mjflinty
spending too much on rocks
Member since September 2011
Posts: 358
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Post by mjflinty on Oct 3, 2012 9:39:14 GMT -5
Hi All,
I'm curious if anyone has ever done the math to figure out just how much a pound of tumbled rock costs to produce? I did some searching of the board and didn't come up with much. Did find a comment where someone figured out how much the electric cost per month to run their tumbler. So, does anyone know?
Thanks, Michael
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billg22
spending too much on rocks
Member since November 2011
Posts: 451
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Post by billg22 on Oct 3, 2012 13:33:21 GMT -5
I don't think about the cost. I just look at I end up with every Saturday morning. I think more about what I going to do with all of the rocks I have. Some go to the display area, some go to the patio, some go into the garden. It would be hard to put a price on all the fun and great times I have had with this hobby. And meeting people from this board - priceless!
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darrad
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since September 2006
Posts: 1,636
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Post by darrad on Oct 3, 2012 13:54:59 GMT -5
I never thought about it. I suppose you would have to figure cost per stone type and how you like 'em polished. Some folks like a well rounded type while other like a more natural shape. How many recharges in rough?Did you hound it yourself,?Cost of gas? buy the rough? etc. Forget it. Just look at the pretties. ;D
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Post by Jugglerguy on Oct 3, 2012 16:26:49 GMT -5
i've wondered the same thing, but I'm afraid to know the answer. I find most of my own rocks or trade for rocks. I bought a Lot-O tumbler to cut down on the cost of grit, because the Lot-O uses very little grit.
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Mattatya
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2012
Posts: 452
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Post by Mattatya on Oct 3, 2012 16:32:54 GMT -5
Here is information on electricity but don't know how old this page is. It is located on rocktumblingsupplies.com/faq.phtmlat the bottom of the page and there are other factors that come into place such as wear and tear, cost of rock and grit/polish differences. How Much Electricity Does a Rock Tumbler Use? A small 3# rock tumbler uses about 10-20 watts of electricity. So if you are paying $0.10 per KWH that would translate to about $1.00 worth of electricity per month. Can I save money by buying a tumbler and buying bulk rough stones and polishing them myself? For a 3# hobby tumbler, (which holds around 2# of stones), the economics works out about like this: Grit $5.00 Rocks $0 to $10 Electricity $1 Tumbler $3 (Amortized over 2 years) Labor $0 ------------------------ Total Cost $5 to $10 per pound Matt
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snuffy
Cave Dweller
Member since May 2009
Posts: 4,319
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Post by snuffy on Oct 3, 2012 16:58:47 GMT -5
There are ways to cut down grit costs depending on the size tumblers you have.In my 12lb Lortones,I use 60/90 grit.The general consensus I have seen here is that the grit will be used up in 5 days.By letting it run 2 weeks after the last charge,you will be getting 9 days of finer and finer grit,eliminating the need for the 120/220 stage.This works for me in the large tumblers,but not really in the small ones.I havnt used 120,220 in years.Then to the vibes where very little grit is used.Another thing some do is save your polish.I at first dumped out polish after it was finished.Then I read on here about saving and reusing it.Been saving it now for 3 years.So basically my main grit cost is coarse,only use it in the rotaries and go to 1000 ao and ao polish in the Lot-os. I picked up all these tips on here over the years.Saved me many$$$$
snuffy
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blessed
spending too much on rocks
Member since January 2010
Posts: 329
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Post by blessed on Oct 3, 2012 20:23:14 GMT -5
I go along with billg22. This is only a hobby to me and I do enjoy it. You can't put a price on that. James
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quartz
Cave Dweller
breakin' rocks in the hot sun
Member since February 2010
Posts: 3,341
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Post by quartz on Oct 3, 2012 23:05:36 GMT -5
We did a few loads for other people in our double 5-gallon barrel set; 50 lbs. of rough, about42 lbs. finished. I costed out just the tumbling mtls. and electricity, no wear & tear on the machine or labor included: $ 1.76 per pound a year ago.
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Minnesota Daniel
freely admits to licking rocks
A COUPLE LAKERS
Member since August 2011
Posts: 891
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Post by Minnesota Daniel on Oct 4, 2012 0:25:21 GMT -5
Part of the cost is how much time is it going to take, but I agree, it is a hobby, so it's not just about the cost. It's the cost versus the benefit that matters, and that is different for everyone. That differs depending on what you are tumbling too.
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Post by Drummond Island Rocks on Oct 4, 2012 4:44:46 GMT -5
I think for most of us if we broke down the cost of each aspect of this hobby it would take some of the fun out of it. Of course my kids think they can make tons of money with all the "gems" that they get out of there tumblers but I think matts figures above are pretty accurate. My tumbler costs $18 per month in electricty but thats (8) 3lb barrels so each barrel is around $2 per month. The other factor to add into matts figure would be the 25 percent of volume that can be eaten away in 60/90 stage so you need to buy 3lbs of rock to get 2lbs of finished stones. I would say for rocks that cost $4 per pound rough we would need to charge $10-12 per pound when polished to break even.
Chuck
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mjflinty
spending too much on rocks
Member since September 2011
Posts: 358
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Post by mjflinty on Oct 4, 2012 8:12:44 GMT -5
Excellent info everyone!
Thank you, Michael
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billg22
spending too much on rocks
Member since November 2011
Posts: 451
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Post by billg22 on Oct 8, 2012 15:11:51 GMT -5
I'm going to try Snuffy's 2-week first cycle this week. Using the 47/60 with some pea gravel. Will see what happens.
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