stone polisher

[peacepiece]

I am thinking of getting one for my ds for x-mas. Does anyone have any opinions on one they have used? We would want a good quality one thats not too expensive. Thanks!

[mamaMAMAma]

: Thinking about getting one for dd#1. The ones I saw online sells the rocks as well. Does anyone know if you can polish rocks you find?

[elizawill]

subbing. i want one too!!!!

[ABand3]

I've looked at them in the past, and reviews I've read (and heard from IRL people) have all said they are extremely loud, and you have to leave them running for 3-4 days! I was ok with loud when I thought it might be a few hours and we could be away, but I don't want to leave a loud appliance plugged in and running for days.

There may be more expensive ones that are quieter or more effiecient in terms of time, but I was looking at the $100 or less versions.

I hope someone can find a good one.

[ALittleBitCrunchy]

I picked up the Smithsonian one last week - I'll be happy to give you a review after Christmas

[Dillpicklechip]

We got a rock polisher for my dd, who has always been into rocks and minerals, for Christmas a few years ago. Oy, what a mistake...mind you I don't know if there are better, more expensive ones available, this one was in the $30-40 range...

First of all, it was LOUD AS HECK. I mean, really, really loud, with those rocks tumbling around inside. We ended up putting it in the garage (which was not attached to our house) and I'm sure the neighbours were wondering what was going on. Loud loud loud!

Second, it had to be running for a very long time for the rocks to be polished. If I remember it was a week, maybe two weeks. No, I'm not kidding. You have to first put the rocks in with a coarse sand for about a week, then wash them off and put them in with a finer sand. With the cost of power these days this is something else to consider.

They only give you enough sand for one batch of polishing, so if, after suffering through all that noise for so long you want to do it again, you have to order the special sand from the company. Of course, it's not cheap.

We threw our rock polisher in the garbage after that one batch of rocks was done. I would never buy one of those things again.

[rsps]

we got one a a garage sale a year or so ago. Yes very loud, it takes a couple weeks altogether.
We kept it in the garage, and it was an interesting process. We have more rocks but haven't yet run it for the second time.

they are expensive -- I would look around for a used one. (I think I paid $10 at the garage sale, which included enough rocks/sand for at least 2 batches.)

[mamapajama]

:
subbing
we want one too

[grahamsmom98]

We bought one in October for ds's November birthday (age 9) from Edmunds Scientific. The "brand" is NSI Rolling Stones Rock Tumbler. It was $40 (plus, we ordered extra rough stones). ((Right now, I they have a free shipping promotion for orders over $50. Google "Edmunds Scientific" and it is listed))).

Here is the link:

http://scientificsonline.com/product...cd2=1196439813

It came with rocks (we also ordered extra), three grades of grit, jewelry findings, extra axle wear plates and a drive shaft sleeve.

It is currently running in our laundry room, even as I type this. It has been tumbling since Wednesday (this is with coarse grit for the first grinding). The longer you tumble the rocks, the better the results. We will change the water and add the medium grit this Sunday, tumble for another 12-14 days, and then the final rinse, fine grit and polish tumbling for another 7+ days.

Trust me, this one is waaaaaaaaaaay quieter than the one I had when I was young (back in 1965!)!!! That one was awful!

This certainly isn't annoying, though I will admit I wouldn't keep in in the living room! It is no noisier than our electric ice cream maker. It IS quieter than a standard vacuum or a mixer or blender. I can talk on the phone while standing next to it and hear just fine, if that gives you an idea (though away from it is, obviously, better! ). After a short while, it's like one of those "white noise" machines, we don't even notice it.

As I said, we have it going in our laundry room and keep the pocket door closed. I can't even hear it. It sits on the dryer, in a metal cake pan (I was worried about water leakage, which has not happened). Underneath the pan, I have some of than no-slip rubberized shelf liner (there's a piece under the tumbler itself, as well). Keeps it from vibrating anywhere and softens the sound.

We did turn it off the other day when we were gone to the city all day (180 miles, roundtrip) as I wasn't comfortable with leaving it on while we were away from our house. This was a mistake as I had to break apart the conglomerate inside the barrel, which had begun turning into something resembling pretty concrete while inactive! : So, now it stays on all the time.

Yes, it DOES take a long time to tumble rocks. DUH! But, you must remember, Nature takes thousands of YEARS to wear rocks down to smooth edges, using forces of wind, water and erosion. Why would anyone expect to do this in a few hours, at home, in a $40 tumbler??? It cannot be done in a couple of days. It's amazing that we can do it at all in so short a time at home with these inexpensive tumblers/polishers!!!

As far as the cost of power, the amount of time you have your home computer "on" is using more power than this item. The one we have uses just 0.15 amps and 10 watts (same as a night light).

There are no toxic chemicals in it. It helps to instill patience and understanding that what took Nature thousands and millions of years to do cannot be duplicated by us in hours, it teaches record-keeping, it teaches basics in geology and basic jewelry making. Ds is so excited about seeing the work in-progress as well as anticipating the finished product.

Re-fills from the company run: $2.00 for each of the three kinds of grit required (or, $12.50 for three of each in a package deal). There are various prices for 1/2 lb. bags of raw stones. They range from $4.00 for assorted agates to $10.50 for Tiger Eye, so you could buy just the type of stones you desire (we're ordering Amethysts and Adventurine when this first batch is completed). Our local educational supply store carries the grits and refills of the assorted agates. They will order the other stones for you, as well. But, I would rather skip the middle-man!! Additional jewelry findings can be purchased at stores like Wal-Mart or Target or any hobby store.

Does anyone know if you can polish rocks you find?

Not all rocks can be polished in these types of home tumblers. But, yes, you can find agates and they will work fine.

If you look under "Hobbies" and "Organizations" or "Clubs" in the Yellow Pages, you might find a local rock group. Most cities have a group of rockhounds that would love to give you pointers and maybe your children would find a new hobby with them! Imagine your children actually finding the raw stones themselves and then going on to polish those stones! Cool!

[beka1977]

I have no current recommendations but I had a rock tumbler as a kid and loved it. I still remember those rocks! We made all kinds of cool jewelry with the rocks. I don't remember it being that loud...

[AmandaGRB]

My ds was just given this one http://shopping.discovery.com/produc...D=1169BD5A78D0 for his 6th birthday.

It is VERY loud. I had it in the living room and couldn't hear my phone ringing with this turned on. We had to move it to an unused bedroom upstairs and have the door closed. I can still hear it downstairs, although it is just a constant squeak that I hear now where the gears are turning.

My ds is so excited to check his rocks each day and can't wait for them to finish. He has already made out a list of what he will make for everyone for Christmas with his new machine.

It will take about a month for it to process one batch of rocks. There are like 4 steps that each take about a week. It must run constantly or it will form concrete in the barrel. This drives my dh crazy. I think he goes up about every night in the middle of the night to feel it and make sure it isn't getting hot so the house doesn't burn down. :

It is exciting to see the rough rocks and try to figure out what they will look like polished and talk about how long it takes in nature, etc. It really is amazing that we can do in a month what takes nature thousands of years to do.

As annoying as it is, I would buy it again. And we will tumble more rocks when these are finished. I am excited to see how they turn out, too.

Amanda