Raytech Vibratory Tumblers, Bowls and Media

Raytech Vibratory Tumblers for Coins, Relics, Jewelry and Rock

A vibratory tumbler shakes a bowl of media and finds so the media works over every surface at once. Raytech builds two families of them. The Tumble-Vibe TV-5 and Tumble-Vibe 10 are what Raytech calls best for light deburring and polishing, with wet or dry media. The Adjusta-Vibe and Tumble Dump models are built for heavy duty use, with an adjustable weight that takes the action from mild to aggressive and, on most of them, a drain in the bowl.

Compared with a conventional barrel tumbler, Raytech says a vibratory machine works the media into blind or hidden areas that the tumbler's slide action passes over and can often handle more complex part shapes, so we recommend one for coins, buttons and relics with recessed detail.

Tumbling changes the surface of a coin, so we recommend keeping silver, key dates and anything a collector might want out of every tumbler. See our guide on how to clean old coins without ruining them.

Which Raytech Tumbler Size Do You Need?

Raytech rates every bowl by working capacity in cubic feet, and that figure covers the media and your finds together. The TV-5 holds about 0.05 cubic feet, roughly 3 pints or 4 pounds. The Tumble-Vibe 10 holds about 0.10 cubic feet, roughly 6 pints or 8 pounds. From there the Adjusta-Vibe 18 holds 0.18, the Adjusta-Vibe 25 holds 0.22, the Tumble Dump 40 holds 0.35 and the 21 inch machines hold 0.75 cubic feet.

To see how much media a bowl takes, Raytech multiplies the media density by the bowl capacity, and the actual amount drops in proportion to the parts you tumble. Its plastic media runs about 55 pounds per cubic foot, so a full Tumble-Vibe 10 bowl holds roughly 5.5 pounds of plastic pyramids, less the room your finds take up. Its ceramic media runs 90 pounds per cubic foot, so a full Adjusta-Vibe 25 bowl holds roughly 20 pounds.

We recommend the TV-5 for a first tumbler and small batches, the Tumble-Vibe 10 when the TV-5 is full every time, and an Adjusta-Vibe 18 or 25 when you tumble every week or want to dial the action up for crusted relics. The Tumble Dump 40, Adjusta-Vibe 75 and Tumble-Dump 75 are shop machines for large batches. Raytech says its tumblers are designed to run 10 to 12 hours a day.

Raytech TV-5 and Tumble-Vibe 10, Best For:

• A first tumbler for clad coins, junk jewelry and common relics
• Small batches with plastic media or dry corn cob on a garage shelf
• Polishing preformed cabochons and small slabs in the no drain Tumble-Vibe 10

Raytech Adjusta-Vibe 18 and 25, Best For:

• Detectorists who tumble every week and want a drain for wet runs
• Crusted iron relics in ceramic media with the amplitude turned up

Media and Compounds: What Each One Does

The media material decides what a run does to your finds.

• Plastic media: for softer metals such as brass, aluminum and zinc. Raytech says it leaves a smooth finish with little shine and does not discolor metal. Our green pyramids are light cut, the grey/brown pyramids medium cut and the white pyramids very fine cut, and the 9/16 inch XF cones are plastic too. We recommend plastic media for dug brass buttons, buckles and copper relics.
• Ceramic media: the heaviest and fastest finishing media Raytech makes, for steel, stainless steel, cast iron and titanium. Our ceramic angle cut cylinders and polyhedrons suit iron relics with heavy crust. Ceramalite, a ceramic and plastic blend, gives a finer finish than ceramic; we carry it as 5/16 x 3/4 inch angle cut cylinders and 5/8 inch V cut cylinders.
• Porcelain balls: Raytech porcelain balls give a bright finish without steel media, with very little surface wear, for delicate parts and precious metal burnishing. They come in 1 to 6 mm, and Raytech says to break them in for 4 to 6 hours. We recommend them for gold and silver jewelry finds.
• Corn cob and walnut: dry media that Raytech says produces a high gloss finish on stainless steel, aluminum and other metals. Our Dri-Shine III corn cob media is the dry polish step.

For wet runs, Raytech pairs Compound B, a non foaming flow through deburring compound, with ceramic or plastic media, and Compound D, a burnishing compound diluted to 2 percent in water, with ceramic, porcelain and steel media. Compound M and the stainless steel magnetic pins are made for Raytech centrifugal magnetic finishers. Raytech says the media and compound should be just barely wet, with no standing water. Turbo Sonic Jewelry Cleaning Solution is a concentrate for ultrasonic cleaners.

Which Media Can Each Raytech Tumbler Run?

• Steel shot: Raytech allows steel shot only in the AV-25SS and AV-40SS. Running steel shot in the TV-5 voids its warranty.
• Ceramic media: Keep steel and ceramic media out of the TV-5, Tumble-Vibe 10 and Dri-Polisher. We recommend plastic or dry media in the TV-5 and Tumble-Vibe 10 and an Adjusta-Vibe for ceramic loads.
• Wet or dry: the Dri-Polisher takes dry media only. Raytech says every other model can run wet or dry.
• Cutting and polishing: if one tumbler does both, Raytech recommends keeping a second bowl only for polishing so embedded cutting grit stays out of the final step.

Replacement Bowls, Strainer and Parts That Fit

Raytech designs each tumbler to work only with its own bowl and says a smaller or larger bowl damages the motor.

• TV-5: 23-005 8 inch bowl with lid, the bowl, lid and hardware set, or the hardware on its own
• Tumble-Vibe 10: 10 inch spare bowl and lid
• Adjusta-Vibe 18: 12 inch bowl with drain
• Adjusta-Vibe 25: 14 inch bowl and cover
• Tumble Dump 40 and Adjusta-Vibe 40: 17 inch bowl and lid
• Tumble-Dump machines: 21 inch replacement bowl

The Raytech strainer assembly separates finds from media on the Tumble-Vibe 10, AV-18, AV-25 and AV-25SS, AV-40 and AV-40SS, and AV-75 and AV-75DC. If you polish rock, the TV-5 Rock Polishing Starter Kit and the TV-10 Professional Rock Polishing Kit come with Raytech's four steps: silicon carbide 100/120, silicon carbide 700F, Iolox 50 and Raybrite TL.

Raytech Sifting Screens for Media and Material

Raytech's one piece molded sifting screens separate undersize media without parts sticking at the joints, and they nest for storage. The matching container holds 32 quarts. We sell a single screen, a set of five, the set of five with container and the container alone. Prospectors use them to size material before panning; see all gold classifiers and sifters and our gold panning guide.

Why Buy Raytech Tumblers and Supplies from Serious Detecting?

• Free Shipping on Orders Over $99: Orders over $99 ship at no extra cost across the continental US.
• Authorized Raytech Dealer: Showroom in Ypsilanti, Michigan, and Raytech's one-year manufacturer warranty on its tumblers.
• Help Before and After You Buy: Our staff answer tumbler size, bowl fit and media questions by phone or email.