tkvancil
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since September 2011
Posts: 1,546
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Post by tkvancil on Dec 29, 2017 9:48:40 GMT -5
I tried this once in a rotary, a lot of small (1/4 and less). Didn't work well at all. It seemed to hog the grit and never did grind well.
Vibe is probably a different animal. Good luck.
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Fossilman
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 20,688
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Post by Fossilman on Dec 29, 2017 10:24:56 GMT -5
I run river gravel on all my tumbling now...So many different sizes with the pebbles.. Works great.. Good luck on your trial Bro.
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Post by MsAli on Dec 29, 2017 11:32:51 GMT -5
Looks like she is getting a pretty good shine to her.
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,184
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Post by jamesp on Dec 31, 2017 10:05:09 GMT -5
Looks like she is getting a pretty good shine to her. The drive belts broke Friday. Lost a day. Sunday morn, getting ready to see where she stands. Last day of 2017 !! You got big party plans Alison ?
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,184
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Post by jamesp on Dec 31, 2017 10:06:03 GMT -5
I run river gravel on all my tumbling now...So many different sizes with the pebbles.. Works great.. Good luck on your trial Bro. Michael. Have you purchased a vibe ?
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Post by HankRocks on Dec 31, 2017 10:30:26 GMT -5
I can see where the 1/4" media has more contact points but the contact is gentler than with 1/2" media that creates bigger gaps with heavier weight thus increasing the impact force hence faster finishing, but not as good for softer rock. The 1/4" slows the finishing down with decreased impact force, a gentler hand. It's probably why my preforms and slabs take longer to polish as I am using Pea Gravel as media instead of larger media. The larger media might be faster, but I would probably lose a few more slabs and preforms due to breakage. I think the Pea Gravel does give better overall coverage on the flat surfaces, just slower. The Pea Gravel is definitely helpful for doing Botryoidal as it can reach down further between the "bubbles and nobs" of that type rock.
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Post by MsAli on Dec 31, 2017 10:43:36 GMT -5
Looks like she is getting a pretty good shine to her. The drive belts broke Friday. Lost a day. Sunday morn, getting ready to see where she stands. Last day of 2017 !! You got big party plans Alison ? Excited to see what she looks like.. And Happy last day of 2017. Praying 2018 is a dam good year for all of us. Will be partying by myself on my couch with a few cold beers.
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Post by Lapidaryrough / Jack Cole on Dec 31, 2017 11:15:56 GMT -5
For the vibra-sonic belt replacement, Only use the yellow clear belt / O-ring looking belts. Use a flat shoe lace too pull the belt over the motor pulleys on each end of the shaft. One thing the unit is turn over. others have tried to use o-rings / they don't last!
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,184
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Post by jamesp on Dec 31, 2017 11:27:40 GMT -5
For the vibra-sonic belt replacement, Only use the yellow clear belt / O-ring looking belts. Use a flat shoe lace too pull the belt over the motor pulleys on each end of the shaft. One thing the unit is turn over. others have tried to use o-rings / they don't last! I bought 3 different brands of O-Rings on Ebay Jack. One of the 3 is giving a month. Good enough. Thanks for the tip, certain that those yellow rings are true drive belts. Made for that purpose. My fingers have to strain to get those belts on. I get the shoe lace trick, thanks for that.
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,184
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Post by jamesp on Dec 31, 2017 11:55:49 GMT -5
The drive belts broke Friday. Lost a day. Sunday morn, getting ready to see where she stands. Last day of 2017 !! You got big party plans Alison ? Excited to see what she looks like.. And Happy last day of 2017. Praying 2018 is a dam good year for all of us. Will be partying by myself on my couch with a few cold beers. Pretty girls sitting around unattended. What is this world coming to ?
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Post by MsAli on Dec 31, 2017 12:22:15 GMT -5
Excited to see what she looks like.. And Happy last day of 2017. Praying 2018 is a dam good year for all of us. Will be partying by myself on my couch with a few cold beers. Pretty girls sitting around unattended. What is this world coming to ? 😂
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Post by HankRocks on Dec 31, 2017 18:23:38 GMT -5
As with any equation, if you can limit or fix the value of some variables you are on your way to a solution. Agree with your list of variables but for me the first 3 are fixed with my Rotaries so I concentrate on the rest. I only use the Pea Gravel for the Preforms/Slabs, not needed for a normal agate run. The softer tumbles are the next goal, clear Quartz which I seem to be having some luck with a thicker than normal slurry. Not so much when a 1/2 to 1 pound piece of clear Quartz in the tumbler, it really likes to beat up the others. I would also like o move to larger Slabs than say a 6"X 3"which is about as large as the 15 lb Thumlers can handle without getting into some jamming. Also have a few larger 3, 4 and 5 pound Agate pieces I want to do. So many rocks, so little time!!(that phrase takes on even more meaning on days like this)
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Post by HankRocks on Jan 1, 2018 9:47:43 GMT -5
One other thing, an older gentleman from whom I have been buying rocks from has a couple of wind chimes he made out extremely thin thumbled Brazilian Agate. They are probably about 3" X 4" and can't be much more than 1/16" inch thick. Asked how he tumbled, he said he used the Cedar Chips that one uses to fill Dog Beds as a filler material in the Tumbler. He did say he broke one or two now and then but that most made it through and that the oil in the Cedar helped. I need to talk to him soon and get more info on his process start to finish, time involved, tumbler size, type etc.
Un-fractured Brazilian is very hard and would be resistant to breakage, but this seemed to border on impossible but yet I was looking at them. Wonder if something like that could be used for tumbling softer material.
Need to capture this knowledge before it's lost and I will give him a call to wish him and his wife a Happy New Year and talk some tumbling.
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,184
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Post by jamesp on Jan 1, 2018 20:06:30 GMT -5
One other thing, an older gentleman from whom I have been buying rocks from has a couple of wind chimes he made out extremely thin thumbled Brazilian Agate. They are probably about 3" X 4" and can't be much more than 1/16" inch thick. Asked how he tumbled, he said he used the Cedar Chips that one uses to fill Dog Beds as a filler material in the Tumbler. He did say he broke one or two now and then but that most made it through and that the oil in the Cedar helped. I need to talk to him soon and get more info on his process start to finish, time involved, tumbler size, type etc. Un-fractured Brazilian is very hard and would be resistant to breakage, but this seemed to border on impossible but yet I was looking at them. Wonder if something like that could be used for tumbling softer material. Need to capture this knowledge before it's lost and I will give him a call to wish him and his wife a Happy New Year and talk some tumbling. An old timer I know used to run newspaper. I have done it but not enough to gain experience. It makes a pulp slurry. Since I started using clay it trumped all other slurries for me. It has protected 1/16 inch slabs. Even running with some 1 to 2 inch chunky tumbles.
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