73 thanks for that tip! Looks like it works pretty well too.

Glenn - If you want to look into some smaller, work-bench sized, vibratory tumbler units, check these out.

http://www.kramerindustriesonline.com/vibratory-finishing-systems/mb-series/mb-photos.htm

And... I wasn't kidding, if you ever want me to run some parts through the tumbler for you, I'd be happy to do it.

John

John thanks very much. I know you weren't kidding either. Much appreciated buddy. If I get in a jam I'll take you up on that. Was talking with my son and we're going to put our funds together and get one. We should be able to get a pretty good one. :)

73Rogers, Thanks for the tip on Citric Acid. Will give it a go next batch.

How safe is it on corroded zinc plated hardware?

FFR428, Buy the biggest cheapest tumbler you can find. Keep the motor clean (Think that is a ZZ song). Should be fine for a few years. Burns out buy another.

I've had my spendy small one for years. Paid for itself long before starting a drum restore. Great unit but the small size limits parts that can go in.

Going to pick up the larger HF model Purdie has. Not a big fan of Harbour Freight tools that are electric and have moving parts but the larger barrel will get the job done on more parts faster.

Don't think John has been shocked or swallowed by the device yet so hope that is the way to go. :-)

Creighton

> Don't think John has been shocked or swallowed by the device yet so hope that is the way to go. :-)

I was shocked alright, shocked that it works so well! There is a learning curve involved albeit an easy one. You just have to run the machine as long as it takes to get the job done. Some parts just need more time to clean up than others, but so far, they've all cleaned up. Two hours seems to be the average time for parts that are just funky with a little rust here and there. For rusty parts, I run them for 4 hours + (as needed.)

I only wish I'd heard of these units years ago. The time I've spent cleaning and polishing drum parts could have been better spent doing something else. Now I can!

My unit has an 18 lb. capacity, I can run a bunch of parts each run. (Careful not to overload the unit, you don't want so many parts in there that they're scraping the hell out of each other.) But man, what a time and labor saver...

John

I don't have much personal experience with it. I used it last summer on the XP-8 kit I restored. I did all the lug mounting bolts, washers, tension rods, etc.

They came out looking like new.

I used one of those clear plastic shoebox-sized storage boxes. I put about a quart of water in it (just enough to cover the parts) and 1/4 cup of the CA.

It takes a few minutes to get started, but then it bubbles pretty rapidly. I think it loses some of it's effectiveness as it works because I noticed the last batches seemed to take longer than the first couple.

I just got some more to do a Big R pedal that's kind of grungy. I'll try to grab some pics.

Easy fix:

If a tension rod can be threaded into the internal receiver, oil up the lug internally and externally where it meets the threaded receiver. (If by chance the threads are damaged you might have to use a 12/24 tap first to correct the threading).

Screw in a snare drum length short tension rod.

Hold the lug in one hand, and with a rubber hammer in the other hand gently strike the tension rod downwards into the lug - striking directly on top of the tension rod's square head.

The insert will free itself and release, at which point you can then unscrew the tension rod freeing the internal threaded receiver to drop out of the lug.

THEN you can begin the cleanup process as usual to restore the parts!

I used that trick on some smaller RK lugs I did a while back and it worked great. The problem I had with this batch wasn't the threaded insert being stuck but the lead slug at the bottom of the lug inside the springs rest on. Those were frozen/corroded. I couldn't pry them because of the age of the lead slugs they'd just crumble. I could see marks on some of the lead slugs where someone had tried to pry them out before. But guess they didn't budge. All good now though.... a good soak with WD for the 1st batch and PB blaster with the rest did the trick. Once they were out and cleaned up the lead slugs all slid easily back in place like they should. My guess these lugs sat in a damp basement or garage for years which started the mess. The threaded inserts and lug threads themselves were all fine thankfully.

Here's a pic of the lead slug in the lugs. Without them the springs are too short