Intheswamp
Cave Dweller
Member since September 2015
Posts: 1,910
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Post by Intheswamp on Dec 24, 2015 19:38:58 GMT -5
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Intheswamp
Cave Dweller
Member since September 2015
Posts: 1,910
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Post by Intheswamp on Dec 24, 2015 19:59:29 GMT -5
www.beeweather.com/riverpage2.phpOk, got it on the weather station website. Still gotta get it in the pull-out menu so it's kinda "hidden" right now. ETA: Got it in the pull-out menu on the left under "Fishing".<grin>
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Intheswamp
Cave Dweller
Member since September 2015
Posts: 1,910
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Post by Intheswamp on Dec 24, 2015 20:20:52 GMT -5
Well, I left the tumbler rolling when I left work today...it might be Monday before I'll see it again. Tuesday will be a week...I may let it run another day or three before clean out. Between now and then I need to get a large tray to rinse in....maybe a large colander of some sort.
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quartz
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breakin' rocks in the hot sun
Member since February 2010
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Post by quartz on Dec 24, 2015 23:19:44 GMT -5
Colanders work great, have a couple of them.
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jamesp
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Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,169
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Post by jamesp on Dec 25, 2015 6:41:32 GMT -5
Colanders a must. Used restaurant supply companies have 'steam table perforated stainless buffet trays'. Usually less than $10. 2.5" X 12" X 24" rugged
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jamesp
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Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,169
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Post by jamesp on Dec 25, 2015 6:48:03 GMT -5
I do my clean out or grit addition/slurry adjustment on 3 or 4 barrels every 5-7 days. Usually never check on them, nothing ever goes wrong. passive
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jamesp
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Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,169
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Post by jamesp on Dec 25, 2015 7:00:32 GMT -5
Took a couple of videos of a 100% water slurry and a '50% thick slurry'. Usually run a quieter '75% thick slurry'.
Slurry thickness easily determined by listening to those PVC barrels. 75% slurry about like a Chic Filet milkshake.
Video camera sound sensitive. Uh, exaggerated really. You can switch back and forth on the videos and get a comparison of the sound.
50% slurry, quieter but thicker than this is preferred and is quite a bit quieter.
Water slurry w/higher pitch rattle, i.e. the rock chipping/frosting rattle.
And when the slurry has gotten too thick the barrel is very quiet. Time too pour some slurry out and add water to dilute. And add grit. The sound tells all. If any one of 4 barrels has a thin slurry the high pitch rattle sound stands out.
I do have great confidence with running delicate botyryoids with even large rocks and suffer no chipping. Or thin chips of coral and not have scalloped edges from chips. Frosted crystalline quartz, etc.
Thick slurry eliminates need for wasted space due to filler. And the smallest rock in the whole batch is often 1.5 inches, nice sizable tumbles. Recently run San Jacinctos were all biggish pebbles, no smalls. But smalls added when finishing in the vibe-mandatory.
This post is related to course grind ONLY.
These barrels only doing 30 RPM. Used to turn them at 55 RPM. Slowed them down when I switched to a 1/4 HP motor from 1/2 HP to save electricity. At 55 RPM I had to add grit every 3 -4 days, 30 RPM more like 5-7 days. Less electricity and less hassle. And the 55 RPM was with two barrels, after adding the second set of shafts and running 4 barrels it was a lot of work.
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Intheswamp
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Member since September 2015
Posts: 1,910
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Post by Intheswamp on Dec 25, 2015 9:10:23 GMT -5
Man, ain't no used restaurant supply places around here for miles. It looks like our little town is turning into a flea market, but the individual shops want to appear as a "chic" (like chickens?...really?) and don't price their stuff like fleas. Ah well, after Christmas I may rummage around through some and see if I can find something. I don't guess it matters whether they metal mark the rocks since the rocks are moving on to other/finer grits and polishes, correct? That would sure be nice, though! I may just have to pick up one of those red or green totes that will be on sale at walmart tomorrow and drill holes in the bottom and lower sides...won't be nearly as durable, but would be a quick fix...plenty of room to spread the rocks and hit them with strong water stream without fear of knocking them out of the container.
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jamesp
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Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,169
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Post by jamesp on Dec 25, 2015 9:50:27 GMT -5
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Intheswamp
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Member since September 2015
Posts: 1,910
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Post by Intheswamp on Dec 25, 2015 10:19:13 GMT -5
That's a thought, James. What throws me is the description of these pans saying "1/2" size. Looks like roughly a 20" long pan by 12" wide. I'm mulling it over. Might build a screen box with hardware cloth. Might go plastic. Will work out something to get by the first clean-out or two.
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Intheswamp
Cave Dweller
Member since September 2015
Posts: 1,910
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Post by Intheswamp on Dec 25, 2015 11:41:31 GMT -5
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Intheswamp
Cave Dweller
Member since September 2015
Posts: 1,910
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Post by Intheswamp on Dec 26, 2015 22:46:03 GMT -5
Well, I stopped by the shop and checked on the tumbler. It seemed noisy/noisier so I opened it up...slurry looked good. The rock level had gone down a bit. I ended up adding a Hardee's large drink cup full of rocks and a nice handful of filler rocks and a splash of water. That brought it up to my 75%/1.5gal mark as measured with my measuring stick. Turned it back on and after a moment it seemed to have quieted down. The rocks really seem to be rounding off and grinding down fairly fast.
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Intheswamp
Cave Dweller
Member since September 2015
Posts: 1,910
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Post by Intheswamp on Dec 28, 2015 13:38:02 GMT -5
Hmm, I've got a "pulsing noise" coming from the tumbling action, like maybe two pulses and a pause...rinse/repeat. It's a low-toned sound. I can hear the rocks tumbling and this isn't the noise. I can remove the barrel and the pulsing noise goes away. The tumbler running by itself is fairly quiet. It seems more like an interaction between the tumbler, the load, and the barrel.
Anybody got a clue?
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Intheswamp
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Member since September 2015
Posts: 1,910
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Post by Intheswamp on Dec 30, 2015 14:43:22 GMT -5
Did the first clean out on the maiden load in the Money Pit last night. It's been a week. After I rinsed the rocks and started adding them back to the barrel, a few handfuls at the time...throwing in a few tablespoonfuls of #80 grit with a small handful of Crenshaw County red clay (not to be confused with CCC, Crenshaw County Corn, that my granddaddy use to sell in bottles)as I went. Topped it off with a few new rocks and 1-1/2 large plastic Hardee's cups of nice cool water fountain water. So basically for the people who read slow and understand slower (like me) it went...a layer of rock, a few clumps of red clay (not ccc!), some grit, and repeat...to be topped off by the water. She's (or he..or it...or whatever is politically correct today) is tumbling along once again... Frist clean out... by Intheswamp, on Flickr jamesp broseph82
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Post by captbob on Dec 30, 2015 16:24:29 GMT -5
cool fountain water?? OH NO !!! That will ruin the entire batc.... awwww just kidding! Looking good. 'nother month or two and you'll be ready for the next grit. One thing (seriously), I don't do complete clean outs every time, as that loses the developed slurry. May not matter now that you have become another clay aficionado. I reckon the clay probably replaces a normal slurry. Looking forward to your updates. Have you made a 2nd barrel yet? oh and... you need better rocks!
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Intheswamp
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Member since September 2015
Posts: 1,910
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Post by Intheswamp on Dec 30, 2015 16:56:37 GMT -5
Yelp...cool fountain water...not the wimpy clear plastic jug stuff but the old square metal fountain water...vintage!!!! The clean out... I wanted to see what progress had been made. I started to save some of the slurry but then it was one of those "fugidaboudit" executive decisions. If it's any consolation I didn't wash the barrel out, it had a nice coating of slurry inside it. Next clean out I figure I'll leave a good bit more slurry in there. The red clay... I figured I'd give it a shot and see what James has been raising cane about... Nope, haven't built the second barrel yet. Gotta find another piece of 6" pipe. The rest of what I had has a crack running down the length of it. City cut-off piece. I'll have to bump my water department guy up for some more. I've got the fittings on hand, just needing the pipe (and don't want to buy 20' of it!). The rocks... Don't mess with my rocks!!!!! Them's purdy rocks...a bit fractured, but purdy. I've gotta get the knack of busting rocks like "Chain Gang" jamesp does...and get some of those *clean* pieces without the cracks in'em!!! Working on the chain...gang. Once these flood waters recede I'm expecting on getting two or three new rocks. These rocks seem to be grinding down fairly fast...I'm wondering if I need to slow the tumbler down a bit...cruising at around 46rpm.
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Dec 30, 2015 17:28:11 GMT -5
The secret to snapping those rocks is a 4 ounce flat faced hammer Ed. It is difficult to get a high speed with a heavier hammer for me anyway. You can grind/saw a regular hammer. Just make sure the striking face is flat and not pointed or you will generate fractures.
The rock slurry is no different than the clay slurry. Same result. Some frown on a milk shake thickness slurry.
You start to see how pretty those rocks are as you grind some meat off of them. As you get closer to the final grind you can leave the slurry to the thicker side to avoid frosting that quartz.
Will you do 220-500-polish in a vibe ? Probably best...I would consider 46 RPM on the fast side for finishing. I can't remember if you have a two speed motor...
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Post by captbob on Dec 30, 2015 17:41:49 GMT -5
The red clay... I figured I'd give it a shot and see what James has been raising cane about... Just remember that you are taking advice from a guy that uses his wife's heirloom dish towels as packing material to ship rocks off to distant States. Road to ruin I tell ya!
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Intheswamp
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Member since September 2015
Posts: 1,910
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Post by Intheswamp on Dec 30, 2015 18:18:55 GMT -5
The secret to snapping those rocks is a 4 ounce flat faced hammer Ed. It is difficult to get a high speed with a heavier hammer for me anyway. You can grind/saw a regular hammer. Just make sure the striking face is flat and not pointed or you will generate fractures. The rock slurry is no different than the clay slurry. Same result. Some frown on a milk shake thickness slurry. You start to see how pretty those rocks are as you grind some meat off of them. As you get closer to the final grind you can leave the slurry to the thicker side to avoid frosting that quartz. Will you do 220-500-polish in a vibe ? Probably best...I would consider 46 RPM on the fast side for finishing. I can't remember if you have a two speed motor... I think I have a yellow-handled flat-faced hammer that a guy give on the side of the road one afternoon...seems Auburn and Alabama was playing that day. I'll work on leaving more slurry in there to reach a thick consistency by last grind. My intentions with the big tumbler is to only do coarse grind. I'm hoping to get three Loto loads out of the coarse tumble. Which is going to lead to another thread about setting up and running the Loto. Yeah, I'm beginning to wonder about 46rpm maybe being a little fast...I definitely won't be doing any finer grinding in it. The motor is a 2-speed motor but I've only got it wired for the higher speed...1750rpm, I believe. The lower speed was around 1140rpm.
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Intheswamp
Cave Dweller
Member since September 2015
Posts: 1,910
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Post by Intheswamp on Dec 30, 2015 18:22:06 GMT -5
The red clay... I figured I'd give it a shot and see what James has been raising cane about... Just remember that you are taking advice from a guy that uses his wife's heirloom dish towels as packing material to ship rocks off to distant States. Road to ruin I tell ya! Well, I gotta take one road or a'nuther! You gotta admit, James' road is more interesting than a lot of'em!!!!
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