rockdewd
has rocks in the head
Member since October 2007
Posts: 605
|
Post by rockdewd on Mar 4, 2008 19:59:30 GMT -5
Well I had a rude surprise this morning when checking the vibe tumblers. I knew that the bowl was getting thin because the last time I washed it out I could see light coming through the plastic. I thought I could get through another load with it. I think this was caused by my earlier mistakes of using too much water, too much grit, and too aggressive griit (60/90). The bowl wore out just like John from JSgems said it would. So not being so happy with the design and size of the TV-5 Raytech Ultra-tumble I sent a message to Kingsley North asking if the bowl from a TV-10 would fit on a TV-5 motor. I know what you are saying that a TV-5 is designed to run a 4 pound load and that I would burn out the motor. But I use the tumbler for cabs so I rarely have a full load in it. Kingsley North responded with a cryptic "No they are not compatible. The rod is different in the TV-10." Is it too small? Too long? Too short? Is it attached to the bottom of the bowl so I could drill it out? I wasn't pleased with their response. With the tumbler out I was out of business as far as cab production. So I looked at the Harbor Freight website at their vibe tumbler and discovered much to my delight that they sold replacement bowls for $12.95. So I called my local Harbor Freight store and asked them if they had them is stock at the store. The guy wasn't sure, he had never seen one, blah blah blah (obviously he has a future in customer service at Kingsley North). I gave him the part number and looked it up and low and behold they had three in stock. So I made a bee line to HF. It took me about 20 minutes to find what I was looking for. You would have to set yourself on fire at HF to get their attention. They also came with 4 lbs of walnut shells. Probably for packing the barrel so it wouldn't get squeshed. So I was expecting to do some modifications to get it to fit the Raytech motor but found the only change needed was removing the bolt that went from the bottom of the bowl to the lid. Hmmm.... Could it be the Raytech was of the same design? But the HF is obviously cheaper plastic. The HF bowl bolted right in. And is now in full production. I had to add some more tumbling rocks and ceramic media to get the enough turnover but boy it really rolls compared to the TV-5 bowl. And there is less rotation which could be caused by the ribs put in the bowl as stiffeners. Also, I'm concerned that those ribs may cause a wear point leading to bowl failure. But at $12.95 each I can buy 6 HF bowls compare to one Raytech bowl. And sell the walnut shells grit on eBay for a buck or two. Needless to say I'm going to HF tomorrow to pick up the other two bowls for spares. Note: I am not endorsing HF vibe tumblers. I am using HF bowl with a Raytech motor. I'm a little skittish about HF electrical products. Rick
|
|
|
Post by Cher on Mar 4, 2008 22:31:52 GMT -5
Well that's a rude awakening but good for you Rick on finding the alternative. Nothing wrong with using something else as long as it fits. If it lasts half as long and is 1/6 of the price, you made a good deal. I wonder, isn't there anything that could be layered on that bowl to thicken it? Or inside, like that rhino liner they put in pick up truck beds. That stuff is supposed to be like indestructible and it's just sprayed on, why couldn't it be sprayed into a bowl like that?
|
|
|
Post by BuiltonRock on Mar 4, 2008 22:36:37 GMT -5
Good story! What brand is the other green vibe you have there? john
|
|
|
Post by captbob on Mar 4, 2008 23:04:55 GMT -5
Hey Rick, I'm sorry to read about your bowl blowout and glad to see you came up with a good solution (sweet blowout pictures BTW!) But, the point of my post is ... I have read through HUNDREDS of pages of threads here, THOUSANDS of threads and God knows how many posts, and... I have NEVER seen a picture of the inside of a loaded vibe tumbler! I thank you for posting that because I now have a better idea of what people are talking about. I had thought about getting some vibes because I've read here how they speed up the final stages and use less grit/polish, but when I read about the high (frequent) maintenance that they require I think that's not good for me. When I go back to work in the next few days (YES! I'll FINALLY leave you good folks alone for a change!!) I may not be able to get to check on my tumblers every 12 hours or less. From what I read here, these vibes require a LOT of attention. True? I like the idea, but do they really need that much attention? Would the load survive being dealt with once every 24 hours? Thanks again for posting the picture. I would love to see some more loaded vibe photos if anyone cares to post any! Sorry if I'm going off topic, but I'm learning something here and I truly appreciate that. Back on topic, that mess under your busted bowl looks more like silicone caulk than tumbler grit, why is that? Thanks for any schoolin'!
|
|
rockdewd
has rocks in the head
Member since October 2007
Posts: 605
|
Post by rockdewd on Mar 5, 2008 0:57:16 GMT -5
Cher, I dunno if that Rhino spray would stick to plastic. I've heard of coating the outside with spray foam insulation to cut down on the noise. The problem is that its a fairly hard plastic so it just gets sanded away. I think when I go to buy another vibe tumbler I will get a Thumler. Their bowls appear to be made of rubber or a more flexible plastic. Anyone know how good Thumler bowls hold up? John, The green vibe tumbler is an RCBS brass polishing tumbler for reloading. I used to keep crushed walnut shells and baking soda (dry) to clean up silver jewelry with stones already set. I use it now for rock and cab polish only with Tin Oxide. So far it's holding up well. Capt Bob, Another feature of the HF bowl I like is that it has a rubber seal around the edge which so far has done a better job on evaporation. That's the two things with vibe tumblers that you have to check. If the water has evaporated or the slurry got too thick or both. A few squirts of water from a spray bottle fixes that up on both counts. So If you made sure everything was running good and left it for 12 to 24 hours you would probably be OK. You would probably see less evaporation then I do given that you live in Florida and I live in bone dry Colorado. Last time I was down in Orlando on the 4th of July I thing the humidity was around 350% or something. I was melting, melting, melting.... Dunno why it looks like caulk. It's just drying slurry the same as in rotary tumblers. It could be a little different color because I'm using ceramic media and that stuff gets ground along with the the rocks. The stalagtite formation was from the slurry slowly leaking out of the split. It wasn't a true blow out in terms like a rotary tumbler lid popping off. Here's another shot of the tumbler tonight. You can tell by all the gray foam and slurry that the new bowl is really working out. Rick
|
|
L.L.
starting to spend too much on rocks
Great Pyrenee?s Lover Extraordinaire
Member since January 2008
Posts: 135
|
Post by L.L. on Mar 5, 2008 14:12:12 GMT -5
If you rough up the plastice first the truck bed liner should stick okay. I've used that stuff on just about everything and I don't think theres much it won't stick to. I just use the $40 a gallon stuff they sell at Wal-Mart. Let us know if you try it, because I'm building a vib right now and was looking for a cheaper way to go with the barrels. At $12.99 a piece I can handle geting a few of those.
Lee
|
|
|
Post by Cher on Mar 5, 2008 16:24:58 GMT -5
Cher, I dunno if that Rhino spray would stick to plastic. Rick I'm thinking if you have one near, it couldn't hurt to ask. How do they make it stick to a nice shiny brand new truck bed? I'd put some dry grit in with some sharp rocks and run it for awhile to rough it up a bit (in place of hand sanding) bet it would stick then.
|
|
|
Post by Tonyterner on Mar 7, 2008 11:11:42 GMT -5
Good story Rick and a great save. I always love to read about people's ingenuity.
|
|
|
Post by Bikerrandy on Mar 7, 2008 13:56:33 GMT -5
Hey, "never" use 60/90 in a vibe. You're right, it's too aggressive. There's only three stages in a vibe.... 120/220, 500, and polish.
|
|
|
Post by deb193redux on Mar 7, 2008 21:20:22 GMT -5
60/90 ate my GyRoc bowl.
I read on Bobs Rock Board that bed liner did not work out when a few folks tried it.
Rick, that bowl almost looks too wet. I have never seen that much foam in a vibe. But, if you are getting results ... not sure what to say.
Capt - if you were doing higher grits, pre polish, or polish, you can go 18 or 24 hours without having to add water or check on things. At least in a Lot-O, somewhat less in a Gy-Roc.
|
|
rockdewd
has rocks in the head
Member since October 2007
Posts: 605
|
Post by rockdewd on Mar 8, 2008 14:45:23 GMT -5
Deb,
I think I need to cut down on the soap. I add a couple squirts of anti-bacterial dish soap to that batch. I'm now trying just one squirt.
Rick
|
|
askeenas
off to a rocking start
Member since December 2014
Posts: 1
|
Post by askeenas on Dec 8, 2014 23:05:11 GMT -5
You can try lining the inside of the pot with rubber. An old inner-tube will work well. Use quick grip adhesive or similar.
|
|
|
Post by captbob on Dec 9, 2014 0:03:33 GMT -5
He maybe could have done just that EIGHT AND A HALF YEARS AGO when this thread was posted.
But, he bought a new bowl.
Even posted pictures of it.
criminy...
|
|
|
Post by gingerkid on Dec 9, 2014 9:45:12 GMT -5
Glad the post was brought up from the depths of hades, captbob. I researched reviews on the web and RTH for the Raytech TV-5 vibe and couldn't find any information on it. I have noticed the bowls are starting to wear. Had I seen the post, I probably would not have purchased the TV-5, but glad there's a 'fix' for the crappy bowls.
|
|
|
Post by braders on Dec 10, 2014 14:21:06 GMT -5
That bowl is not for stones it wont last long at all ...sorry to be the guy with bad news
|
|
|
Post by braders on Dec 10, 2014 14:23:50 GMT -5
Wow just seen this is a very old post drrr im a dork lol .
|
|
|
Post by captbob on Dec 10, 2014 15:54:57 GMT -5
Looks like something outta the Tupperware drawer. Wow just seen this is a very old post drrr im a dork lol . maybe, but you are OUR dork!
|
|
Fossilman
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 20,685
|
Post by Fossilman on Dec 10, 2014 16:46:37 GMT -5
Thumbs,glad to see the fix in a short time frame!
|
|
|
Post by Peruano on Dec 10, 2014 18:17:29 GMT -5
Its a thread worth preserving. 1. The OP's bowl with the groove worn in it could have been repaired. I would have taken epoxy and glued a rubber or hard plastic patch on the outside, and filled in the inner grooved surface flush with epoxy. I know bowls that have been repaired and continued to function for years. 2. The Raytech Vibe 5 bowls used to sell for $45 or so, but I've seen them recently as cheaply as $22 on Amazon so they are worth replacing as OEM rather than risking a thinner, bowl with the wrong shape and or resilience. 3. The hole that I produced in my bowl (Raytech Vibe5) was due to a slab that was too large and which became lodged or bogged on the bottom. 4. I would suspect that bedliner would produce too many rough surface irregularities and thus be hard to clean as you moved from one grit size to the next. I'd stick with a surface with as few edges, pits, and cracks as possible. 5. I like the Raytech Vibe 5 although I realize others feel that its the amateur model (which it is at half the price of move other comparably sized vibes. I have the even smaller Gyroc, and each has its place. 6. You can get by with a fair amount of liquid as long as you use soap to carry the grit up with the rock movements, and you are sure that your rocks are moving. I adjust the amount of water to slow the action. Too little water - violent bashing; too much water - no movement and rocks lay on bottom. Just right and you get the movement of your blender with all rock moving up and down and around. I often run my vibe without top (you must secure the bowl with the one rubber nut) for the first hour or so, so that I can be sure that the movement and water are adjusted right for my load. Then once everything is judged in the right proportions, I replace the top to reduce evaporation, but with monitoring to supplement water when needed, you don't need the top at all. I hope these comments help some one prevent a bowl burnout, and or keep them from throwing it away if they do produce a hole. Happy Holidays folks Tom
|
|