moogie
noticing nice landscape pebbles
Member since December 2013
Posts: 77
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Post by moogie on May 27, 2014 14:32:54 GMT -5
This is what comes from being paranoid. Yesterday morning I loaded my Ultravibe 10 to what I thought was about 2/3 full, added about 5 TBL 120/220 and let'er rip. Squirted enough water to get things going, and then checked often during the day. Things slowed, so I squirted more water. Still not much movement, so I threw in more ceramic media. That helped for a little while, but then it all slowed again. More water, still not much movement. Today I played with it some more: water, few ceramic, more grit, nothing worked to really get it going, everything was just jiggling around. I decided to watch the famous, or infamous, Rocktumbler.com video again, and noticed that the barrel was full almost to the top. I figured, what the hey, I have plenty of rock ready and it couldn't get much worse, so I dumped in rock almost to the brim. *Kawoosh*, it was like a tidal wave! So, yet another lesson learned, not to be afraid of really filling the bowl up. Also figured out that my water sprayer only shoots about a teaspoon of water at a time, so I can be a little more aggressive with the squirting.
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Post by 150FromFundy on May 27, 2014 15:31:36 GMT -5
I also use a UV-10. It is standard practice to fill with rock/media level to the top of the centre cone. That leaves enough head space for the toroid to roll without bouncing of the top cover. The toroial action is a little hypnotizing and you can waste a lot of time staring at it and being mystified when things are working right.
When things dry out, the action will slow and the sound volume will go down. This can be corrected with a few sprays.
Don't let things get to wet. There should be no standing water/slurry in the bottom of the bowl. If there is, the load will spin/slip and prematurely wear the bowl out.
For a UV-10, you should need only three (3) tablespoons of grit. Excess grit, especially 120/220 may prematurely wear the bowl out.
Being paranoid helps! You have to check a vibe often, especially in the 120/220 stage. The grinding action produces a lot of rock flour that absorbs up all the spray water. Check/spray 3 to 4 times a day. The later stages (500F, 1000F and polish) require less baby sitting. Checking 1 to 2 times a day is often enough.
Darryl.
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tkvancil
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since September 2011
Posts: 1,546
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Post by tkvancil on May 28, 2014 11:22:56 GMT -5
Interesting...I have run my UV18 only once and what I thought was about 2/3rds was slightly below the cone. The batch came out good but I thought that there should of been more action. Next run I go fuller.
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moogie
noticing nice landscape pebbles
Member since December 2013
Posts: 77
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Post by moogie on May 29, 2014 12:10:10 GMT -5
Again, these "2/3“ or "3/4" measurements just don't seem to work for me. I cleaned out the thick mess I made and started over this morning, filling almost all the way to the brim, which does look like about an inch from the top. Only 3 tbls 120/220 grit. The rocks were still wet from rinsing, and a few squirts of water had them tumbling madly. I've checked twice today already, and the action does slow down, but a few squirts gets everything going nicely. So far so good, huge difference.
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tkvancil
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since September 2011
Posts: 1,546
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Post by tkvancil on Jun 8, 2014 9:12:56 GMT -5
I am running my UV18 for the second time. Filled it to the cone, probably 30% more stuff than my first run. Casual observation says I'm getting a faster action. Oddly enough it is also quieter than the first time. Go figure.
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Tom
fully equipped rock polisher
My dad Tom suddenly passed away yesterday, Just wanted his "rock" family to know.
Member since January 2013
Posts: 1,557
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Post by Tom on Jun 8, 2014 13:54:28 GMT -5
I fill my UV10 to the top of the cone and it seems to be the perfect amount. I get lots of action as long as it gets a spritz or 3 every once in a while. On pre-polish and polish it does not need near as much "top ups" of water to keep the action going.
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Post by johnjsgems on Jun 9, 2014 19:36:57 GMT -5
After the first stage (120/220 as coarsest) water adding is very seldom. First stage makes a slurry which slows action. All good vibes run full. Biggest problem people have is using too much water. I would try less grit and see how it works. Gy-Roc 10 lb. only needs one tablespoon. Ceramic media (or lots of small rocks) in the mix helps a lot. 30% by volume up to 70% for flats and cabs.
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