Rock Tumbler

Jcl5150

I’m in the market for a rock tumbler.  Does anyone have any experience with one or know what a good brand is?  Im just looking for something basic that’s around $50 or so.  I looked on Amazon at the National Geographic ones but I wanted to check in here first as I’ve learned so much here about other stuff. 

johnmitchell

Well I had to google rock tumbler,learnt something new thanks🤔

GregW

I have bought tumblers from this place.
http://www.therockshed.com/tumbler1.html

It may be difficult to find something in the $50 range, it looks like most of the tumblers in that range are out of stock.

I recommend calling them, hopefully they will have a good recommendation for a basic unit.  

lkapigian

Haven't seen a rock tumbler since I was a kid and that's a looonngg time ago, cool hobby 

Jcl5150

GregW said:

I have bought tumblers from this place.
http://www.therockshed.com/tumbler1.html

It may be difficult to find something in the $50 range, it looks like most of the tumblers in that range are out of stock.

I recommend calling them, hopefully they will have a good recommendation for a basic unit.  

Thanks for the advice!

HeavyG

When I was a kid my dad made one from a metal coffee can, a small motor from something and a couple of rollers. I have no idea how much money he spent on that but I think everything was scavenged parts.

I had no idea how pretty a handful of rocks could become by simply being tumbled around with various "sands" for a week or so. Pretty cool.

He didn't make it primarily for rocks tho. He used it to clean up brass casings that he reloaded. I remember him using crushed walnut shells for that process. Again, I had no idea that somethings could get so shiny by simply being tumbled around with something like walnut shells.

buzd504

Never used one, but this popped up when I went to look up rock tumblers.

$50 and we know harbor freight's reputation (hit and miss, IMO), but it's $50.

https://www.harborfreight.com/3-lb-rotary-rock-tumbler-67631.html

Cornholio

Good reviews on this NG model from Amazon, I assume this one you are looking at?

https://www.amazon.com/National-Geographic-Hobby-Rock-Tumbler/dp/B07PQHWYSH/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=rock%2Btumbler&qid=1593984589&sr=8-2&th=1

I haven’t used nor discussed a rock tumbler since the early 90’s but I had a cheap one from Toys R Us that always worked fine. I’d imagine that one on Amazon is a decent start given the reviews and not too expensive to see if you like it. If you decide to upgrade sell it for $20 to put towards a more expensive unit. 

I might actually get that one for my kids, fun activity from what I remember. 

RRP

Much like what others said here my Father really got into this after he retired. M&D passed away many years ago and we still have many polished specimens from their years of collecting in Western states. My Father was an actual blacksmith by profession and as might be expected that cheap paint can tumbler soon bit the dust. He then designed and welded together an octagon shaped tumbler that I swear must have weighed 30 pounds or more! He drove it with a gear reduced "washing machine motor" so it TUMBLED! LOL

I'm not sure what ever happened to it, but I'm sure he probably sold it to some guys who he got interested. 

Interesting hobby I guess...

rcone

I have used the harbor freight one to tumble brass, it works well for the few times a year I use it. 

SGH

I have only had experience with one. Thumblers Tumbler. I have had it since 1990. For years it got used a lot. At one time I was pretty big into pyrotechnics. That’s what I used it for. Tumbling different powder compositions. Never had a single rock in it. However it quite often had about 2 pounds of brass pellets in it. 

The only thing I ever had to change was the rubber drive belt and the rubber retaining ring around the drum. About 3 bucks to change them. I don’t use it anymore. But I still have it and it still works. 

Jcl5150

Thanks for all the replies!  We found a hidden beach near us that had tons of beach glass washed up on it.  There was so much that not all the glass was weathered because it was buried under more glass.  I was going to use the tumbler to give some of the sharper pieces a more weathered and worn look.  I’ll check out the one on Amazon from NG and I may run over to Harbor Freight to check out that one as well.  

Jcl5150

SGH said:

I have only had experience with one. Thumblers Tumbler. I have had it since 1990. For years it got used a lot. At one time I was pretty big into pyrotechnics. That’s what I used it for. Tumbling different powder compositions. Never had a single rock in it. However it quite often had about 2 pounds of brass pellets in it. 

The only thing I ever had to change was the rubber drive belt and the rubber retaining ring around the drum. About 3 bucks to change them. I don’t use it anymore. But I still have it and it still works. 

That one looks pretty sweet!

OhioEgger

It's about the simplest possible machine, so I would just buy the cheapest one. I had one long ago and SWMBO uses one now in her jewelry making hobby. We both bought cheap ones and they never disappointed us.

StillH2OEgger

Please update what you find out. My wife likes to gather stones and agates. I sort of assumed the tumblers were terribly expensive, but this might be something for me to look into for her.

smbishop

Just ordered this for my daughter's birthday:  https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LQCIL88/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

RRP

Jcl5150 said:

Thanks for all the replies!  We found a hidden beach near us that had tons of beach glass washed up on it.  There was so much that not all the glass was weathered because it was buried under more glass.  I was going to use the tumbler to give some of the sharper pieces a more weathered and worn look.  I’ll check out the one on Amazon from NG and I may run over to Harbor Freight to check out that one as well.  

This is some sort of a joke - right? Broken glass like washed up trash from some huge metropolis where tug boats would push barges full of nasty trash out to the ocean and dump?

Jcl5150

RRP said:

Jcl5150 said:

Thanks for all the replies!  We found a hidden beach near us that had tons of beach glass washed up on it.  There was so much that not all the glass was weathered because it was buried under more glass.  I was going to use the tumbler to give some of the sharper pieces a more weathered and worn look.  I’ll check out the one on Amazon from NG and I may run over to Harbor Freight to check out that one as well.  

This is some sort of a joke - right? Broken glass like washed up trash from some huge metropolis where tug boats would push barges full of nasty trash out to the ocean and dump?

We’ve been trying to figure out how it got here.  There were a bunch of glass jar bottoms that said Clorox.  We’re wondering if the area we found it was used to illegally dump glass at one point.  I could go back there ten more times with my buckets and still not find it all.  We found some really nice weathered red pieces and one nice purple piece, which are colors I’ve never seen around these parts.  Here’s my friend and son at said beach: