Whether you’re a veteran rock collector or a newbie who has recently discovered the hobby, you WILL need a decent rock tumbler. These nifty little devices can eradicate years of accumulated dirt and turn your old, polluted rocks into beautiful pebbles, typically within a week.
However, the fact that rock tumblers heat up so much while being used raises some serious questions. These devices can get super-hot, so much so that placing your finger on them for more than 30 seconds can do a lot of damage. It’s gotten to the point where people have taken to the internet and asked, can rock tumblers catch fire? Read ahead for the answer.
How do Rock Tumblers work?
Rock tumblers are one of humanity’s best inventions, and we say that with all seriousness. This simple yet adequate device can take all your unkempt and dull-looking rocks and transform them into marvelous minerals.
If you glance at your average rock tumbler, it looks like a cement mixer truck. Of course, it doesn’t have wheels or a driver’s seat, but it has that cylindrical-shaped barrel we’re familiar with. This mini barrel is actually where all the magic happens.
What you have to do here is put all the rocks you want to clean, along with some water and grit. Now that you have all the necessary ingredients in one place, it’s just a matter of switching the device on and counting the hours passing by.
Do Rock Tumblers heat up?
The quick and simple answer? Yes, they do tend to heat up to dangerous levels, so we don’t recommend touching them when they’ve been running for several hours.
Rock tumbling is a strenuous process that can last for a long time, so it’s only natural for your tumbler to get heated up occasionally. After all, we’re talking about a minimum of 10 to 24 hours of tumbling, only for the whole process to restart at every stage for as long as three days to two months.
Most people who use a rock tumbler for the first time notice that the device’s motor is quite hot to the touch, especially after it’s been running for several hours. Naturally, this prompts them to switch off the device, believing something is wrong with it. The high temperature is quite normal, so don’t worry about it.
Rock tumblers usually come installed with air-cooled motors, so being hot to the touch is normal for them. What does air-cool mean? It was a technique that was first implemented in the engines of motor vehicles.
Air-cooled engines came with fins drawn into the cylinders and cylinder heads. This unconventional design wasn’t done for aesthetics but rather to give the engine more surface area so cool air could pass through. Letting the air pass through and over the fins allows the heat generated from the engine to dissolve into the air. Rock tumblers use the very same air-cooled technology for their motors.
Air-cooled motors typically run hotter than standard motors, so having an extremely hot rock tumbler isn’t a deviation from the norm. You might not feel the heat if you quickly graze your fingers on the motor, but touching it for more than a few seconds will be super uncomfortable and potentially harmful.
Can rock tumblers catch on fire?
As we mentioned earlier, rock tumblers can get extremely hot depending on how long you’ve used them. This phenomenon makes people highly uncomfortable, as they start anticipating a fire. However, it is crucial to understand that rock tumblers cannot catch on fire despite the excessive heat. Just make sure not to touch them with your bare hands while they are operational.
Most of the high-quality rock tumblers being sold today come with thermally protected motors that are programmed to shut down in the case of overheating. This little safety feature prevents fires and ensures a smooth and safe tumbling process. In other words, if you’re buying a new tock tumbler, get one with a thermally protected motor.
The Model B, A-R1, A-R2, A-R12, and the U-V10 and U-V18 industrial models are some of the best tumblers to buy in 2022. They come with excellent thermally protected motors that prevent any instances of fire. Knowing that your tumbler is outfitted with the latest motor technology will ensure lots of tension-free tumbling sessions and give you the peace of mind you deserve.
Conclusion
We felt that you would scroll down till the very end, looking for a quick and simple answer. So, we included a quick recap version for you. Here’s everything we’ve discussed in this article so far.
Rock tumblers usually run for hours at a stretch, with a single cycle lasting up to 24 hours. Once the process is complete, it is repeated over and over again for at least seven more days. That’s not all; some rocks might need tumbling that stretches up to two very long months; it all depends on the condition of the rock.
With so much tumbling going on, it’s only natural for your device to get heated up regularly. Besides, tumblers generally use air-cooled motors, which are bound to get them heated up in no time. But don’t worry, no matter how hot your tumbler gets, it won’t catch on fire. That’s because most high-quality tumblers are outfitted with thermally protected motors.
These motors have a fail-safe system installed within them, immediately shutting the device off in case of overheating. So, if your tumbler heats up to a potentially dangerous level, the motor will simply switch it off. No fires and no electrical mishaps, just pure tumbling.