Chris Sikk
having dreams about rocks
Member since September 2021
Posts: 73
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Post by Chris Sikk on Sept 14, 2022 22:29:33 GMT -5
I had an old Thumler, the plastic one, that was on its last legs and I thought maybe I could salvage some parts. However, the motor is what gave out and the shafts on that thing are really short for the tiny (not quite 3lb) barrel.
So, I was cruising the Thingiverse website one day and stumbled on some Tumblers people made. Apparently some folks like to briefly tumble their plastic creations to remove the fine lines on the prints.
There are a number of tumblers on the site and also many have been remixed by others. I printed most of the parts from bluepop4 Rock Print Tumbler except the pulleys and rollers. I got the rollers and gears from another user who also has an instructable on their build. The comments in the first link led me to a motor that would fit. I had a switch, a power supply and some o-rings lying around and bought the threaded rod, bearings, and nuts.
I assembled everything. but I had some issues because the original plans call for metric hardware and I live in a metric country that is neighbors with the US, so of course everything in Canada is Imperial anyway. Thus, the spaces printed to hold the bolts in the frame didn't fit. I cut away the plastic to remedy that.
The tumbler seemed to work well, but the barrel was moving of course. So I might have been better off to print the rollers with a guides. Another user designed a piece that holds another 608 bearing that you can attach to the frame with zip ties. I made it and now we're in business.
I'll drop more pictures and thoughts when Thingiverse is back up (throwing some errors atm) and I have some better pictures.
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Post by jasoninsd on Sept 14, 2022 23:14:19 GMT -5
This is SO freakin' cool!! Thanks for sharing!!
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Post by perkins17 on Sept 14, 2022 23:30:57 GMT -5
That's awesome! I took a class on 3D printing in spring but I sure didn't know you could do that! That's really cool, nice job. -Nicholas
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Post by fernwood on Sept 15, 2022 3:24:03 GMT -5
Great idea. My son in law uses a 3 D printer to build radio controlled vehicles. I didn't know pieces could be printed that thick.
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Chris Sikk
having dreams about rocks
Member since September 2021
Posts: 73
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Post by Chris Sikk on Sept 16, 2022 0:29:17 GMT -5
No issues to speak of!!
I had done some testing previously with some poor results. The original design calls for metric hardware. I used imperial. Well, this condo-dwelling goober only has a limited amount of tools he inherited from his father, a bicycle shop owner. Thus, I have some specific tools, but not a decent variety. I lost those in a divorce. Long story to say that I didn't have a 1/2 wrench. I hand tightened things and used a singe crescent wrench in a few spots. So..
I went to the store and got myself a single 1/2 wrench! Then, I noticed something else went wrong. Yeah, sometimes that double nut combo on the end worked too well. As I was tightening things up and aligning the rollers I noticed the frame was bowing outward. Those nuts moved in opposite directions, stretching my frame. Total lazy, amateur mistakes.
I guess I was just too excited to put it together and try it.
The recommended motor is a bit noisy. I am a bit perplexed on that. Great that everything is all open so the motor stayed cool overnight. However, if it was in a compartment perhaps it would be quieter? Then would it get hot? Hmm. Truth is, I put this together to be my burnishing/polishing machine. So I might live with the noise.
Since Lortone seems to be sold out everywhere I found a barrel on scamazon that looks similar. The reviews were alright, with the biggest complaint that the bolt on the cover barely sticks out enough for the nut. Well, I failed to notice the interior of the barrel is round. There's no baffles or ridges to give the contents a bit more random movement.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Sept 16, 2022 9:56:42 GMT -5
That’s really crazy! Technology blows my mind these days.
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Chris Sikk
having dreams about rocks
Member since September 2021
Posts: 73
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Post by Chris Sikk on Sept 16, 2022 12:10:47 GMT -5
That’s really crazy! Technology blows my mind these days. Right!!?
There are designs for a vibe as well. I got excited because that would be amazing. However, it would likely be more expensive and the designer was using those disposable plastic containers from the grocery store as the bowl. So very small scale and I think they too were tumbling their plastic designs.
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pebblesky
fully equipped rock polisher
Placed another order in rockshed. Happy 2024 everyone!
Member since September 2022
Posts: 1,371
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Post by pebblesky on Sept 16, 2022 12:15:09 GMT -5
Very interesting! Just curious: what is the power consumption of the motor? Can you also share your tumbler in motion (maybe a video)?
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Chris Sikk
having dreams about rocks
Member since September 2021
Posts: 73
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Post by Chris Sikk on Sept 16, 2022 14:56:57 GMT -5
Yeah, I will upload a video to Vimeo when I get a chance.
The motor is a DC 12V 150RPM (without a load)
I had an old plug lying around that I used for the power supply. It is a 12V=1A plug.
Using a method from another thread here, I marked the barrel with tape and counted the revolutions for 30 seconds and x2 to see that with a full barrel it would seem to be doing 32RPM. Using the same method, my Lortone 33B is doing 50RPM.
I wish I understood more about Watts, Voltage, Amps, etc. I went down a bit of a rabbit hole to try and figure it out for you, but now I am just more confused.
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Tommy
Administrator
Member since January 2013
Posts: 12,648
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Post by Tommy on Sept 17, 2022 13:34:35 GMT -5
Amazing build thanks for sharing such great photos of it. I would like to eventually feature it on our DIY equipment page which is currently undergoing a facelift. Csn't wait to see the video.
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Chris Sikk
having dreams about rocks
Member since September 2021
Posts: 73
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Post by Chris Sikk on Feb 18, 2023 18:44:35 GMT -5
I had high hopes to throw something nice together with with my video editing skills, but I got a new job and now I don't have a life beyond work and my anxiety. Here's something I shot with my phone and my fingers make a cameo.
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Post by jasoninsd on Feb 18, 2023 21:03:25 GMT -5
Loved seeing that in action!! I'm assuming your new job has something to do with being a "hand model"! LOL
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dbotte
off to a rocking start
Member since May 2022
Posts: 18
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Post by dbotte on Feb 19, 2023 12:19:18 GMT -5
I've actually eyes this build for a little while. There are other builds but this one is a bit bigger than the others. What's your bed size? I have a 2015 FF Creator Pro which can't accommodate larger prints and I have an Ender 3 Neo which has a bed size of a little over 8.6".
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Post by Pat on Feb 19, 2023 13:08:43 GMT -5
I think 3Dprinters are magic!!
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Chris Sikk
having dreams about rocks
Member since September 2021
Posts: 73
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Post by Chris Sikk on Feb 20, 2023 9:37:24 GMT -5
I've actually eyes this build for a little while. There are other builds but this one is a bit bigger than the others. What's your bed size? I have a 2015 FF Creator Pro which can't accommodate larger prints and I have an Ender 3 Neo which has a bed size of a little over 8.6". I have an Ender 3 and the bed is 235 mm x 235 mm.
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Post by Mel on Mar 24, 2023 14:42:18 GMT -5
re: motors - My brother has a polisher for gun metal, and uses an old furnace motor to spin a 5 gallon drum. Might be a good option for rock tumbling; will look into the RPMs. Have also heard of people using old dryer motors but I would think they might be a bit too hefty. Any pf you rampant DIYers ever tried it?
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rocknewb101
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since October 2022
Posts: 1,316
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Post by rocknewb101 on Mar 24, 2023 15:42:51 GMT -5
I had an old Thumler, the plastic one, that was on its last legs and I thought maybe I could salvage some parts. However, the motor is what gave out and the shafts on that thing are really short for the tiny (not quite 3lb) barrel.
So, I was cruising the Thingiverse website one day and stumbled on some Tumblers people made. Apparently some folks like to briefly tumble their plastic creations to remove the fine lines on the prints.
There are a number of tumblers on the site and also many have been remixed by others. I printed most of the parts from bluepop4 Rock Print Tumbler except the pulleys and rollers. I got the rollers and gears from another user who also has an instructable on their build. The comments in the first link led me to a motor that would fit. I had a switch, a power supply and some o-rings lying around and bought the threaded rod, bearings, and nuts.
I assembled everything. but I had some issues because the original plans call for metric hardware and I live in a metric country that is neighbors with the US, so of course everything in Canada is Imperial anyway. Thus, the spaces printed to hold the bolts in the frame didn't fit. I cut away the plastic to remedy that.
The tumbler seemed to work well, but the barrel was moving of course. So I might have been better off to print the rollers with a guides. Another user designed a piece that holds another 608 bearing that you can attach to the frame with zip ties. I made it and now we're in business.
I'll drop more pictures and thoughts when Thingiverse is back up (throwing some errors atm) and I have some better pictures.
THAT is ingenious! Ive seen some pretty amazing things printed with a 3D printer, but never a tumbler. Way to go!
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