secretone
off to a rocking start
Member since April 2018
Posts: 1
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Post by secretone on Apr 10, 2018 18:49:11 GMT -5
So new I have not purchased a tumbler yet. Still evaluating all the choices.
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Post by vegasjames on Apr 10, 2018 19:11:34 GMT -5
Welcome to the forum.
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Post by Noosh9057 on Apr 10, 2018 19:12:18 GMT -5
Welcome to the forum.
Roger
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Post by MsAli on Apr 10, 2018 19:42:03 GMT -5
Welcome from Fresno California
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nchillbilly
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2018
Posts: 212
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Post by nchillbilly on Apr 10, 2018 22:26:22 GMT -5
Welcome to the forum from North Carolina.
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Post by hummingbirdstones on Apr 10, 2018 22:37:29 GMT -5
Welcome from Northern Arizona!
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Post by gmitch067 on Apr 11, 2018 0:06:25 GMT -5
Welcome to the Forum from Northern California!
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Tommy
Administrator
Member since January 2013
Posts: 12,653
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Post by Tommy on Apr 11, 2018 0:41:56 GMT -5
Welcome!
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Fossilman
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 20,681
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Post by Fossilman on Apr 11, 2018 9:53:17 GMT -5
Howdy and welcome to RTH!
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Post by Jugglerguy on Apr 11, 2018 10:55:21 GMT -5
Welcome to RTH. Have you checked out The Rock Shed? They have good prices and a discount on grit and rough rock when you buy a tumbler. The first stage takes the longest, so you'll need more coarse grit (60/90 or 46/70) than other grits, so stock up while you have a discount. I really like the Lortone tumblers. I have a QT66 and a 33B. I also have a Thumlers AR2, which I don't like as much. If you want to add a vibratory tumbler to the fleet, consider the Lot-O. It's a great machine that a lot of us have had great luck with. I have not used them, but I'm not impressed with what I've heard about Harbor Freight tumblers or the National Geographic Tumbler. If you have any questions before making a decision, let us know.
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Post by drocknut on Apr 11, 2018 11:08:45 GMT -5
Welcome to the forum from Arizona
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rads
spending too much on rocks
Making clay each day!
Member since April 2018
Posts: 318
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Post by rads on Apr 11, 2018 15:43:31 GMT -5
New also, but welcome to this forum from Michigan
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Post by aDave on Apr 11, 2018 16:22:34 GMT -5
Welcome. I second what Jugglerguy says about the Lortones. I use them exclusively. Just for clarification, you'll need a rotary tumbler to do your shaping in the first stage (coarse grind). This takes the sharp edges off the rocks and helps to remove flaws. You won't typically be able to do that with a vibratory tumbler as the coarse grit can be excessively hard on the barrels. A vibratory tumbler can, however, be used for all stages after coarse. To point you in a particular direction, what is your budget and how much rock do you plan on processing? From a personal standpoint, I'd also recommend to stay away from the Harbor Freight or National Geographic tumblers. The short reason is that they can be more trouble than they're worth.
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saxplayer
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since March 2018
Posts: 1,327
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Post by saxplayer on Apr 11, 2018 16:48:24 GMT -5
Welcome. I think most here will recommend Lortone as they are reliable.
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Post by gmitch067 on Apr 11, 2018 17:18:08 GMT -5
Welcome to RTH. Have you checked out The Rock Shed? They have good prices and a discount on grit and rough rock when you buy a tumbler. The first stage takes the longest, so you'll need more coarse grit (60/90 or 46/70) than other grits, so stock up while you have a discount. I really like the Lortone tumblers. I have a QT66 and a 33B. I also have a Thumlers AR2, which I don't like as much. If you want to add a vibratory tumbler to the fleet, consider the Lot-O. It's a great machine that a lot of us have had great luck with. I have not used them, but I'm not impressed with what I've heard about Harbor Freight tumblers or the National Geographic Tumbler. If you have any questions before making a decision, let us know. I have to side with the Lortone rotary tumblers... The 3A uses a single 3 lb barrel, and 33B unit runs two 3 lb barrels in tandem. Both have different chassis but utilize the same motor. If you are just starting out and want to stay small, they are good tumblers. Try to keep your rocks small... 3/4" to 1 1/2" size. The QT66/12 can use one or two 6 lb barrels at a time, or can be run with a single 12 lb barrel... very versatile... more room to expand later. As Jugglerguy states, the first stage (which is mainly used to shape the rocks) takes the longest. Most hard stones like jaspers and agates take 4-6 weeks or more to shape them to your liking. Each week (whichever tumbler you get) you will be opening the tumblers to clean, inspect and recharge the load with fresh grit (the abrasive). Many tumbler instruction manuals (with complementary packets of grits) lead you to believe that their single packet of coarse grit (Stage-1) is adequate to shape the stones, but all that will happen is you will just knock the sharp edges off. Sooooo... as Jugglerguy stated... when you do go out and buy your new tumbler and stock up on grit, buy more coarse grit than the others. If you buy a tumbler with a small 3 lb barrel, 60/90 grit or 80 grit is good for a first stage abrasive. 45/70 grit does NOT seem to increase your grind rate in a 3 lb barrel, but is a good alternative in a larger 6 or 12 lb barrels. In my opinion , many tumbler instruction manuals call for way too much grit and polish per load. For my Lortone tumblers, I only use one tablespoon grit as the number of pounds rock each barrel can hold... a 3 lb barrel will need 3 TBS grit... a 6 lb barrel will use 6 TBS. It works for me... I have had good dealings with The Rock Shed as a place to buy tumblers and supplies... Glenn
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cobbledstones
spending too much on rocks
Member since January 2014
Posts: 482
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Post by cobbledstones on Apr 11, 2018 21:00:37 GMT -5
welcome aboard
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Post by TheRock on Apr 20, 2018 0:02:19 GMT -5
to RTH Forum secretone from ~Duke in SW/Michigan
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