huskeric
spending too much on rocks
Member since May 2016
Posts: 353
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Post by huskeric on Sept 19, 2016 9:18:15 GMT -5
Come on man. Everyone's doing it. Don't you want to be one of the cool kids? Don't be pulled to the Dark Side! Learn and excel at rotary tumbling before you get a rock tumbling microwave. That's awesome! I am a HUGE analogy guy, and that is one of the best, right there! I will say, I think I may have finally cracked the code to tumbling to a polish. While it is by no means dialed in, I am at least in the right continent. I will continue to refine and get to the right country, then state, city, etc. and ultimately, I hope to know the precise address of the nice old lady who has the secret recipe for beautiful tumbles every time. As for the Dark Side, I've been over here for a while. Someone offered me something shiny to come to the Dark Side a while ago, I don't even remember what it was any more... But we do have cookies over here, and I don't have to worry about sunscreen any more, either. Think about it... we have a spot for you in a comfy chair in front of the 800" television... Just sayin'...
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huskeric
spending too much on rocks
Member since May 2016
Posts: 353
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Post by huskeric on Sept 19, 2016 9:26:56 GMT -5
Thanks orrum and Garage Rocker. I did fill the bottom hole with some epoxy. And thank you for the recipe all in one "post". I've found most of this info in bits and pieces and decided it would be what I follow for my first batch. I can mess with things on batch #2 if necessary. And, BTW, I love this Lot-O. Very fun watching the rocks slowly move around the barrel.I bought 3 cinder blocks and 1 cap piece. Used some landscape adhesive to stick them all together as a base for the Lot-O. Found it made quite a hum upstairs when sitting directly on the concrete floor, so I placed a rubber mat underneath everything and that quieted it down to a distant hum. Dang it!!! I was OK not having one until you said that!!! Now I HAVE to get a Lot-O. Until then, if you could just post some videos of yours so I can watch the rocks dance and tumble, I would appreciate it! On a side note, it looks like you have solved your vibration issues with the rubber mat, but I see your treadmill in the background looking enviously at the new toy that got her treadmill mat. ;-) In doing some research on quieting my garage door opener (besides blowing it up, which makes it REALLY quiet), I found some really neat isolation solutions. www.ebay.com/itm/191410918225?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT I also wondered about mounting the Lot-O to the base with these: www.ebay.com/itm/250634756852?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT I won't say these are the end-all/be-all, but I would just add them to the conversation, as I would have to guess SOMEONE has already plowed this field, and if they were magical, everyone would already be using them.
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ChicagoDave
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2016
Posts: 720
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Post by ChicagoDave on Sept 19, 2016 9:35:19 GMT -5
Well, my epoxy plug already popped out. I guess I used the wrong type. I saw a suggestion here for E6000 and I also saw someone recommend a 330 epoxy. I'll see which one is available. The 120/220 grit really slowed down the motion after about 24 hours. I kept hitting it with a few sprays of water but finally added a couple tablespoons of water and that made everything look good again. I switched to 500 yesterday afternoon. Checked again this morning and things were still nicely rolling. huskeric , I found the little old lady. She uses a Lot-O Here is a good video that shows the motion
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Post by orrum on Sept 19, 2016 11:37:54 GMT -5
E6000 from Walmart. Mine been there in 4 barrels for bunches of batches!
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dottyt
spending too much on rocks
Member since July 2016
Posts: 305
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Post by dottyt on Sept 19, 2016 11:47:42 GMT -5
Well, my epoxy plug already popped out. I guess I used the wrong type. I saw a suggestion here for E6000 and I also saw someone recommend a 330 epoxy. I'll see which one is available. Please report back on that! I haven't done a lot of research yet, but saw many people say the type of epoxy doesn't matter. This seemed unlikely to me. Shouldn't it match the material of the Lot-O barrel as much as possible? (Like not too hard and not too soft.) But I am clueless as to what type of epoxy that would be, while probably a lot of people here just take that into account and know without even thinking much about it. I would also do some cleaning prep with an alcohol that does not leave much residue. I do not recall anyone mentioning that, but maybe they did, or again just knew that you should do it. What was the epoxy you used so I can avoid that? Thanks! Anyway keep up the updates! They are great!
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ChicagoDave
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2016
Posts: 720
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Post by ChicagoDave on Sept 19, 2016 16:03:09 GMT -5
dottyt, I'm going to guess that my epoxy wasn't waterproof. The E6000 and 330 epoxy are listed as waterproof. I went ahead and ran the 500 grit without the plug. I might be cursing myself in a few hours when I go for the cleanout.
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dottyt
spending too much on rocks
Member since July 2016
Posts: 305
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Post by dottyt on Sept 19, 2016 17:08:13 GMT -5
I'm going to guess that my epoxy wasn't waterproof. The E6000 and 330 epoxy are listed as waterproof. Did the plug dissolve and not dislodge then?!?! I definitely want to avoid that stuff....
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ChicagoDave
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2016
Posts: 720
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Post by ChicagoDave on Sept 19, 2016 17:15:01 GMT -5
The plug did not dissolve. I found the whole thing tumbling around with everything else in my batch. I used Loctite Instant-Mix Epoxy "Quick Set".
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ChicagoDave
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2016
Posts: 720
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Post by ChicagoDave on Sept 19, 2016 18:09:03 GMT -5
I just switched out to 1000AO and was looking over the rocks. I found a few that had some very small chips in them. Now, I could have missed them before, but I usually spend way too much time looking each rock over to decide when I'm done in the rough barrel. Is this just something that happens as edges are hitting against each other? Either way, I can put them back in the rough for a week.
Also, how much ceramic media do people add? I put a couple of big handfuls of both the small and large cylinders in my batch. When using these ceramics, should they be tumbled first to round out the edges?
Finally, is there an advantage to running for 48 hours instead of just 24? It seems the grit has broken down and done its job in 24 hours.
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Post by Jugglerguy on Sept 19, 2016 20:29:29 GMT -5
I use about 30% or more ceramics. I tumble them alone when they're new so they are not rough.
I've run stages for 24, 48, or 72 hours. I usually run them for 48 in each stage. By running them longer, the grit breaks into smaller particles. This has two advantages. First, as the grit gets finer, it polishes more. You're getting a jump on the next stage. If there's a little overlap between stages, I think that's a good thing. Second, breaking the grit down further reduces the chance of contamination later on. If the grit is broken down to a smaller size and somehow gets carried to the next stage it won't do as much damage.
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Post by Drummond Island Rocks on Sept 19, 2016 22:14:57 GMT -5
I would not add anything between the loto base and the weighted block. The loto is is vibration tuned at assembly and rubber or any type of cushion will change the vibration in the barrel. A piece of carpet between the cinder blocks and floor is fine and does help a little. Chuck
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Post by orrum on Sept 20, 2016 7:03:55 GMT -5
X2 Chuck we need to let her rattle n roll!!#
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huskeric
spending too much on rocks
Member since May 2016
Posts: 353
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Post by huskeric on Sept 20, 2016 10:01:57 GMT -5
I would not add anything between the loto base and the weighted block. The loto is is vibration tuned at assembly and rubber or any type of cushion will change the vibration in the barrel. A piece of carpet between the cinder blocks and floor is fine and does help a little. Chuck I wondered about that as I typed it. I didn't think to that level of detail, but I did wonder about the pad absorbing some of the vibration that you actually want there. I don't disagree on the carpet, either, but the pads were pretty cheap as well, and then I would feel all fancy and scientific-like. =)
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ChicagoDave
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2016
Posts: 720
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Post by ChicagoDave on Sept 21, 2016 7:57:08 GMT -5
Well, my Lot-O appears to be dead. Everything was moving along nicely last night. When I got up this morning is was very quiet in the basement because the Lot-O was no longer running. I checked the breaker and it had tripped. The Lot-O was the only thing plugged in and it was on a 20A circuit. I reset the breaker and plugged the Lot-O back in. Heard a pop and the breaker tripped again. I filled the barrel up with water since I was already running late. I'll get everything cleaned out tonight and contact the company.
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Post by orrum on Sept 21, 2016 8:24:16 GMT -5
Ugh, bedt hopes for you!
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Post by Garage Rocker on Sept 21, 2016 8:24:53 GMT -5
I thought only I had that kind of luck.
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Post by orrum on Sept 21, 2016 9:38:17 GMT -5
Try plugging it in somewhere else on a different breaker. Sometimes it's a bad breaker.
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ChicagoDave
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2016
Posts: 720
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Post by ChicagoDave on Sept 21, 2016 9:50:07 GMT -5
I tried it on a couple of other circuits. Same issue. Today would have been 48 hours in 1000AO grit. Everything was rolling nicely last night and I added a few sprays of water even though it seemed "wet" enough. I sent an email to The Rock Shed and we'll see what happens. I can spend a little time troubleshooting when I get home from work.
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richardh
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2016
Posts: 391
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Post by richardh on Sept 21, 2016 10:20:25 GMT -5
I'm really sorry to hear that, hopefully it gets resolved quickly. I'm saving up for a Lot-O and don't like hearing stories like this one.
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dottyt
spending too much on rocks
Member since July 2016
Posts: 305
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Post by dottyt on Sept 21, 2016 10:47:20 GMT -5
I thought only I had that kind of luck. Are you kidding Garage Rocker? One only has to remember the photos of some of your results to see your "bad luck"! But I am very glad ChicagoDave is posting the setbacks that he is having as well as the good points. Everything is very helpful to those who are also planning on getting Lot-O's. Keep us updated!
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