apr 2020 16:57:08 +0000

Will tumbling with SS shot remove tarnish from older pieces of jewelry?

By: Marie

Marie — Sun, 12 Aug 2018 03:15:34 +0000

I believe this article is older, but there are always new makers looking for answers (like myself). I didn’t see the resolution I was given for my spotty silver, thus I will share it now.

My spotty, tumbled, sterling silver led me to believe my barrel was breaking down after only a year. After discussing this issue with my instructor, we determined I was storing my shot incorrectly and perhaps not drying it thoroughly and quickly enough after finishing with it. I was storing the stainless steel shot in the rubber barrel itself. Now that I am storing it properly in an airtight container and using my heat gun to dry the shot as soon as I finish with the tumbled batch, all is well again. Thanks Julessa!

By: Janet

Janet — Wed, 21 Sep 2016 07:37:10 +0000

I’ve had this happen to me, too, and it’s very frustrating! You can clean your shot and the tumbler barrel at the same time by just simply filling the barrel with plain white vinegar and then adding the shot. Tumble for about 30 mins to an hour, then rinse everything and do it again. Do this until the vinegar comes out clean. Then, wash off everything with dish soap, let it dry and try tumbling your silver again. It should be all better now. I find I have to clean my shot regularly this way. I hope this helps and hope it works for you!!

By: Jann Van Remortel

Jann Van Remortel — Wed, 14 Sep 2016 23:27:59 +0000

I also have a Harbor Freight tumbler and use it with great results. The only time I got residue on my silver was when the tumbler was new and I tumbled it for too long. My research led me to believe that it was the dirty water that redeposited a black film on my silver. Now I use stainless steel shot, just enough water to cover the shot and the jewelry, and a squirt of dish detergent. If I tumble more than 2 or 3 hours (which isn’t often), I empty the tumbler and start with clean water. My jewelry comes out with a beautiful, clear shine.
Good luck and don’t give up.

By: Anne

Anne — Fri, 09 Sep 2016 12:49:12 +0000

Sounds like you need to clean the barrel and clean the shot thoroughly. With my Harbor Freight tumbler, I seal the silver, the shot, a little water, and a few drops of Dawn in a sandwich-size baggir. Then put the Baggie into the barrel for tumbling.

By: Joan

Joan — Wed, 07 Sep 2016 11:57:57 +0000

What I do to clean my shot is add the shot to the barrel, add filtered water to cover the shot and then sprinkle in pure baking soda and then seal it up and place on tumbler. I run the tumbler for about 40 minutes, dump the shot into a sieve, squeeze in some of ORIGINAL Dawn (not other formulations),run cold water through the shot while I swish the shot around with my hands, until the water running out of sieve shows no soap bubbles. I then dry the shot, clean out the tumbler, and store my shot in a plastic container and not in the rubber barrel. I do this every so often just to make sure my sterling doesn’t turn black. Simple remedy and environmentally safe.

By: Julie

Julie — Tue, 06 Sep 2016 21:36:18 +0000

An amendment to my previous comment…..When your Harbor Freight tumbler is new, gunk comes off the barrel. You probably noticed a strong smell to the new rubber? ? After a few tumbles it should stop but what happens to the shot is that the rubber residue and silver oxidation gets deposited onto the stainless steel shot and subsequently BACK onto your silver when it tumbles! Arrrgghh. Keeping the shot clean should fix this. Good Luck!
@ Gayle Wheaton: Not true about stainless and silver together.

By: Julie

Julie — Tue, 06 Sep 2016 19:51:13 +0000

I had this problem at first, with my Harbor Freight tumbler. I can’t remember exactly what I did but I think I washed the shot a couple times in water and dish soap, in a bowl, swirling it around and watching the gunk come off. Then, spread on a towel and dry carefully ( if you’re not planning to use it right away. Also wash the tumbler barrel. After doing that, I had no more problems. You only want to use a DROP of Dawn in your tumbler when you tumble stuff! The detergent causes the cheap rubber to slough off. Clean the shot from time to time if you notice it taking on a dark cast, or your silver turning dark.

By: Gayle Wheaton

Gayle Wheaton — Tue, 06 Sep 2016 18:33:07 +0000

Coming at this from an entirely different direction (I don’t have a tumbler, so this is where the ignorance comes from…), I’ve always heard that you should never allow contact between Sterling and stainless steel. That’s from Sterling flat wear & serving pieces and never washing them together (dishwasher or not).
Just my $.02 [and half off at that 🙂 ]

By: Carolyn

Carolyn — Tue, 06 Sep 2016 17:51:44 +0000

I use ground real it shells in my harbor freight tumbler to remove tarnish from my pre construction run. THEN I use a DuraBull tumbler from Rio Grande Jewelry. You can purchase the tumbler kit which includes 3 pounds of shot and Sunsheen polishing agent. (3 oz of Sunsheen to 1 gallon of water lasts a long time) you can get 2-3 run before you need to change solution. After you computer 5 sessions you clean the shot (Dawn is terrific) Hope this helps.

By: Barbara Jacquin

Barbara Jacquin — Tue, 06 Sep 2016 17:47:00 +0000

I remember the first time I used my rubber tumbler the silver came out with a dull dark coating. But on the next times the problem disappeared. I use ceramic material from Rio Grande.

By: Dee Stillman

Dee Stillman — Tue, 06 Sep 2016 17:36:18 +0000

I made a liner for my Harbor Freight tumblers using white plastic containers from cottage cheese. Using scissors, cut off the top rim of a 24 oz. container and discard the rim. Then cut four slits down the sides of the container, evenly spaced apart, from the top to about half way down. The slits help the container fit nicely into the tumbler barrel. Now your materials – shot, jewelry pieces, chain, etc. – will not come in contact with the black rubber barrel. I do this when tumbling polymer clay. I have not inserted these liners into the barrels when I tumble sterling silver with stainless steel shot and my items come out shiny and beautiful! Maybe in your case your barrels are deteriorating and the plastic liner with help.

By: Virginia Vivier

Virginia Vivier — Tue, 06 Sep 2016 16:45:46 +0000

Are you sure your shot is “Stainless Steel”? If you shopped via price for shot, you may have purchased “Steel Shot” which will rust in your tumbler and discolor your pieces. Steel Shot is cheaper than Stainless Steel Shot and easy to mix up. Or, perhaps it came from a foreign country that passed off it off as “Stainless Steel” but wasn’t.

By: JoeyB

JoeyB — Tue, 06 Sep 2016 13:22:09 +0000

There is a good discussion about this in “Aspiring Metalsmiths” – a closed group in Facebook (you can request to be added). According to the experienced folks, it sounds like your barrel is breaking down. What are you using in your barrel to help with the tumbling? Some use a drop of Dawn, others swear by a solution from Rio. Regardless, you need to clean the barrel as well as the shot. And if it’s a cheap barrel, you may just want to replace it and start over.

By: Sue Beck

Sue Beck — Tue, 06 Sep 2016 12:25:39 +0000

Sounds like the shot desperately needs cleaning. Rio has a concentrated “Stainless Shot Cleaner” which works well. It is a very mild acid that you put in the barrel and tumble for a short while, empty into a strainer (they say NOT down the drain) rinse and refill with your usual solution and voila! No more grey silver!

By: Dana

Dana — Tue, 06 Sep 2016 12:19:51 +0000

First.. Use cool water in your tumbler, because the rubber gets heated up and gets on your silver. Your going to have to clean your shot.
I had this happen to me, coke don’t work. Your going to need to use a stainless steel cleaner, then use an old towel… Line the shot into the towel.. Then rub like crazy. You will see the black residue on the towel. Then your going to have to wash the shot with soap and water.. A few times. Then dry.. Rubbing each bit to make sure no black gunk comes off the shot on the towel.

Once your finished.. You can then tumble again. As for your silver.. Rub soap and water on the items.. Should come off with a good soap clean.
Never… Use… Hot water.

By: Tammie

Tammie — Tue, 06 Sep 2016 12:08:18 +0000

I found this article helpful when I had a similar issue.
cooltools.us/v/vspfiles/images/tumblercontamination.pdf

By: Rena Klingenberg

Rena Klingenberg — Tue, 06 Sep 2016 03:52:12 +0000

Kristin, it’s possible that a substance such as sulfur in the rubber barrel lining is causing the problem; I have heard of jewelry artists using Coke (Coca Cola) to clean the barrel and the shot to fix that problem. Or possibly you need to use a bigger dose of burnishing mixture? I’ll be interested to see everyone else’s tips on this.