Choosing what is the right rock tumbler for you is an important decision to make. This mainly depends on what you want to achieve in terms of rock size, batch sizes, frequency of use, and how you want your rocks to look once polished. There are 3 categories of tumbler to choose from; 2 of these are rotary type tumblers, which produce smooth, rounded rocks. Although they work in the same way, I split these into 2 categories, toy/educational rock tumblers, and hobby/professional level tumblers, as they meet different needs for someone wanting to tumble rocks. The other type is the vibrating rock tumbler, which also polishes your rocks, but the polishing process is quicker, less grit is needed and rocks keep their original form through the process.
Toy/Educational Rock Tumblers
This type of tumbler is available from many online shops or toy stores and can be a great introduction to rock tumbling. These tumblers are easily affordable and usually come with everything needed to get started without having to make any additional purchases. The limiting factor with these tumblers is the size of rocks which can be polished as they only have small motors, and although these tumblers can last a long time, if any thing does break, it can be difficult to find replacement parts to make repairs. Many people who start out with this type of tumbler soon find their hobby outgrows their equipment and quickly move on to buying a hobby/professional level tumbler.
Hobby/Professional Level Tumblers
As you might expect, these rock tumblers cost more than the educational tumblers (around $100 for a kit up to several thousand dollars for a large, top of the range tumbler), but you certainly get what you pay for in terms of quality. Like the educational models, these tumblers polish stones by rotating a barrel containing the rocks and grit/polish, which mimics the action of the sea smashing rocks together over millions of years, to polish your rocks. These tumblers are made from robust materials to a high specification and are designed to last, with features such as fans to keep the motor cool and automatic overload shut- down to protect the motor. Replacement parts are also available if anything ever does wear out or break. There is also a lot more flexibility with these tumblers; models with larger motors and barrel capacity are available for polishing larger batches or bigger stones, and models are available with two or even three barrels, allowing you to tumble more than one batch at a time. There are a number of well-respected manufacturers of rotary tumblers, including Lortone, Thumler’s Tumbler, Covington and Diamond Pacific, and a great range of their tumblers, along with other rock tumbling accessories you will need, can be found at my rock tumblers site.
Vibrating Tumblers
Vibrating tumblers do not work in the same way as the rotary tumblers. These tumblers use high frequency vibrations to create friction between the rocks, and this polishes your stones. These tumblers tend to be even more expensive, although high quality 4lb-capacity tumblers are available for about $120. Polishing in a vibratory tumbler means that the stones stay in the same shape as when they started, rather than becoming rounded. Vibrating tumblers also tend to be quieter than their rotating cousins and polishing is achieved more quickly, and with less grit.
By: Phil Prestwich
About the Author:
Phil Prestwich – BuyRockTumblersOnline.com
