I bought a 3 lb capacity tumbler from Harbor Freight. Is 1 lb of shot enough. I’ll only be tumbling a few small items at a time.

(There may be more.)

Once you start using your tumbler you’re going to wonder how you ever survived without it!

Angie, is there a lapidary club or jewelry making group in Ottawa? These folks could probably advise you on nearby tumbler shot sources.

Thanks!

Couple of tips –
Whatever seal your barrel has, make sure that the seal area is dry before sealing. Water always finds itself, so if there is any on the seal area, the inside water is more apt to find its way out, and the Dawn (or whatever burnishing/cleaning fluid you use) will help this along. It’s not a big problem, you just have to open, dry and reseal – but much easier to avoid by just checking for water drops on the edge before sealing.

Got my “mixed shot” at Rio Grande. You can buy pricey burnishing fluids, but as others mentioned, good old Dawn (original blue only) works GREAT. You literally only need a drop or two though – use more and you end up with suds on parade. In tumblers, a drop goes a LONG way!

When emptying your barrel, do NOT let any of the shot fall into your garbage disposal – can lock it right up! 😀 Some people like to do this stuff in buckets. I use my double kitchen sink, just not the disposal side, and I plug the sink. I got a fine-gauge mesh wire strainer (be sure it’s FINE) at Walmart and have been using it for a few years. I hold it by the bottom as the shot is heavy. Again, you can buy pricey tools for this, but no real need.

I’m curious how others feel about this one – I don’t know if this is necessary, but since shot is pricey, I dry mine out between uses. A cookie sheet lined with paper towels works fine – just let it sit somewhere out of the way until it dries out. I’ve had the same shot for several years and it’s still like new. I’m sure if you tumble rocks, this might not last so long, but I just do lightweight jewelry.

I opted for a double-barrel model, so I never have to mix metals, and can do tangle-able items separately. But a single would do just fine. Also, while tumbling is a gentle process, (I have even put finished Swarovski in and have had no chips – but that risk is a personal choice only), it can damage soft stones. It takes the shine off of chalk turquoise and sodalite, and can damage pearls. Also, though I’ve never worked with amber, I’ve heard that it releases some kind of oil that doesn’t go well with tumbling. Aside from a few items like these, it’s great.

The other posters were so right about the benefits of tumblers! They not only shine up sterling like nothing else, they smooth those edges really nicely. I smooth my earwire pokey-ends with emery board or arkansas stone, but then tumbling really gives them a nice smooth finish. I usually only tumble my items for about half hour or so, but some use them an hour or longer. Depends on what you are tryin to accomplish.

Good luck with your choice!

A high suds detergent can actually build to much and explode. Trust me on this.

I have both Harbor Freight “tumbler” and a Lortone, the Harbor Freight has been running for about 10 years, the barrel does not show any ware. For the price I’d go with Harbor Freight. Just sayin’

Do remember to wash out the barrel before using. Let it run with soap and water for a while other wise your first batch will have the black from the barrel on it.

I only use stainless steel shot, and have never had an issue with copper leaving a residue on the shot or the barrel, but it isn’t good to tumble copper with other metals as the copper can transfer onto the other metals.

I periodically clean my shot by tumbling it for a couple of hours with Otto Frei’s Citric Pickle. A bit of citric pickle in the water and soap mixture also works wonderfully when tumbling brass.

Agreed on the stainless steel shot mix.

I tumble almost everything. It hardens wire, smooths rough edges, etc. I especially love it for ear wires. If I have a delicate piece I tumble it for only an hour. So far haven’t had any mishaps. However, I haven’t tried it on really soft stone.

I discovered that although the result on copper is just as wonderful, copper leaves residue, and I had to clean out the barrel. Since I rarely use anything but sterling, it’s not a problem for me. I have to admit, though, that it made me appreciate verdegris! LOL. Oh, and if you are coating a metal, I would advise doing that after you tumble the piece, not before.