Wooferhound
Cave Dweller
Lortone QT66 and 3A
Member since December 2016
Posts: 1,424
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Post by Wooferhound on Feb 1, 2017 9:38:42 GMT -5
My next wife just bought me/us a Lortone QT66 with dual 6 pound barrels. I will use this to do course grind and feed our smaller Lortone 3 pound doing the polish stages. This will go well with the 10 pounds of course grit I ordered a coupla days ago. It looks like I am much more interested in Tumbling than I thought I would be. Trying to make space available for my new hobby and make a switch box to control the tumbler power. I have a table picked out and . . . --- To Be Continued ---
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Post by Garage Rocker on Feb 1, 2017 9:43:11 GMT -5
My next wife just bought me/us a Lortone QT66 with dual 6 pound barrels. I will use this to do course grind and feed our smaller Lortone 3 pound doing the polish stages. This will go well with the 10 pounds of course grit I ordered a coupla days ago. It looks like I am much more interested in Tumbling than I thought I would be. Trying to make space available for my new hobby and make a switch box to control the tumbler power. I have a table picked out and . . . --- To Be Continued --- It starts just like that....
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Wooferhound
Cave Dweller
Lortone QT66 and 3A
Member since December 2016
Posts: 1,424
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Post by Wooferhound on Feb 4, 2017 17:27:04 GMT -5
I got my new QT66 Tumbler today and already have the 2 barrels cleaned, filled and rolling. Had to create a new larger area in the garage to be devoted to my new hobby. Made a table out of 2 old computers and a 2x12 board. Placed the tumblers on 2 layers of carpet pad to control the volume, and it works really well. I loaded one barrel with some thick glass that I found broken up on a riverbank. The other barrel has some rocks found at the same river. The original little barrel is still polishing the tumble that I started on Christmas day. Both batches got a 30 minute spin in plain water to clean them up, then cleaned out, loaded with grit, and tossed on the new tumbler for about 8 days. I will be keeping a close watch on the barrel with glass for gas buildup and watching the progress of the glass shaping.
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vera
spending too much on rocks
Member since December 2016
Posts: 259
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Post by vera on Feb 4, 2017 21:23:16 GMT -5
Very nice!
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vayank5150
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2017
Posts: 118
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Post by vayank5150 on Feb 5, 2017 17:08:02 GMT -5
You've got one heck of a workshop going there. You would laugh if you saw where our two tumblers are!
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Wooferhound
Cave Dweller
Lortone QT66 and 3A
Member since December 2016
Posts: 1,424
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Post by Wooferhound on Feb 6, 2017 12:30:14 GMT -5
You've got one heck of a workshop going there. You would laugh if you saw where our two tumblers are! That is a space that I carved out behind my shelfs that hold all my larger tools. It looks great because of good photo cropping. Here is a wide angle so you can see how it gets absorbed in the chaos of my workbench area. I am finished with 8 days of polish for my Christmas Tumble and everything still has a matte finish. I have been fairly careful trying to contain cross contamination, so I think some of the rocks are too rough to be in with the rest of them. Some of the brown rocks are very hard and they may be causing the problem. I am removing the rougher rocks, then giving them a clean up and plan to run the polish stage again, starting this afternoon.
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Wooferhound
Cave Dweller
Lortone QT66 and 3A
Member since December 2016
Posts: 1,424
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Post by Wooferhound on Feb 13, 2017 10:42:18 GMT -5
So, OK, it's not working ? ? ? These are the rocks that I've been tumbling since Christmas day. I have listened to you guys and learned a Lot before my first tumbler arrived in the mail. I controlled cross contamination and used dedicated barrel for the final Polish stage for a week and the rocks came up with a Matte finish so I did a cleanout and reloaded then ran the polish stage for another week and I have the exact finish that I had last week. Here is the entire contents from the Christmas tumble that has been spinning for 7 weeks with polish for the last 2 weeks. I feel like the rocks on the left side are causing the problem. They are quite hard resisting rounding with some pits. I jokingly call them Petrified Mud because that is what they look like. So I am saving the rocks on the right side for the next time that I tumble with polish to try and pull the shine out. I had a large amount of this petrified mud in my next tumble using one of my new 6 pound barrels. I will remove it from all future tumbles except the possibility that I may try and tumble this stuff all by it's self as an experiment. Here is my next tumble after stage 1 course with the Pet Mud separated to the left.
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Post by tims on Feb 13, 2017 14:11:45 GMT -5
The brown stuff resembles chert, which isn't particularly showy but it's hard (mohs 7ish) and should take a shine. I'm not great with identification but some of the stuff on the right may be softer material, which is why it shaped so much faster. Running batches with material of mixed hardness might be part of your problem. It may also be very difficult to get a polish on softer rock even if it's run with similar material. For instance the apache tear which is a type of obsidian ... there are plenty of threads detailing the difficulties even veteran tumblers have when working with that material.
Take everything i say with a grain of salt, i've only been tumbling a few months and still haven't completed a batch. Keep at it and keep track of your methods and results, that way when you nail it you'll have a blueprint of your success so you can do it again.
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,176
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Post by jamesp on Feb 13, 2017 14:54:00 GMT -5
Last photo- white granite on right. you are probably correct, silicified mud. Some can be soft. You said it was rounding slowly and are probably correct in assuming it is hard. the white granite I have a lot of experience with. so I will give opinion. the granite looks like it only has 3 weeks in coarse. Is your barrel about 3/4 full or a bit less ? Is the water running about an inch below the rocks ? what is your coarse grit and how long did they run in coarse ? how many times did you add coarse grit ? Is your coarse grit breaking down by the end of 7 days ? Is your slurry too thick like a sludge or is it watery ? can't think of anymore. sorry to barrage, but only you can answer the questions... looks like you have a slow grind going. If the mud rock is hard it should have polished. Hard rocks polish easier than soft rocks. No rocks polish if the earlier steps were done incorrectly or skipped. Easier to tumble some tried and proven agate to start with. Like tims said those rocks may soft and be better for the experts.
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bruceb
off to a rocking start
Member since August 2013
Posts: 20
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Post by bruceb on Feb 13, 2017 17:15:31 GMT -5
You said the polish was 1200 grit. I use 1000 grit as a prepolish. Do you know what type of polish this is? I have some "polish" that is more like prepolish and I do not get great results with it. I use tin oxide and it seems to polish pretty much everything. The apache tear and marbles... don't expect those to come out great mixed with the other stones. They need special care and separate polishing.
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ubermenehune
spending too much on rocks
Member since March 2016
Posts: 293
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Post by ubermenehune on Feb 14, 2017 8:30:27 GMT -5
I doubt it has anything to do with your choice of stones. If everything was done correctly, something would have taken a polish.
Your tumble stage duration sounds adequate. My first thought is barrel fullness, as James hinted. Polishing/grinding happen through friction and the rocks' ability slide against one another. Consider reducing barrel load to 2/3. Definitely keep it below 3/4. Also, add some smalls or tumbling media for cushioning and to increase surface area contact.
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ubermenehune
spending too much on rocks
Member since March 2016
Posts: 293
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Post by ubermenehune on Feb 14, 2017 8:48:58 GMT -5
Also, do a "burnishing" stage after final polish.
When you finish the polishing stage, thoroughly rinse your stones and reload them into the barrel. Do not use grit. Add either soap or borax and water and run for a few hours. This will help remove any residue that causes your tumbles to look hazy or matte.
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,176
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Post by jamesp on Feb 14, 2017 8:51:01 GMT -5
Yes. There are crystalline quartz in the batch and they should show some sign of polish at a minimum. And seems to be lacking smalls.
Over filled barrels(> 3/4) will sure slow things down. 2/3 full is a sweet spot.
Too many big rocks in a rotary w/out smalls(or plastics or thick slurry) can prevent a polish.
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Wooferhound
Cave Dweller
Lortone QT66 and 3A
Member since December 2016
Posts: 1,424
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Post by Wooferhound on Feb 14, 2017 10:11:17 GMT -5
>> the white granite I have a lot of experience with. so I will give opinion. >> the granite looks like it only has 3 weeks in coarse. The granite is from my second tumble attempt using my new 6 pound barrels. Barrel was about half full and water added to 1/2 inch below rocks. Used 1/2 cup AO80 plus 1/4 cup SiC80. Grit was undetectable in a watery slurry after 3 days. Added the same grits again and ran it for 4 days, a week total. Slurry was thick but flowed easy and there was no detectable grit. Rinsed then dried then photo taken after stage 1.
>> Is your barrel about 3/4 full or a bit less ? The Polished rocks from my first tumble attempt were always in a 3 pound barrel that was a little more than half full
>> Is the water running about an inch below the rocks ? Water was filled to about 1/2 inch below rocks
>> what is your coarse grit and how long did they run in coarse ? 60/90 Silicon Carbide - 2 weeks 120/220 Silicon Carbide - 1 week 500 Silicon Carbide - 1 week 1200 White Fused Aluminum Oxide - 2 weeks
>> how many times did you add coarse grit ? 3 days then add grit then 4 days and recharge, repeat again for another week
>> Is your coarse grit breaking down by the end of 7 days ? Yes, no detectable grit after 3 or 4 days
>> Is your slurry too thick like a sludge or is it watery ? Watery till adding grit after 3 days then thick but runny after stage 1 everything ran watery
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Wooferhound
Cave Dweller
Lortone QT66 and 3A
Member since December 2016
Posts: 1,424
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Post by Wooferhound on Feb 14, 2017 10:16:48 GMT -5
You said the polish was 1200 grit. I use 1000 grit as a prepolish. Do you know what type of polish this is? I have some "polish" that is more like prepolish and I do not get great results with it. I use tin oxide and it seems to polish pretty much everything. The apache tear and marbles... don't expect those to come out great mixed with the other stones. They need special care and separate polishing. 60/90 Silicon Carbide 120/220 Silicon Carbide 500 Silicon Carbide 1200 White Fused Aluminum Oxide rtumbler.com/store/p9/1_Pound_Kit_For_15lb_Tumblers.htmlThe marbles are in there as Tumbling Media
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Wooferhound
Cave Dweller
Lortone QT66 and 3A
Member since December 2016
Posts: 1,424
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Post by Wooferhound on Feb 14, 2017 10:22:03 GMT -5
Also, do a "burnishing" stage after final polish. When you finish the polishing stage, thoroughly rinse your stones and reload them into the barrel. Do not use grit. Add either soap or borax and water and run for a few hours. This will help remove any residue that causes your tumbles to look hazy or matte. You are So Correct, and I had not done that, so they are rolling with some Ivory soap right now . . .
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,176
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Post by jamesp on Feb 14, 2017 10:33:57 GMT -5
>> the white granite I have a lot of experience with. so I will give opinion. >> the granite looks like it only has 3 weeks in coarse. The granite is from my second tumble attempt using my new 6 pound barrels. Barrel was about half full and water added to 1/2 inch below rocks. Used 1/2 cup AO80 plus 1/4 cup SiC80. Grit was undetectable in a watery slurry after 3 days. Added the same grits again and ran it for 4 days, a week total. Slurry was thick but flowed easy and there was no detectable grit. Rinsed then dried then photo taken after stage 1. >> Is your barrel about 3/4 full or a bit less ? The Polished rocks from my first tumble attempt were always in a 3 pound barrel that was a little more than half full >> Is the water running about an inch below the rocks ? Water was filled to about 1/2 inch below rocks >> what is your coarse grit and how long did they run in coarse ? 60/90 Silicon Carbide - 2 weeks 120/220 Silicon Carbide - 1 week 500 Silicon Carbide - 1 week 1200 White Fused Aluminum Oxide - 2 weeks >> how many times did you add coarse grit ? 3 days then add grit then 4 days and recharge, repeat again for another week >> Is your coarse grit breaking down by the end of 7 days ? Yes, no detectable grit after 3 or 4 days >> Is your slurry too thick like a sludge or is it watery ? Watery till adding grit after 3 days then thick but runny after stage 1 everything ran watery Well woofer, you answered the barrage all correctly except a 1/2 full barrel. You might get away with 1/2 full during coarse grind. 1/2 barrel is pretty darn violent. During finish steps 3/4 is better(gentler). No obvious answer for your hardship. Try re run 220-500-1200 AO.(no need for coarse run) You might run the AO 1200 longer. It is on the verge of pre-polish for a rotary. Vibes will wet shine rocks with AO 1200. Not necessarily a rotary unless allowed to run longer like 2 weeks. I want you to get a vibe. NOW
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Wooferhound
Cave Dweller
Lortone QT66 and 3A
Member since December 2016
Posts: 1,424
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Post by Wooferhound on Feb 14, 2017 11:30:36 GMT -5
Is it possible to Over Polish ?
The grit Kit I purchased was . . . 16 oz. 60/90 Silicon Carbide 16 oz. 120/220 Silicon Carbide 8 oz. 500f Silicon Carbide 8 oz. 1200 White Fused Aluminum Oxide
That is half the polish compared to the course grits, but I still added 6 tablespoons to each stage when filling the barrels
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,176
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Post by jamesp on Feb 14, 2017 11:37:41 GMT -5
Is it possible to Over Polish ? The grit Kit I purchased was . . . 16 oz. 60/90 Silicon Carbide 16 oz. 120/220 Silicon Carbide 8 oz. 500f Silicon Carbide 8 oz. 1200 White Fused Aluminum Oxide That is half the polish compared to the course grits, but I still added 6 tablespoons to each stage when filling the barrels Different theories about adding too much of any grit. But yes, use about half dose polish. Kit should have said something. I would guess 3 tablespoons is close to correct.
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Wooferhound
Cave Dweller
Lortone QT66 and 3A
Member since December 2016
Posts: 1,424
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Post by Wooferhound on Feb 15, 2017 7:25:20 GMT -5
S u c c e s s . . . I ran the burnishing stage for 4 hours and they all came out reasonably shiny. Am thinking about ordering some finer polish to put them through later. Next time I get some Sun I'll take a few pictures.
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