How to Make a Rock Tumbler (cheap & dirty) - maker movement -
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 3 ก.ค. 2017
- Here is a super quick project I whipped up just to see how well it would work. I used this for putting a stone-wash on my blades after I've acid etched them. Proof of concept is a success and it's working pretty good so far!
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Used to have a rock tumbler when i was younger, loved going and finding interesting rocks to shine up in them..... Your new video just gave me an idea.
I've seen some of these homemade tumblers where they put ridges (e.g. quarter cuts of PVC) down the length; it evidently get a lot more movement of the medium, as opposed to much of the potential motion/agitation being lost to the container just sliding under the medium. I'm not sure if that would make a positive difference in yours but I am curious. Great video, thank you as always!
You could also use squared container to get longer scratches. Now the rocks can roll on the bottom of the container barely moving. But it really depends on what type of finish you want.
Nice setup...
I think I have to redo my own rocktumbler now, got some good ideas from your setup...👍
Miss your everyday videos! By far the best thing on TH-cam that I look forward to watching.
I used to have a used vibrating tub I think was for cleaning bullet brass. I put ferric chloride and stones in it and got a stone wash etch at the same time. it's sadly gone so I'd like to find supplies in the U.S. to build one like that. Cool video. Thanks for sharing
Another amazing video. Love your work. Keep them comming.
Another awesome project Jeremy very nicely done
Great video Jeramy. Keep up the awesome work!!!
I read about how to make an industrial tumbler out of a rear axle of a big semi truck with the rims and tires in place. You want to cut an opening in the highest part of the rim to load rocks. The article said a cover is not needed but I always thought if I was going to do one I would have a hinged door sealed with inner tube rubber. The idea is to set up a motor geared down so the tires rotate slowly and all the rocks stay in the lowest part of the tire at all times tumbling over each other. Each tire can hold about 100 lbs of rocks and you have 4 tires going at all times each one with a different grit. Always use the same tire for the same grit. You rotate the rocks once a week and you have 100 lbs of polished tumbled stones each week. I have been wondering if you could use quartz sand as grit for the first stage to do the rough rounding off? I am posting this on all videos about rock hounding to spread the idea, if this is you channel and you do not like that let me know. The fact that the tumbling will all take place in a rubber tire should help keep the noise down. The rocks should never touch the rim. I have suggested to people that they make a soundproof shed just big enough to be practical so the noise will be minimized. Plus the rubber in a tire is thick and should absorb a lot of the noise. Also you should have a small fan on the motor to keep it cool. A high quality motor will be a must as it will run 24 hours a day. I am no expert but with the proper gearing the motor should not be under too much stress. I would sell the tumbled stones. Once tumbled, you grade them by quality and type. Some would be really valuable. I bet you could average $10 usd per pound with just good found material and more if you have high grade material. Definitely not for the weekend rock hound but if you sell stones or want to, what a cheap way to start. You could tumble other people's rocks for a fee or shares too. You could make one with car tires for a smaller scale operation. There has to be a lot of people with 30 year in the making, 3 ton pile of rocks out behind their house. With this they could see results from all that collecting.
This was a really cool project
Thanks for the vid. Where is the motor from? An appliance or a generic over the counter? If so, what type/power?
Nice setup. I was sitting here going, "What medium is he using?" and as I thought you answered my question. Thanks for your video. Bob Ordewald, Staunton Virginia
I just made one almost exactly like this! Same motor & gearbox. I made 3D printed parts and plywood instead of steel. I even got the same red skateboard bearings :) However for a tumbling barrel I got 1 ft of 4” marine exhaust hose (rubber) and standard 3” abs drain caps + hose clamps. That motor only runs about 24 rpm at 14 volts. I’m getting a dc boost converter to run it at 24 volts.
Hi there, where did you get the motor and gearbox?
crazy simple and genius. well done
+DarkArchion1 thank you very much!
Great project 👍👍👍
Great idea!
I'm in the planning stages of putting together a rock shop in my shed and just stumbled across your video. I would also like to have my tumblers hooked up to a couple 100W 5.5A panels I have and one or two deep cycle 12V batteries but I'm not sure yet...might just plug it into the wall. What size motor did you put on your tumbler?
It's awesome👑👑
Great vid. I’m making a similar tumbler. I have the motor and speed controller set up. But I know nothing about bearings. What type of bearing and baseplate did you use?
I’ve been looking at bearings and couplers all night. Brain has turned to mush.
Thabks for the vid! Thinking of doing this on my knife
You're welcome! Cheers👍
Hey Jeremy. Your R&D project looks pretty awesome. How would it work if you were to use a barbeque rotisserie motor I believe you can get some with variable speed it might be an idea if you're looking for a 110 V version. Take care. Rob.
could you use, say crushed walnut shells to polish your blades as well? I know its used to polish brass casings so it was just a thought.
Awesome!! What is the plastic tube roller??
Great idea I might try making one of those.
+Michael Snow do it! It's working out quite well and really isn't all that much work. Cheers👍
Cool project ! Do you stone wash your carbon steel blades of just Stainless ? Would the stone wash cause the carbon steel to rust faster ?
Nice! I was thinking you were making a rock tumbler for polishing up stones. I would go for some schd80 pvc pipe just for longevity and ease of being able to replace it (but of course you already thought of that). If you made it bigger, or if you wanted more movement/results, you could add a couple or more internal vanes (the correct term doesn't come to mind right now) to help turn over the media/items instead of some of it just sliding back down. I'm sure those bearing will be good for a very long time with the amount of revolutions they get put through, but maybe there is some slippage between them and the container which could make a wear pattern. Maybe a thin band of heat shrink or maybe glue on some square o-rings to prevent that?. Enough of my blabbing though. Great job, ingenuity and problem solving.
Gotta love that rock & roll!! :)
+Tom's Dreamshop Worx haha yeah👍
Hi,I Liked your video a lot but I would like to know what are those piexes of metal you put into your tumbler with stones and what is purpose.I am just starting this hobby.Regards Harold
Nice! Couple comments. It probably won't matter in your case (and you might know this already), but traditionally rock tumblers are free standing on two long rollers that run the length of the tub. This allows you to seal up the case with polishing media and liquid. In your case you've got holes in the back of the tub. Makes it leaky and also makes it difficult to empty. You have to tip the motor and all to get everything out. Alas, if you aren't using liquid or don't plan to frequently upend the tub, it doesn't matter. Secondly, you might look for a used brass polisher. Used by reloaders to polish ammunition brass. They are vibratory and work much faster. Might have to look in the US where they have a Second Amendment! You could probably build one also. Just get a much faster motor and mount an off-balance counterweight on the shaft to cause vibration. Going to be noisy as all get out if you're using gravel! But then again, it will be done in a few minutes.
awesome shop , smart guy.....
where did you get the motor or what kind of motor is it?
Great build. Maybe a 12 volt 2 amp adapter would run it?
Good jobs. Thanks. 🤩👍
hey! any forging videos coming soon? thanks and cheers from New Brunswick! :)
Woah that's cool.
I like yours shirt where did you get it?
also great video I subbed
Nice project. When will we see some forging videos? Seems like you made the forge a long time ago and haven't used it.
hi again Jeremy i sent the mail to you on may 31about the custom knife / love your work //Robert
that was cool but I have a question though
what is the reason you put the blade in the tumbler ?
what is the deference between a blade with or without tumbling
Just the finished appearance of the surface.
I liked the video. I want to make a rock polisher/coin polisher. I'll use your example as a guide. I do metal detecting and get yucky coins. Mostly pennies. So far no treasurers. This might be a quick way to clean them up. What are the knives your making> Are they for skinning?
what speed does it work at rgds
What is the motor attacked to? Is it a one piece you buy already together? Where can I get one? Also I am going to use pvc so what can I use as a cap ,that is secure and will not fall off but is removable? Ontario Canada.
It was all part of a doo-dad I got from princess auto. 👍
Reds were the stuff back in the day. Best skateboard bearings for the price. Nice video
+Nucc's Garage yeah they were! I always have a box on hand just for times when I've an odd project like this👍 thanks!
what motor did you use?
just like your channel name , simple and efficient !
If you're drilling a lot on plastic, keep one stepper bit for plastic/wood only, they make really nice clean cuts on soft plastics rather than the standard bits for steel which bites and then tears through. What's the little gear reduction box off of though? My attempt with using an old printer turned out to not have nearly enough torque haha, so ideas on what to scavenge that part from would be useful.
That’s a great idea thank you! I think the gear box was a power window crank from a car. I don’t k is for sure but I’m 95% sure that’s what it’s from. 👍
@@Simplelittlelife thanks! That makes sense
Jeremy you rock!
+Antonio Carluccio hahaha, thank you so much! Cheers👍
I would like to know what kind of motor you are using there. Or maybe how many rpm you suggest for a rock tumbling device. Thanks and keep doing this awesome work. Love your videos.
I think it was a power window motor from a car. I bought it at a surplus store that carries all sorts of odd and interesting stuff. Princess Auto👍
I got that same motor and pully from American Science surplus in Chicagoland area.
Awesome videos
Thank you!
This is so cool
+Assassyn JCRH thank you!
Thank you
Which stones does he use?
the fastest mouse in alllll mehico !
Need a list of items and where you got them. What motor did you use at least?
All scrap material and parts I had around. Get creative. Parts lists are for factories. Where you could buy one.
What was the motor/gearbox that you used? Like the simple build. Always wanted one for various things. Now I'm inspired to try building one myself. Will probably use PVC instead to make it last longer. Thank you for all you do.
+TRIKER RED it was some weird surplus part from Princess Auto, which is a Canadian chain similar to harbor freight is you're not familiar with them. I think it was like 5 bucks or something. Cheers👍
Simple Little Life. Thanks for the reply. I will look them up. Happy 4th to you and your's! 🇺🇸😎
Edit: Found it! Thanks. Love them surplus stores! 🇺🇸😎
@@Simplelittlelife and question answered, cool thanks!
Dam wish my other half was this gifted lol... could have saved myself money buying two heavy duty tumblers for my jewellery making.. :D
I was overjoyed when I got this notification
+Luke Russell I'm overjoyed that you get my notifications!😀cheers👍
I know this video is old but the 12 volt motor used, where did you get it from?
Princess auto bout one a wk ago 7 bucks
nice
This is exactly the next project I was thinking of starting. Is the gear motor from Princess Auto?
+Brent Yamada sweet! And you betcha that's exactly where it's from. It came with a blue rubber ring around the wheel and I was hoping to use it as a friction drive but it didn't have enough grab so I just did this. Let me know if you make one and how it turns out. Cheers👍
can any one tell me what that motor and gear box came of
You could always use a wiper motor from a scrap car.
That's a cool build. How's the finish?
Jumped the gun. Saw it as it closed.
Hi Jeremy, is this motor from a microwave? :D
Good question, as I was wondering that exact same question, except that at the end of the video, he's showing it being powered by a 12V DC car battery?..unless microwave motors are ALREADY converted to DC voltage?..a possibility! ? (Now I'm gonna tear one apart just to see for myself!) Also, I'm wondering what speeds are tumblers recommended to run at? (Obviously, larger the barrel, slower the drive speed, but one would still need a basic idea of a starting point!) ;-)
Got some kind of materials list or something?
It's as simple as it gets, you can clearly see everything he used and you can do it in your own way, there's no rocket science to it.
@@misteragb7558 thanks MISTER AGB, that helped SO much...
Also curious about what motor/gearbox he used and where he salvaged it from. I used a windshield wiper motor late 90s'ish Ford ranger I believe, 4" abs pipe ×6" , 1 - 4" knockout test plug and a 4" expandable test plug
@@andrewzimba7432 ikr. dude got a micrometer n crap lol. If I wanted to come up with my own I wouldn't be watching this video lol..
@@skynjaydensdaddy looked like a direct drive motor off a shop fan to me.
Are you working in a container ?
I was wondering if a case cleaner would work with pee gravel and a shot of wd-40 and let it run . Space in short supply, so if I could use what I have . I’ve made a plunge line guide, adjustable bevels grinding jig not the angle iron kind , handle finishing vice, center line marker jig , I enjoy your videos, as I get older I realize how good I was when I was working .
My ICD went off yesterday hit me two times in about 15 seconds apart , in hospital now .
I use to be a toolmaker / tig welder and all other type of welding. That’s all gone . Stay young and healthy.
Was there a parts list I missed?
boat trailer rollers are cheap and easy to use. less wear spots due to larger surface area
Cool project Jeremy, does the steel you use for your knifes have to be acid etched ?
+M&Ibooth thanks! No, it doesn't have to be I just like the look of it. 👍
Just the video I've been looking for! Love your channel!
Perfect! Glad it helps and thanks so much for the compliments!
What is the source of motor/gearbox setup?
It was some type of automotive window crank I think. Got it at a surplus shop with no information about it.
I like videos that are on speed.
What kind of motor
Love love love this!
Thank you so much!
Like your concept, but that plastic will wear out rather fast. I have 4 rock tumblers I have purchased over the years. I came to knife making from a hobby of gem cutting and jewelry making. I have my tumblers for cleaning the matrix off gem stones so I can see what I have without having to cut the stone up first. I am referring to cabbing grade sapphires and rubies from North Carolina and other precious and semi-precious stones. I have had tubs wear out from just the combination of grit and stones running for the hours it takes to get down to the actual material. That being said, as I started out with, this is a very nice concept. I do love the way you think about what you are doing and find a better method of doing it. Then, you make a video putting the new method together and using it, showing us the finished product. Have a great day and a better tomorrow.
Sapphires and rubies are pretty tough. Do you have to use something extra hard like diamond grit to tumble them?
Nice
Thanks!
What all are u usein
I’m just gonna buy one.
Hi everyone nice video just wanted to throw an idea out there for anyone looking to make a bigger version and wondering what motor to use. I haven't completed it but I have been gathering parts. I will be using a treadmill motor , powerful and variable speed. some one is always getting rid of one just an idea.
what HP is your pillar drill ?
+MrZimma frame I don't know. The plate is worn out. Probably around 1/2 HP if I had to guess.
Ok, for rank amateurs, is there a step by step written dialogue or something approximating normal speed to make this? 🤷🏼♀️
6:26 that ding scared the crap out of me...
Huh... Sure works better than doing it manually (AKA Me butter-shaking a container filled with gravel) Neat idea!
+WhoLock haha yeah that gets old quick doesn't it? Cheers👍
Didn't it sound like a 3D printer was running in the background during the build?
Cutting angle iron with a wood blade???
Trippy.
Salivations. What a mancave you own!
Thumbs up as you have given me ideas, however I thought your video was back to front. The explanation should have come first before watching you make it.
A Parts List at the conclusion, giving part Name and Mfg. of each, with and alternate in brackets, would be greatly appreciated. As far as your Video length verses my time investment: I'm the reloader looking for effective ways to sidestep buying things that either fail, break, are over priced, or all three. I don't mind the time you take if you know your stuff. I failed to catch just what your speed/voltage controller actually is. Otherwise, good DIY video. Thank you from Canada.
I’m from Canada too and this was bought at princess auto in the surplus section so there are no part numbers on it. This video was mostly to show proof of concept. I still use this and it’s working great. I power it with an old laptop power supply. Throw in a little of your own creativity and problem solving and you’ll be good to go. 👍
Is this a knife sharpener?
+myfairy talegimail no it's for putting a stone wash on the knife after it's been acid etched.
I couldn’t really catch how the motor is turning the barrel.
dude, you're beautiful! 😊
Hey man, could you make me one of these? I can buy it and pick it up from you since your in Alberta ? Send me a message if you can
It might be overkill but some reloaders use the Harbor Freight electric cement mixer to tumble large amounts of brass. You could do probably 10 to 20 or more knives at a time with one of those. t.harborfreight.com/1-1-4-quarter-cubic-ft-compact-cement-mixer-91907.html
Stone Wash I thought that was something they do to jeans LOL
+Bret Calvin might have to make a bigger one so I can have cool clothes again😆
Where do the stones come come from
Just in case anyone is interested, I changed the speed setting down to .25 and it is much better.
Dang! I didn't videos could be slowed down /sped up. Just found out how to do it in settings. Thanks!
Cheap and dirty, but you forgot to mention warp speed.😅. Nice job though...
Happy late Canada day
+Assassyn JCRH thanks! You too (assuming you're a Canadian also)👍🇨🇦
No I'm not I just watch a lot of Canadian youtubers
I tried to stone wash by hand it was horrible
Nanchi Knives don't be lazy, build a tumbler, lol!
shadyvito well that one time I built one it burnt the drill motor and I have a half inch drive corded drill it started smoking but survived
probably be easier and cheaper to get one from Harbor Freight for like $50 or so