Price : $172.49
Model A-R2 Kit Rock Tumbler Reviews - 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.
Feature Model A-R2 Kit Rock Tumbler
- Heavy continuous duty, fan-cooled motor. Overload protected.
- Uses two 3lb. capacity, long-life, molded rubber barrels
- Versatile two-barrel, 6 lb. capacity tumbler
This review is from : Model A-R2 Kit Rock Tumbler
A great tool for an addicting hobby . 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.
A great tool for an addicting hobby . 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.
Model A-R2 Kit Rock Tumbler Reviews
This tumbler rocks . 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.
This tumbler rocks . 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.
Model A-R2 Kit Rock Tumbler Opinions
Tumbler is Solid . Very good price, and quick shipping. I am using this tumbler to pre-finish my hand fabricated gold and silver jewelry. It saves me a ton of time on my clean-up and allows me to move on to my next piece while it is starting the process.
Tumbler is Solid . Very good price, and quick shipping. I am using this tumbler to pre-finish my hand fabricated gold and silver jewelry. It saves me a ton of time on my clean-up and allows me to move on to my next piece while it is starting the process.
A-R2 rock tumbler . The tumbler is built like it will last forever. It's really not a toy.
Excellent for beginners and home hobbiest . 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.
Good Rock tumbler . Gave this rock tumbler to my sister for a Christmas gift. She's been tumbling rocks ever since! The rocks turned out so beautiful and shiny. She's very happy with it. And its not noisy!
Rock Tumbler . I am 59 years old and don't view this as a toy. I works great.
Dawn . This really isn't a toy but a product for a hobby. I bought it for my husband who enjoys turning rocks into smooth beautiful objects. It is well made and ordering from Amazon.com was easy.
Excellent hobbiest rock tumbler . I am now enjoying my first batch of tumbled and polished quartz beach stones. The results I obtained with this tumbler are highly satisfying. The stones have a high polish and I can see more beautiful depth and detail than when I plucked the wet stones from the surf.
I found the tumbler easy to use. I had one question about the tumbler and called the manufacturer and spoke to a very helpful and knowledgeable person who answered my questions (precisely where to oil the motor, how often, and which type of oil to use) who then went on to include several helpful hints for running the tumbler. As a result, I did not experience any malfunctions listed by any other reviewers (broken belt, leaking barrell), and my tumbled quartz stones are truly lovely.
I highly recommend this tumbler. In addition to revealing the beauty of polished stones to kids, it will also teach them patience and respect for a scientific/industrial process because they must perform specific steps to polish the stones and then wait for the final product. And when you think about that, it matches the fact that the original specimen, now laying shiny in their palm, took millions of years to form.
This tumbler is also made in America and that is something we can support with pride.
I found the tumbler easy to use. I had one question about the tumbler and called the manufacturer and spoke to a very helpful and knowledgeable person who answered my questions (precisely where to oil the motor, how often, and which type of oil to use) who then went on to include several helpful hints for running the tumbler. As a result, I did not experience any malfunctions listed by any other reviewers (broken belt, leaking barrell), and my tumbled quartz stones are truly lovely.
I highly recommend this tumbler. In addition to revealing the beauty of polished stones to kids, it will also teach them patience and respect for a scientific/industrial process because they must perform specific steps to polish the stones and then wait for the final product. And when you think about that, it matches the fact that the original specimen, now laying shiny in their palm, took millions of years to form.
This tumbler is also made in America and that is something we can support with pride.
Nice seaglass tumbler! . Bought this to tumble broken glass into sea glass. Sturdy, quiet, does a nice job in a few days. Very happy with this tumbler. NOT cheap. This should last forever!
Product Details
EAN : 0051442100117UPC : 051442100117
MPN : 115A
Brand : Tru-square Metal Products
Weight : 8 pounds
Height : 5 inches
Length : 16 inches
Width : 13 inches
Binding : Toy
Manufacturer : Tru-square Metal Products
Manufacturer Minimum Age : 12 years
Model : 115
Publisher : Tru-square Metal Products
SKU : THU115
Studio : Tru-square Metal Products
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Where To Buy
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