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Rotary tumblers are excellent for polishing pinballs and I've been wanting one for quite a while. However, since none of them are cheap I just cannot justify buying one for pinballs alone.
Having alot of spare time (yeah right) I decided to try and build my own rotary tumbler from waste parts alone. I knew there was atleast one abandoned printer at work and lots of old power supplies from discarded computers.
After 60minutes of bending and cutting I finally had all the parts I needed. Let me tell you, that printer would have withstood an atomic blast!
- Parts:
- Computer ATX power supply
- Electric motor from paper feed
- Two paper feed rolls
- PVC pipe
I also found a piece of wood to use as a frame. First I started converting the PSU which needed parts like a power resistor and on/off switch. Then I started working on the wooden frame taking measurements making sure everything would line up correctly. Since the rollers have no bearings they need to be level to minimize friction. The motor is driven by 12V and makes the barrel rotate at roughly 25rpm. I am not sure if that is too slow/fast.
You can see a video of it in action here.
 Organized workspace with all parts |
 Motor and mount plate attached to frame |
 Working contraption, needs a frame |
 |
 Inside of the barrel |