Buy Model A-R2 Kit Rock TumblerModel A-R2 Kit Rock Tumbler Product Description:
- Versatile two-barrel, 6 lb. capacity tumbler
- Uses two 3lb. capacity, long-life, molded rubber barrels
- Heavy continuous duty, fan-cooled motor. Overload protected.
Product Description
Versatile two-barrel, 6 lb. capacity tumbler. Uses two 3lb. capacity, long-life, molded rubber barrels. Ideal for small batches of single-type stones for jewelry making or for brass polishing. Heavy continuous duty, fan-cooled motor. Overload protected.
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
96 of 96 people found the following review helpful.
By crgator
First, I don't consider this a toy, but rather a tool for a hobby. A toy you play with. This, you put rocks in a barrel and leave it alone to do it's job.But, it is a great tool. I got it for my girlfriend for Christmas. It caught me off guard when she said she wanted one, but I figured what the heck, why not. Now, almost 3 months after Christmas I'm finally writing a review. Why the delay? Because it takes a long time to finish the job.Her first batch was with a bunch of various rocks we bought from another vendor. They looked just like a bunch of rocks, nothing fancy at all. Well, after about a week in the course grit, you could see these rock were going to look really nice. In time. All in all, the rocks went through various levels of grit, and finally polish, and came out with some very nice looking polished stones. The next step is to make some jewelry with some of the nicer ones. It's hard to believe the difference in what a plain looking rock looks like after several weeks of being ground down, smoothed and then polished.Before her first batch was done, I decided I wanted to try some, too (a good reason to buy the two barrel model). I bought a couple pounds of Apache Tears. Well, after almost seven weeks, I took them out this past weekend. I found out after I started them, that Apache Tears are not easy to smooth and polish, but I'd already started them by then, so I was going to see it through. Wow, did they turn out great!I do wish some of the instructions had been a bit clearer though. You need to oil the unit, but the instructions left me, at least, not sure exactly where and how to do so. Be careful when you oil it not to get any oil on the drums or rollers. The lids are a bit of a bear to get on and off until you figure it out, and perhaps there could have been better directions on those as well.If you are going to get one of these, and you plan on doing two batches of rocks at a time, I would suggest you buy another drum, so you have at least three. Keep one for nothing but the polish stage, so you don't run the risk of contamination of the polish with some of the grit. A very thorough cleaning may alleviate that problem, but with the time it takes to complete a batch, the cost of a new barrel is negligible to ensure no problems. I actually bought two more barrels and use a different barrel for each stage. Mark them with a silver permanent marker (lids too) and you're good to go.(Remember, too, this set is not a kit. You will need to buy the grit and polish separate.)Although young kids will enjoy this, I still don't consider it a toy.
44 of 48 people found the following review helpful.
By Grandma Teresa
This is my first experience with a tumbler. The directions said to start with agates, (I didn't know what they were, so we went to a rock shop & bought some.) The tumbler works great, was made in the USA, and my 9 year old grandson is having a good time checking the progress every week. And so am I! It is incredible how beautiful the rocks are! This is more of a hobby tool than a toy, and I hope it will be something he will enjoy when he is older, too.
21 of 23 people found the following review helpful.
By Henry F. Sims
I've never owned or used a rock tumbler so this was all new to me. I did not know that it takes as long as it did/does to tumble stones into a polished product; all phases of tumbling added it's between 3 and 4 weeks! But the unit ran non-stop overnight as the instructions say, you change the grit media (lil' messy but you get used to it & faster at it) at certain intervals and the end product is impressive. I think with some experience you could reduce the tumbling time. I did not use soft stones and again followed the instruction manual, I think with some actual gem stones and/or soft stones that would be the case that your tumbling time would be much shorter. But in the end it did really well. If anyone is making home jewelry/crafts or for a school project, this is ideal but again it may serve you best to begin the tumbling sometime prior to the start date of the actual project so they will be more ready. It's a quiet machine but the garage, laundry room or a separate crafts room would be better suited. Seems like its well made and should last a very long time.
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