skyraptor
off to a rocking start
Member since June 2011
Posts: 2
|
Post by skyraptor on Jun 7, 2011 12:32:08 GMT -5
I'm new to rock tumbling and live a few hours south of Duluth and was up there this past weekend and found a lot of rocks to polish. My question is: What brand of rock tumbler do you prefer and why? I'm looking at starting out slow and getting into the hobby as time goes. Is there a particular brand and model?
|
|
|
Post by jakesrocks on Jun 7, 2011 12:57:06 GMT -5
What ever you decide to buy, don't get a department store, hobby shop or Harbor Freight tumbler. They're junk, and will break down in a very short time. There are several American made brands that will serve you well, and last for years. Lortone, Thumlers and Raytech are 3 good ones. I'd start with a rotary tumbler, as the vibratory tumblers can be tricky to learn to use. Get something at least 3 pound capacity. Larger if you have a lot of rocks to tumble. Ask lots of questions. We're here to talk you through any problems you may encounter. Don
|
|
|
Post by johnjsgems on Jun 7, 2011 13:39:42 GMT -5
What Don said except get a double 3 lb. You will be glad you did.
|
|
blessed
spending too much on rocks
Member since January 2010
Posts: 329
|
Post by blessed on Jun 7, 2011 14:25:38 GMT -5
First, welcome to the forum. I like the Lortone 33B, a double 3 lb. rotary tumbler. This is what I started with. John is right. Blessed
|
|
|
Post by rockrookie on Jun 7, 2011 14:29:51 GMT -5
Welcome to RTH . i agree Lortone 33 B is a great starter . then , if you stay with it . 2 ^ lb barrell lortone is a good next step . --paul
|
|
charles kuchar
spending too much on rocks
getting ready for the second coming
Member since November 2010
Posts: 300
|
Post by charles kuchar on Jun 7, 2011 16:23:54 GMT -5
i have the 3# double thumbler tumbler. therockshed.com is a great place to go to find basic grit and some info on tumbling rocks. other places on here have information about how to identify rocks and check their hardness which is important when you are tumbling rocks. when i started some did not take a shine and i found out they were a different hardness from the agates. charlie
|
|
|
Post by Jack ( Yorkshire) on Jun 8, 2011 1:08:28 GMT -5
Hi
Welcome to RTH from UK
Don and the others above gives you good advice , remember "you get what you pay for "
jack Yorkshire uk
|
|
skyraptor
off to a rocking start
Member since June 2011
Posts: 2
|
Post by skyraptor on Jun 9, 2011 7:03:49 GMT -5
Thanks all for the great info. I like the Lortone 33B. Since I'm close to the north shore of Lake Superior I will be spending a great deal of time gathering rocks and giving them a tumble.
|
|
|
Post by paulshiroma on Jun 11, 2011 1:36:14 GMT -5
Welcome aboard! I started with the single 3 lb Thumbler and quickly followed it up with the double - the one Charles mentions. Bought it via TheRockShed.com who came highly recommended from the folks on this forum. At the time, I wasn't certain if my boys would get into rock hounding but they did and the single, while still in use, wasn't really adequate. Would love to get a large 12lb one as a dedicated coarse stage but my wife would probably object. :-)
|
|
charles kuchar
spending too much on rocks
getting ready for the second coming
Member since November 2010
Posts: 300
|
Post by charles kuchar on Jun 11, 2011 18:39:51 GMT -5
paul, do something nice for your wife. then you can buy the 12 #er. that's what i did. and then i had to do something nice again. then bought the lot-o vibrator. now just ordered 1800 of hardwood flooring for the living room. haven't got any money left to have it put in so i have to do it myself. at least the tumblers keep on tumbling. maybe i can swing a trip to western nebraska to hunt fairburns... charlie
|
|
slapdasherie
starting to shine!
Member since February 2011
Posts: 25
|
Post by slapdasherie on Jun 11, 2011 22:20:12 GMT -5
I'm also brand new to the hobby and have the double barrel 3 pound Lortone. I really like that I can have two stages going at the same time. I just received my first order from The Rock Shed like others have recommended, and I was very impressed. I got 2 more barrels, so that I can dedicate a barrel to each stage and not have to worry about cleaning them too much. You do have to pay for shipping from The Rock Shed, but it's not too bad. Within 2 hours of submitting my online order, The Rock Shed had already emailed me with the tracking number for my package, and they had lowered the quoted shipping from the website because they were able to fit it all into a priority box. The package arrived within a couple days. I was more than impressed with their service. Best of all, they included a tiny packet of candy in the box. *grin*
|
|
|
Post by paulshiroma on Jun 16, 2011 23:52:56 GMT -5
paul, do something nice for your wife. then you can buy the 12 #er. that's what i did. and then i had to do something nice again. then bought the lot-o vibrator. now just ordered 1800 of hardwood flooring for the living room. haven't got any money left to have it put in so i have to do it myself. at least the tumblers keep on tumbling. maybe i can swing a trip to western nebraska to hunt fairburns... charlie That was good, Charlie! Thanks for the tip. Might be a bit transparent but we'll see if it works! Paul 3
|
|
cmdesigns
off to a rocking start
Member since June 2011
Posts: 1
|
Post by cmdesigns on Jun 19, 2011 14:39:24 GMT -5
I am so grateful for finding this board and especially this thread. Thanks Sky for asking the exact question I had! I ordered the Lortone 33B kit (& a bunch of other goodies I don't know how to use yet) from therockshed.com today and I can't wait to get started tumbling. I am hoping to eventually be able to make my own stone beads for jewelry making!
|
|