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How to Balance a Lot-O Tumbler

Rock tumblers are machines that turn rocks into glossy, polished gemstones. Two varieties of consumer-grade tumblers are widely available: rotary and vibratory. Rotary tumblers rotate a barrel of rocks mixed with abrasive grit to produce the tumbling, polishing action. Vibratory tumblers like the Lot-O-Tumbler intensely vibrate the load of rock and grit, producing a constant churning motion in the barrel. Each has its advantages but vibratory tumblers tend to be preferred for faster action, approximately half the time to polish a full load of rocks than with the rotary tumbler, and because they retain the original shape of the rock. Rotary tumblers round off all edges and make the finished gem oval-shaped. Because the Lot-O-Tumbler vibrates four pounds of rock at a high intensity, proper mounting and balance of the unit is important.

Instructions

- 1
  Mount the Lot-O-Tumbler to either a concrete block weighing at least 40 pounds or directly to a concrete floor. Peel the backing paper off the adhesive strips on the wooden base of the Lot-O-Tumbler. Press the unit firmly onto the concrete block or floor. The Lot-O-Tumbler must be mounted to a level, dense solid mass so its vibrating energy will be transferred into the rocks in the barrel and not into the mounting surface. Do not mount to a wooden bench or table.
- 2
  Add extra weight in the form of ceramic filler or additional rocks if you are polishing a small load of small rocks that weighs less than 4 pounds. Running with a small load may unbalance the unit and cause it to vibrate violently.
- 3
  Add small ceramic filler or small rocks to fill out the barrel if you are polishing one or a few large rocks. Polishing large rocks alone may unbalance the unit and cause it to vibrate violently.
- 4
  Adjust vibration amplitude by changing the position of the tuning bar under the springs. Do not set vibration amplitude to the maximum if you are polishing a load of less than four pounds. Over-aggressive vibration may unbalance the unit and damage its mounting springs or motor.

Rocks & Minerals