Can you use this for tumbling?

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AlexD

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I found this rock polisher on eBay. It mentions Antique bottles in the info as well. What are the thoughts on this?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/40lb-Capacity-Rock-Tumbler-Ball-Mill-Case-Tumbler-Debur-Polish-Lapidary-/320970407521?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4abb53be61#ht_1470wt_1144
Also, what other than copper pellets do I need if I buy this? I've never done tumbling before.
 

JGUIS

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Not as is. You would have to have a tube with stopples in it to hold the bottle still in the center of the tube. By the time you bought the correct equipment to use it for bottles, you could just buy a bottle tumbler.
 

GuntherHess

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It may not be long enough to do bigger bottles.
The stopples add a good bit of length to the tubes.
Looks like it has maybe 14" of useable roller?

Not sure what the speed is also.
You really want to be able to vary the speed depending on the bottle type you are tumbling.
 

JarDoctor

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Rock tumblers are made to free tumble rocks so are not large enough to clean bottles. They need severe modifications to be able to work for bottles. They are not long enough to hold a canister with stopples and most times the motors will not turn at the RPM necessary for bottles (25 RPM for anything not round and 85 RPM for round).
You can purchase a machine and motor package many times for less than what the rock tumbler plus modifications will cost you. After you have the tumbler modified, you still need canisters, copper and oxide.
Good luck.
 

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