Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
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Post by Deleted on Mar 28, 2012 11:50:26 GMT -5
I just started my first batch last nite. I bought the MJR with two 7.5# barrells. Thus I started with 6# of AZ rainbow pet wood.
I have been reading here for six months or more. Following the directions that came with the tumbler I started with 8oz. of grit.
After 15 hours of rolling I took a look. There is a nice green gravy built up. Green because the SiC I have is the synthetic green material. It is opaque because there is some petrified wood mixed in. Visually the SiC particles are now 1/3 or less the size they started at. I am gonna guess that in another 24 hrs I will have no grit left of any reasonable size.
The rock is noticeably rounded, but nowhere near where it needs to go.
Is most of the time spent tumbling just allowing the stones to break each other down?
Do you add new grit every other day?
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Post by susand24224 on Mar 28, 2012 17:52:23 GMT -5
I usually let my barrels roll for a week or more. But--if you are interested in faster "ready rocks," adding grit every four to five days will speed up the process. I'm just lazy. Plus, pre-Lot-O I skipped the 120/220 step and went straight to 500. Letting the barrel run 7-10 days allowed the grit to break down and do the job of a smaller grit size.
I guess the true answer is experiment--and do what works best for you.
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herchenx
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2012
Posts: 3,360
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Post by herchenx on Mar 28, 2012 18:45:57 GMT -5
Hi shotgunner.
based on what I have learned in the past day, you probably are underfilling your barrels unless you have a lot of beads or ceramic in there. As connrock pointed out in my question about my 65# tumbler, the actual loaded weight will be higher than the rating, typically. If you took 15# or barrels and loaded them 3/4 full you might have 18# of rock in them. If all you put in was 6# of rock, there isn't enough there to get the job done, and likely the little bit you have is getting more beat up than it needs to.
You can add grit one of 2 ways: gradually, every other day - or all at once at the beginning. Any more I am just adding it all at once and letting it run 10 days.
1Tb of grit per pound of rough seems to work, or you can go 1/10 the weight of the rock for your grit. I hear both and folks doing either seem to have good results.
When you say you can see the grit particles, what coarseness are you using? You should be starting with 60/90 or possibly 46/70 and all of that is pretty tiny, sand-grain-sized - to begin with.
15 hours is nothing except that you should see gravy forming.
I had no idea there was green grit, I don't know anything about that.
Most of the time spent in rough is smoothing and wearing away defects. There is a balance though as your rocks can help that process or destroy each other. Make sure you are using the same hardness of rocks in your load, certain special rocks have certain things to watch for (usually involving adding cushioning)
A simple way to get better help is to take a photo and post it with your question. A lot can be told in a photo that you may not think to mention.
Hope this helps, stick with it, and good luck!
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Deleted
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Member since January 1970
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Post by Deleted on Mar 29, 2012 17:34:50 GMT -5
Thanks John & Susan;
I have 6.6# stones in a 7.5# barrel. I can hear that the tumbling action is vigorous but not like it would be with half a barrel.
I'm gonna give it until tomorrow night (4 days) and have a look. After that, I am leaving for vacation and SWMBO wont let it run while I am out of town.
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Post by susand24224 on Mar 30, 2012 19:37:42 GMT -5
Just in case you don't know--before you leave, clean the rocks and barrel out. If you just stop it and start it back up when you get back, you likely will have "rock cement" in the bottom.
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Post by Jack ( Yorkshire) on Mar 31, 2012 2:00:27 GMT -5
Welcome to RTH
One other thing you will have to learn is Paitience ,we all have had to learn it
It takes time to smooth down rocks
Jack Yorkshire uk
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ctit101
starting to shine!
Member since May 2011
Posts: 38
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Post by ctit101 on Mar 31, 2012 12:13:07 GMT -5
When winter came in I shut of the tumbler in the shop and took the 4 barrels down in the basement and sat them upright on there bottom end. They sat there 4 months with the lids on tight. Two weeks ago I took them back out to the shop. Put all 4 barrels back on the tumbler and fired it up. It took about 10 min for the rolling rock sound to go to that sliding rock sound. I'm sure the slurry was caked at the bottom after four months. The next day I opened and checked each one. They all looked like the day I put them away 4 months ago.
To be honest the day I started them back up I was thinking I might have to rent a jack hammer to get them rocks out of them barrels. If any of the water had evaporated I would of had a barrel of cement. That is the longest I have let them sit. I have let them sit like that up to 3 weeks a couple times through the summer when we are gone. They start up like they was only off a day. I think it depends on how tight your lid seals. Air will move through a gap that water and slurry won't and dry out your barrel.
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Post by susand24224 on Mar 31, 2012 17:29:09 GMT -5
Thanks for sharing that--interesting information. I have always "panicked" when our electricity went out and cleaned everything out. Perhaps it's not necessary.
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ctit101
starting to shine!
Member since May 2011
Posts: 38
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Post by ctit101 on Mar 31, 2012 23:48:47 GMT -5
I chased the power going off at first too. Then one day I found a barrel sitting on the floor of the shop. The grand kids had been over 3 days before checking there barrels and rocks. That barrel didn't get put back on. After the warnings on here about letting a barrel sit I was sure it was a barrel of cement. Picked it up and shook it and it sounded fine. Stuck it back on there tumbler and have not really worried about it from then. Because I only have room for four barrels and have seven barrels they get swapped out by who wants to take care of there barrels the most. So it's nothing to have a barrel sitting on it's end for a couple weeks then put back on the tumbler.
The model B barrel sits in the basement cause it don't make much noise. It never gets shut off and has ran 24/7 for a year now. I don't think it would be good to let it sit and not get cleaned out for over a few days. That barrel cost to much. The kids PVC barrels only cost about 15 bucks to make. About 20 if I go to the double wall which I started doing cause there putting rocks the size of softballs in them now. And I was worried about the wall going thin faster. Big rocks beat up a PVC barrel we found out the hard way.
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