fosman
off to a rocking start
Member since June 2022
Posts: 3
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Post by fosman on Jun 10, 2022 10:17:02 GMT -5
Good morning, everyone. My wife and I have had a fascination with rocks for many, many years. I go to a spot in Michigan for one week each summer and spend far too many sunny hours each day avoiding the lake and throwing out my lower back standing at a Rock Grinder polishing Petoskey Stones. We recently went to the Upper Peninsula and hunted for Lake Superior agates. We have a LOT of pretty stones. One or two of them might actually be an agate. And I think we need a tumbler to get at them. I've read just a tiny bit on the forum here. Seems like a double drum tumbler helps with impatience (guilty!). A person recommended the Lortone QT66 which is not cheap. Especially if we don't know how seriously we are going to get into this tumbling stuff. I see lots of ads for Leegol. Much less expensive. But...is it worth it? Too cheap? Or...do we just go with an introductory tumbler like a Lortone 3A? I know many of you will be tempted to advise, "Go with whatever makes you comfortable." But, as you can tell from my ping ponging all over the place, that I don't have a comfort zone. So I'm depending on some sage advice!!
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phixer
having dreams about rocks
Member since January 2022
Posts: 69
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Post by phixer on Jun 10, 2022 10:54:18 GMT -5
Good morning to you and welcome to the forum. As far as what to buy? Well how much can to afford and be careful because once the rock bug bites you'll want more tumblers. I started with a Harbor Freight single barrel and it did an OK job. Then I bought a Thumler's a-r2 and that when I got really hooked. (bought more tumblers too) I went with the Thumler's brand because that's what my Dad had many years ago and it lasted forever. The current Thumler's with the plastic lid, well aren't what they uses to be. (lids wear out way to quickly) Look up Michigan Rocks on YouTube and his videos will help you decide.
Enjoy and good luck
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Post by manofglass on Jun 10, 2022 12:33:56 GMT -5
Buy a Lortone or build one
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Wooferhound
Cave Dweller
Lortone QT66 and 3A
Member since December 2016
Posts: 1,426
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Post by Wooferhound on Jun 10, 2022 15:45:00 GMT -5
You can see under my Avatar that I own both of the Lortone Tumblers that you mentioned. I got the 3A first and it took me 3 tries to finally get shiny rocks. But it takes awhile, and you only get a handful of finished stones. after 6 months I ordered the QT66 and I have loved the results that I get from it. My QT66 runs 100% of the time these days. The 3A runs about 25% of the time. It is great for Shells, soft rocks , and small projects. Having been through the path you are describing, I would recommend the Larger Machine first, then the smaller machine if you need it. A 5 Gallon bucket of rocks would take forever in a 3A, but very manageable with a QT66.
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nursetumbler
Cave Dweller
Member since February 2022
Posts: 950
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Post by nursetumbler on Jun 10, 2022 17:22:38 GMT -5
I starred with 1 Harbor Freight dual barrel then when I wasn't getting rocks finished fast enough, off to Harbor Freight for a second dual drum tumbler, 1 barrel for each stage. Then I started tumbling ocean jasper and carnelian. Ocean jasper has been in 60/90 since 14th of April, carnelian since 10th of May, both very hard material. Off to Harbor frieght for a 3rd dual barrel so I could tumble something softer so I could see the results of my work. I've had no trouble with them at all and they tumbled in the belly of a Motorhome 1900+ miles from New Mexico to Michigan. I have so many different kinds of rough I wanted to 1st stage something I could move along faster than 2-3 months in 60/90. Tuesday I bought a used dual 6# barrel Loratone and now have that one filled with Toad pre-tumbled material. I ONLY wanted to have a tumbler to tumble rocks that I collect while on assignment, Now I have 4 dual tumblers and probably over a thousand pounds of rock, 500+ pounds I did collect myself. Just need a saw now to cut slabs. 😬 Oh sorry welcome from where the wind takes me but currently from Michigan.
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snetbonaut
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since February 2022
Posts: 129
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Post by snetbonaut on Jun 10, 2022 19:10:13 GMT -5
My advice is get out now! While you still have fingernails. Go before you start licking and/or spitting on rocks in the atrium at your Dr.'s office building. Do not slow down or you will go through long nights of having nothing to do because all your "good rocks" are in a tumbler. Leave before you discover that six, eight, ten months into the hobby you will own all the less expensive stuff and will now have to start using your kids and grandkids' college funds. If you get out now, you will not have an opinion about the difference between rotary and vibratory tumblers. There is still a chance that in the middle of a quiet emotional scene in a classy movie you will not notice the glint of light and shout out, "Oooh! That looks like a Tennessee Unakite. Maybe moss agate."
I started with a Nat Geo 4 lb. tumbler. It's wicked fast, which is both good and bad. I got a Lortone 3A which is much slower by comparison. Then a few months later I got a Lortone 33B, which gave me essentially one hopper for each stage. It has never worked out that way, as I always seem to have not enough or too many rocks for a stage. (I will not mention the Gy-Roc vibe that I am trying to figure out.)
All that said, the price difference between the 3A and the 33B is about $40 at most places, I'd just go ahead and get the 33B...you're gonna do it later anyway.
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quartzilla
Cave Dweller
Member since April 2020
Posts: 1,222
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Post by quartzilla on Jun 10, 2022 21:12:02 GMT -5
I’d get a Loretone 33b. 2 barrels for not much more than the price of one and when you get enough stuff to move on you can start stage 2 while still running course! It’s win win!
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Post by rmf on Jun 11, 2022 3:59:40 GMT -5
fosman As you can see there are many good opinions and points of view. First I have some questions. How new are you? Do you know what will tumble? Ref phixer "Michigan Rocks" on YouTube listed above to learn. If you know what should tumble but just haven't tried yet then the question is how much do you have to tumble? ref Wooferhound mentions "5 Gallon bucket of rocks" This is important in determining a tumbler size since tumbling is the slowest of the Lapidary Arts in terms of time/reward. Also, rotary rock tumblers are easy to make as manofglass said. My first rock tumbler was home made while in High School shop class. It was a twofer both a project grade and tumbler to use. That tumbler could use 4 Lortone 3A barrels or 4 QT 6 barrels or two QT 12 barrels. This bring me to flexibility a Lortone 3A barrel can be used on other tumblers like the 33B. The QT 66 can also hold a QT 12 barrel. The only diff in the Lortone QT 66 and the QT 12 is the different barrels. Don't worry about Vib tumblers yet they are more expensive, do not round rocks as well as rotary tumblers but finish them great. Save vib tumblers until after you get a good handle on rotary. One other thing. Even rock with the same hardness are not the same toughness. This is one reason that people start with a tumbler with a small diameter like a Lortone 3A. Quartzite, quartz, Jasper (true jasper) and agate are all hardness 7 and can be tumbled together in a 3A tumbler barrel. As you get toward fine in a QT6/12 barrel the increased fall due to the larger diameter can cause quartz and quartzites to chip around the edges. This happens when tougher rocks peen the edges of the less tough rocks. When this happens you need to separate the quartzites and quartz and just tumble them together or add cushioning. Just somethings to think about.
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stefan
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2005
Posts: 14,095
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Post by stefan on Jun 11, 2022 17:45:22 GMT -5
I use Thumlers. I tried some Harbor Freight and they worked, but I spent hours every week working on them (replacing belts, fixing pullies, repairing lid seals). My oldest THumler is 16 plus years old. I have replaced the lid and lid seals a couple times, and had to clean the motor and replace the drive belt a couple times. THats really about it. THey are tanks and just run and run and run. I have 5 now and have no regrets the money spent at all.
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Post by Bob on Jun 15, 2022 16:30:13 GMT -5
I just got back from Lake Superior myself and have quite a collection. Recommend that you start out with the Lortone which has just one 12lb barrel, I think called a QT12.
Here i am 8 years later, and have three of those, and several larger, and 128lbs being tumbled 24/7.
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