How to make a Rock Tumbler Ball Mill

[@KCreations4You]

I'm working hard to grow my channel so hit that subscribe button before you forget!

[@alanseager]

great Idea I tried this with sewer pipe but didn't put the agitators in and gave up because it took for ever to tumble a few rocks and the result wasn't worth while, now I can revisit the set up and see what happens thank you at 73 still learning

[@KCreations4You]

That is very humble of you and I'm very glad you found this helpful.

[@ervinraddatz3117]

Great video; I've been looking for a cheaper/easier way to do this. This looks great.

[@jamestaylor8217]

Great job. Just what I need for cleaning small batches of native plant seeds.

[@KCreations4You]

Hmm, sounds like great for gardening.

[@SpicyTexan64]

Just like in nature.

[@budgillett9627]

Great design and very well executed! Thank you!

[@KCreations4You]

Glad you enjoyed it.

[@andrewortiz687]

Dud this is a little late but damn nice job! One of the only and actually feasible builds out there for a tumbler

[@KCreations4You]

Thank you.

[@reneecase8678]

This is a really nice rock tumbler thank you.

[@KCreations4You]

Your welcome, Thanks for watching as well!

[@jurassiclizzard]

Very cool idea! This looks like the best high capacity and low cost unit I've seen. I will try making a variation on this. I'm a little worried how the PVC will hold up to weeks or months of tumbling bigger rocks but I guess it could easily be replaced. I might try coating the inside with thick layers of rubberized paint.

[@KCreations4You]

I would lover to know how it turns out please let me know or even send me a picture.

[@joeybidster]

Great vid man! Concise, honest, no faff 🙌 thanks. Subscribed

[@KCreations4You]

I might do a bigger one. Is that something you would like to see?

[@joeybidster]

@@KCreations4You yeah go for it! I’m looking into the same! A lot of rocks and excess solar on my land 🙌 I was thinking of a one stage smoothing on a much grander scale so as you could use bulk smoothed stones for driveways etc! Too ambitious maybe? 😂

[@KelzCasa]

I want to do an all polished aluminum AR build, and something like this would work PERFECT!

[@KCreations4You]

I bet it would and you could use 6" pipe for bigger parts.

[@uarbor70]

Love the design. Having those wheels on their solves the problem of the end caps needing to be smaller than the jar

[@KCreations4You]

Glad I could help. If you have them I would add more wheels instead of making them adjustable like I did. It would be more convenient.

[@tonyvinesmusic]

This is great. No b.s. and no nonsense. Love it! Subscribing now. :-)

[@KCreations4You]

Thank you!

[@Mr_Ravee]

Very innovative👍 Glad to have found your video💐

[@KCreations4You]

Thank you 😄

[@bryanjarboe8920]

Hey love the idea of being able to do one big bin or multiple smaller ones! Thanks for the video! I’d love to see some content on diy media alternatives for different grit numbers! I like the idea of ball bearings - can you show a video on how well this works???

[@KCreations4You]

Thank you and I did show how it worked a bit in my thermite video. I wanted to polish some rocks but don't have enough. If I do I will see if I can find other grit options cause I think that would be cool. I know for cleaning parts I used sandblasting sand and it worked ok.

[@phildavis4575]

I thought about building one pretty much same way. I was thinking about an automotive motor, like a power window motor, but the 12v dc was throwing me off. I also thought about pvc pipe, but with screw in type cleanouts for the ends, one last thing was wheel casters from a cabinet or chair, mounted upside down. I suppose I could add additional casters if I was going to do different size ones. I think I have most of the parts just lying around here. Thanks for the video.

[@phildavis4575]

Solar panel good idea because it's DC power

[@KCreations4You]

I didnt do the threaded ends cause of cost but if you have it perfect. A laptop power supply could work too.

[@phildavis4575]

I saw an bathroom exhaust fan, it's 120v and comes with a plug..20 bucks.

[@KCreations4You]

@@phildavis4575 You would have to figure out how to gear it down to 30-40 RPMs but they run for allot of hours without wearing out. Make sure anything you build is in a safe spot and not a fire risk too.

[@jackmihov5231]

Brilliant outstanding wonderful 👍. Thank you so much for explaining. Subscribed like shared personalized notification.

[@KCreations4You]

That makes my day it really does. Thank you!

[@ecks_marks_the_spot]

Great build. Thanks.

[@KCreations4You]

Your welcome :)

[@mollyv8b705]

Fantastic video!!!!

[@KCreations4You]

Thank you Molly!

[@keithdavis00]

Nice, I'd wondered about using PVC pipe for the tumbler. Also, as crude as using rubber end caps might seem, they should definitely reduce the "bomb index" if something were to ignite.

[@KCreations4You]

I didn't look at it that way but I think your definitely right.

[@chocaholic65]

Ive made 100mm PVC pipe barrels. They work great. Into my 3rd week straight tumbling and no leaks or degradation. I glued and capped one end and left the other end as a push on only. I used one loop of plumbers tape and then pushed the cap end on. Solid seal!! Also wrapped duct tape around each end just in case, but it also adds a bit of grip to the rollers. So far, working great.

[@michaelhenderson5098]

Nice job. Thanks for sharing.

[@KCreations4You]

Yw glad you enjoyed it.

[@ssteele1812]

Any idea what RPM the wiper motor operates at? Could a power window motor also be used or are they more expensive? I've been wanting to modify a tumbler to run multiple barrels and also wanted to run it off of a solar panel and battery.

[@KCreations4You]

I just counted it and its about 37rpm. I think a window motor could work. The best thing for a long lifespan would be an induction motor but its difficult to find one geared down. For me the wiper motor was free so not sure on what would cost more for you.

[@alexplorer]

Most wiper motors have two connections so you can do high and low speeds. (The RPMs vary by model, so I can't tell you specifics, and the numbers are usually no-load). There are also DC motor speed controllers that you can pick up for

[@Badbri2A]

nice tumbler..

[@KCreations4You]

Thank you RBT!

[@jamessimmons6483]

Do you have the plans for this or do I need toextract them from your video?? Thanks!

[@KCreations4You]

Extract them and make them your own. 😀

[@invictusfarmer7188]

How did the drum hold up over time? i have access to 8" pvc pipe so im kinda curious on if its a longterm waste of time?

[@KCreations4You]

It held up really well. There are two thicknesses of pipe and it is not the thin stuff.

[@bortay7]

how many hours you have this motor on? im not sure, but i think this windshields wipers motors arent made for long time work... i wanna make my own rock tumbler, and the motor is the only thing i havent now. did you try this motor for long time and works good? ty for all, and ty for the tutorial. its so good. gg for your chanel

[@KCreations4You]

I though I mentioned its not the best motor for doing this, an induction motor would be better however for something laying around I have weeks on it. I did not expect it to last as long as it has but it makes sense cause wiper motors get used allot and are designed not to fail often as a safety part. The downside to a induction motor is getting it from say 1500 rpm to 30-40 thats 50 to one. This makes this one good for me cause I'm not going to be running it all the time. If you plan to run it extensively might be better to buy one. Hope this helps

[@bortay7]

@@KCreations4You yeah its helps a lot, all the information is gold ^^ thanks you a lot, you are the best!

[@invictusfarmer7188]

the wiper motors are continuous duty dc motors. they will fun till the bearings fail. i used one for a trommel and left it on for 2 weeks straighy to test my system. it never even got warm lol. you actually picked the perfect low amp mitor. add a 100 watt solar panel and a charge controller and it will run forever. think they draw 4 amps tops. thats only 48 watts so ud still have enough to recharge over night.

[@conbeaute]

Would you mind sharing some details about you hooked up the solar panel?

[@KCreations4You]

Not at all. Its a panel I made about 8 years ago and has seen better days. That being said it puts out about 14 volts at the angle I have it at so I just wired it directly and you guessed it, at night it doesn't run. I normally run it off a computer power supply however When I tested it I was grinding stuff that could ignite so keeping it off grid was a better situation.

[@conbeaute]

@@KCreations4You Thanks, much appreciated! I plan to hook one up exactly as you described so I can run it during the day for free. Lots of rocks to tumble and lots of sun here in New Mexico.

[@KCreations4You]

@@conbeaute Glad to meet another creative mind! You should let me know how it goes. Someone said these motor get hot so keep an eye on it. I checked mine several times and never had it get more than warm.

[@_spider_jeff]

cool...new sub!

[@KCreations4You]

Awesome! Welcome aboard 🙂

[@paulmanhart4481]

Damn, that’s nice. I was just thinking of making a rock tumbler out of 6” PVC when I ran across your video. Great job. I’m not electrically inclined but I’ve seen 100 to 200 RPM dc motors on eBay. Do you know what I should look for in terms of Watts and amps? Thanks, Paul

[@KCreations4You]

Rpms I believe is like 30 - 40 watts really depends on how big you go but most store bought I think are around 70 watts but going bigger has the advantage of less stress and longevity of the motor. A lot of geared down motors on ebay wont run for hours without overheating. Arcade motors can be good but if they want $50 for one a rock tumbler bought starts to seem cheap. I had this wiper motor lying around. Does that help?

[@paulmanhart4481]

@@KCreations4You Thanks for the good info. I’ll have to do some research on motors.

[@KCreations4You]

@@paulmanhart4481 I just thought of an option is a motor for the turntable of a microwave.

[@sandeepmaharaj9340]

Nice freind 👌👌👌🙏,

[@KCreations4You]

Thank you Sandeep.

[@cuinoz3569]

Great video.

[@KCreations4You]

Thank you!

[@a2thewhy05]

Great to get my own creative thinking going! Thanks.

[@KCreations4You]

@@a2thewhy05 That is exactly what I want to achieve with this channel. Thank you!

[@jimspencer9628]

Hey mate what tyre of window winder is it old school or electric

[@KCreations4You]

I believe its a 90s Honda wiper motor

[@jimspencer9628]

@@KCreations4You sorry man wipper motor thanks

[@KCreations4You]

@@jimspencer9628 All good Thank you

[@jamesmorton7881]

Just my two cents: need easy system of gearing, that is pulleys, Have found it is easy to make polyurathane belts and wooden pulleys, 5/16 inch belting, cut to length, heat ends, but joint in simple right angle jig. I needed slower RPM on drum from airpurifier fan motor. So just about any 500watt+ motor can be reduced to critical or less drum speed. 1/4 inch baltic birtch plywood. ABEC wheel bearings and 5/16 skateboard axles. i also used skateboard trucks & wheels with an 8 inch PVC drum. the poly belts are amazing.

[@KCreations4You]

That sounds like an amazing build. Do you have a picture of it I would love to see what it looks like?

[@chocaholic65]

where do you get those poly belts from?

[@eCitizen1]

Ok, exactly how did you get that aluminum case to break like that using the wire. It seems you performed a bit of magic. A detailed explanation would be really great, unless of course it's just a gag, then haha. Also, windshield wipers get hot when used continuously I am wondering how you managed to get around that problem? Perhaps because it's out in the yard using a solar panel for power, if it can catches on fire nobody cares? And last but not least, how well did the final ball mill work. Just wondering if it was ultimately a great success or all just for fun. BTW: I did cringe just a bit when you glued up your bearings. Nice trick though.

[@KCreations4You]

I have used it in my basement for days with a low amperage fused power supply and it only seems to get warm however I did mention its not the best motor for the job. If you can use an induction motor thats geared down. It is still working so I think its ultimately a success however I would change some things if I ever made one again. Hope this helps and Thank you for the interest.

[@bendirval3612]

Cool project, but one question: Does the PVC not wear down? I had the impression that tumblers had to be coated in rubber, which is less rigid, in order to protect them from wearing down. Have you noticed any issues with the PVC?

[@KCreations4You]

I have not noticed any wear if any its on the tires. The pvc is schedule 40 so its almost a quarter inch thick not the thin stuff.

[@chocaholic65]

Ive made 100mm PVC pipe barrels. Just normal stormwater PVC, not thicker pressure pipe. They work great. Into my 3rd week straight tumbling and no leaks or degradation. I glued and capped one end and left the other end as a push on only. I used one loop of plumbers tape and then pushed the cap end on. Solid seal!! Also wrapped duct tape around each end just in case, but it also adds a bit of grip to the rollers. So far, working great.

[@TheCaptainShow]

nice interesting video, I made my own tumbler too, its on my channel, great video, thanks for sharing

[@KCreations4You]

Thank you. I like how yours has multiple drums. Very nice build I can't wait to see you upgrade it. Are you going to make is any faster?

[@TheCaptainShow]

@@KCreations4You yes, im going to make it have two speeds, thank you and welcome to thecaptainshow

[@Rob337_aka_CancelProof]

I would love to see someone make a DIY ebike out of power chair Motors set up like a mid drive so that you can Leverage The Seven existing gears or however many you have in your back cassette and your rear derailleur as it already is because these are actually powerful Motors with huge potential with low RPMs in high torque that I think would be just perfect for an ebike but I've searched high and low and haven't found a single video yet where their used for an e-bike. Millions using washing machine motors and old hoverboard Motors but absolutely nothing using power chair Motors and I thought you might be up to the task.

[@KCreations4You]

If I come across some for cheap I might try it. I have wanted to do several things with those as they would be GIAN servos but around me they are expensive. 400 for cheap dead power chair :(

[@cpeterson877]

Question: As you are using PVC do you have any concerns about the buildup of a static electric charge?

[@KCreations4You]

I used it to make aluminum powder and yes. It didn't do anything the time I did it but I treated it as if it could be an issue. Always error on the side of caution.

[@christophercochran5883]

Make a geyser pump that will pull water from 40 ft down inside a 2" pipe

[@KCreations4You]

I need to look into that I know what a ram pump is but never a geyser pump. I wish I had a 40 are to pump.

[@charlyhanna4015]

I would suggest to use a motor from a washingmachine or dryer. You can get those for free..

[@KCreations4You]

It would have plenty of power but what would you use to gear it down? They spin at 1750 rpm and you need like 30-40

[@canadiangemstones7636]

@@KCreations4You Pulleys and a v-belt.

[@mornayviljoen881]

i want to see you make those lines behind you

[@KCreations4You]

Do you mean the claw tear marks?

[@morrispicturestudios4458]

Make a rock tumbler from an icecream machine.

[@KCreations4You]

I bet that would work well however an ice-cream machine is expensive.

[@benpress8884]

I always get a laugh out of you guys using WD40 as cutting fluid.

[@KCreations4You]

I agree its not the best but better than nothing is my though cause it seems to keep is cool.

[@benpress8884]

@@KCreations4You for holes that small you really don't need lube at all.

[@KCreations4You]

@@benpress8884 I didn't know that. What size do you start at?

[@nathanalarcon4394]

Do you know what kind of car that motor was for? All the motors I've looked at aren't as flat as that one.

[@KCreations4You]

Yes it was out of a 91 crx hatchback.

[@nathanalarcon4394]

You are the man!

[@shanehart1123]

Cotter pin?

[@KCreations4You]

I'm not sure what you are referring to.

[@ssteele1812]

Probably referring to using a cotter pin where you used the bits of wire to key the flex shaft. The wire does the job and was probably free. Keep up the good work.

[@lorifarrell5705]

How about a vibratory rock tumbler ?

[@KCreations4You]

I like that idea. I have allot of projects already going on but I would love to try a suggestion. Do you have a link to a good one?

[@yankeedoodledandeefirecrac7518]

A Tumbler for a 5 gallon bucket Need to make Black Powder

[@KCreations4You]

I started working on one bigger but not sure if it will be a video.

[@mdl1402]

Rpm?

[@KCreations4You]

About 30 35 ish

[@CheugyLive]

This is cool but way beyond my skill level. And used equipment I don’t have access to use.

[@KCreations4You]

You would amaze yourself if you keep at it.