Wooferhound
Cave Dweller
Lortone QT66 and 3A
Member since December 2016
Posts: 1,426
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Post by Wooferhound on Feb 6, 2020 11:51:25 GMT -5
- I hadn't seen any rocks for sale at Dollar General. Please elaborate...
Cheap rocks from the Dollar General store
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Wooferhound
Cave Dweller
Lortone QT66 and 3A
Member since December 2016
Posts: 1,426
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Post by Wooferhound on Feb 6, 2020 1:14:13 GMT -5
Got two 6 pound tumblers running the same thing All self collected Alabama rocks, mostly quartz and chert, nothing fancy Here is a thread from a few years ago asking the same thing
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Wooferhound
Cave Dweller
Lortone QT66 and 3A
Member since December 2016
Posts: 1,426
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Post by Wooferhound on Feb 1, 2020 1:39:12 GMT -5
Made pudding... that was a mess... That is how a Stage 1 tumble should look after a week or two tumbling .
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Wooferhound
Cave Dweller
Lortone QT66 and 3A
Member since December 2016
Posts: 1,426
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Post by Wooferhound on Jan 31, 2020 10:06:45 GMT -5
Use some Off bug spray, cleans them right up. You will need to clear coat it to make it last. Sanding will work as well, start around 600, then go to polish. Will fog again if not clear coated as well. Common problem in Az. Some of the YouTube videos were suggesting that WD-40 would clear them up but others said that it only works temporarily.
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Wooferhound
Cave Dweller
Lortone QT66 and 3A
Member since December 2016
Posts: 1,426
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Post by Wooferhound on Jan 31, 2020 9:53:05 GMT -5
Thanks everyone for the encouragement and suggestions I'm going to give it a try within a few weeks They are really oxidized so I can't possibly make it any worse Will let you know how it works out . . .
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Wooferhound
Cave Dweller
Lortone QT66 and 3A
Member since December 2016
Posts: 1,426
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Post by Wooferhound on Jan 30, 2020 21:12:51 GMT -5
I have an old car, the Suns Rays have Fogged and Oxidized the clear plastic lenses on the front of the headlights. Watching YouTube videos on Restoring headlights it looks like you sand off the oxidized layer and then polish it all clear. Has anyone tried this with rock grit and polish to make the lenses clear. Or do you have any suggestions on what I may try. Was thinking about some polish pads on a drill, then apply 600 or 1000 grit and water to get the top layer off. Followed by another pad and smaller grit or polish ?
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Wooferhound
Cave Dweller
Lortone QT66 and 3A
Member since December 2016
Posts: 1,426
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Post by Wooferhound on Jan 29, 2020 12:37:46 GMT -5
Still sounds like too much water to me. In Stage 1 I'll fill the barrel with water to 1/4 the height of the rocks, it's hard to find the water when filled that way.
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Wooferhound
Cave Dweller
Lortone QT66 and 3A
Member since December 2016
Posts: 1,426
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Post by Wooferhound on Jan 28, 2020 11:30:32 GMT -5
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Wooferhound
Cave Dweller
Lortone QT66 and 3A
Member since December 2016
Posts: 1,426
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Post by Wooferhound on Jan 27, 2020 12:19:36 GMT -5
I think it is defects in the stone
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Wooferhound
Cave Dweller
Lortone QT66 and 3A
Member since December 2016
Posts: 1,426
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Post by Wooferhound on Jan 27, 2020 11:59:36 GMT -5
Optimal may be different than what is supplied by a given manufacturer. I don't know the diameter of you HF barrel in relation to a Lortone three-pound barrel, but I seem to recall that a Lortone barrel of your size will normally turn around 45 RPMs or so. What Lortone do you have that runs at 62 RPMs? That is one of the highest, if not the highest, RPM numbers I've seen for a Lortone. Agreed, those number seem pretty high. Especially for the Lortone. My Lortone 3A three pound barrel turns at 6o RPM
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Wooferhound
Cave Dweller
Lortone QT66 and 3A
Member since December 2016
Posts: 1,426
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Post by Wooferhound on Jan 25, 2020 13:59:29 GMT -5
For me, too much foam in stage 1 means too much water, which will never thicken into a good slurry. In stage 1 Ifill the barrel 3/4 full and not much water, well under the level of the top of the rocks.
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Wooferhound
Cave Dweller
Lortone QT66 and 3A
Member since December 2016
Posts: 1,426
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Post by Wooferhound on Jan 23, 2020 9:20:24 GMT -5
I keep picking up the same stuff thinking/hoping it will tumble nice because it looks so good in the wild and this time will be different somehow... This speaks to me on a spiritual level. I collect rock at a large stream 10 miles from home. The Chert found there looks amazing with layers in a glassy stone. It never comes out very good and breaks up frequently. But I still can't resist picking up more of it hoping it will come out better this time.
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Wooferhound
Cave Dweller
Lortone QT66 and 3A
Member since December 2016
Posts: 1,426
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Post by Wooferhound on Jan 16, 2020 17:53:42 GMT -5
Incompatible Cabochon Candidate
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Wooferhound
Cave Dweller
Lortone QT66 and 3A
Member since December 2016
Posts: 1,426
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Post by Wooferhound on Jan 12, 2020 11:01:05 GMT -5
I think that Quartz loses color and detail after being polished ending up being kinda bland if polished well. The extra detail provided by your holes, cracks and undercutting will add character and lead your eye around the rock showing it's history. I've tumbled lots of rocks with cracks and holes in them. A good tumble/wash between stages has always made good polish results for me.
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Wooferhound
Cave Dweller
Lortone QT66 and 3A
Member since December 2016
Posts: 1,426
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Post by Wooferhound on Jan 8, 2020 8:46:31 GMT -5
One thing I can say for sure is.......DO NOT USE FLOUR as a thickener. Lmao, I know most of you knew this already, but I always have to learn the hard way. After a few days of it being in there, I opened the barrels and omg the smell was horrendous and it was all stuck on the bottom with rocks glued into it. I wound up cleaning everything out and really well at that and then just added water and some salt to prevent freezing. In the right amount, Flour would thicken the slurry, but it would act as cushioning which is Not Normally used in Stage 1 Tumbles because it slows everything down.
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Wooferhound
Cave Dweller
Lortone QT66 and 3A
Member since December 2016
Posts: 1,426
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Post by Wooferhound on Jan 3, 2020 17:47:21 GMT -5
Cut up a few shop rags with a sewing scissors
I like the sawdust idea also. Aren't you guys trying to make your stage 1 tumbles more efficient and Faster ? Then don't use any cushioning in there, Sawdust will just slow everything down and waste grit.
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Wooferhound
Cave Dweller
Lortone QT66 and 3A
Member since December 2016
Posts: 1,426
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Post by Wooferhound on Jan 3, 2020 8:05:12 GMT -5
I made a cleanout sink that collects any leftover usable slurry in a settlement tank. Then dry it out and use it in stage 1 tumbles.
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Wooferhound
Cave Dweller
Lortone QT66 and 3A
Member since December 2016
Posts: 1,426
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Post by Wooferhound on Jan 1, 2020 11:59:11 GMT -5
When you tumble rocks in Space , You need to make your own Gravity .
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Wooferhound
Cave Dweller
Lortone QT66 and 3A
Member since December 2016
Posts: 1,426
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Post by Wooferhound on Dec 31, 2019 16:35:38 GMT -5
For a while, I was using glass Marbles as smalls in stage 1 tumbles. I think it was working but as Jamesp says, they do wear out in about a month.
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Wooferhound
Cave Dweller
Lortone QT66 and 3A
Member since December 2016
Posts: 1,426
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Post by Wooferhound on Dec 30, 2019 15:44:51 GMT -5
A Vibratory Rotary Tumbler
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