chicepo
Jr. Member
- Jun 5, 2008
- 82
- 1
- Detector(s) used
- Ace 250/Ace 350
- Primary Interest:
- All Treasure Hunting
How to make a Rock Tumbler
#1. Go to your local Good Will or Thrift Store and get a cheap Box Fan with a speed control.
Strip away everything until you have just the motor and housing with the speed control.
#2. Go to Walmart and get a small Igloo drink cooler. Make sure it is round with no handle.
Also get a plastic File Rack that you can use as a frame
Take the lid off and drill a hole in the center of the lid top, and the center of the bottom
of the cooler. Install bolt part of a sheetrock hanger from the inside with some plumbers
putty or rubber gasket. Put the wing nut part of the assembly onto the bolt and tighten.
Cut the bolt so there is approximately 1” showing on either end. Glue some paddles onto
the inside of the cooler so that the coins or rocks will tumble. I used some threaded rod
that I had, but anything will work. Put lid on cooler.
#3. Mount the motor housing with motor onto the base of the File Rack. Shaft toward one side.
Make sure to center the motor in the frame.
#4. On the side of the File Rack that is above the shaft of the motor, drill a hole a bit larger than
the bolt in the cooler. Make sure it is in the center and above the shaft of the motor.
Insert the bolt opposite the lid into the hole you drilled in the File Rack. Measure where the
bolt in the lid will be on the file rack frame. Leave room for the bolts to move back and forth.
Drill holes opposite of each other on the frame. Drill a hole in the center of the bolt coupler.
Install long bolt into each hole and connect together in middle with coupler.
#5. Put the cooler onto the file rack frame bottom first. Rotate the coupler so the holes facing up.
Adjust the length of the bolt in the lid to just fall into the hole of the coupler. Now rotate the
coupler down so the hole is in line with the bolt. The cooler should fit and rotate freely.
#6. If you were able to save the speed control now you wire it to motor and dry run to see if it
works for you. On my tumbler the speed control was faulty so I just run one speed.
#7. Remove the cooler from the frame and put a rubber band around the belly of the cooler.
Re-install the cooler to the frame and stretch the band to the motor shaft. If your speed control
works than you can adjust to the speed that you want. If not you will need to try different
pulley depending on the speed of the motor. I run mine directly off the shaft of the motor
and it is perfect speed for tumbling. You now have a rock tumbler. My total cost $15.00
#1. Go to your local Good Will or Thrift Store and get a cheap Box Fan with a speed control.
Strip away everything until you have just the motor and housing with the speed control.
#2. Go to Walmart and get a small Igloo drink cooler. Make sure it is round with no handle.
Also get a plastic File Rack that you can use as a frame
Take the lid off and drill a hole in the center of the lid top, and the center of the bottom
of the cooler. Install bolt part of a sheetrock hanger from the inside with some plumbers
putty or rubber gasket. Put the wing nut part of the assembly onto the bolt and tighten.
Cut the bolt so there is approximately 1” showing on either end. Glue some paddles onto
the inside of the cooler so that the coins or rocks will tumble. I used some threaded rod
that I had, but anything will work. Put lid on cooler.
#3. Mount the motor housing with motor onto the base of the File Rack. Shaft toward one side.
Make sure to center the motor in the frame.
#4. On the side of the File Rack that is above the shaft of the motor, drill a hole a bit larger than
the bolt in the cooler. Make sure it is in the center and above the shaft of the motor.
Insert the bolt opposite the lid into the hole you drilled in the File Rack. Measure where the
bolt in the lid will be on the file rack frame. Leave room for the bolts to move back and forth.
Drill holes opposite of each other on the frame. Drill a hole in the center of the bolt coupler.
Install long bolt into each hole and connect together in middle with coupler.
#5. Put the cooler onto the file rack frame bottom first. Rotate the coupler so the holes facing up.
Adjust the length of the bolt in the lid to just fall into the hole of the coupler. Now rotate the
coupler down so the hole is in line with the bolt. The cooler should fit and rotate freely.
#6. If you were able to save the speed control now you wire it to motor and dry run to see if it
works for you. On my tumbler the speed control was faulty so I just run one speed.
#7. Remove the cooler from the frame and put a rubber band around the belly of the cooler.
Re-install the cooler to the frame and stretch the band to the motor shaft. If your speed control
works than you can adjust to the speed that you want. If not you will need to try different
pulley depending on the speed of the motor. I run mine directly off the shaft of the motor
and it is perfect speed for tumbling. You now have a rock tumbler. My total cost $15.00
