Vintage Double Hose

Suggestions for tank tumbling media

Hi,

I have a tank tumbler on the way and want to have media ready. I have read about using aquarium gravel but would like to know about options for commercial ceramic media and/or aluminum oxide. Some suggest 25lbs per tank will hit the top and bottom of the tank. Anyone know of an online place to buy 50 lbs of ceramic, or any physical store located within 100 miles of San Francisco?

I found ceramic media on line many moons ago and it works well. I use about 2/3's of an ice cream pail for a 72. You can always tip the tumbler up a few inches if you want to scrub the bottom better. Another weapon in the arsenal that I use is a wire brush I welded on to the end of a steel rod. I chuck it up in my half inch drill if I have a problem area. This works well for tanks with the elephant toes.

How About Sheet Metal Screws?
- I haven't tried this for tank tumbling but I was restoring my 1980s Aerotecnica compressor a couple years ago and the inside of the gas tank was caked with rust. I looked up how to clean a gas tank on YouTube and found where it was done with sheet metal screws and vinegar. I found a box of chrome plated hex head sheet metal screws in the garage... About a half inch length. I dumped some in the gas tank with some vinegar and shook it by hand for a few minutes. When I dumped it out, the liquid was solid rust colored and I could see some shiney surface in the gas tank. So I did it again with fresh vinegar and the same screws. This cleaned a bunch more rust out. Maybe just a couple more times and the inside of the gas tank was like brand new... Actually shiney bright metal. And the funny part is that all of the chrome was stripped from the sheet metal screws.
- I don't know about using vinegar in scuba tanks so I don't recommend that. But those sheet metal screws have a lot of sharp edges and points to dig into rust spots. I think the next time I tumble a scuba tank I will try sheet metal screws!

I have a set of double 53's that had the lining.
The local shop knew that I worked at a window plant and
asked if I had access to tempered glass.
They used the busted up tempered glass beads to tumble the liner out.