tkvancil
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since September 2011
Posts: 1,546
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Post by tkvancil on Nov 21, 2019 10:57:56 GMT -5
I get the exact same effect in a UV18 with 1 tsp. psyllium fiber. And since the psyllium is also lubricating I rarely have to add water.
More than one way to skin a cat as they say ....
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tkvancil
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since September 2011
Posts: 1,546
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Post by tkvancil on Nov 7, 2019 10:15:02 GMT -5
What was said above, good unit. The wear on the lid gasket can be minimized by putting band aids over the head of the carriage bolt.
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tkvancil
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since September 2011
Posts: 1,546
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Post by tkvancil on Oct 27, 2019 10:53:18 GMT -5
zw685 I like Lortone tumblers but Thumlers rate well with their users here also. When I started I used a 33b double 3# lortone tumbler. Nice little machine. It didn't take more than a year for me to buy a second 33b. I could have all four steps running at once if need be with two 33b's. Shortly after that I bought lortone's QT66 double 6# tumbler. Then a 12# barrel for my QT 66. And so on until now when if everything is running I'm doing 4 12# barrels of rough grind. A lot of people "get hooked" on this hobby and wanna go bigger better faster. If it is in your budget I would buy Lortone QT66 along with a Lortone 12# barrel. The QT66 frame accepts two 6 pound barrels, or one 12# barrel. You can then devote the 12# barrel to stage one coarse grind. One of the 6# barrels for fine / pre-polish, and the other for polish. Just my two cents worth of course. Kingsley North and The Rock Shed are both good sources for grits and polishes. As it works out for me I buy grit from Kingsley because 50 pounds after shipping is cheaper. I buy Rock Shed AO polish because the price is right and it polishes "everything", and works great rotary or vibe. Bang for the buck can be important in this hobby, grits will be a leading investment. Welcome to the board, have fun, Rock on!
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tkvancil
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since September 2011
Posts: 1,546
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Post by tkvancil on Sept 11, 2019 9:38:34 GMT -5
Lortone says 10 tbs. per 6# barrel. That's what I use and it seems to work well.
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tkvancil
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since September 2011
Posts: 1,546
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Post by tkvancil on Sept 11, 2019 9:34:24 GMT -5
I have tinkered around with vibe only tumbles. Have even done some quartz crystals and rough agate/jaspers. So I know it can be done. The "rougher" pieces got 2 or more 220 runs.
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tkvancil
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since September 2011
Posts: 1,546
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Post by tkvancil on Sept 8, 2019 12:27:01 GMT -5
lthornton the wear is normal. The small cylinders climbing the walls is normal. With the lid on they fall back into the mix. Are you getting results you are happy with? ... If so I'd venture a guess that your formula is in no need of change.
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tkvancil
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since September 2011
Posts: 1,546
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Post by tkvancil on Sept 8, 2019 12:23:38 GMT -5
QT66 good upgrade choice. You can buy a 12# barrel later on if desired, same frame for 1 twelve or 2 sixes.
Rock Shed sells them. Kingsley North sells them. Hayneedle sells them.
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tkvancil
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since September 2011
Posts: 1,546
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Post by tkvancil on Aug 30, 2019 13:08:43 GMT -5
Steel balls/shot have uses such as deburring metal. However not for rock tumbling. The steel is too "soft" and will leave metallic streaks on your rocks.
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tkvancil
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since September 2011
Posts: 1,546
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Post by tkvancil on Aug 16, 2019 10:26:33 GMT -5
lthornton In my UV18 I use half the amount of 220 that Thumlers recommends. For finer grits and polish I use 3 tablespoons. I suspect 1 to 1.5 tbs. may be all you need. In my experience you will see less of these black bits when the water/grit balance is closest to optimum. I totally over watered when I first started, remember it's okay if the action slows a little as long as it doesn't stop.
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tkvancil
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since September 2011
Posts: 1,546
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Post by tkvancil on Aug 16, 2019 10:11:28 GMT -5
Been lookin' at these all week. Can no longer resist. PM sent.
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tkvancil
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since September 2011
Posts: 1,546
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Post by tkvancil on Jun 21, 2019 10:22:13 GMT -5
AO polish? If so it's not too expensive. Why risk it.
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tkvancil
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since September 2011
Posts: 1,546
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Post by tkvancil on May 30, 2019 10:39:10 GMT -5
lancemountain ... I don't think you did anything wrong. Lab has done this to me every time I have tried it. It seems to me the finer the grit the more this happens. My theory is less actual slurry is the culprit. The loose bonds of this particular feldspar probably come into play as well. I think the edges of the layers get beat up and what I would call frosted. The extra thick slurry is also something I have seen before with this rock. It gets uber-sticky if allowed to dry. My last attempt made it to polish before it went bad, looked pretty much as you are showing. It actually looked OK at 24 hours but by the next day ... bam! gone to crap. Shorter pre-polish / polish cycles should help. I will try again some day ( 3 "fails") to date. Maybe a dry polish? Good luck, rock on!
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tkvancil
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since September 2011
Posts: 1,546
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Post by tkvancil on Apr 12, 2019 10:51:19 GMT -5
fernwood not trying to rain on your parade but ... I have tried tumble polishing Lab, rotary once and vibe twice, and all 3 times it looked fine until polish cycle. It tends to chip/crack/frost along the edges of the layered minerals that make up the stone. Some pieces more than others. Check often and pull as soon as it's shined well enough for your taste is what I'd suggest. best of luck and rock on...
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tkvancil
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since September 2011
Posts: 1,546
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Post by tkvancil on Dec 9, 2018 18:09:27 GMT -5
The agates are fine but I'm partial to the jaspers myself. Have always liked the blue, blue/green color in those "Western Jaspers". Totally agree with you as to being a good choice for beginners.
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tkvancil
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since September 2011
Posts: 1,546
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Post by tkvancil on Dec 9, 2018 18:00:22 GMT -5
Nice! All around ... the shape, the shine, the vid, the pics, ... Nice!
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tkvancil
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since September 2011
Posts: 1,546
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Post by tkvancil on Dec 9, 2018 17:47:02 GMT -5
So yeah ... don't see anything inherently flawed here. I never used a set schedule myself although some do.
I always do multiple runs in the coarse stage. Personally I don't even check to see if my rocks are ready for stage 2 until they have 3 weeks in coarse. Some can spend 3 months in coarse. I see you will tumble until satisfied with shape ... completely your choice here as to what that is. One thing I can say ... if you don't like the way they look coming out of coarse you probably won't like it polished either.
You probably know but ... keep the plastic pellets for one grit size only. Don't move them along from one stage to the next.
I think walnut shells are for dry tumbles ... I'd stick with the pellets for the burnish.
Take notes, keep experimenting, and most importantly have fun!
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tkvancil
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since September 2011
Posts: 1,546
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Post by tkvancil on Nov 21, 2018 12:20:34 GMT -5
Agreed, I would not try to tumble that one to "perfection" either.
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tkvancil
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since September 2011
Posts: 1,546
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Post by tkvancil on Nov 21, 2018 12:18:57 GMT -5
The Unakite came out really nice. Your recipe seems to work well.
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tkvancil
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since September 2011
Posts: 1,546
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Post by tkvancil on Nov 21, 2018 12:16:51 GMT -5
Very nice ... some sweet Lakers you got there. Rock on!
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tkvancil
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since September 2011
Posts: 1,546
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Post by tkvancil on Nov 21, 2018 12:14:51 GMT -5
Nice. I like the fossil (?) piece in 2nd / 3rd pic.
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