freedom1029
off to a rocking start
Member since December 2019
Posts: 2
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Post by freedom1029 on Dec 27, 2019 9:36:45 GMT -5
Hi there, I am totally new to rock tumbling, in fact I just bought this new double barrel tumbler on Ebay (the brand is Chicago Elecric Power Tools). When I started it for the first time nothing was moving, only had a humming sound. I manually turned the rod for to help it start turning. I added a few drops of oil on both sides of both rods, I checked the alignment of the pulleys and it’s seemed ok, however I noticed that there is a small linear range of motion (left-right,2-4mm) in the main rod and wobble slightly when it's running, but I guess this is normal? I was surprised to see that they use plastic sleeve instead of flange bearing, but anyway what do I know. With the two 3lbs barrel loaded to 2/3, +water and grit, I started the machine and 30 min later the rubber v-belt snapped in half. I changed the belt, checked the belt tension, and pulley alignment, and gave it a go again, but the belt broke in less than one hour. I ask the seller, and he has honest and told me he doesn’t know much about those machines. However, he offers to take back the machine. Before I gave up, I thought I would ask here, do you have any recommendations? Is there something wrong with the machine or with something I do wrong ?
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Post by knave on Dec 27, 2019 10:32:27 GMT -5
Yeah those bushings are trouble spots. Have you oiled or greased them? Is the driven pulley hard to turn when both barrels are on?
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whyofquartz
spending too much on rocks
So, Africa is smaller than I expected...
Member since December 2019
Posts: 316
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Post by whyofquartz on Dec 27, 2019 12:59:33 GMT -5
Chicago Electric is one of Harbor Freight's house brands. I would not be surprised if the belts are just old. I am not terribly familiar with the CE tumbler either, but if you wanted to try 1 more belt the Hazard Fraught Tools is where you can get one
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Benathema
has rocks in the head
God chased me down and made sure I knew He was real June 20, 2022. I've been on a Divine Mission.
Member since November 2019
Posts: 703
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Post by Benathema on Dec 27, 2019 14:15:48 GMT -5
Is it possible the belt was too tight? With the belt off, do the shafts spin easily? Stalling on startup with no load suggests something is binding. It is possible with these little hobby motors to put too much side load on the motor shaft. That could be from a belt that's too tight.
$0.02
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freedom1029
off to a rocking start
Member since December 2019
Posts: 2
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Post by freedom1029 on Dec 29, 2019 13:03:31 GMT -5
Thank you for your replies, that helped me solve my problem. I reduced the tension on the belt to the maximum and also reduced the range of motion of the main rod by adding a second washer between the metal wall and the C clip ring. This way the pulley have way less lateral movement. I also lubricated the plastic flange with Boeshield T9. Overall it's way better and no more breaking belt However I might improve my tumbler with proper flange bearing and post the results here if you think that can be of interest.
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