Frankford Arsenal LITE Rotary Tumbler Problem - SOLVED (Agitator Template)

NORCAL50

Sergeant of the Hide
Full Member
Minuteman
Feb 1, 2021
110
76
California
So perhaps the biggest problem with the FART Lite is it's REALLY bad with low volumes of cases, they'll just roll around on the bottom motionless.

So I made a template for you guys to make your own agitators. Just cut it out and it fits perfectly, did all the hard work for ya :p

Simply open the "FART Lite Agitator.pdf" in Google Chrome > Set Print Scale (100% or Fit to Paper) > Print. Then check your dimensions match what they're supposed to be. Next cut the paper along the lines, tape it down to a cheap 1/8" thick plastic cutting board or plastic cafeteria tray, use a sharpie to leave the "shadow" from the paper on the plastic, remove paper, cut plastic with saw, file if necessary. Heat middle of the H with hair dryer so it can fit in the drum, then it should snap into the diagonals of the hexagonal drum. JB Weld Marine Epoxy not necessary, but you could add it.

I used high tech 3D mapping (playdough) to map the inside of the drum and make the little roller grooves a "perfect" fit. I am going to continue refining the template and try to get it actually perfect though.

I hope this helps some of you, and many more of you who stumble upon this thread from a google search :)

Video w/ 30 cases .223 REM:
 

Attachments

  • B3DE5C3C-7F20-4982-A9F6-FC1DBF66721D.jpeg
    B3DE5C3C-7F20-4982-A9F6-FC1DBF66721D.jpeg
    230.3 KB · Views: 1,103
  • Agitator Finished.jpg
    Agitator Finished.jpg
    241.7 KB · Views: 873
  • FART Lite Agitator DWG V3.PDF
    929.1 KB · Views: 1,376
Last edited:
Thanks for the template! It worked out perfectly for me. I had the exact same problem with my FART lite tumbler. I printed out the template, and used an old Rubbermaid tote box for the material. Now, it’s got great tumbling action.

I was searching for hours about this issue until I stumbled upon your post. It worked so well, I had to register to this site to thank you.
 

Attachments

  • 5B7F68CD-1E4B-4513-A85C-055D27CF6688.jpeg
    5B7F68CD-1E4B-4513-A85C-055D27CF6688.jpeg
    456.9 KB · Views: 590
Thanks for the template! It worked out perfectly for me. I had the exact same problem with my FART lite tumbler. I printed out the template, and used an old Rubbermaid tote box for the material. Now, it’s got great tumbling action.

I was searching for hours about this issue until I stumbled upon your post. It worked so well, I had to register to this site to thank you.
I appreciate you registering just to thank me 😂

Just happy to hear your tumbler is finally performing as it should!
 
So perhaps the biggest problem with the FART Lite is it's REALLY bad with low volumes of cases, they'll just roll around on the bottom motionless.

So I made a template for you guys to make your own agitators. Just cut it out and it fits perfectly, did all the hard work for ya :p

Simply open the "FART Lite Agitator.pdf" in Google Chrome > Set Print Scale (100% or Fit to Paper) > Print. Then check your dimensions match what they're supposed to be. Next cut the paper along the lines, tape it down to a cheap 1/8" thick plastic cutting board or plastic cafeteria tray, use a sharpie to leave the "shadow" from the paper on the plastic, remove paper, cut plastic with saw, file if necessary. Heat middle of the H with hair dryer so it can fit in the drum, then it should snap into the diagonals of the hexagonal drum. JB Weld Marine Epoxy not necessary, but you could add it.

I used high tech 3D mapping (playdough) to map the inside of the drum and make the little roller grooves a "perfect" fit. I am going to continue refining the template and try to get it actually perfect though.

I hope this helps some of you, and many more of you who stumble upon this thread from a google search :)

Video w/ 30 cases .223 REM:

to this thanks. I used this template out of a $2 cutting board from wally world. Brass comes out way better since it actually gets tumbled with the pins. Thanks for this
 
  • Like
Reactions: NORCAL50