This tumbler did not cost me anything.
I scrounged a left-over 18" length of 8" dia. (8 3/4" O.D.) white PVC sewer pipe from a building contractor. I cut off 10" and smoothed and trued up the ends, (turned it on a metal lathe) and finished up with a length of 9 1/2". Then I cut out 2 discs of 3/4" x 8" dia. of Teflon (just what was lying around) the same dia. as the inside the pipe. I cut notches in them to hold four paddles.
I also trued up the leftover piece of sewer pipe and use it for a stand for the tumbler. In one Teflon disc, which will sit inside the top of the tumbler, I cut out four radiuses as pictured below to make it easy to remove. The bottom disc was left a full circle.
Then from 3/4" plywood I cut two 8 3/4" dia. discs for the top and bottom caps.
I took a 3/4" steel shaft and turned the ends down enough to thread them with a 9/16” thread. This reduced diameter leaves a shoulder on each end of the shaft. The distance between the two shoulders is whatever is required so that after having placed a washer at each shoulder, the top Teflon disc is held tightly between the top washer and the top plywood cap when everything is assembled. This prevents the Teflon from turning a bit when tumbling.
Then I cut four paddles out of 3/16" Plexiglas 1 1/2" wide. (Plexiglas was just what I had lying around). The paddles are fully inserted into the notches cut in the bottom disc of Teflon, and are long enough to be flush with the top of the sewer pipe.
After the bottom is assembled as pictured, it is glued on to the sewer pipe with the paddles in place using CHEMLINK M1 Structural Adhesive/Sealant caulking. Everything is held in place while the caulking dries by also putting the top pieces in place and tightening up the top nut which pulls everything tightly together. (M1 dries using moisture as a reactant.)
I cut a rubber washer from an old logging truck tube. It goes on top of the top Teflon disc and under the top plywood cap. I also cut a section from an old bicycle tube and slid it over the steel shaft on the inside of the tumbler so the brass wouldn’t be banging against steel when it tumbled. (That may be unnecessary.) I put a big steel washer on top of everything and she's all done. (See the first photo.) So, the top is removable to put in the pins, water and brass; while the bottom is permanently glued in place. When adding or removing its contents I place the tumbler on the short left-over piece of sewer pipe because with the steel shaft sticking out the bottom it won't otherwise stand up straight on its own.
If anyone is interested I can show how I made the apparatus with the rollers to rotate the drum.
I scrounged a left-over 18" length of 8" dia. (8 3/4" O.D.) white PVC sewer pipe from a building contractor. I cut off 10" and smoothed and trued up the ends, (turned it on a metal lathe) and finished up with a length of 9 1/2". Then I cut out 2 discs of 3/4" x 8" dia. of Teflon (just what was lying around) the same dia. as the inside the pipe. I cut notches in them to hold four paddles.
I also trued up the leftover piece of sewer pipe and use it for a stand for the tumbler. In one Teflon disc, which will sit inside the top of the tumbler, I cut out four radiuses as pictured below to make it easy to remove. The bottom disc was left a full circle.
Then from 3/4" plywood I cut two 8 3/4" dia. discs for the top and bottom caps.
I took a 3/4" steel shaft and turned the ends down enough to thread them with a 9/16” thread. This reduced diameter leaves a shoulder on each end of the shaft. The distance between the two shoulders is whatever is required so that after having placed a washer at each shoulder, the top Teflon disc is held tightly between the top washer and the top plywood cap when everything is assembled. This prevents the Teflon from turning a bit when tumbling.
Then I cut four paddles out of 3/16" Plexiglas 1 1/2" wide. (Plexiglas was just what I had lying around). The paddles are fully inserted into the notches cut in the bottom disc of Teflon, and are long enough to be flush with the top of the sewer pipe.
After the bottom is assembled as pictured, it is glued on to the sewer pipe with the paddles in place using CHEMLINK M1 Structural Adhesive/Sealant caulking. Everything is held in place while the caulking dries by also putting the top pieces in place and tightening up the top nut which pulls everything tightly together. (M1 dries using moisture as a reactant.)
I cut a rubber washer from an old logging truck tube. It goes on top of the top Teflon disc and under the top plywood cap. I also cut a section from an old bicycle tube and slid it over the steel shaft on the inside of the tumbler so the brass wouldn’t be banging against steel when it tumbled. (That may be unnecessary.) I put a big steel washer on top of everything and she's all done. (See the first photo.) So, the top is removable to put in the pins, water and brass; while the bottom is permanently glued in place. When adding or removing its contents I place the tumbler on the short left-over piece of sewer pipe because with the steel shaft sticking out the bottom it won't otherwise stand up straight on its own.
If anyone is interested I can show how I made the apparatus with the rollers to rotate the drum.
