rxscram
spending too much on rocks
Member since August 2011
Posts: 484
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Post by rxscram on Nov 10, 2016 13:28:58 GMT -5
I really like that! I may try to make a slightly scaled-down version of that myself! Thank you for sharing! Wondering out loud, could you put a layer of water-permeable landscape fabric at the top? That might make it a LOT easier to clean out the slurry build-up. Some membrane that would be either reusable or pretty cheap so that it's not creating more waste than it is saving. That's a great idea... I'll have to add that to mine!
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rxscram
spending too much on rocks
Member since August 2011
Posts: 484
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Post by rxscram on Nov 10, 2016 1:50:18 GMT -5
Hi Everybody! I thought I'd share my homemade slurry filter that I use for my Ultravibe-45, with 40-50 pound loads of tumbled rocks. First off... the equipment list. You'll need: 1. A very large (mine is 27 gallons) plastic storage container with lid. 2. 1 bag of 3/4" stones, 2 bags of mixed gravel, 2 bags of sand. 3. 1 box of lump charcoal, or activated carbon if you have it available. If you are not lazy (unlike me), you should grind up the charcoal into much smaller chunks. 4. Cinder blocks or another method of suspending the filter above ground level. Now for the construction! 1. Drill holes all around the lid of the storage container. You'll want to find a happy balance between having holes big enough to drain quickly, but small enough that you won't lose any of your grinding media or stones through it. 2. Drill holes around the center of the bottom of the container. 3. Place your cinder blocks or other base in a position where you can keep your filter for a long, long time. Once it is done, it is very heavy and you won't want to move it! 4. Place your empty container on top of the base. 5. For the bottom layer, use the 3/4" gravel and fill about 1.5 inches deep. (For the picture, I started to pour in the sand before I remembered to take the picture... the large gravel is on the bottom.) 6. Place alternating layers of sand and charcoal until about 3/4 full. End with a layer of sand. 7. Fill until about 1 inch from the top with alternating layers of sand and mixed gravel. I only took pictures of one layer stack, but ended up with 2 total. You'll want to finish with gravel on the top. 8. Put the lid on and test it out! Here is my first load with it... about 40 pounds or so from my Ultra-vibe 45. Here it is again after some work with a garden hose on the "shower" setting. It takes a few minutes for the water to work its way through the filter, but it is much, much cleaner than when it goes in. Eventually the grit on the inside will pile up and reach the top, and you'll have to scoop it or vacuum it out, but it should last a long, long time before you need to worry about that. Thanks for looking! Jeff
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rxscram
spending too much on rocks
Member since August 2011
Posts: 484
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Post by rxscram on Nov 8, 2016 18:41:33 GMT -5
The vibrating laps are still available... great prices!
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rxscram
spending too much on rocks
Member since August 2011
Posts: 484
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Post by rxscram on Nov 8, 2016 16:20:30 GMT -5
Thank you for reply but you dont understand me in my processes i need to mix both of them without make it coming harder for 20 days so what i can do for make this mix and not coming harder What are you trying to do? (Why do you want it to not be hard for 20 days?) The whole point of mixing the epoxy with the hardener is to make it solidify. If you don't want it to solidify, you can't mix them together.
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rxscram
spending too much on rocks
Member since August 2011
Posts: 484
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Post by rxscram on Nov 7, 2016 16:08:58 GMT -5
I'm interested in the old vibrating lap, but would like to know what is needed (rubber balls?) to get it fully functional. Sorry...this type of device is new to me, so I'm not familiar with all the components. I'm assuming the motor is the primary, and most important element. So, the "rubber balls" are used as the mounts for the pan. As near as I can tell, they are vibration dampers/shocks. I think a few 1.5 inch (approximately) super bouncy balls will serve as a replacement for the original.
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rxscram
spending too much on rocks
Member since August 2011
Posts: 484
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Post by rxscram on Nov 7, 2016 14:40:50 GMT -5
Hi Everybody, I have several items of equipment for sale. I just realized once I started typing that I don't have pictures of any of it, so I will rectify that in a post later this evening, but I at least wanted to get the general post out first. Everything is local pickup (San Dimas, CA) only.
All equipment is in great working order, unless otherwise noted. 1. Mounted Lot-O-Tumbler. This is mounted on a cinderblock and a house anchor. Heavy! Works fine, I just didn't like it. $60. Sold to @shotgunner ! 2. (New) Covington 16 inch vibrating lap, with 3 new pans and all of the other accessories. I bought a new Covington vibrating lap in January, put maybe 10 hours of use on it. It also has 2 (maybe 3, I can't remember) totally untouched pans to go with it, along with the rubber tubing shock supports, etc. (So, this means it has a total of either 3 or 4 pans, with only one of the pans having any use on it.) I've also got a bunch of lead weights for it. Perfect working condition, and effectively brand new. This is about $780 worth of equipment retail. I'm asking $500 for everything. Claimed by paulshiroma! 3. Old style vibrating lap. This one has a working motor, but needs new rubber balls for the supports. I think it's a 16 or 18". Comes with 2 pans. $100 Claimed by paulshiromaI'll get pictures up later. (Oops, never remembered to do this!) Jeff
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rxscram
spending too much on rocks
Member since August 2011
Posts: 484
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Post by rxscram on Nov 1, 2016 16:17:00 GMT -5
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rxscram
spending too much on rocks
Member since August 2011
Posts: 484
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Post by rxscram on Oct 31, 2016 7:51:49 GMT -5
Hi All,
The 61st annual Indian Wells Gem & Mineral show will be taking place this weekend (11-5 and 11-6). If interested, it is being held at
520 South Richmond Road Ridgecrest , CA 93555
Hope to see you there! Jeff
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rxscram
spending too much on rocks
Member since August 2011
Posts: 484
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Post by rxscram on Oct 25, 2016 10:54:51 GMT -5
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rxscram
spending too much on rocks
Member since August 2011
Posts: 484
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Post by rxscram on Oct 13, 2016 10:16:44 GMT -5
Thanks for the sore toe? (Condition of nail questionable! ).I am with drawing my attempt to make the box #9 list, it is true like spiceman said on another thread I started ,rules are ment to be followed, and I agree 100%, besides patience is the #1 rule with anything any of us do here, so I can wait my turn thank you all that where willing to let me play, "A rock short story" With patience you will find it. With patience and practice you will shine it. With patience, practice an knowledge you may sell it. With patience you will find the peace in it and gift it, "By accidentalrockhound" Thaks again everyone! And have fun look forward to the thread! Is spiceman participating in this round? He hasn't signed up for it. The rules are never set in stone, and if they were I wouldn't have made the first travelling rock box I participated in. If you want to sign up, just sign up. It's been pretty unanimous, with only one person who doesn't have any skin in the game saying anything negative about you joining.
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rxscram
spending too much on rocks
Member since August 2011
Posts: 484
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Post by rxscram on Oct 12, 2016 18:02:59 GMT -5
I will open this up to a vote. All who want accidentalrockhound in this round, speak up! Sheri I think I got about 5 or 6 thumbs up?what is the magic number?anybody else want to vote me in ? I swear I don't look like my avatar!Please vote or ask any questions? Waiting in Colorado, thanks all that have given me an ok so far, I think you need at least 200 thumbs up. A combination of one thumb and two thumb votes is allowed, so you need somewhere between 100-200 people to vote for you, depending on how many thumbs they want to chop off... err, I mean sacrifice... err, I mean metaphorically stick up in the air for you. I give you a big toe up. My right one, since it's been kind of mangled by dropping too many rocks on it.
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rxscram
spending too much on rocks
Member since August 2011
Posts: 484
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Post by rxscram on Oct 10, 2016 12:34:05 GMT -5
All right, these are fun! I have a fair bit of higher end goods I can put in the box, either before it goes out from the first person, or I could go fairly early.
Jeff San Dimas, CA
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rxscram
spending too much on rocks
Member since August 2011
Posts: 484
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Post by rxscram on Sept 20, 2016 18:26:40 GMT -5
Are you using flat rate or weight based shipping?
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rxscram
spending too much on rocks
Member since August 2011
Posts: 484
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Post by rxscram on Sept 1, 2016 11:11:49 GMT -5
Hi Everybody, This is maybe an odd request... I purchased 3 gorgeous verdite and buddstone elephant carvings on my recent trip to South Africa. Several of the elephants need new tusks, as they were lost before I could purchase them. The ones I need are pretty small... maybe 1 to 2" long, about 1/4" thick. The tusks that I do have remaining are carved out of bone (not ivory, don't worry!), and I'd like to commission somebody to make new tusks for me. Does anybody know where I could look or who I could talk to who might be willing to do that? Here are the elephants, in case you are curious. Thanks! Jeff
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rxscram
spending too much on rocks
Member since August 2011
Posts: 484
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Post by rxscram on Aug 17, 2016 23:22:55 GMT -5
Here's one that is just jaw-dropping!!
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rxscram
spending too much on rocks
Member since August 2011
Posts: 484
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Post by rxscram on Aug 15, 2016 23:29:41 GMT -5
Where are you located?
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rxscram
spending too much on rocks
Member since August 2011
Posts: 484
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Post by rxscram on Aug 15, 2016 13:40:41 GMT -5
I've been getting some gorgeous silky malachite specimens lately... here is one that is especially nice. Sorry for the poor picture quality!
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rxscram
spending too much on rocks
Member since August 2011
Posts: 484
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Post by rxscram on Jun 28, 2016 23:49:43 GMT -5
Thanks for the warning about this guy. He'd sent me a message on eBay a few weeks ago, asking if I'd take a discounted price for a stone. (I didn't offer "Or best offer", but I guess he wanted to try anyway.) I ignored him, but after your post I've blocked him from buying from me.
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rxscram
spending too much on rocks
Member since August 2011
Posts: 484
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Post by rxscram on Jun 21, 2016 17:21:26 GMT -5
So, I was doing a load (about 50 pounds or so) in my Ultravibe 45 on Sunday. Outside temperature was about 107 degrees F, in the shade.
I start the load fairly early in the day, about 9 am or so. Around 3 PM I check on it, add some water, and then leave it be. I'm not able to check on it again until about 11:30 at night... and it's a good thing I did.
The slurry had dried out a bit (still muddy, but not nearly as liquid), and the tumbling action of the rocks rubbing against each other with this muddy slurry caused significant self heating. As soon as I opened the lid, steam started pouring out of the barrel, and I could hear the rocks hissing!! I quickly poured in a gallon of water, and even more steam came out! Another gallon of water into the barrel, basically fully covering everything, and it stopped wanting to boil. I reached my hand in the water to check on the rocks, and it was like very hot bath water.
I've run lots of loads with similar times between checks, but never in temperatures this hot. I thought it was interesting how much of a difference an extremely hot day can make!
(The good news... no damage to the barrel I could detect, rocks are fine, and the motor casing of the tumbler never got hotter than I could touch.)
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rxscram
spending too much on rocks
Member since August 2011
Posts: 484
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Post by rxscram on May 4, 2016 14:24:52 GMT -5
PM sent, I'll buy however much he has left after everybody on RTH has their chance.
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