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Tumblers
Rotary (l), vibrational (r)

Categories: Instruction and information; Jewelry

Word count/read time: 555 words; 2 minutes

Whatever you are doing to polish or clean chainmaille or jewelry pales in comparison to what a tumbler can do passively and perfectly. Tumbling before or after assembly is an ongoing debate. Done before assembly cleans and smooths the burrs but it also rounds the edges, making the closures more noticeable. No matter what, tumble afterwards to clean and polish.

We maillers use a rotary (rock) tumbler. It has a cylindrical container which rests on its side on top of or within rotating shafts. They are slow and relatively quiet, maybe 80RPM max with white-ish noise. The cheap ones work as good as the expensive ones; only a few companies manufacture them so everyone else re-brands it with their name. The vibratory version is more of a pumpkin- or box-shape container, not a popular choice in this crowd.

The preferred tumbling media is stainless steel shot because it rusts less, interacts with fewer metals, and does a respectable job. It's commonly a mixture of numerous shapes and sizes, each having a different purpose: bearings, spheroids, diagonals, ball-cones, ovals, rods, square cubes. It safely works on 24k gold and annealed 0.999 fine silver without incident, perfectly though be careful about certain pieces and long tumbling times. Stainless or not, keep it CLEAN and DRY when not in use. There's also porcelain, ceramic, anything organic from corn cobs to walnut shells, and more.

Here are the steps:

Add shot to the container
Add distilled/filtered water until it covers the shot by at least 1/4"
Add a few drops of non-phosphorus dishwashing soap
Lube any (rubber) contact surfaces with soapy water
Install lid

Put the container on the tumbler and do something else while it churns away. Check the contents after 30 minutes to make sure everything is free-moving; after that, another hour or two, then up to 12 hours per session. Drain and rinse thoroughly using new soap and distilled water for each session.

Rotary tumblers rely on friction from the spinning rails to turn the container. Therefore, make sure the outside of the container is clean and dry. Soapy residue can cause it to stop rotating, creating a significant safety and fire risk. I found out the hard way, lol.

Visual results occur within 20 minutes but longer is better, ten hours a bare minimum. Some of my chains take much longer before they are finished. There is a huge difference between the extremes.

Hardening occurs but only a microscopic veneer on select metals. Precious metals require this; copper, too. More shot is needed to maximize the hardening effect - the magic number seems to be at least three pounds of metal shot.

Wastewater color indicates any problems. The first session will be dirty but the others should be clean. One (non-stainless) steel ball bearing can turn the drainwater an alarming rusty pink color that will stain everything. Cool effect but it can take hours to undo.

Some materials shouldn't be tumbled with hard media. Gemstones can be rugged buggers but don't test them in a tumbler. Pearls, shellfish, glass, natural stones or materials, fabric, and wood are best left untouched. Anodized, painted, antiqued, oxidized, matte or brushed finishes, plated, rolled, or filled - basically the "-ed" family tree - should stay away. Avoid mixing metals because weird chemistry can happen.

Posted by M: June 11, 2019

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