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Post by spiceman on Jan 22, 2017 21:13:23 GMT -5
i don't know... Is there a advantage, is one better than the other? Clean out verse recharge? If your slurry is good Tumble rocks good.
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Post by wigglinrocks on Jan 22, 2017 21:18:59 GMT -5
I do full clean out weekly . Once rolling , I am taking rocks out and adding new rock . So just recharging with rocks that are ready to move to the next stage would be like a waste of rock and grit
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Post by spiceman on Jan 22, 2017 21:34:23 GMT -5
Im tumbling agates right now and it takes longer than a week so early in the process do you clean out or recharge? It feels gritty, I see some SC and the other grit could be from the outside of the rock. I just hate throwing away gritty material that may work? The time and mess is also a factor.
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Post by wigglinrocks on Jan 22, 2017 21:47:00 GMT -5
I always had grit left after a week until I cut back on the water a bit . I use 2/3 cup of water in a 3pound barrel and about 1 1/4 cups in 6 pound barrel . To many smalls also cause me to have leftover grit . I have never just recharged without a full cleanout , so I can't tell you any pros or cons about that .
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Post by spiceman on Jan 22, 2017 21:57:27 GMT -5
Thanks for the reply. You gave me something to keep my eye on.
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Post by wigglinrocks on Jan 22, 2017 22:01:57 GMT -5
Notta problem . I am so far from being an expert but try to help when I can . All I can tell you is what works for me .
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richardh
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2016
Posts: 391
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Post by richardh on Jan 22, 2017 22:05:48 GMT -5
This was something that really interested me a couple of months ago so I did some experiments and to make a long story short I determined that doing a total clean out each time does give you the fastest rough grind but it also generates more waste and doesn't give you the most efficient use of grit and clay.
After lots of experiments with my 3lb tumbler and 30 grit SiC I have found my optimal operating conditions are as follows (though I am still experimenting). This is for the coarse grind step only if that wasn't already obvious.
I charge the barrel 50% full by volume with rough. Then I fill the barrel with water to the top of the rocks. Then I add three tablespoons of clay based cat litter and three tablespoons of SiC 30. This I run for 48 hours then I add another 2 tablespoons of SiC 30 and run another 48 hours. Then I add another 2 tablespoons of SiC 30 and run for a final 48 hours. When this is complete I do a total clean out and start over again.
This gives me a fast grind and I can pretty much keep up with the waste generation.
Hope this helps someone.
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richardh
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2016
Posts: 391
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Post by richardh on Jan 22, 2017 22:12:37 GMT -5
Im tumbling agates right now and it takes longer than a week so early in the process do you clean out or recharge? It feels gritty, I see some SC and the other grit could be from the outside of the rock. I just hate throwing away gritty material that may work? The time and mess is also a factor. With the process I outlined here the coarse grit is totally broken down by the end. What I mean is that if I take the slurry in my hand it has the consistency of runny pudding and it feels slimy between my fingers instead of gritty. The rocks also have a smooth finish with a slight sheen suggesting that the last 48 hours could be reduced but then I feel like I am wasting too much grit and I also don't really have enough time to change it that frequently. One other thing; when I have gotten to the total clean out step I have occasionally had some grit left over. What I do in that case is to pour the batch through a strainer and catch all of the slurry/rinse water in a bucket. The coarse SiC is quite dense and settles rapidly while the clay/rock dust/broken down SiC stays suspended for a short time. I can decant away the fine material and after three or four rinse/decant cycles I am left with clean coarse grit that I can dry out and reuse.
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Post by wigglinrocks on Jan 22, 2017 22:33:22 GMT -5
Thanks for sharing the experiment and results richardh . Without people thinking outside the box we never would have walked on the moon
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ChicagoDave
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2016
Posts: 720
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Post by ChicagoDave on Jan 22, 2017 22:34:48 GMT -5
After playing around with numerous methods, I now just fully clean out my barrels once a week. For my 6lb barrel I use 1/2 cup of 46/70 and 1/2 cup clay based cat litter each week. I capture all my leftover slurry and rinse water in a 5 gallon bucket. Let it sit for a week and then pull off the "clean" water on the surface. Place the bucket on my radiator and let it dry the rest out. Once dried it goes into the trash.
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Post by spiceman on Jan 22, 2017 22:48:21 GMT -5
This was something that really interested me a couple of months ago so I did some experiments and to make a long story short I determined that doing a total clean out each time does give you the fastest rough grind but it also generates more waste and doesn't give you the most efficient use of grit and clay. After lots of experiments with my 3lb tumbler and 30 grit SiC I have found my optimal operating conditions are as follows (though I am still experimenting). This is for the coarse grind step only if that wasn't already obvious. I charge the barrel 50% full by volume with rough. Then I fill the barrel with water to the top of the rocks. Then I add three tablespoons of clay based cat litter and three tablespoons of SiC 30. This I run for 48 hours then I add another 2 tablespoons of SiC 30 and run another 48 hours. Then I add another 2 tablespoons of SiC 30 and run for a final 48 hours. When this is complete I do a total clean out and start over again. This gives me a fast grind and I can pretty much keep up with the waste generation. Hope this helps someone. This is very helpful. I follow the same pattern on the setup but I don't add grit every 48 hours. I add grit every 4 days but only if I don't see any. I let the barrel set ideal for a couple of hours before I check for grit.Maybe that's too long of time. I use the same grit. SIC 31. I have a 3lb. Tumbler but not sure of the RPM's of the barrel. I need to check that.
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richardh
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2016
Posts: 391
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Post by richardh on Jan 22, 2017 22:55:32 GMT -5
This was something that really interested me a couple of months ago so I did some experiments and to make a long story short I determined that doing a total clean out each time does give you the fastest rough grind but it also generates more waste and doesn't give you the most efficient use of grit and clay. After lots of experiments with my 3lb tumbler and 30 grit SiC I have found my optimal operating conditions are as follows (though I am still experimenting). This is for the coarse grind step only if that wasn't already obvious. I charge the barrel 50% full by volume with rough. Then I fill the barrel with water to the top of the rocks. Then I add three tablespoons of clay based cat litter and three tablespoons of SiC 30. This I run for 48 hours then I add another 2 tablespoons of SiC 30 and run another 48 hours. Then I add another 2 tablespoons of SiC 30 and run for a final 48 hours. When this is complete I do a total clean out and start over again. This gives me a fast grind and I can pretty much keep up with the waste generation. Hope this helps someone. This is very helpful. I follow the same pattern on the setup but I don't add grit every 48 hours. I add grit every 4 days but only if I don't see any. I let the barrel set ideal for a couple of hours before I check for grit.Maybe that's too long of time. I use the same grit. SIC 31. I have a 3lb. Tumbler but not sure of the RPM's of the barrel. I need to check that. [ I'm not sure if this helps but my tumbler is a stock 3lb from Harbor Freight.
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Post by spiceman on Jan 22, 2017 23:18:13 GMT -5
Yes it helps me because I have the same kind.
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