arkietumbler
starting to shine!
Member since February 2016
Posts: 28
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Post by arkietumbler on Feb 18, 2016 10:18:32 GMT -5
Hello All,
Always loved the tumbled stones my kids would get at rock shops but never took to plunge to tumble my own.
This changed a couple of weeks ago when my grandson got a kit with a big plaster slab where he could dig his own rocks. I helped him and we identified them. I thought it would be cool if we could tumble them! I had a Harbor Freight single barrel tumbler I had used to tumble brass with in the garage that we could start with.
I promptly did my research, purchased a nice mix of rocks from Amazon (7 Mohs) of about 3 lbs. of Asia mix. Purchased some ceramic and plastic tumbling material as well as an assortment of grit. I also got some extra belts since the tumbler hadn't ran in 3 years and has been sitting in the garage.
We started last night and it is tumbling away! The funny thing is about an hour into the process, I forgot to add the grit!!! Went back out, added, sealed up and away we go again.
I think I'm more excited than my 6 year old grandson as to the way they will turn out!
Been 'window shopping' for tumblers. MJR tumblers on eBay (These are the 15lb. jobs and seems a bit big for my needs), Thumlers and Lortone. Don't know if I should go for a larger one at the get go or wait. Or maybe get a double barrel? Decisions...decisions.
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Fossilman
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 20,681
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Post by Fossilman on Feb 18, 2016 10:33:10 GMT -5
Arkietumbler,welcome to the forum.........Always like getting the kids and grandkids into hounding-sounds like Grandpa is ready to hit the tumbling hard too...LOL Loads of information,advice and photos on the forum-enjoy!!!
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Post by radio on Feb 18, 2016 14:33:18 GMT -5
Welcome from SW Mo.
Keep us posted on the progress and we love to see pics! Lots of friendly and helpful folks on here, so if you have questions, post 'em up
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Post by Jugglerguy on Feb 18, 2016 16:27:09 GMT -5
Hi ArkieTumbler, and welcome to the forum. I got started tumbling with my son, who has long since lost interest. I'm more interested than ever though! Most of us here buy our tumblers and supplies from The Rock Shed. They have great prices and you get a discount on grit and tumbling rough when you buy a tumbler. Kingsley North also has good grit prices. I buy 50 lbs. of 46/70 or 80 grit from there. That probably seems like a lot, but you'll use way more grit in the coarse stage than any other stage. I have not heard anything good about MJR or Harbor Freight tumblers. Some people have had good luck with Harbor Freight, but just as many have had problems. Lortone and Thumler's seem to be the most popular rotary tumblers with members of Rock Tumbling Hobby. I have two Lortones and a Thumler's. I much prefer the lids on the Lortones. My Thumler's is an AR-2, so maybe the larger ones have better lids. Some people love their Thumler's Tumblers. I would suggest buying a double barrel. It will run twice as many rocks while using the same amount of electricity. You can also have rocks running in different stages. The cost is less than twice the cost of a single barrel. You should also consider building a tumbler that can hold lots of barrels. There are many people here who could advise you if you decide to build your own. Have you considered a vibratory tumbler? I have a Lot-O that I love. There are other brands that are also very popular. A vibratory tumbler is good for stages after the first stage. The first stage is better done in a rotary tumbler. Vibratory tumblers work much faster and use much less grit. Since they work faster, they also use less electricity. In a 3 lb. rotary barrel, you might use 6 tablespoons of grit. In a 4.5 lb Lot-O barrel, you only need 2 tablespoons of 220 and 1/2 TEASPOON of all other grits. Each stage is finished in about 2 days vs. about 10 days for each stage in a rotary. It's a big expense to purchase a vibratory tumbler, but it saves a lot of money later on.
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Post by Garage Rocker on Feb 18, 2016 17:10:12 GMT -5
I too am just getting into tumbling with my sons, so I have very recently run into some of the same questions. The folks on here couldn't be nicer or more encouraging, by the way, and will give you great advice. I am glad I went with the Lortone tumbler as it has run constantly since Christmas with no issues and I expect it will roll right along with minimal maintenance. It is also really quiet because the entire barrel is rubber. I got the 33B, with 2 three pound barrels, but already wish I had purchased us the twin 6 pound or larger...after only one complete tumble. Rob is right about the Lot O Tumbler also, I got one of those for the stages after the course grind and it processes the rocks much faster than our rotary tumbler can handle. Not having another method to work the rocks while we wait, we are left to look at buckets of rough while we tumble our thumbs. I predict it won't be long until you are browsing the homemade equipment thread, like me.
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Intheswamp
Cave Dweller
Member since September 2015
Posts: 1,910
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Post by Intheswamp on Feb 18, 2016 17:39:42 GMT -5
I think I'm more excited than my 6 year old grandson as to the way they will turn out!
Been 'window shopping' for tumblers. MJR tumblers on eBay (These are the 15lb. jobs and seems a bit big for my needs), Thumlers and Lortone. Don't know if I should go for a larger one at the get go or wait. Or maybe get a double barrel? Decisions...decisions. I would never let this happen to me!!! No, NEVER!!!! Letting a grandkid lead you down the road of no return!!! Hmmphh!!! You gotta be kiddin' me!!!! The longest time will be spent in coarse grinding. It truly seems that the best setup is a large rotary tumbler for coarse grinding and the Lot-O for final fine grinding and polishing. Get a 15# rotary and a Lot-O....you're set...until you realize how much of an appetite the Lot-O has. Some rocks may take a month or two to coarse grind...or maybe even three months. It depends on how finely you want the rocks rounded and blemishes ground out. When the load is finished in coarse grit there will probably still be some rocks that you cull. So figure you might get three loads in the Lot-O. The Lot-O will basically take a four to four and a half pound load of coarse ground rocks all the way to polish in around eight days. Therefore, in about 3-1/2 weeks you will have sent all the rocks through the Lot-O that it took a month or two to get prepared in the rotary. Of course, this is if you went with a large rotary and Lot-O. If you go with a straight rotary setup then you will stretch the entire load's progress out over a longer period of time....the Lot-O is a speed demon. So, don't get rid of your grandson...you can blame all kinds of things on him and get away with it!!! A new 15-pound Lortone, a Lot-O, a 45-pound box of coarse grit from Kingsley, a..... Yeah, grandkids are very convenient to have around....especially since it seems you've taken the bait...hook, line, and sinker. But, whatever the case, have fun...both of you!!!!!!!!!
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arkietumbler
starting to shine!
Member since February 2016
Posts: 28
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Post by arkietumbler on Feb 19, 2016 12:08:37 GMT -5
Thanks to all for the kind replies and the willingness to provide lots of good information! I'm intrigued that I can tumble the rough first in a rotary and then segue over to the Lot-O. This will save me and my pocketbook the cost of barrels for the various stages of grit as well as time. The DIY route sounds interesting as well as I am a tinkerer and DIY'er at heart. Time will tell!
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