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Post by parfive on Oct 11, 2018 0:25:33 GMT -5
Bad back here.
So the ramp lifts the (heavy) barrel a few inches to the tumbler.
How do you negotiate the open (still heavy) barrel to the much-much-more-elevationally-challenged colander? Or do you just scoop/dig out small potfuls at a time?
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Post by johnw on Oct 11, 2018 1:58:53 GMT -5
Bad back here. So the ramp lifts the (heavy) barrel a few inches to the tumbler. How do you negotiate the open (still heavy) barrel to the much-much-more-elevationally-challenged colander? Or do you just scoop/dig out small potfuls at a time? parfive, you are right on both accounts........ the ramp resolves the issue of lifting the barrel about eight inches from the floor to the rollers. I tried that and ooof, there must be a better way, solution: a ramp. The ramp allows me to roll the beast up to the top and flip it over onto the rollers. It's a lot easier to roll than lift. Now to the colander, it's not a fixture of the bucket. Its a stand alone piece of gear from The Rock Shed. I just scoop out whatever rocks I want to see. The only reason why this time the barrel is really heavy is, I loaded it with all the agates I had, as fill. Next time I will use a percentage of ceramics, in addition to the Bahia and Mex lace agates. Not as heavy and will help attain the 3/4 full mark. Hope this helps. Cheers, john w
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Post by fernwood on Oct 11, 2018 4:05:41 GMT -5
Nice looking biggies you have going there.
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Post by Drummond Island Rocks on Oct 11, 2018 6:35:59 GMT -5
I love the idea of 5 pound tumbled rocks but I am really jealous about the 80 pounds of Bahia agates. Dealing with that barrel is not for the faint at heart. This will be fun to watch from the sidelines. Thanks for sharing the pictures.
I am a little surprised by the use of 60/90. I would of thought in a barrel that size 46/70 or coarser would be more efficient. All rocks are not created equal so I am sure some of those Bahia agates will be done with stage one in 4-5 weeks but some of them may also take 16-20 weeks. After a month or so are you planning on doing full barrel clean outs to pull rocks ready for stage two? I am just guessing that you would not be doing that every week.
Chuck
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surreality
starting to spend too much on rocks
is picking up too many rocks at the beach again
Member since January 2012
Posts: 217
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Post by surreality on Oct 11, 2018 7:51:44 GMT -5
...that ramp is a seriously brilliant idea. Utterly brilliant. Hm. Now I have to wonder about one of those!
ETA: I'd scoop. Seriously. There's just no reason to stress anybody's back doing it any other way, no matter how great or strong that back may be!
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Post by parfive on Oct 11, 2018 11:54:47 GMT -5
ETA: I'd scoop. Seriously. There's just no reason to stress anybody's back doing it any other way, no matter how great or strong that back may be! No bargain working on the floor either, on the back or the knees. Hundred-pound barrel, I’d have an electric lift/hoist to get that sucker to a comfy-heighted bench.
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Post by johnw on Oct 11, 2018 13:30:08 GMT -5
ETA: I'd scoop. Seriously. There's just no reason to stress anybody's back doing it any other way, no matter how great or strong that back may be! No bargain working on the floor either, on the back or the knees. Hundred-pound barrel, I’d have an electric lift/hoist to get that sucker to a comfy-heighted bench. parfive, ..... except I can't swing a cat in the small designated space I have been allocated along with the garden equipment in the back of the garage. It was sanctioned by the chairman of the board so all things considered I am grateful for small blessings.. Cheers, johnw
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Post by parfive on Oct 11, 2018 14:28:53 GMT -5
Just as well. It’s not nice to swing cats, unless . . .
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Post by johnw on Oct 11, 2018 15:34:35 GMT -5
Just as well. It’s not nice to swing cats, unless . . . parfive, when I was a kid, we called em' mogies and swung them and then let go. Amazing, they always landed on their feet and took off like a rocket. Cheers, johnw
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Post by johnw on Oct 11, 2018 15:38:43 GMT -5
...that ramp is a seriously brilliant idea. Utterly brilliant. Hm. Now I have to wonder about one of those! ETA: I'd scoop. Seriously. There's just no reason to stress anybody's back doing it any other way, no matter how great or strong that back may be! surreality, here is a close up of the ramp. $10.00 max. after rummaging around the cutting department at Home Depot. Cheers, johnw
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surreality
starting to spend too much on rocks
is picking up too many rocks at the beach again
Member since January 2012
Posts: 217
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Post by surreality on Oct 11, 2018 16:07:01 GMT -5
I work on the floor a lot -- mid-40s I finally understand why my mother always winced when she saw me doing that as a kid -- but I'm short enough that I'd have to empty that on my feet or from a chair.
We have some big heavy duty plastic scoops (designed for ice, I think?) we use to scoop through shells and rocks on the beaches that look like they'd be perfect to simplify that. "Commercial Grade Quality Shatterproof Polycarbonate Multi-Purpose Ice Scoop" on Amazon should pull up a lot of options.
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Post by beefjello on Oct 11, 2018 19:31:20 GMT -5
Wow, go big or go home huh?! Looking forward to your results, not only with the big Crazies but also with the filler agates!
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Post by johnw on Oct 12, 2018 0:29:06 GMT -5
Wow, go big or go home huh?! Looking forward to your results, not only with the big Crazies but also with the filler agates! It's addictive. When I saw the picture of the rock crafted by Don Pulitzer, I knew I had to have something like that for my collection. Soooooooo, got rid of the smaller tumblers after looking at Don's video and traded for a 65T........ I have been a happy camper for the past several years, content with tumbling Bahia agates and just got started with Crazies, ( I like that word, may I use it?) and then wham, I saw the ROCK. Everything changed. I got the inside scoop from Don on how to tumble biggies and so it began. But... tradah...after reading the fine print on how to operate the 65T, like, "you are required to fill you barrel 3/4 full being in the region of about 80-90 pounds with rock and filler", I knew I had just found an outlet for all the Bahia and MCLA rough I had amassed over the years. So you are right not only will I be getting some killer specimen rocks tumbled on my journey to the BIG ONE, but will get a ton of Bahia's and Crazies as a side benefit. Cheers, johnw
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Post by johnw on Oct 12, 2018 20:10:11 GMT -5
I love the idea of 5 pound tumbled rocks but I am really jealous about the 80 pounds of Bahia agates. Dealing with that barrel is not for the faint at heart. This will be fun to watch from the sidelines. Thanks for sharing the pictures. I am a little surprised by the use of 60/90. I would of thought in a barrel that size 46/70 or coarser would be more efficient. All rocks are not created equal so I am sure some of those Bahia agates will be done with stage one in 4-5 weeks but some of them may also take 16-20 weeks. After a month or so are you planning on doing full barrel clean outs to pull rocks ready for stage two? I am just guessing that you would not be doing that every week. Chuck Drummond Island Rocks, Chuck, you are right on all points. The reason why I did not use 46/70 is I have never given that a thought and followed the operating instructions from the machine manufacturers. Its definitely something for later consideration. I will check again after ten days to observe how the removal action is coming on the big crazy and then throw em' all back again for a month. Good point on the 46/70 though, and thank you for sharing the knowledge. BTW I think I got a winner with the big crazy, I am beginning to see a lot of potential under its skin. Cheers, johnw
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Post by johnw on Oct 21, 2018 23:08:16 GMT -5
After the second 10 day tumble cycle I cracked the lid, here is my progress report. The Bahia's are looking good and the Mookaite Jasper pieces are fantastic. The Big Crazy has shed some more "skin" and I am beginning to see some really nice patterns emerging. There is still however a lot of black outer crud that needs to come off on one side. I am going to increase the tumbling time to 20 days on this next sequence to see if this will shift the black crud. I took out 15 pounds of sludge, added 8 pounds of 60-90 grit, added a few Brazil agates and topped the barrel up to the 3/4 mark with water. The load when all buttoned up weighs in at 130 pounds. BTW Don at Diamond Pacific tells me I could go as high as a 150 pounds total load and the machine would take it, but I think my back would give out first. Here are some images of the progress: My sludge dumping and sample cleaning area Samples Bahia's Mookaite Jasper Big Crazy (4 images) OK that's it for now. err, well not quite, this is for the "what do you see in a stone" folks. Check out the "shoe", second one up from the bottom. There is a female profile in the center, white face, dark eye and long lashes. Cheers, johnw
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Post by miket on Oct 22, 2018 9:33:13 GMT -5
Good to see Big Crazy is coming along nicely. That's going to be a show stopper!
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Post by fernwood on Oct 22, 2018 10:13:36 GMT -5
Nice work.
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Post by johnw on Oct 23, 2018 10:52:42 GMT -5
Good to see Big Crazy is coming along nicely. That's going to be a show stopper! miket, I appreciate the comment, but I think its gonna be a long slog to get where it should be. Cheers, johnw
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Post by johnw on Oct 23, 2018 10:54:53 GMT -5
fernwood. thank you. BTW, did you "see" the profile of the female in the shoe? Cheers, johnw
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Post by miket on Oct 23, 2018 11:32:30 GMT -5
Good to see Big Crazy is coming along nicely. That's going to be a show stopper! miket, I appreciate the comment, but I think its gonna be a long slog to get where it should be. Cheers, johnw Long slopes seem to be the norm in this hobby, I'm learning! I'm a patient man Thanks for the updates
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