quartz
Cave Dweller
breakin' rocks in the hot sun
Member since February 2010
Posts: 3,340
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Post by quartz on Apr 24, 2024 22:16:44 GMT -5
I've had good result using scraps of leather for padding in the polish stage, whole leather, not thin split. I cut up anything I can find at garage/estate sales, for a three pound tumbler about 3/8 to 1/2 inch pieces, roughly square [easier to cut that shape}. I put in about 1/3 of the load as leather pieces, it gets a little slimy, that does turn some people off.
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quartz
Cave Dweller
breakin' rocks in the hot sun
Member since February 2010
Posts: 3,340
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Post by quartz on Apr 15, 2024 22:02:35 GMT -5
What exactly is required to make a piece of threaded rod into a lead screw? I'm not familiar with that specific machine and no longer have one to go look at but it can't take much machining to make one. Grade 5 threaded rod would be a minimum.
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quartz
Cave Dweller
breakin' rocks in the hot sun
Member since February 2010
Posts: 3,340
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Post by quartz on Apr 15, 2024 21:54:59 GMT -5
It looks to me like that rock would be very comfortable to hold in the hand as it is. I like rocks that grip nicely, no matter exactly what shape they are. My vote polish it as is, and that is a very nice piece, lots going on in there be sad to lose some of it.
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quartz
Cave Dweller
breakin' rocks in the hot sun
Member since February 2010
Posts: 3,340
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Post by quartz on Apr 13, 2024 23:09:55 GMT -5
vegasjames, BKF is "Bar Keepers Friend", a powdered cleanser that has a fair amount of oxalic acid. I learned the translation from a friend who cleans his quartz pieces in it, don't have the mix in water ratio handy.
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quartz
Cave Dweller
breakin' rocks in the hot sun
Member since February 2010
Posts: 3,340
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Post by quartz on Apr 1, 2024 21:14:06 GMT -5
If you leave the flat spot, it will still look good and won't be rolling away.
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quartz
Cave Dweller
breakin' rocks in the hot sun
Member since February 2010
Posts: 3,340
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Post by quartz on Mar 31, 2024 22:06:07 GMT -5
rockinronda, I'm a little late to the party here too, you are doing a good job with apparently what you have to work with, keep it up, the learning curve is forever but gets easier. You asked at the start of the thread if anyone had gone vertical with rotaty tumblers. I built five of these 14 years ago, each barrel is one gallon capacity, or ~12 lbs. of rock. All were sold. Performance feedback was very positive on all.
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quartz
Cave Dweller
breakin' rocks in the hot sun
Member since February 2010
Posts: 3,340
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Post by quartz on Mar 28, 2024 20:43:14 GMT -5
I worked graveyard as a machinist/millwright at a sawmill for several years. One night when it was warm and the big doors were open I was consentrating on a job on the lathe, something bumped me on the shoulder, nearly jumped over the machine. There was a really big moth flying around with a sparrow about the same size in hot pursuit, the moth bumped me. I watched for a while but the two went out a door, don't know who won. The moth was easily the largest I have ever seen here in Oregon.
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quartz
Cave Dweller
breakin' rocks in the hot sun
Member since February 2010
Posts: 3,340
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Post by quartz on Mar 26, 2024 21:36:38 GMT -5
Rockoonz, thanks for the compliment. The grits are run on individual plates, real easy to change. 1dave, ya near blinded me with your thanks, Thank you for the appreciation.
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quartz
Cave Dweller
breakin' rocks in the hot sun
Member since February 2010
Posts: 3,340
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Post by quartz on Mar 26, 2024 18:53:01 GMT -5
1dave asked for pics. of my homemade rotary lap: The base is a 20" truck wheel with a piece of 4" channel welded to it. Attached to the channel is the motor mount and a plate to hold a comercially available trailer hub. I turned a spindle for the hub that runs in the Timken bearings, a pulley at the bottom, retaining nut for the bearings, a sheetmetal slinger disc,then the 20" grinding or polishing disc {or table} at the top. The catch pan under the table is an inverted metal garbage can lid that is attached to the spindle hub, with a drain tube from it. The table turns counter clockwise so the nut on top stays tight. Under the table is a 1/6 HP motor and a double reduction via a jackshaft to get the desired 120 RPM rotating speed. The motor toggle switch has a rod on it that brings control out to the front. I have 80, 220, and 600 discs and a polishing disc with a thin gray felt-like material glued to it. I can get a very good polish with it. I use cerium oxide for polishing, lucky to have found some cheap. This works well for me, I don't do enough with it to justify higher end table material. The rope wrapped around the channel is attached to an eye bolt and allows me to tie the machine to my hand truck to move outside when the weather is good. Rockoonz, I know Joe but have never been to Rock Castle, did see roy's machine once, nice lap.
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quartz
Cave Dweller
breakin' rocks in the hot sun
Member since February 2010
Posts: 3,340
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Post by quartz on Mar 25, 2024 22:46:34 GMT -5
I have had two vib laps, one a 16" and one a 27". They are slow and require more weight added to small pieces {about under a couple pounds}, but don't have to be babysat 100% of the time. I built a 20" rotary lap, it does have to me hand managed all the trime, but does a better job in way less time. I made several discs and run different SiC grits on each disc. It runs at 120 RPM which is as fast as I can run it without slinging the grit-water off.
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quartz
Cave Dweller
breakin' rocks in the hot sun
Member since February 2010
Posts: 3,340
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Post by quartz on Mar 17, 2024 21:43:02 GMT -5
Take the armature out and turn it over and reinstall to reverse rotation. All I have seen come this way.
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quartz
Cave Dweller
breakin' rocks in the hot sun
Member since February 2010
Posts: 3,340
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Post by quartz on Mar 14, 2024 22:02:34 GMT -5
The 3M098 motor has been discontinued, direct replacement is Dayton 52JE17. Grainger says ~$63. The difference is that the 52JE17 runs at 4.5 RPM where the 3M098 ran at 4.0 RPM, half a revolution per minute isn't going to make a difference on a saw.
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quartz
Cave Dweller
breakin' rocks in the hot sun
Member since February 2010
Posts: 3,340
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Post by quartz on Mar 1, 2024 23:21:04 GMT -5
I'm impressed, simple, basic and very functional, hard combination to beat.
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quartz
Cave Dweller
breakin' rocks in the hot sun
Member since February 2010
Posts: 3,340
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Post by quartz on Feb 18, 2024 22:20:28 GMT -5
Very nice job on mounting everything, then a furniture finish too. I would suggest one thing; cover the bolt ends sticking out of the case {motor mounts}, they will rip you good in a split second of too close. A piece of rubber tubing works good.
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quartz
Cave Dweller
breakin' rocks in the hot sun
Member since February 2010
Posts: 3,340
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Post by quartz on Feb 9, 2024 22:21:08 GMT -5
Not wishing to decide on either/or, I've not had good luck with either. For me the sugar turned into a sticky mess and Metamucil just disappeared; turned to water. I tried corn starch, with much better result, and a little goes a long ways. Just my 2cts.
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quartz
Cave Dweller
breakin' rocks in the hot sun
Member since February 2010
Posts: 3,340
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Post by quartz on Jan 26, 2024 22:18:35 GMT -5
In my 5-gallon barrels I run it for 2 weeks, maybe not a necessary amount, makes for a convenient amount of time for cleanouts.
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quartz
Cave Dweller
breakin' rocks in the hot sun
Member since February 2010
Posts: 3,340
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Post by quartz on Jan 17, 2024 22:43:33 GMT -5
This mornings paper said road conditions will improve when the ice melts, what a thought.
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quartz
Cave Dweller
breakin' rocks in the hot sun
Member since February 2010
Posts: 3,340
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Post by quartz on Jan 17, 2024 22:31:51 GMT -5
l like working outside weather permitting and this machine is handy for that. I do have a variety of plates for it, some came with it, some I made. I cut the slot in the motor end of the box, grab the tub and the slot, makes it very easy to move.
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quartz
Cave Dweller
breakin' rocks in the hot sun
Member since February 2010
Posts: 3,340
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Post by quartz on Jan 14, 2024 17:19:00 GMT -5
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quartz
Cave Dweller
breakin' rocks in the hot sun
Member since February 2010
Posts: 3,340
|
Post by quartz on Nov 24, 2023 22:22:49 GMT -5
I prefer pieces of leather, for a 3lb. tumbler probably in ~1/4-3/8" roughly square pieces; 1/4 to 1/3 of the load. Any kind of leather, garage and estate sale stuff is great, but not split leathers as it wears out too fast. It does get a little slimey, some don't like that.
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