Buy a pro type shaker - not a shell cleaner or polisher - the gun
ones are to light weight and will come apart.

The pro ones have a thick plastic bowl and can handle a lot of material.

I have both - one for reloading - one for small metal stuff.

I bought mine - and the ceramic shapes from MSCdirect.com

Martin

wrote:
On Apr 29, 6:59 am, "Pete C." wrote:
Michael Koblic wrote:

Has anyone ever made their own vibratory tumbler? Does anyone use one to
tumble small steel parts?
No need to build one, Harbor Freight sells two sizes of perfectly
useable ones cheap.

And If chink tumblers don't float your boat, there are plenty of ones
for the reloading folks on the market reasonable. Before they became
really prevalent, I saw several do-it-yourself articles on how to make
one, one used a 5 gallon bucket suspended from a hanger rod and
powered by a motor with an eccentric weight bolted to the bottom. No
warranty, though.

Depending on what you're really doing with small parts, media may be
your problem. There's ceramic shapes, steel needles, wet and dry
compounds, walnut hulls, ground corn cob, plastic bits, plus additives
for all of the above. Whole businesses exist to supply that stuff.
Walnut hulls and ground corn cob can be found in small quantities for
the reloading market, the other stuff may only be available in bulk.

I just tumble brass myself.

Stan