3DPrinting
3DPrinting is a place where makers of all skill levels and walks of life can learn about and discuss 3D printing and development of 3D printed parts and devices.
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Have you made a printed rock tumbler? I am somewhat considering making one for my kids, but don't know how long the container would last.
I’ve… not. I just remember playing with one as a kid. It was literally just a motor with a gear train to make it go slowish and a plastic jar.
Edit: wow. Rock tumblers have gotten expensive…this is now gonna have to be a back-burner project, me thinks.
Have they? I feel like I see more low cost options than years ago.
The ones I’m seeing are like 60-500, no way my parents would have dropped that for a toy. (Specifically one that lasted of 2 weeks,)
Aside from that one tiny cheap toy in the sears catalog backnin the day, my recollection was starting price was around $250 for any tumbler(dad was considering them for years is the only reason I have any recollection). The $52 Harbor freight option is an impressive deal especially considering a few decades of inflation. I'm not say they were ever affordable toys, just that they are more affordable than they used to be. Size is a pretty big limitation on most readily available ones below the $500 mark.
Yeah… it probably was thebsears toy.
That said the only part that would likely wear is the drum, which, if you can print one, you can print more, heh.
I think print one and apply a castable coating like urethane or maybe plastigip to the inside could be pretty long lasting.
It's a cost vs reward thing... so take this with a grain of skepticism, but, if durability was the sole consideration, nylon filament might give the most. nylon is very slippery so it's unlikely to abrade as fast. (this is why it's used in plastic gears.)
I think nylon does well with sliding friction, but have some concerns about whether it would hold up well to the kind of sharp edges you tend to have with abrasive media. That's from some observation on both commercial rock tumblers, industrial ball mills, and abrasive blasting equipment. I won't say I know enough from experience to say it will work for sure though.
that said, I suspect that depends on the kind of media used. sandy grit in a water solution or something would probably be fine.
Now that you mentioned it, I have a toddler and a cocktail shaker already. I'll slap some ducktape on the lid and hope to contain some disaster.
I suspect this comes with the benefit of burning off some of the kid's energy and entertaining the kid for HOURS
Might be worth trying a plastidip or some sort of urethane or rubberized coating on the inside. And the a big rubberband tire on the rollers That would make it last longer and be repairable.