How to Build a Coffee Can Tumbler
A coffee can tumbler is a rock tumbler made using an empty coffee can. Rock tumbling polishes and smooths rough surfaces on rocks to enhance their appearance. This is done by moving the rocks around in containers filled with an abrasive grit and lubricant. Building your own homemade rock tumbler gives you the means of polishing rocks without having to pay for an expensive machine.
Things You'll Need
- Coffee can
- Piece of heavy wood, at least 2-by-2 feet
- Pulleys
- Mounting brackets
- Motor
- Sand
- Water
- Rocks
- Duct tape
Instructions
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1
Place a heavy piece of wood onto a work area; this area must be a flat surface so the wood can lie flat. The wood needs to be at least 2 feet by 2 feet and heavy because it will act as a baseboard for the tumbler, keeping it still as it operates. Metal of the same dimensions will also work as baseboard.
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2
Place your coffee can on its side on top of the wood, close to one end.
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3
Mount pulleys onto the baseboard using mounting brackets, positioning them so that the coffee can sits between them and hovers around three inches above the baseboard. The pulleys will support the coffee can while allowing it to rotate.
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4
Mount a motor onto the baseboard. The motor will provide the power needed to turn the coffee can. This should be on the opposite end from where you placed the pulleys.
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5
Take the drive belt from the motor and hook it around the coffee can.
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6
Turn on the motor, which will move the drive belt, which will turn the coffee can that is resting on the pulleys. The coffee can as it is will not perform the functions of a rock tumbler, but this test will ensure that your machine runs properly.
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7
Pour sand into the coffee can until it is half filled.
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8
Add water to the sand in the coffee can. Stop when the can is two-thirds full.
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9
Select the rocks that you would like to smooth and polish and put them into the coffee can.
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10
Place a lid onto the coffee can and duct tape it down to make sure it doesn't fall off during the tumbling process.
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11
Switch the motor on to use your homemade coffee can rock tumbler.
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