Lapidary Discounts

Lapidary Discounts offers quality Lapidary Equipment tools and supplies at discount prices.

Tumblers

Basically, there are two ways you can go about buying a rock tumbler. You can pick up the standard educational-toy model at most toy stores, or you can get a hobbyist/professional model. Which one do you choose? What to watch out for? Read on...

The Standard Model- Most toy stores carry various takes on the same model of rock tumbler. This is a rotating tumbler that comes with rocks, grit, and some jewelry findings. This model is fun (had one myself in the good old days) and can last indefinitely with proper care. Be advised that your choice of rock size is limited by the small rotor power and that it may be difficult to get replacement parts (e.g., broken belt from an overweight tumbler).

Rotating Tumblers- The toy stores carry a type of rotating tumbler, where the rocks fall over and over and over, polishing rocks in much the same manner as the ocean has for millions of years. I recommend buying a tumbler from a company that has been around for awhile, with an established record of quality and service. Eventually, you will need a replacement part; you want the company to still be there when that happens.

Vibratory Tumblers- Vibratory or agitating tumblers don't actually tumble the rock, but use either ultrasound or spin around the vertical axis. They cost a bit more, but have two characteristics that make them more desirable for certain users: they polish rocks much more quickly and they retain the essential shape of the rocks rather than producing only rounded rocks. They are a bit quieter, too.

Rotary versus Vibratory-   A vibratory tumbler should be used for the finishing cabs or "preformed rocks" and finishes on a stone that is already in the approximate shape you already want.   Rotary Tumbling does a better job rounding off a rough, pointed or jagged rocks or finishing of flat washer-like objects, and produces a superior brighter burnishing on smooth parts that tend to stack or stick together in a vibratory machine.  What this means is that it depends on what you started with and what you are trying to work with. 

Size Does Matter- and for most people price does too, so balance the needs of your inner rock hound against the limitations of your bank account. Tumblers are sized according to the weight of the load they can continuously bear. The most common cause of rotor failure and belt breakage is improper or over-loading of the barrel. Smaller barrels hold smaller rocks (no big surprise), so larger barrels can hold both bigger rocks and more small rocks. Double barrels can be used to polish lots of rocks or to ensure a really good polish (if you reserve one barrel for that purpose).

Barrel Size The barrel must be 2/3 to ¾ full of rocks. If you think you'll want to tumble fairly large pieces of rock as large as a 3" baseball within a mixed load, you may want to consider a 12 pound model (Gallon size).  For items 1½" to 2 inches (the size of a golf ball) you may want to consider a  6 pound (1/2 Gallon) size tumbler. On the other hand, if you feel that you won't be able to fill a larger barrel very often then you might want to look into a smaller 3 pound (Quart size) tumbler, which will limit you to items ¾ - 1 inch maximum size.

Number of Barrels You may wish to consider the versatility of multiple barrels.  Some advantages of using multiple barrels is working with several different grits at the same time, or being able to tumble rocks of different hardness at the same time, or having a barrel for each member of the family!  Reduce the time and effort for cleaning between steps by buying a separate barrel for the polish stage.

Helpful Preparation Tips

Okay, so you've selected your tumbler! First, keep the time it takes to tumble in your mind (about a month for a rotating tumbler/ week or two for vibrating or agitating types). Get Vaseline to seal the barrel against leaks! Buy extra grit (unless you want to keep that as an excuse to go out and buy more stuff).

Tumblers need to be checked every 24 hours, making sure it has enough water and adding more grit as needed.  This also allows the contents to be burped or relieved of any build up of gasses.   Thoroughly clean the barrel and all rocks between steps to remove all traces of grit or polish. 

The TV-5 unit is a popular economical and versatile low-cost favorite of the hobbyist that can be used in small commercial applications as well.  It will process about 4 pounds of rocks, etc.  Bowl diameter is 8” with convenient solid lid system.
When ordering specify Raytech Tumbler TV-5 and name of item.

Vibratory Tumbler	Model TV-5	Shipping Weight 7 Lb.	$94.00
Raytech	Extra 8” Bowl	Shipping Weight 3 Lb.	$21.00

RAYTECH's TV-10

The TV-10 has a heavy duty drive and suspension combined with a tough, cross-linked polyethylene bowl. Bowl has a noise dampening cover and a liquid drain.

When ordering specify Raytech Tumbler TV-10 and name of item.

Vibratory Tumbler	Model TV-10	Shipping Weight 16 Lb.	$238.00
Raytech	Extra 10” Bowl	Shipping Weight 5 Lb	$81.00

 Covington 268

Q.    What grits do I use in my GY-ROC VIBRAHONE?
A.    You should use a straight graded 220 grit for the coarse grind (using a coarser grit promotes excessive bowl wear). Then you can move to either 500F or a straight graded 600 grit for the fine grind. Pre-Polish brings your stones to a fine matt finish. Finally, use your favorite polish. We recommend Pro-Polish or Tin Oxide for most stones.  This four step system has worked well for many years.

Q.    Can the bowls be stacked on all the GY-ROC Vibratory tumblers?
A.    Only the model B unit will accept the piggyback configuration. The larger sizes will not work as a piggyback unit because the weight of multiple bowls would be excessive. The model B will accept one, two, or three bowls at a time. This is a very inexpensive way of doubling or tripling the capacity.