christyg
off to a rocking start
Member since July 2010
Posts: 2
|
Post by christyg on Jul 25, 2010 15:01:38 GMT -5
I am new here and I just love rocks. I pick them up here and there. Recently bought some beach rocks from Washington on ebay. My family thought I was weird for that LOL but oh well. I am now looking at buying a tumbler, don't know yet which one, rotary or vibe. Hope to hear some good advice on that.
Christy
|
|
|
Post by Toad on Jul 25, 2010 15:49:46 GMT -5
Welcome, Christy. I think the best bet for a beginner is a rotary. You can take rocks through all stages with one of those. If you stick with it, you'll probably want to invest in a vibe as well. They don't do so well on the rough grind, but they speed up every step after that.
|
|
slabcabber
has rocks in the head
Member since April 2010
Posts: 590
|
Post by slabcabber on Jul 25, 2010 17:32:21 GMT -5
Hello Christy, First let me welcome you to the forum. I started with a rotary and am still using a rotary. I started with a Lortone 33b was not happy so I went bigger and better. If you want to go rotary send me a PM and I will tell you all about the one I have. I can tumble a 30 lb batch of rocks in 20 days from start to finish. It come in a 15lb size as well.
|
|
|
Post by jakesrocks on Jul 25, 2010 18:02:43 GMT -5
Welcome aboard Christy. I agree that you should start with a rotary tumbler. But please don't start with a cheap department store machine. There's a good chance that it will break before you finish your first batch of stones. Buy a good Lortone or Thumlers tumbler. They'll last many years with a little bit of maintenance. Buy a spare drive belt and lid gasket at the same time as the tumbler. These will be the first, and possibly only parts that will wear out. Don't worry about what your family thinks. You'll find that this an interesting and addictive hobby once you get into it. Quite possibly the people who think you're weird will change their minds once they see your first finished batch of rocks. Good luck tumbling, and have fun. Don
|
|
|
Post by montanamuskrat on Jul 27, 2010 0:15:26 GMT -5
Welcome. We started with the 33b and had a blast. It was easy but you have to have patients. Debby & Tom
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jul 29, 2010 0:13:42 GMT -5
Greetings Christy, firstly may i welcome you to RTH (UK) as the 1st from the other side of the pond! I would recommend either a Lortone 33B 2x 1.36kg (3lb) or a Lortone QT12 1x 5.44kg (12lb) / QT66 2x 2.72kg (6lb) if your budget allows all machines are rotary tumblers with rubber barrels, some lapidary clubs offer huge discounts on used lapidary equipment, such as my own, Scottish Minerals & Lapidary Club (1.2mb). A brand new Lortone 33B 2x 1.36kg (3lb) complete with starter pack rocks & media for £10 ($15) or 200mm (8 inch) diamond saw / 150mm (6 inch) SiC grinder combo unit (tested) £60 ($90). Clubs in the USA, associated with The American Federation of Mineralogical Societies. Finally please do checkout my all my Sticky's below. -- I hail from (The Barony of Seabegs) Bonnybridge, Stirlingshire, U.K, where aliens (15mb) sometimes come for a visit & about 4 miles west from this monstrosity! Sticky's: their contents are resource information 1#: Vendors worldwide (2mb), 2#: FAQS: Tags & Smilies, 3#: How to identify rocks & minerals, 4#: Save money on expensive grits & polishes!
|
|
|
Post by drocknut on Aug 2, 2010 22:55:52 GMT -5
Welcome Christy. For information and advice on tumbling among other things rocks or otherwise you've come to the right place.
|
|