[Jewelry making - Article 00883] - Re: [Orchid] Size of workpiece dictate size of tumbler?

[ElaineEC]

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>     What would you say about the SIZE of tumbler needed? Does  the
>     size of workpiece dictate size of machine?

    Absolutely.  If the workpiece is too large for the tumbler, the 
    workpiece won't turn properly and as a result won't be polished
    uniformly.   The size of the tumbler determines both the quantity of
    parts that can be  polished as well as the size of the parts. 

    The diameter of the bowl alone will not tell you if your part will
    fit  because vibratory tumblers generally have a 'cone' in the
    middle of  the bowl surrounding the motor shaft. Measuring from the
    inside  wall of the bowl to the center cone will tell you if your
    part will  fit comfortably.  Your best bet is to call the company
    who makes  or sells the tumbler you like, and tell them the size of
    the part.   They'll help you determine which size tumbler will work
    for that part. 

    By way of example, our # 10 Vibratory Tumbler measures about 2" from
     the wall to the center cone of the bowl.  So your 2-1/4" part is
    too big  for our # 10.  The next size up is the # 25 Vibratory
    Tumbler which  measures about 3-1/2" from wall to center cone.  So
    this tumbler would work  for your larger pieces. 

    However there's a big price difference between those two tumblers
    which  means you have a decision to make.  What percentage of your
    production  are those larger parts?  Is the percentage high enough
    -- or is  the polishing of them enough of a bottleneck in your
    workday -- to warrant  the price of the larger tumbler?  Or should
    you get the smaller tumbler to  handle the majority of your work
    (small parts) and continue to do the large  parts by hand? 

    I hope this has been helpful.  

Best Regards,

Elaine Corwin
http://www.gesswein.com
Gesswein Co. Inc.
Bridgeport Connecticut USA
Tel: 1-800-544-2043 x287 
Fax: 203-335-0300


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