TByrd
fully equipped rock polisher
Have you performed your random act of kindness?
Member since December 2010
Posts: 1,350
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Post by TByrd on Jun 12, 2011 13:39:51 GMT -5
:help: :help: :help:
I have been tumbling for about a year now and everything has been going great, I followed the instructions that came with the machine. These last two or three batches I have had trouble with. The grit is sticking to the bottom of the tumbler and not tumbling I do not know why, I have not changed how I set them up. Can anyone give me any ideas on what might be happening?
Thanks for any help,
Tammy
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Post by Toad on Jun 12, 2011 14:05:53 GMT -5
Something must be different as you are getting different results.
Too little water. Too many large stones that aren't allowing the load to move...
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rallyrocks
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since November 2005
Posts: 1,507
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Post by rallyrocks on Jun 12, 2011 16:15:59 GMT -5
Perhaps you have some soft rocks in this batch that are breaking down too fast and turning the grit from slurry to sludge?
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Post by johnjsgems on Jun 13, 2011 10:35:47 GMT -5
All part of the great plan to keep you from getting cocky. When I started I followed a book exactly and everything came out perfect first couple of batches. Someone told me to use plastic pellets and I thought he was nuts. My next batch came out all chipped. All part of the plan.
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stefan
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2005
Posts: 14,095
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Post by stefan on Jun 13, 2011 12:38:24 GMT -5
maybe even a change in water chemistry. Harder water may cause problems.
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Post by krazydiamond on Jun 13, 2011 17:31:20 GMT -5
i'm tending to agree with rallyrocks. maybe you have some softer stones in there that are making sludge. how often do you check your barrels? try adding a bit of borax to those troblesome batches.
KD
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blessed
spending too much on rocks
Member since January 2010
Posts: 329
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Post by blessed on Jun 13, 2011 20:49:28 GMT -5
I have had the same thing happer to me two or three times in the past. Not sure what went wrong. I now turn my barels over end to end a few times before I put them on the rollers.
Blessed
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Post by Jack ( Yorkshire) on Jun 14, 2011 2:14:42 GMT -5
Try a teaspoon of soapflakes might help to get the grit mobile , (3lb barrel)
or a tea spoon of walpaper granuals this gets the grit to stick to the rocks for the first 2 days then the grinding action mud takes over
I had it one time I just reloaded I might have taken a larger rock out as well ? long time ago
Jack Yorkshire uk
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Post by connrock on Jun 14, 2011 8:23:52 GMT -5
In most cases you will end up with a lot of grit left if you use too much water and or you either haven't filled the load with enough smaller rocks to get the proper surface contact between the rocks as they tumble or filled the barrel too much.
It all boils down to having the right combination of rocks/grit/water to create the proper "action" in that barrel!
connrock
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spokanetim
has rocks in the head
Member since October 2009
Posts: 656
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Post by spokanetim on Jun 19, 2011 11:02:03 GMT -5
I'm having this issue too with apache tears, first time trying these. They are just going round and round for 4 days. No slurry forming at all. Maybe I'll try the soap.
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Post by connrock on Jun 20, 2011 7:57:28 GMT -5
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Post by susand24224 on Jun 20, 2011 10:42:36 GMT -5
I agree with Tom that too much water is frequently the culprit when this happens. I also have begun adding less water *always* than traditionally is called for. Right now I am tumbling leopard skin jasper which grinds down pretty quickly--within two days they would be completely under water if I added to the bottom layer of rocks.
Also, and this is particularly true in larger rotaries, the rocks "settle" leaving what appears to be less volume of rocks, so too much water. As I don't carefully arrange each rock so that it fills all possible voids in other rocks, I figure a little less water gives me a "cushion" for this inevitable occurrence. Of course, this is greatly affected by the size and uniformity of the rocks, so it is a very loose equation.
Finally, I sometimes have grit in the bottom if I have put too many rocks in.
Then--once in awhile I have grit in the bottom for no reason that I can figure out. It usually corrects itself in the next run, though, so I figure it is somethign that I did.
Susan
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