Thumbler's Rock Tumbler Kit

Thumler's Tumbler products are extensively used by serious hobbyists, laboratories, schools and industry for an unlimited variety of tumbling and mixing operations. Their kits include the polishing machine, media and a professional guide and their polishing products come with a guarantee on the barrel and the liner.

DID YOU KNOW? Ever since men began to carry pretty stones around as amulets or for personal adornment, they have longed for a way to keep the wet sheen that seemed so attractive. If you are interested in the history of rock tumbling, you would need to go back to about 4,500 BC. Research tells us that it was probably the Chinese who found a way to use water and sand to polish rocks. The process could take years. The Chinese are also thought to have been the inventors of the very ingredient that makes modern rock tumbling practical — silicon carbide abrasive. Ordinary sand wears out. Individual grains lose their sharpness and cutting edges or eventually pulverize into powder. None of the ancient stone carving or polishing techniques can be considered a form of tumbling, though. Ancient civilizations lacked the constant and uniform mechanical power source that makes modern tumbling practical. Primitive techniques do have one important thing in common with modern tumbling, however, and that is the goal of both is to retain as much as possible of the precious material, keeping the natural contours of the original stone.