jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,159
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Post by jamesp on Nov 13, 2014 3:42:52 GMT -5
Testing done on some agate(coral). This is white AO 2000-9000. A product Lortone can get from Germany.
Coral has been running in AO 1000 for 2 weeks, 12 RPM, light sugar slurry. Finally had a decent polish at 14 days. Not at 7 days. Probably could have sped that finish up safely at 32 RPM and had faster grit breakdown.
Did a clean out and added the 2000-9000. After 24 hours the polish was degraded a bit to the AO 1000 finish at about 7 days. Probably the effects of the fresh 2000 particles. But the AO 1000 had already created a nice finish as a base. Hoping to skip the AO 1000 step in the future.
Normal procedure was to go from AO 500 to AO 14,000. For years. But was never content with results, though a very nice polish. Polish kept improving up to 10-14 days. 14 days it was about at peak. Making me suspicious that the 14,000 was struggling with the large gap.
Will try going from AO 500 to AO 2000-9000 in future agate runs. Perhaps cap it off with 14,000 or even 50,000 if necessary.
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Post by snowmom on Nov 13, 2014 6:00:46 GMT -5
watching with interest
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Post by connrock on Nov 13, 2014 7:32:44 GMT -5
I think once you get your new vibe running you'll see how much faster things happen and how much less grit and polish you'll use. A jump from 500 to 14,000 seems a lot to me unless you let the 500 run in a rotary for a month so it can break down to about 8000 or so. You'll get about the same results of grit break down in about 4 days in a vibe.
For the most part I've used 60/90 to rough most rocks and found that 1 lb of grit for every 10 lbs of rocks works good for me.I get a nice slurry and total grit break down in 7-10 days. The vibe has saved me tons of grit,polish and money through the years. After roughing in the rotaries I use the vibe to finish. The Lot-O barrel only holds about 3.5 - 4 lbs of rocks and I "overlap" my grit runs,,,,,overlapping means running the grit so it breaks down finer then the next grit to be used. Typically I use 3 tablespoons of graded 220 grit for 3.5 - 4 lbs of rocks in the 2nd stage,,, which is the 1st stage in the vibe. The next grit I use is either 400 or 500 (depending what I have) so I let the 220 grit run go for about 48 hours which breaks the grit down way beyond the 400-500,,,,grit breaks down in 1/2 every 12 hours or so in a vibe.
I do this throughout all of the grit cycles and then use Tripoli for about 36-48 hours then a final polish of Rapid Polish #61.
Sometimes I have to force myself to do a polish run after seeing the shine I get after the Tripoli! LOL
OOPS,,,I forgot to mention that after the 220 grit run,,only 1/2 of a teaspoon of grit/polish is needed for every 3.5 - 4 lbs of rocks!!!
Your vibe unit is much bigger then the 2 I have but maybe this will help you to figure out how much grit/polish you'll need?
Get that vibe up and running so we don't have to wait soooooooooo long to se the results of your tests! Good luck,,, connrock
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,159
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Post by jamesp on Nov 13, 2014 9:30:11 GMT -5
I think once you get your new vibe running you'll see how much faster things happen and how much less grit and polish you'll use. A jump from 500 to 14,000 seems a lot to me unless you let the 500 run in a rotary for a month so it can break down to about 8000 or so. You'll get about the same results of grit break down in about 4 days in a vibe. For the most part I've used 60/90 to rough most rocks and found that 1 lb of grit for every 10 lbs of rocks works good for me.I get a nice slurry and total grit break down in 7-10 days. The vibe has saved me tons of grit,polish and money through the years. After roughing in the rotaries I use the vibe to finish. The Lot-O barrel only holds about 3.5 - 4 lbs of rocks and I "overlap" my grit runs,,,,,overlapping means running the grit so it breaks down finer then the next grit to be used. Typically I use 3 tablespoons of graded 220 grit for 3.5 - 4 lbs of rocks in the 2nd stage,,, which is the 1st stage in the vibe. The next grit I use is either 400 or 500 (depending what I have) so I let the 220 grit run go for about 48 hours which breaks the grit down way beyond the 400-500,,,,grit breaks down in 1/2 every 12 hours or so in a vibe. I do this throughout all of the grit cycles and then use Tripoli for about 36-48 hours then a final polish of Rapid Polish #61. Sometimes I have to force myself to do a polish run after seeing the shine I get after the Tripoli! LOL OOPS,,,I forgot to mention that after the 220 grit run,,only 1/2 of a teaspoon of grit/polish is needed for every 3.5 - 4 lbs of rocks!!! Your vibe unit is much bigger then the 2 I have but maybe this will help you to figure out how much grit/polish you'll need? Get that vibe up and running so we don't have to wait soooooooooo long to se the results of your tests! Good luck,,, connrock No doubt the vibe will be a game changer. The coarse grind has always dominated the tumblers. To have good tumbles it sure helps to have them well rounded. Grit cost and time, the dang coarse grind. The vibe sounds like a money saver. Using less grades and amounts of grit. Better finish too. It mentions an 8 pound tub may only hold 4 pounds of rock and the rest is suggested filler. But finish times are in days instead of weeks ! So what. The vibe should gobble up all the production of 4 barrels. Looking forward to more sugar tests LOL. Maybe that won't happen. Unless it irritates my friend, then experiments must proceed. Good to hear captbob's creative remarks too.
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Post by connrock on Nov 14, 2014 8:19:34 GMT -5
Well,,,,maybe we've been chasing the wrong rabbit all this time,,,, We can't seem to get you off of that "sweet tooth" you have so maybe this should be your next venture? Just sayin,ya know??? connrock
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,159
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Post by jamesp on Nov 14, 2014 8:34:49 GMT -5
Well,,,,maybe we've been chasing the wrong rabbit all this time,,,, We can't seem to get you off of that "sweet tooth" you have so maybe this should be your next venture? Just sayin,ya know??? connrock I almost had a heart attack when I read this. Did a double take anyway. I thought I was the one that owned sugar stock Those warm sugar cane fields look inviting about now. too funny: How to tumble Petosky Stones Step 1: Start with 320 or 500 & finer silicon carbide grit, using a thickening or suspending agent like syrup, sugar, or molasses for cushioning. Step 2: Use 600 or 800 & finer silicon carbide grit with a ratio of 1 to 1 or 2 to 1 of media to Petoskey stones. Use plastic pellets or coarse-ground walnut shell for media. You may also need to use a thickening agent like syrup, molasses, or sugar (being careful not to thicken load excessively). If you use 600 silicon carbide grit, follow with 600 aluminum oxide as a pre-polish, jumping to the final polishing stage. Final Step: Use cerium oxide or 0.5 to 0.8 micron aluminum oxide polish, cushioning with fine-ground walnut shell and a thickening agent like syrup, molasses, or sugar, but do not thicken load excessively. connrock Read more: forum.rocktumblinghobby.com/thread/67835/amber-recipe#ixzz3J37f4AF4
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,159
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Post by jamesp on Nov 16, 2014 6:01:41 GMT -5
I think once you get your new vibe running you'll see how much faster things happen and how much less grit and polish you'll use. A jump from 500 to 14,000 seems a lot to me unless you let the 500 run in a rotary for a month so it can break down to about 8000 or so. You'll get about the same results of grit break down in about 4 days in a vibe. For the most part I've used 60/90 to rough most rocks and found that 1 lb of grit for every 10 lbs of rocks works good for me.I get a nice slurry and total grit break down in 7-10 days. The vibe has saved me tons of grit,polish and money through the years. After roughing in the rotaries I use the vibe to finish. The Lot-O barrel only holds about 3.5 - 4 lbs of rocks and I "overlap" my grit runs,,,,,overlapping means running the grit so it breaks down finer then the next grit to be used. Typically I use 3 tablespoons of graded 220 grit for 3.5 - 4 lbs of rocks in the 2nd stage,,, which is the 1st stage in the vibe. The next grit I use is either 400 or 500 (depending what I have) so I let the 220 grit run go for about 48 hours which breaks the grit down way beyond the 400-500,,,,grit breaks down in 1/2 every 12 hours or so in a vibe. I do this throughout all of the grit cycles and then use Tripoli for about 36-48 hours then a final polish of Rapid Polish #61. Sometimes I have to force myself to do a polish run after seeing the shine I get after the Tripoli! LOL OOPS,,,I forgot to mention that after the 220 grit run,,only 1/2 of a teaspoon of grit/polish is needed for every 3.5 - 4 lbs of rocks!!! Your vibe unit is much bigger then the 2 I have but maybe this will help you to figure out how much grit/polish you'll need? Get that vibe up and running so we don't have to wait soooooooooo long to se the results of your tests! Good luck,,, connrock Taking a long time to get a polish on this load of agate in the rotary. The old recipe of SiC 220, AO 500 and then 14,000 at week each is hard to beat. And adding a week of AO 1000 gives a better polish. That makes still 4 weeks in finish cycle, and the polish is not as nice as a vibe polish. The passive process of the rotary is care free and and low demand on my attention. That part is a good thing. But it looks like the vibe is getting ready to change all that. Chuck(Drummond Island Rocks) sent some obsidian tumbles from the Lot-O That have a crazy good polish. So a benchmark. I will start by taking coral and Rio Grande tumbles that are finished in the rotary(I got a bunch) and putting a final polish on them using the Viking. Get that final polish step figured out real well practicing on those. Ordered a batch of Buna/nitrile o-rings that serve as pulleys for the Viking, 50 for $30 including shipping. That should last a good while. Already have a stock of AO polishes, hopefully those will get er done. And a bunch of filler chips of agate and glass and plastic pellets. Hoping to get a polish on the large tumbles. Guessing that fillers will help or be necessary on that venture.
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Post by connrock on Nov 16, 2014 11:43:40 GMT -5
Chuck(Drummond Island Rocks) sent some obsidian tumbles from the Lot-O That have a crazy good polish. So a benchmark.Chuck does a great job so you have a good benchmark! The best way I've found to tell if I've maxed out the shine on obsidian(and just about anything else) is to wet it.If I can't tell the difference between the wet and dry finish I've done a good job. What REALLY irks me is when I do something and it comes out lousy yet I've done it the same way as before with great results!The good thing about using a vibe is that we can go back a step or 2 and do the load over in a fairly short time.The bad thing is still trying to figure what the heck went wrong the 1st time! LOL I think you'll be one rock polishing fool once you get the hang of that vibe unit! connrock
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,159
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Post by jamesp on Nov 16, 2014 14:15:25 GMT -5
Chuck(Drummond Island Rocks) sent some obsidian tumbles from the Lot-O That have a crazy good polish. So a benchmark.Chuck does a great job so you have a good benchmark! The best way I've found to tell if I've maxed out the shine on obsidian(and just about anything else) is to wet it.If I can't tell the difference between the wet and dry finish I've done a good job. What REALLY irks me is when I do something and it comes out lousy yet I've done it the same way as before with great results!The good thing about using a vibe is that we can go back a step or 2 and do the load over in a fairly short time.The bad thing is still trying to figure what the heck went wrong the 1st time! LOL I think you'll be one rock polishing fool once you get the hang of that vibe unit! connrock Will have a good time getting the old tumbles polished better. Got some learning to do, anxious too see how this machine works. I can say the rotary has not put that kind of polish on anything like those Chuck sent. Not sure if it is capable, breaking down the grit is a big advantage of the vibes.
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