That is the method that we use almost exclusively for removing tool marks and burrs. Your not going to put a high polish on the parts with this method, but it removes the tool marks in a very consistent, smooth manner, preventing damage to the machined contours of the part.

In a production environment they work great because of the fact that you can be doing something else while the machine is taking care of the brunt of the polishing work.

They are expensive, so for the home hobbiest they're not that sound of an investment, unless your pockets are fairly deep, and your hobbies are taken more seriously than most. Expect to pay about $3,000.00 plus, and when I say plus, I mean a whole lot more for the bigger fancier models. We use a Burr Bench that hold's 3 cubic feet of media. We can polish 360 Model 70 trigger guards at one time with this machine, and somewhere around 1500 extractors. With the right media, time can vary anywhere between 45 min. to 12 hours of run time.

Media comes in many different styles, materials, and grades. Not every part can utilize the same media to obtain optimum cut time. Some parts work very well with vibratory tumbling, while others are almost impossible to polish. On parts like that, the only benefit that you'll obtain will be the deburring of them.

The other major item that effects the cutting action is the soap that is ran in with the media. This soap helps clean the media of metal fragments and keeps it cutting rather than getting loaded up. It is also important that you use a soap that has a rust inhibitor in it as well. Without this, your parts will rust in a hurry. The reason for this is, the parts are not running dry, they are running in a water and soap solution. While this process is going on there is a considerable amount of heat that is being generated, along with humidity. There's no better combination for acquiring rust than these factors. Without a rust inhibitor soap, you'll be spending a lot of time removing rust by hand.

Thanks once in awhile you can find a used one. Could you post a pic of this thing in operation. PM me for a direct email if desired. Thanks

Anyone using this process for deburring, how smooth is the finish? I'm talking about the big vibrating drum that looks like a giant case cleaner and uses abrasive media. Is the finish matte or is shiny etc? Thanks