Wednesday, January 03, 2007

A Windmill-Powered Rock Tumbler?

Since I live right near the ocean, I get a consistent breeze past my house. I wonder if I could construct a windmill with sufficient torque to rotate a coffee can with some stones and grit as a rock tumbler / polisher. That would negate the need for my modified power drill. I could set it and forget it, not worrying about the chance of fire.

An upcoming sunset photo - the rock tumbler's windmill at sunset.

Unless, of course, the windmill got going really fast and the stones turned into magma.

The photo directly after the one above where the rocks in the coffee can have turned into magma, incinerated the yard and devoured the windmill in sheet of molten death.

We'll have to watch for that.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

I would like a wind mill . . . I also have an almost constant breeze going some of the time and wind freezing my butt off the rest of the time during Winter. Of course, in Summer, its just freakin' humid with no breeze when you need it . . .

Spring and Fall it blows enough to make it uncomfortable up here but nice down in the holler where my friends live.

You're into rocks I see. I have seen tumblers that are less noisy and easier to assemble than your contraption, which I must also say, is a wonderful work of mechanics that I might come up with on a night of insomnia like tonight . . .

Best Trade Bid said...

How can I get a digital copy of the original photo? I wouldn't mind putting it in my bathroom window. glazit@bigpond.com

Lucila said...

I'm wandering if you manage complete this project. I had this idea also, but I'm staked into engineering details. Would you like to share any advances? I'm now closer to start a gutter watermill. My e-mail lucilanv@yahoo.com.br. Cheers.