Tumbler bowl repair

[niftyfifty]

I have a Thumlers Tumblers Ultra-Vibe 18 that I bought at Smittys(you older members remember them) back in 1988. Been an excellent tumbler. Had to replace the motor about 10 years ago. And Thumlers was great about it. Now, the top of the "tower" in the bowl finally blew out. I tried calling and using the "Contact Us" email. But they refuse to respond now. SO. I decided to repair it myself. I used fiberglass reinforced epoxy and it looks like it's going to work just fine. I used masking tape to tape the top of the "tower" in place. Then just flipped it over and went to work. I made sure I got the fiberglass about an inch up the inside wall of the tower for the best support. If you've never worked with epoxy or fiberglass. Nitrile gloves help keep the glass fibers from poking your fingers. And wax paper is a great surface to work on. Epoxy will not stick to it. And more importantly, the surface under it. Years ago I bought a Bondo brand fiberglass repair kit. I've been snipping material from that for years for numerous repair projects. I would have rather bought a new bowl. But it seems that Thumlers doesn't need my business. Since the only replacement bowls I could find were for the industrial version. This hack saved me $139. I hope this post helps somebody else.
It may not be pretty. But it will never be seen once I put it back together.

[kenpoprofessor]

I would've just used a fender washer and called it a day.


Have a great, gun carryin', Kenpo day

Clyde

[niftyfifty]

There's a fender washer on there already. The wall of the "tower" isn't thick enough to stand up to the abuse. The repair is stronger than the original.

[XJThrottle]

Smitty's. Used to love going to the one on Grand as a kid. Pizza after mom telling you no to all the toys was a decent consolation prize...

[Ckoz59]

First gun purchases from Smitty's

[jrleen]

While back I ran across a sale from an old reloaders stash of primers. Fedmart, sports authority, smittys, edelmans?, big bear? + others....all went bang. Just getting to the end of those.