akroes
off to a rocking start
Member since October 2014
Posts: 11
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Post by akroes on Oct 2, 2014 20:31:25 GMT -5
I am looking at tumbling some larger (1" and up) rocks and was wondering what the largest rocks would be that I could tumble safely/properly in a vibratory tumbler like the UV-10. 2"? 3"? Fist-sized? They could be a batch of similar sized rocks, or mixed with smaller rocks to fill and tumble correctly. I pick some fairly large well-rounded Lake Superior beach rocks from time to time - no need for a rotary tumbler to wear them down before putting them in the vibe (although I have one and could do it if needed) - mother nature already took care of that for me!
Thanks.
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plumberinaz
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since June 2013
Posts: 186
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Post by plumberinaz on Oct 2, 2014 20:44:32 GMT -5
Just as long as you have a good mix in there and it fits in the opening and has good motion then it should be fine to tumble bigger rocks.
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tkvancil
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since September 2011
Posts: 1,546
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Post by tkvancil on Oct 3, 2014 8:59:21 GMT -5
Hello and welcome to the forum.
I have a UV18 but have not run it much yet. An experienced user told me that it is possible to run 3 or 4 goose egg sized rocks in a full load. The rest needs to be a mix of smaller sizes. Ceramic media can be used if you don't have enough smalls. Your UV10 should handle a fair amount of rocks in the 1 to 1 & 1/4 inch range. Again with the rest a good mix of smaller sizes.
If a rock is too big it will sit on the bottom of the bowl and can actually wear through the bowl. Or so I've heard from someone who was unfortunate enough to have this happen.
So use plenty of smalls, 3/4" and less and limit the largest, those in the 2 to 3 inch range to just a few and you should be good. Watch the vibe closely during the first day to be sure all the big ones are moving.
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Post by Jugglerguy on Oct 3, 2014 10:10:36 GMT -5
I don't know about the UV-10, but the Lot-O can fit whatever will fit through the 2.25 inch hole.
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herchenx
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2012
Posts: 3,360
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Post by herchenx on Oct 3, 2014 15:44:07 GMT -5
I've done just smaller than baseball sized (almost 3" I think) in my UV10, but only one per load that size. I wouldn't do anything bigger than that.
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Post by 150FromFundy on Oct 3, 2014 16:17:06 GMT -5
I just pulled a "biggun" from my UV-10. Overall dimensions were 4"x3"x2" weighing about 12 oz. Fist sized, depending on the size of your fist.
As herchenx says, only one (or maybe two) per load with lots of smalls to keep them moving.
Darryl.
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akroes
off to a rocking start
Member since October 2014
Posts: 11
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Post by akroes on Oct 3, 2014 18:44:57 GMT -5
Great answers, and about what I expected. Thanks for the help, everyone.
PS: Any reason I should be looking at the UV18 instead of the UV10 other than capacity and larger possible rock sizes?
Tony
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Post by MrP on Oct 3, 2014 18:58:04 GMT -5
I have a UV 18 and love it. You need a lot of rock and smalls or ceramics to fill it................MrP
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akroes
off to a rocking start
Member since October 2014
Posts: 11
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Post by akroes on Oct 3, 2014 20:33:20 GMT -5
Would you say it would be worth the price to go with the larger unit ($70 difference at the rock shed, plus $16 diff on the larger spare bowl)? Easy enough to grab a couple bucket's worth of small junk stones when beach picking (or order some ceramic bits s as you mention) for the proper fill. I am not stuck on the UV10 - I have given some consideration to the Lot-O units as well. Is it pretty much a personal preference (i.e. Chevy vs. Ford) thing, or something bigger I am missing to the comparison between those?
Tony
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Post by Jugglerguy on Oct 4, 2014 8:54:19 GMT -5
I bought the Lot-O because it was smaller. I run two six pound rotaries and two three pounders and it's not nearly enough to keep my single Lot-O running.
I only put rocks in the Lot-O for the second stage and later stages, so I would never put extra beach rocks in with my good stones. I like to have all my stone completely free of cracks and holes before they go in the Lot-O so they don't carry grit from one stage to the next. If you put in rocks from the beach that haven't been tumbled to remove the imperfections, they could be potential grit carriers.
I've heard nothin but good things about both brands of tumblers, so I'm not really biased, I just like what I have.
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herchenx
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2012
Posts: 3,360
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Post by herchenx on Oct 5, 2014 21:00:34 GMT -5
I think they can get the same results (I've never done a head-to-head myself) but I do know besides the possibility of doing a larger stone or larger load that there is a pain point with each On my UV10 I've had to replace the center rod, and there is no such thing on the lot-o. Additionally the lot-o can be more easily opened while it is running to check the load (not a huge deal, but saves time when moistening the 120/220 stage which you will need to do a few times every load.) The downside of the lot-o (that I am aware of - not having one) is having to mount it before you can use it. I wouldn't change what I've got, except to get the uv18 or the real big one
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Post by Jugglerguy on Oct 5, 2014 21:37:57 GMT -5
I didn't feel that the mounting was a big deal at all, but it wasn't just pulling it out of the box and using it, either. I got all the prep work done while I was waiting for the package to arrive. I went to Home Depot and bought a concrete block ($1) and a broken bag of Quickrete for half price ($3?). I set the block on its side on a scrap of plywood and filled both holes with concrete. I used a board to level it off. The next day I gave it a quick paint job with some left over primer I had from some other painting project. I think I gave it a coat of paint the next day, but it might just be primer on it. If that seems like a lot of work, don't get a Lot-O.
There's also a hole in the bottom of the barrel that ceramic gets stuck in. I filled it with epoxy and have had no more problems. So that's one more little piece of prep work you should do.
I didn't realize that you couldn't just pop the top off the UV10. I do use a rubber band to hold my top off because a large rock pushed it off once. Some people have problems with the top coming off, but I just use a rubber band.
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akroes
off to a rocking start
Member since October 2014
Posts: 11
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Post by akroes on Oct 6, 2014 14:09:48 GMT -5
But you can take off the lid of the UV10 while it is running, right? You just have the wingnut to unthread instead of popping a lid off?
I am ready to make my order - any last words of advice?
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Post by Jugglerguy on Oct 6, 2014 15:06:31 GMT -5
Nope, good luck! We expect to see some shiny stones in the future,
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herchenx
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2012
Posts: 3,360
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Post by herchenx on Oct 6, 2014 16:37:37 GMT -5
Yes you can remove the wingnut while it runs
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,158
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Post by jamesp on Oct 6, 2014 16:43:07 GMT -5
Seems like one small vib can keep a bunch of rotaries busy. Got to be a good addition to the shop. They sure put the polish on.
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Post by 150FromFundy on Oct 6, 2014 16:59:41 GMT -5
Not sure if anyone mentioned this yet, but you really should have a dedicated Polish bowl. The HDPE is porous and the lid liner is foam. Both trap grit that is essentially impossible to completely clean/burnish. You can try your luck without it, but if your Polish is not mirror-like, a dedicated Polish bowl is the first thing I would try. Good luck.
Darryl.
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akroes
off to a rocking start
Member since October 2014
Posts: 11
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Post by akroes on Oct 7, 2014 13:09:57 GMT -5
I saw this mentioned on a few different threads here and it sounded like a great idea so I ordered one right along with my UV-10 so I can start out right.
Thanks to all for the good advice here. Now if I can just figure out which formula/process best matches my tumbler and rocks so I can get the best results. Quite a dizzying array of variety and individual preferences. I read through the entire 13-page vide thread and am still digesting the info!
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