Frankford Arsenal EZ Tumbler

[Ernbar]

I have been using the FA tumbler for a good 5 years and has cleaned and polished thousands of rounds. The plastic bowl developed several cracks at the bottom where the long threaded rod attaches. The tumbler is discontinued so before buying a different one I decided to attempt a repair since the motor is working fine. I used a soldering gun with a flat tip to melt the plastic along the cracks both inside the bowl and outside underneath, just a slight touch to melt a hair of thickness along the cracks. I then wiped the repaired areas with acetone. Picked up some JBWeld for plastics and applied it over the repaired areas two days ago and let it cure for a good 14 hours just to be extra safe. The repair looks like a success since running it 2 hours then another 2 hours. I cleaned some brass this morning and ran it almost 3 hours and the repaired areas look solid with no signs of failure, at least for now.

 

[ENCORE50A]

3M 5200 will work and seal even under water. Its used in many types of marine applications.

I have a pair of rubber boots that for some reason developed a crack on the side. I put some 3M 5200 over the crack and its waterproof to this day after about 10yrs.

 

[Bphunter1974]

I've always found that drilling a hole at the end of the cracks stops them from cracking again.

 

[Ernbar]

I've always found that drilling a hole at the end of the cracks stops them from cracking again.

I would avoid drilling holes in this situation specially with multiple cracks.
I have ran it for several hours daily to clean and polish brass cases and the repair looks to be solid and holding securely.