jibsman
off to a rocking start
Member since March 2017
Posts: 1
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Post by jibsman on Mar 26, 2017 0:13:39 GMT -5
My wife and me love finding rocks when we travel. We mark the location and what we were doing when we found the rock. Of course, only "special" rocks count. They have to be unique.
Anyway, a long time ago we had a friend who polished his finds; he gave us several very beautiful unfinished stones. They always said to finish with a liquid, like water and soap or something (sorry can't remember). I was looking at inexpensive tumblers to get my spouse so she could polish her "finds". I think it would make her very happy. I don't want to buy something that doesn't hold water because she remembers that part.
Inexpensive is under $100 for us. Can you tell me if all rock tumblers hold water (don't leak) or if I need to buy a special one. Otherwise can you recommend a tumbler under $100 that won't leak? Thanks Rockhounds! Jibsman
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Post by Jugglerguy on Mar 26, 2017 7:00:28 GMT -5
Welcome to the forum Jibsman. I'm pretty sure that all tumblers hold water, since water is a primary part of most tumbling recipes. You can tumble without water, but that's not the norm. I'd recommend a Lortone 33b from the Rock Shed as a good first tumbler.
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,456
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Post by Sabre52 on Mar 26, 2017 7:04:56 GMT -5
Internally rotary rock tumblers have gaskets and are waterproof. Though, every now and then a barrel will rupture,develop a hole, or the seal will fail making a friggin mess. Vibrator tumblers, to me, have looser lid gaskets and tend to leak a little water but you use very little water in them so a tight seal is not that necessary. Externally, I'm not sure how waterproof rotary tumbler motors are. I suspect if you get a bunch of water or slurry in the motors it would cause damage to the motor but usually the motor is separated from the barrels. Unfortunately, costs for tumblers have gotten much higher over the years. The smallest decent tumbler, usually a four pound single barrel Lortone or the like, will run you over a hundred with shipping and it's good to have a dedicated barrel for the polish and pre polish stages * to avoid grit contamination of your load) so you need an extra barrel too which brings the price even higher..Mel
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Fossilman
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 20,681
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Post by Fossilman on Mar 26, 2017 9:15:29 GMT -5
Yes sir, the single barrel Lortone's are worth the investment.......My oldest one is over 30 years old and still rolling! Welcome to the forum too and good luck!!!
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