Rebel 17 Wet Tumbler Repair – Garand Thumb Blog Fix for a Broken Belt
On Garand Thumb Blog, we cover the real side of shooting, reloading, and gear maintenance — the kind of things that never make it into polished YouTube videos. One problem that every reloader eventually runs into? The wet tumbler belt breaking.
If you reload with stainless media you know how critical a wet tumbler is. The Rebel 17 tumbler is a favorite in the community, but when that drive belt snaps it feels like the end of the world. Dirty brass piles up, stainless pins sit idle, and the bench gets quiet.
The Garand Thumb Blog Fix: Scotch Super 33 Tape
A member of the Garand Thumb Blog Shooting Team wasn’t going to wait for a new belt. Instead, they wrapped the drive pulley with the rest of a roll of Scotch Super 33 electrical tape. It sounds like something out of a late-night DIY YouTube repair hack, but it actually worked. The tumbler spun back up, pins clattered, and brass came out spotless.
Why the Electrical Tape Fix Matters
- Cheap repair: A $5 roll of tape is faster than waiting on a replacement part.
- Zero downtime: Reloaders can keep brass moving through the tumbler.
- Tested tough: Scotch Super 33 held up through multiple stainless media cycles.
Garand Thumb Blog vs YouTube
What you see on YouTube is polished gear reviews and perfect reloading setups. What you get on Garand Thumb Blog are the fixes that actually happen in the garage when the match is next weekend and your brass still looks like it came out of a trench. This story proves the point: the internet might tell you to “just order a new belt,” but reloaders know you improvise with whatever you’ve got.
Common Search Questions Answered
- “How do you fix a Rebel 17 wet tumbler?” → Use tape until your new belt arrives.
- “Can I use electrical tape for tumbler repair?” → Yes, Scotch Super 33 works in a pinch.
- “Garand Thumb Blog tumbler fix?” → Right here.
At the end of the day, the Garand Thumb Blog community shows that shooters fix gear differently than YouTubers do. When a belt breaks, reloaders don’t stop. They improvise, adapt, and keep their brass shining.
Because clean brass is happy brass — and no amount of flashy YouTube reloading footage beats a working tumbler in your own shop.
