Here's what you get in this MP-1 rock tumbler kit...
a Thumler's MP-1 tumbler machine
a soft rubber barrel for quiet operation (see video below)
enough rough rock to run the tumbler
enough grit and polish to process a batch of stones
a booklet: "Guide for Rock Polishers"
a jewelry kit to make gifts from your tumbled stones
Here is the perfect rock tumbler for the beginner. The MP-1 is a new Thumler's Tumbler introduced in
2010. It allows beginners to learn about tumbling with a quality machine that has a low entry
price and low operating cost. The soft rubber barrel enables this tumbler to run with a lot less noise than the tumblers made with a hard plastic barrel.
The MP-1 tumbler kit has everything that you need to get started. It includes: a tumbler machine, one soft rubber barrel, a package of rough rocks ready for tumbling, a four-step grit kit, a jewelry kit and a book to guide you - "A Guide for Rock Polishers".
The kit will enable you to tumble one batch of rocks from rough stones to finished gems.
The MP-1 tumbler is a durable machine that you can use to tumble many batches of rough rocks into finished gems. To tumble additional batches of rocks you will need about one pound of tumbling rock and about two level tablespoons of grit or polish for each of the four tumbling steps (premeasured grit/polish packages are sold at left).
This video compares the sound level of the Thumler's MP-1 that comes with a rubber barrel to one of the inexpensive toy tumblers with a plastic barrel and inexpensive motor. To learn more about tumbler noise see our article: How much noise does a rock tumbler make?
A Rock Tumbler Story:
My father bought a Thumler's Tumbler about 35 years ago and gave it to me as a Christmas gift. I still have
it, it still works great, and it has run through hundreds of grinding and polishing steps. We oiled it regularly, replaced a few belts (a very easy job) and replaced the barrels twice. The service that we received from that tumbler convinced me that it was a durable machine that was made to last a long time.
In 2006 I was shopping to purchase a new tumbler for family use. I was amazed to see machines that are almost identical to the one that
my father gave to me a long time ago were still being made. Very few products persist so long in the marketplace without major changes. I purchased another
Thumler's Tumbler with two three-pound barrels and have been pleased with the same great performance.
We highly recommend:
Modern Rock Tumbling by Steve Hart.
Learning is the fastest way to improve the quality of
rocks that you tumble. In this book you will learn from an expert with extensive
experience. You will increase your abilities, learn to save time, money and have a great reference book
that you will use again and again.
