Frankford Arsenal Rotary Tumber Acting Up

M

markr6754

New member
Gents...my FART is acting up. This is my first cleaning attempt since this thread ran it's course. Since there are dozens of FART users on this forum I thought I'd tap into your collective brain for help.

My tumbler just sits atop the machine without spinning at all. When the motor starts there is an initial movement on the drum....but only about 1/2 inch...then the drive wheels just spin happily under the tumbler.

I've tried my usual 500-600 9mm case load, as well as half that, and nothing makes a difference. I've apparently lost all friction from the loaded drum. In previous runs, a bit of water from the drum onto the drive wheel would cause some visible slipping, but the drum would still rotate pretty well. I would just run a shop towel over the drive wheel until in was dry and the drum would happily run for hours, or as long as I allowed it. Now, nothing. Even giving it a boost by hand produces no result.

To get through the project this weekend I added rubber bands onto the drive wheels to complete my tumbling, but this requires constant monitoring as the action heats the rubber bands, producing breaks, or the band creeps off the drive wheel and onto the shaft. It's a jury rig at best, and, I have better things to do on reloading days than to watch a tumbler spin.
 
Ben Dover said:
Perhaps a bit of rosin???

Or even better, a Thumler's tumbler:D
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The rosin is worth a try. I don't have any...other than violin bow rosin.

I believe that I have a Thumler's Tumbler buried in my garage. I thought of using it...but gave up after a fruitless search. Declutter time? May be worth another search just for emergency backup purposes.
 
I've never heard of such a thing. I've had my FART about five years now and it functions flawlessly.

Just so I understand:

You turn it on, and the drive (front) wheels turn, but the drum doesn't?

How 'bout the idler wheels? Do they spin freely?
 
Nick - exactly that. All wheels spin freely...the front drive wheels are obviously geared, but the backs are free turning. I keep both in the original box, clean and dry after each use, so it was quite the surprise when suddenly it wasn't working. Snap on a rubber band, and it turns until the rubber band snaps, but that's not ideal. Small load, large load, doesn't matter. The wheels are no different than when I first opened it, as is the drum. Lots of knobby nubs on the drum. I can push the drum to manually turn it, and it turns in my hand freely...but the drive wheels are just spinning right under it.

I've ordered a bicycle innertube that will fit the 7" circumference of the drive wheels...just another jury rig...and I've sent a message to Frankford Arsenal for ideas. I'll test my innertube idea this weekend. Again, a workaround, not a solution. This unit is just 7 months old...I shouldn't be kluging it this early.
 
I quick look at mine and test and surprisingly it does not take much to stop the drum from turning and the wheels just spin away underneath . I really don't know what's wrong but first would ask if all the wheels spin in balance , meaning spin with out moving up and down on each rotation . Then maybe check if the rubber drive wheels have gotten harder causing less friction transferred to the drum .

That's just a guess though . Before I'd add something sticky to the wheels that will transfer to the drum . I'd first degrease the wheels then the drum where it contacts the wheels . Then check if the drum still has the grip texture that contacts the wheels . If all that's gtg and it still does not spin I'd rough up the drive wheels with some sandpaper . Scuffing the wheels crossways rather then around the wheel to create more friction between the wheels and the drum .

I'd like to think you're just putting to much in and it weighs to much but I've put quite a bit of weight in mine and it's always worked .
 
I just went in and messed around with mine and I don't think it is weight, When I pressed down on the drum it seemed to grip the rollers even heavier. You could hear the motor beginning to strain.

I think MetalGod nailed it, something is making the rollers or the drum slippery
 
Two things you might try. Get a cotton pad or something similar and dunk it in alcohol (IPA) then hold it against the wheels while running. That would help remove any glaze on the wheels. Also could try some fine sand paper to roughen up the surface of the rubber.
 
I’m wondering how old my unit might be...never thought to look before...I bought it in February from Amazon.

All along I wondered how the drum would turn, as the drive (and support) wheels appear to be hard plastic, and not a hard rubber as I’d expect...or even a semi-hard rubber. But, until this weekend it never failed.

I do need to get after it with a good alcohol bath, as the first stupid thing I tried was duct tape. Yep...worked like a dream, until 15 minutes of rotation completely melted the gum off the tape, smearing it all over the drive wheels and also the drum. I cleaned it off, but even that little bit of stickiness served more like a lubricant than a friction inducer. After cleaning that crap off I decided to try the rubber bands. That worked, it I quickly learned that small and thin, no matter how many are used, does more bad than good...they stretch, they melt, the break...don’t get one caught between the drive wheel and the drive shaft.

Finished the project with the short, wide bands I found throughout my gallon jar of rubber bands. That’s what induced me to to consider a wide rubber band, ie. a tire inner tube. This is just a stop gap measure, as I prefer the raw, naked drive wheel on the bare naked drum...nothing to break, melt, or stretch. It does sound like I need Frankford Arsenal to respond to this. Meanwhile, alcohol wipes to the garage. My submarine sonar experience proved that alcohol and rubber is a bad combination. It hardens rubber, then makes it brittle. But I don’t have a better solution at this point...well, I may try old fashioned soap and water first.
 
wheels appear to be hard plastic, and not a hard rubber as I’d expect...or even a semi-hard rubber.
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My wheels are defiantly a hard rubber and not a simple plastic . Very different feel then the drum or lid materials .
 
Metal god said:
My wheels are defiantly a hard rubber and not a simple plastic . Very different feel then the drum or lid materials .
Click to expand...
Yes...definitely hard rubber. I’m mistaken. I used some Dawn on a soft kitchen scrubber my sister crocheted. Gave the rollers a complete scrubbing/cleaning. They have a very different look and feel now. I’ll scrub the roller section of the drum next to ensure nothing is preventing a good grab by the drive wheels. Before cleaning they had a sheen to them, appearing like hard plastic. After scrubbing, they are a dull black, and definitely a bit softer surface. I’m encouraged. I’m standing by with the inner tube until testing is completed with a cleaned and full drum.

Appreciate all the suggestions. For now I don’t want to do anything that voids my 1 year warranty. No sand paper, nothing permanent. Still no response from BTI.
 
Haven't had a problem with my FART but had this problem almost from new with a smaller rotary tumbler I bought off eBay.

It is one of those clear acrylic drum units with variable speed adjustment and uses a belt to drive one of the rollers.

Problem was lack of friction between the driven roller and the hard plastic rim of the drum.

Rosin fixed it but I need to use it each time.
 
My Goodyear 1.75” x 29” inner tube arrived yesterday. I had already cleaned the drive wheels with Dawn and a kitchen scrubby. Clean, and without a doubt rubber suitable for driving a rotating drum. Nonetheless, I scrubbed the drive surface of the drum today, then cut roughly two 1 1/2” sections from the inner tube. The material is quite good, but much smaller than anticipated. Since it’s an inner tube, I was confident that I could stretch the section to fit over the drive wheels. I did just that! It was more challenging than planned...but it also grips the drive wheel like a second skin...well, a very tight second skin.

I put it right to use, and it works like a charm. I don’t care if Frankford Arsenal ever responds to my cry for help. This was the perfect solution. I imagine this will be a multi-year solution... if not, I have 26” of inner tube remaining. I drove a full drum for nearly three hours without a hiccup. The brass looks amazing, and the “solution” didn’t move a millimeter from where it was positioned. Works for me.
 
good news. I will remember this if mine ever acts up. Some advice that is a bit late but soaking the bands in boilng hot water would have made installation a bit easier
 
jpx2rk said:
How did you attach the inner tube material to the drum or drive wheels??
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Purely friction. I stretched the slice of inner tube over the drive wheel. It took some effort...I hadn’t thought of hounddawg’s hot water trick. That, and the outer diameter of the drive wheel is 2.228”, while the inner diameter of the inner tube is about 1.5”. The stretchy rubber band is hugging that drive wheel like a python. I did not make any changes to the drum.
 
I think the big question is if cleaning the wheels and the drum alone solved the problem . Did you test it before installing the inner tube material ?

As hounddawg points out , good fix idea and glad I have it in my back pocket if need be .

TKS
 
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