roobik
off to a rocking start
Member since April 2021
Posts: 2
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Post by roobik on Jul 15, 2022 23:19:58 GMT -5
What is a fair price to charge people to tumble rocks they bring me?
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Post by vegasjames on Jul 15, 2022 23:51:28 GMT -5
Welcome to the forum. Well, if you charge by the hour you can make a fortune.
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Post by HankRocks on Jul 16, 2022 2:14:31 GMT -5
What is a fair price to charge people to tumble rocks they bring me? I think the first thing is to understand whether or not the rocks will take a polish. If they do not then tell them so and do not attempt to tumble them to avoid any disappoint. Even rocks that would take a polish might be of such poor quality with internal fractures and pits that the time to get a satisfactory result may be prohibitive. Second, are these people friends or relatives? I have only tumbled for a few folks and they were all friends who have who I have known for a while and it was for free as they have helped me with various efforts over the years. If this is something you are doing to make money then a proper cost analysis needs to be made, grit, electricity, depreciation on the tumbler, your time. I do sell tumbled polished rocks as part of my overall sales. In my case most of the rock I tumble are either self-collected, scraps from the saws etc, etc. I have never done a cost analysis. I also tumble my shaped pendant stones and slabs which I sell. For me tumbling is enjoyable so cost has never been an issue. Also at the Shows I have done, about half the buyers are kids and giving them 3 tumbled stones for a $1 is good thing to do, most kids get 4 or 5 from me. To get an idea what tumbled rocks cost, take a look at various suppliers of them which should give you a ballpark number. Kingsley North, Ebay, Etsy, etc all have tumble polished rocks for sell.
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Post by rmf on Jul 16, 2022 4:20:27 GMT -5
FWIW: 100# rough rock => To get tumbling rough crush and sift out -1/4" as waste: Hand crack loss about 5-10%, Jaw Crusher loss 15-20%, Hammer mill 30-40% loss depending on the stone type For the sake of this discussion you now have 85# of rock to tumble. Start tumbling coarse grit grinds the rock up the fastest. the longer you tumble the more you waste. Expect to loose about 30% between Coarse and polish. For this example you are now down to 60 pounds of finished rock. Wholesale prices on "Store" bought tumble stones (commercial) vary from about $8 to $12. they are getting the rough cheaper than you they are set up for commercial tumbling (big tumblers) and they are purchasing truck loads of grit (cheaper than you too).
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Post by jasoninsd on Jul 16, 2022 6:13:22 GMT -5
Welcome to the forum. Well, if you charge by the hour you can make a fortune. Another nominee for post of the year! LOL
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roobik
off to a rocking start
Member since April 2021
Posts: 2
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Post by roobik on Jul 16, 2022 7:42:10 GMT -5
Thanks everyone for the info. Most are friends and coworkers. Life is getting expensive. So I figure at least something to pay for electricity and grit.
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Post by Bob on Jul 16, 2022 10:14:01 GMT -5
Even if not rocks brought to us, the question is on my mind also. Because of wondering what to sell rocks I tumble for if I ever sell them.
There are virtually no perfect and also larger than golf ball size tumbled rocks on the market for sale. Yet I had hundreds of them now getting now some way larger and wondering what to ask if I sell some. Some take over a year to completion.
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quartzilla
Cave Dweller
Member since April 2020
Posts: 1,237
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Post by quartzilla on Jul 16, 2022 11:19:54 GMT -5
You should get the picks of the litter.
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