If the tumbler tumbles rocks, it should work. If it is "the kind that you buy for children", it may not last very long, but, at least, it will give you a little use. If you are tumbling large numbers of things regularly, you might be able to wear it out quickly. I would try it and see what happens (Worst case scenario: you wear it out and your daughter wants another one).

The same type of tumbler will work for jewelry, but if it has already been used to tumble rocks, I would suggest getting another one. The grit used for tumbling rocks may not come out of the tumbler completely when you're finished with the rocks. The grit then ends up damaging the finish of your jewelry pieces.

You can get a cheap tumbler from Harbor Frieght (google the name for the website). I bought a double barrel tumbler around last Christmas for only $35. It works great, though you may have to replace the belt after you get it (don't worry, they're cheap). With a double barrel tumbler, you can use one for your jewelry, and your daughter can use the other for her rocks, so you both get what you need cheap and the motor will last longer than the kiddie tumbler.

Anything that actually tumbles the shot and jewelry will work just fine. I have recently been made aware of a related issue, however, which will determine the effectiveness of any given unit. If the interior of the barrel is a smooth cylinder, then the mass of material in the barrel has a tendency to simply slide along the side when the barrel rotates, without actually "tumbling." The tumbler shown in the tutorial has an interior with flat sides, so the material tumbles properly. Units designed specifically for jewelry have fins on the interior, which accomplish the same thing. Bottom-line: just make sure the inside of the barrel is not a smooth cylinder.

You can have one tumbler and many barrels. I have not seen the ones at Michaels. For some of the it is possible to buy extra barrels.

You can also tumble jewelry in a glass jar. I tumble some things inside a spaghetti jar that fits on my tumbler. Its cool to watch it. The shot is not hitting hard enough to break the glass.

I have the Harbor Freight two barrel model. I am not that impressed with it. Yes belts are cheap, but it is a pain to have to keep changing.

We have a bigger 12lb model that we tumble rocks in. I am considering getting another barrel for it. At Veberods, where I take lessons they have a short fat barrel. I have heard that large diameter barrels work better than the skinny ones. I make a lot of bracelets and larger pieces and the larger barrel would work better.

GLO

I think this answer covers a couple different questions I've seen posted here. One about tumbler brands and how they are and the other about straight sides vs. rounded barrel sides.


I have 4 tumblers. I started out with a single barrel one from Harbor Freight and yes, the belts are very poor quality. I'll talk more about those in a minute. Well.....one small barrel was not enough, so I bought HF's double barrel model. Now I don't know if it's this machine or if they're all the same, but the thing was so NOISY I don't ever use it! You would have to yell to be heard over the racket it makes. Yep, same belt problem. Oh, and the rubber from the HF tumblers is really stinky for about 2 weeks or so.

I then bought a Lortone single barrel 3 pound(3A). It's just like the HF one but the belts last forever and the rubber's not offensive. They both work the same, but the Lortone is 2x as expensive.

I then bought a 6 (QT6)pound Lortone tumbler and a 4 pound(45C) because I needed to tumble large items like chokers that wouldn't fit in my smaller barrel tumblers. Again, they run quietly and no stinky rubber parts!! :) The inside of the larger (4 and 6lb) tumblers have straight sides inside the barrel.


They don't work any better than my rounded barrel barrels. :o


What does make a difference is the rate of speed the barrel rotates...if it's too slow, not much happens. Also, you must use enough shot in the barrels and the proper water/shot/jewelry ratio and of course Dawn or other dish soap. I use one pound of Mixed Media Stainless steel shot in the 3 pound barrels. A student of mine pointed out a U-tube video that recommended 2 pounds of shot for that small tumbler. Well, they were tumbling tiny components, so the barrel was not getting overloaded. I tumble heavy bangles, etc. Between the 1lb of shot, jewelry, and enough water to cover.....another pound of shot would seriously strain the motor.(and it would rotate at a slower rate) The tut is a great way to sell more shot, but it's unnecessary.


The larger barrels of course need more shot...I've got 4 pounds of the stuff in my 6pound tumbler. The jewelry comes out with a beautiful finish. Be sure that you are purchasing STAINLESS steel shot and not just plain steel shot. The steel shot will rust.....not good!


Oh.....back to the belts.....Mama's Minerals out west ( I hope I can mention that) carries replacement Lortone belts for a great price! The Lortone belts for the 3 pound (3A) don't fit the HF tumblers. Order the 45C belts for them. In a pinch, you can use one of the big rubberbands that come on the broccoli...(no kidding) but only to get you through for a few hours. I think they work just as well as the belts that HF sells. :) Seriously, those belts often last only a few hours to perhaps a couple of days. So, if you purchase a tumbler, make sure you order an extra belt or two. My Lortone belts are still going strong. Is your head swimming yet? You're going to be dreaming about tumblers!!!

Stacy :)
http://www.hodgepodgerie.com

Gee Stacy......thanks for all the great information. I've wanted to buy a tumbler for a long time and didn't know anything about them. Now, thanks to you, I'm on a mission :)

You've gotten some really great advice on the subject of tumblers but, of course, there's always someone with something else to say. In this case, that would be me. ;-)

My first tumbler was a red plastic one sold as a rock tumbler for children. I bought it second hand, have replaced the barrel once, and it still runs like a champ. Because the barrel is plastic, it can be a little noisy but not offensively so. The replacement barrel was very inexpensive; in fact, I bought four because I'm a big "just in case" person. I use it with 1 lb of mixed shape steel shot and have run it up to an hour with no problems. My jewelry is generally mid-weight chain maille bracelets, earrings, etc. It was an excellent purchase and I use it regularly. Here's a URL where you can see ithttp://www.hobbywarehouse.com/Products/All-Tumblers/NSI00635-NSI-Electric-Rock-Tumbler .

My second tumbler was a Lortone 3 lb, one barrel, also bought used. In fact, I was the third owner. By the time it came to me, the belt was dead, but a replacement was very inexpensive. I use it with the same 1 lb shot and have run it upwards of 90 mins at a time with no problem. I've worn the barrel out so that it doesn't want to rotate anymore; not enough roughage to catch on the wheels. So I threw some heavy duty rubber bands around it and off we went again. One of these days I'm going to buy a new barrel - when I run out of rubber bands. ;-)

I haven't had any problem with the smooth inside of the plastic tumbler not rotating the shot. In fact, you can hear it tumbling all over itself, not sliding. It may be because of the shapes and weight of the shot. The Lortone has a hard rubber barrel with lots of grip on the inside, so it is definitely no problem.

If you are starting out and are overwhelmed with the variety of tumblers and the advice you get, consider buying used. There is usually someone moving up from a 3 lb to a 4 lb, from one barrel to two, who will sell you a good used tumbler. Try it out and then, when you are ready, pop for a new one -- or ask Santa for one for the holidays. ;-) I think that's how I'm getting a new barrel for my Lortone. Christmas is only nine months away. I'm sure I've got plenty of rubber bands to last until then. ;-)

Kate G

I purchased a children's tumbler from Michael's about 4 years ago and it still runs fine. I use stainless steel shot and plain water with 1 or 2 drops of Dawn dishwashing detergent. My jewelry comes out beautiful and shiny. I don't use it every day but I have used it quite a bit. I purchased it with a 40% off coupon that comes out in the Michael's advertisment newspaper insert on Sundays. It was quite a deal!
Carolyn