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Post by broseph82 on Mar 15, 2017 15:56:28 GMT -5
Who here has both and which do you prefer more?
I know there are some die-hard Lot-O fans here, but from the past of reading, I remember some folks whom love their Mini-Sonic. I bought a used Mini-Sonic MT-4SV a couple months ago and am now finally able to use it. I've been wanting a variable speed vibratory machine for a while as the Lot-O runs very rough and takes some tinkering with Borax, water, time, etc to get it rolling at a slower speed. I tend to vibe my stuff at about 90% ceramic and the rest whatever stone I have in there.
If my recipe is usually 2 days starting from 220f and then 2 days 500/AO polish, will tumbling at a slightly slower speed add a lot more time to the tumbling? I'm thinking maybe an extra day if that, butttttt if Im already slowing the speed down in the Lot-O and the speed starts slower in the Mini-sonic maybe no change in recipe.?
Yes, I am aware I'm going to have to trial-and-error to see, but I'm wondering who here already has figured this out? If there's a thread already please post so I can read up, if not please discuss.
Thanks, Jimi
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Post by broseph82 on Mar 17, 2017 12:23:26 GMT -5
Man, nobody has any comments? Not even the guy from Ohio whom always as at least one comment per post...? Today I'll take em what I have out of 220 and see how everything looks. Def hasn't been any banging
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unclesoska
freely admits to licking rocks
All those jade boulders tossed in search of gold!
Member since February 2011
Posts: 934
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Post by unclesoska on Mar 17, 2017 13:02:17 GMT -5
I planned on starting a thread to rave of my new found love- the Mini-sonic MV-4, I too found one on Ebay (used), it was pretty battle worn, resold it and won bid on 1 that is almost new. Also purchased a spare barrel for polishing. New to me arrives, no instruction and haven't found any yet. I have never heard mention of painting a cement block and attaching the tumbler to it, so I skipped that step. I also skipped the step where you plug some hole in the bottom w/ epoxy? I just filled the bowl, added a few drops of water and an 1/8 tsp. of detergent, turned it on, adjusted the speed w/ a knob- (no pulley change (gy-roc)and it started doing its thing- tumblevibin'. I'm impressed w/ the HEAVY rubber hopper- so much so that I've been running 80 grit Sic in it frequently. w/ NO signs of wear. (unlike TV5- see thru after 1 run of 80 grit) Have I mentioned how quiet it is? I live in a travel trailer, which picks up vibrations quite easily, and w/ the vibrasonic, I can't even hear it at night @ the opposite end of the trailer (25 ft.) I'm still adjusting time vs. aggression, I do admit to over tumbling some obsidian, and also learned ceramics and obsidian don't play well together in a vibe. Ease of cleaning, well, lets say I've found the perfect brush, and cleanup is a breeze. I can also vibe w/o the lid, a real bonus when you're working out proper speed and fullness. My only regret is I don't have the owner manual. Anyone have a lead? Also, the lack of moving parts means no belt replacement, no worn bearings, no cheapo plastic lid to wear out, no multiple springs to attach, just a well-made machine that serves its purpose w/o whimper, whine, or squeal. I highly recommend an MV-4 Mini-sonic, used ones on Ebay go for less than $100. Rant complete.
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Post by broseph82 on Mar 17, 2017 13:24:05 GMT -5
unclesoska I think you may be confusing the mini-sonic with the lot-o with some of your claims. There are no holes in the minisonic to be filled (that's the Lot-O) and no need to glue it to a brick, mine doesn't walk (but a Lot-O needs to be attached). I paid I think $120 with shipping and an extra barrel for my mini-sonic. Grit is finally a thick slurry but is still gritty. I believe it did what I wanted thus far. Will report back after polish
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unclesoska
freely admits to licking rocks
All those jade boulders tossed in search of gold!
Member since February 2011
Posts: 934
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Post by unclesoska on Mar 18, 2017 0:06:04 GMT -5
if you reread my post, please hear my description of not mounting to a block and not filling a hole dripping w/ sarcasm- I didn't do those things because it WASN'T a Loto.
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Post by broseph82 on Mar 18, 2017 0:31:18 GMT -5
if you reread my post, please hear my description of not mounting to a block and not filling a hole dripping w/ sarcasm- I didn't do those things because it WASN'T a Loto. Aw Lawd have mercy. I so didn't read it that way. I just thought your age was catching up to you. Ha ha. So far so good. I like being able to control the speed from the get-go and not having to add borax and such to slow down speed. My polish barrel is much quieter than when the grinding barrel was in. Will have to figure that one out. Have a good night.
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bsky4463
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since September 2013
Posts: 1,696
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Post by bsky4463 on Mar 18, 2017 9:54:54 GMT -5
Jimi I picked up a mini sonic awhile ago and tried to run it with the same recipe as I use in my UltraVibe (recipe derived from the one Bikerrandy posted along while back)....so far I have not gotten the same results. I am sure it will get a fine shine, but I havent invested enough trial and error into it to figure it out. I think the grind stage is fine, its just somewhere between the sanding and polishing that needs to be fine tuned. My last thought was to get 1000 grit to run before polish, but I havent bought any yet. I am away from my rocks for another month and half but when I get back I will start tinkering with it again. Anxious to hear if you figure something out in the meantime. Cheers
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Post by johnjsgems on Mar 18, 2017 12:03:20 GMT -5
If you really want great results with the MT tumblers try the Vibra Dry media from Diamond Pacific.
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Post by Jugglerguy on Mar 18, 2017 12:49:11 GMT -5
If you really want great results with the MT tumblers try the Vibra Dry media from Diamond Pacific. I'd love to try Vibra Dry, but it's so expensive. It also comes in a lot of different grits. I know it's reusable, but it's still quite an investment. What sequence of grits have you used? Have you ever used it in another vibratory tumbler?
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Post by Jugglerguy on Mar 18, 2017 14:20:03 GMT -5
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Post by Drummond Island Rocks on Mar 18, 2017 14:48:35 GMT -5
Awhile back I did a loto, minisonic and rotary polish all at the same time and posted the outcome. I would have to do some digging to find that post. In my testing I never seen an advantage to the minisonic. I thought I would like the adjustable speed but that just introduced another variable that was hard to overcome. When a batch did not come out perfect I would be second guessing the speed that was used. I feel I have very good control of the loto with visual checks and adjusting with either water to speed up or borax to slow down. Just my 2 cents. Chuck
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Post by Drummond Island Rocks on Mar 18, 2017 15:08:10 GMT -5
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Post by johnjsgems on Mar 18, 2017 17:28:31 GMT -5
I used 25000 and 50000 Vibradry in a now discontinued Mini Sonic 2.5 lb. model without speed control. It worked well. A nice lady dealer next to me at a show many years ago had a stand of silver mounted cabs she cut and mounted. She worked the cabs on her cab machine to 600 SC belt. Then ran everything through Vibradry in a MT4 24 hours each step 600, 1700, 3000, 14000 and 25000. Maybe 50000 too but can't remember. Any pieces that tarnished before being sold she ran through 25000 again to remove tarnish. I used it only for final polish. It was about $20 per lb. back then but reusable so can't be compared to grit or polish used and thrown out. My wife was making beaded jewelry with sterling chains and findings. We put the beaded jewelry in to remove tarnish and ran for 2-12 hours depending. Tarnish was removed without removing any antiquing and beads looked like each one was buffed to a glossy shine. Only issue was the little pieces of Vibradry that lodged in the chain links that had to be removed. I never tried it in any other brand tumbler but can say if used on a Gy-Roc you would need to replace the suspension springs with a link kit. They have to have a heavy load to operate properly. May work well on the lighter duty tumblers that don't hold up well to heavy loads.
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Post by broseph82 on Apr 20, 2017 17:38:19 GMT -5
So far here's what I've found in a 2 day period:
Recipe- 2Tbs 220graded 1tsp sugar 1Tbs Borax 2spritzes water
Lot-O was thick, smooth, and no grit present
Mini-Sonic (set at full speed) was not as thick, grit remaining, and had dried out quicker.
I will need to play around more with the minisonic. I followed the recipe that was posted in the manual and it just didn't work at 3/4 speed that I had it on. even after 4 days each step grit still wasn't broken down all the way. Def helped with rocks not banging and getting injured in the process like the Lot-O can do. Will report back when I've done some more trial and error.
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Post by broseph82 on Apr 26, 2017 10:54:34 GMT -5
I ran a new batch with the same exact formula for both Lot-O and 'Sonic. Lot-O came out great and Mini-Sonic came out very close. One who's not a world-class rock tumbler wouldn't be able to tell. The last test I ran I went from 220 grades to AO polish without the 500g step. Big no-no in 'Sonic. Left 220 grit marks. Running another test with Agate with same formula. I think I may have it down after all. Cheers
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Post by johnjsgems on Apr 26, 2017 13:16:59 GMT -5
I would try less grit too. 2 tbsp sounds like a lot of grit in 4 lb. hopper. My 40 lb Gy-Roc uses 1 1/2 "heaping Tbsp" and 10 lb. 1 tbsp.
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ChicagoDave
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2016
Posts: 720
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Post by ChicagoDave on Apr 26, 2017 13:34:42 GMT -5
I use 2 tablespoons of 120/220 for 2 days in my Lot-O, but I don't use any sugar or Borax. I also add a couple tablespoons of water. After that stage, I only use 1/2 teaspoon of 500, 1000 and polish (and these also get 1 tablespoon of Borax).
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unclesoska
freely admits to licking rocks
All those jade boulders tossed in search of gold!
Member since February 2011
Posts: 934
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Post by unclesoska on Apr 26, 2017 13:49:15 GMT -5
I've been using straight 80 grit SiC in the MT4, and it has started to "thin the bottom of the barrel, though this may have been caused by a couple overnight logjams where the load had seized. No longer using 80 grit, even though the instructions call for it. Only 220 and beyond in the future for this guy.
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Post by broseph82 on Apr 29, 2017 7:00:29 GMT -5
I would try less grit too. 2 tbsp sounds like a lot of grit in 4 lb. hopper. My 40 lb Gy-Roc uses 1 1/2 "heaping Tbsp" and 10 lb. 1 tbsp. I have and it doesn't seem to quite get the job done
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