dirtsifter
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Co to za kamyczek?
Member since September 2022
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Post by dirtsifter on Sept 27, 2022 0:33:26 GMT -5
I recently, 10 days ago, bought a Lortone QT12. Looking through the instructions I was amazed the instructions called for 20 tablespoons of grit for a load. I bought it to tumble larger rocks and/or tumble some rocks a little quicker than the smaller barrels do. I see other instructive videos say a Tbls per pound of rock. I'm a little confused. 20 Tbls coarse is just over a pound per tumble. For now I'm following Lortones instructions but is that much really needed? signed, I'm such a nube
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vance71975
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since September 2022
Posts: 760
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Post by vance71975 on Sept 27, 2022 1:06:25 GMT -5
I recently, 10 days ago, bought a Lortone QT12. Looking through the instructions I was amazed the instructions called for 20 tablespoons of grit for a load. I bought it to tumble larger rocks and/or tumble some rocks a little quicker than the smaller barrels do. I see other instructive videos say a Tbls per pound of rock. I'm a little confused. 20 Tbls coarse is just over a pound per tumble. For now I'm following Lortones instructions but is that much really needed? signed, I'm such a nube 1 tablespoon per lb of the barrel, so 12 lb barrel, 12 tablespoons.
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dirtsifter
Cave Dweller
Co to za kamyczek?
Member since September 2022
Posts: 402
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Post by dirtsifter on Sept 27, 2022 2:16:25 GMT -5
I recently, 10 days ago, bought a Lortone QT12. Looking through the instructions I was amazed the instructions called for 20 tablespoons of grit for a load. I bought it to tumble larger rocks and/or tumble some rocks a little quicker than the smaller barrels do. I see other instructive videos say a Tbls per pound of rock. I'm a little confused. 20 Tbls coarse is just over a pound per tumble. For now I'm following Lortones instructions but is that much really needed? signed, I'm such a nube 1 tablespoon per lb of the barrel, so 12 lb barrel, 12 tablespoons. Well, that's the information I learned from watching and reading about tumbling. So I was a bit puzzled when the instructions for the tumbler call for 20 Table spoons of grit. I thought, oh this is going to be more expensive than I thought.
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vance71975
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since September 2022
Posts: 760
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Post by vance71975 on Sept 27, 2022 2:18:55 GMT -5
1 tablespoon per lb of the barrel, so 12 lb barrel, 12 tablespoons. Well, that's the information I learned from watching and reading about tumbling. So I was a bit puzzled when the instructions for the tumbler call for 20 Table spoons of grit. I thought, oh this is going to be more expensive than I thought. The extra might be to err on the side of caution to make sure there is enough grit to cut that much weight in rocks tbh No harm in following the directions or tryin less and see how it works. Big barrels ARE more expesive to run grit wise, but OVER ALL will save you money in the long run because you are getting more rocks done at one time.
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Post by As I in does tries! on Sept 27, 2022 3:11:06 GMT -5
Greetings and Welcome to RTH Forums from Bonnybridge, Scotland.
F80 (60/90) grit Min load [12lb] 240g (8.465oz) Max load [12lb] 480g (1.05lb)
F80 = £7.20 per kg (2.2lb)
F80 (60/90) 240g 2kg (4.4lb) = 8 loads = £14.40 480g 3kg (6.6lb) = 6 loads = £21.60
5 loads £9.00 = 1.2kg (2.64lb) 5 loads £18.00 = 2.4kg (5.28lb)
See my sigature for my Aussie Lapidary Forum: Rock Tumbling Guide!
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waterboysh
spending too much on rocks
Member since April 2021
Posts: 386
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Post by waterboysh on Sept 27, 2022 10:36:41 GMT -5
TBH 20 Tbsp sounds about right. I use 10 Tbsp in my 6lb barrel. Bigger barrels will use up the grit faster due to the increase in weight of the rocks. I think the 1lb = 1Tbsp "rule" you see mentioned is for 3lb barrels, which is what many people start off with.
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Post by Son Of Beach on Sept 27, 2022 11:11:36 GMT -5
I've always used 12 tablespoons in my 12lb tumbler, but I've never really thought twice about tbh.
Interested to see what others do
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ericabelle
spending too much on rocks
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Post by ericabelle on Sept 27, 2022 15:23:56 GMT -5
I have two 15 pound barrels, and I use 20 tablespoons in each. The grit is basically gone in 5 days, but I try to run them 7 days before I check them. So, by my estimation, I’m really stretching that grit’s use out. I think it probably depends on the hardness and variance in sizes you are tumbling, too, though as to what works best for you.
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nursetumbler
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Member since February 2022
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Post by nursetumbler on Sept 27, 2022 19:35:25 GMT -5
I recently, 10 days ago, bought a Lortone QT12. Looking through the instructions I was amazed the instructions called for 20 tablespoons of grit for a load. I bought it to tumble larger rocks and/or tumble some rocks a little quicker than the smaller barrels do. I see other instructive videos say a Tbls per pound of rock. I'm a little confused. 20 Tbls coarse is just over a pound per tumble. For now I'm following Lortones instructions but is that much really needed?  signed, I'm such a nube dirtsifterLortone "Professional Gemstone Tumbling" guide I got from Momma's Minerals in Albuquerque New Mexico says 15 cup max capacity 20 Tablespoons Stage 1&2, 24 Tablespoons Step 3&4 and 2-4 Tablespoons soap for burnishing
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dirtsifter
Cave Dweller
Co to za kamyczek?
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Post by dirtsifter on Sept 28, 2022 1:03:12 GMT -5
I started with 20Tbs 46/70. I'll be checking it when I get home in a couple of days. I did a me-miner thing before I went off to work by checking a few stone still in the slurry and recharging by with about 6T due to time constraints. I'll do a full clean out and inspection then.
I really appreciate the input. My wife and I are also bee keepers. If you ask 10 beekeepers for advice, you get 12 different answers- so the saying goes. 😂
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vance71975
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since September 2022
Posts: 760
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Post by vance71975 on Sept 28, 2022 1:38:34 GMT -5
I started with 20Tbs 46/70. I'll be checking it when I get home in a couple of days. I did a me-miner thing before I went off to work by checking a few stone still in the slurry and recharging by with about 6T due to time constraints. I'll do a full clean out and inspection then. I really appreciate the input. My wife and I are also bee keepers. If you ask 10 beekeepers for advice, you get 12 different answers- so the saying goes. 😂 Ohhhhh see now I REALLLY want to be your friend, See My other Hobby is mead Making lol, So Naturally, I love bee keepers lol.
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Post by broseph82 on Sept 28, 2022 9:13:14 GMT -5
I started with 20Tbs 46/70. I'll be checking it when I get home in a couple of days. I did a me-miner thing before I went off to work by checking a few stone still in the slurry and recharging by with about 6T due to time constraints. I'll do a full clean out and inspection then. I really appreciate the input. My wife and I are also bee keepers. If you ask 10 beekeepers for advice, you get 12 different answers- so the saying goes. 😂 How long has it been running? Curious as I too checked on my barrels all the time. Now, I just let it roll about 4 weeks regardless without checking. No point. If there's grit on the top slurry I'm going to close the lid and let it keep going until it's all a thick goo.
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dr332
off to a rocking start
Member since September 2022
Posts: 14
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Post by dr332 on Sept 28, 2022 10:10:19 GMT -5
I started with 20Tbs 46/70. I'll be checking it when I get home in a couple of days. I did a me-miner thing before I went off to work by checking a few stone still in the slurry and recharging by with about 6T due to time constraints. I'll do a full clean out and inspection then. I really appreciate the input. My wife and I are also bee keepers. If you ask 10 beekeepers for advice, you get 12 different answers- so the saying goes. 😂 How long has it been running? Curious as I too checked on my barrels all the time. Now, I just let it roll about 4 weeks regardless without checking. No point. If there's grit on the top slurry I'm going to close the lid and let it keep going until it's all a thick goo.
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dr332
off to a rocking start
Member since September 2022
Posts: 14
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Post by dr332 on Sept 28, 2022 10:13:51 GMT -5
Hmmm messed that up. Wanted to say do you burp them in that 4 weeks of running so they don't blow up.
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Post by broseph82 on Sept 28, 2022 10:27:36 GMT -5
Hmmm messed that up. Wanted to say do you burp them in that 4 weeks of running so they don't blow up. I will look at the barrel and if I see the bottom swelling the yes I'll take the top off and crack the seal. I do not take the complete gasket/seal off. Only stick a flat head screwdriver between to let gas out.
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hypodactylus
spending too much on rocks
Member since July 2021
Posts: 467
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Post by hypodactylus on Sept 28, 2022 13:52:54 GMT -5
Larger tumblers have more grinding action. This causes the grit to deplete and become spent more quickly.
I have been using 3 cups (48 Tbsp) of coarse grit in my Lortone QT12 with a barrel full of larger (and smaller) hard Utah rocks. The grit is easily spent by the time the 6 to 7 day tumble is over.
If I am tumbling a bunch of smaller or softer rocks, I will use less grit. Also, this is just for stage one. I have actually never done any stages after stage 1 in the QT-12, at least not yet (I use smaller barrels for later stages). If I did, I would use fewer tablespoons of grit for those stages.
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Post by Bob on Oct 4, 2022 10:50:56 GMT -5
I use a cup, because when I used the tablespoon/pound of rocks method it came so close to a cup for a 12lb barrel that it was easy to remember. And the batches seems to get done in a week which I guess is the same as saying the grit has worn out and ready for next smaller grit stage.
Does anyone know the answer to the following? If you used a lot less grit, such as if I used only 1/2 cup, would that mean that the barrel would need to be recharged more often than a week or the rocks would not get ground as much? But the overall production done in a year would more or less be the same considering the grit used and number of rocks completed?
And vice versa? If I used say 2 cups, would there either be grit left over after a week, or if not the rocks would have been ground down much further? So that again, the results in a year would more or less be the same?
I'm going to guess that more or less, those things might be true, and that someone years ago did experimentation to fine tune things to find out the ideal grit amounts, but that maybe they are only general guidelines to optimize things. If I'm right, and I could be very wrong, then the grit recommendations might be for what gets worn down in one week so that someone that has a tumbler and fiddles with it on Sat mornings doesn't have to bother with it again until the next Sat morning.
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Post by HankRocks on Oct 4, 2022 11:46:23 GMT -5
For the 1st stage, coarse grit, from my experience it all depends on the particular rocks being tumbled. If the load consists of well well rounded, hard agate and jasper, then I add about 1 Tbsp per pound. If the load is say Apache Tears and Ark Quartz with smalls, I will add less. If the load has a mix of slabs or preforms with lots of smalls then also less. For the later two mixes, the grit will breakdown is slower especially for the slabs and preforms. It's either add less grit or increase the stage run time for that batch.
For later stages, I usually cut down to 1/2 Tbsp per pound. The goal is not to have any significant grinding, all of that should have been done in the 1st stage. 220 and 600 are all just touching up the grinding marks done in the 1st stage so it should take half of coarse. Same with 500 AO, just do not need as much. The good thing about my method is that I use less of the more expensive grit. Since I am also adding previously dried slurry, I am getting a bit of help with cushioning and grit suspension.
For me it's also about the feel of the load, "will it eat more grit", or "less grit". Someone gives me a batch of rock, by looking at it I can make a good guess estimate on how much grit. Of course that is the product of several hundred batches worth of experience.
Since the resulting polish I get seems very good, I see no reason to alter my method.
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Post by Bob on Oct 4, 2022 18:28:56 GMT -5
...It's either add less grit or increase the stage run time for that batch. For later stages, I usually cut down to 1/2 Tbsp per pound. The goal is not to have any significant grinding, all of that should have been done in the 1st stage. 220 and 600 are all just touching up the grinding marks done in the 1st stage so it should take half of coarse. Same with 500 AO, just do not need as much. The good thing about my method is that I use less of the more expensive grit.... I really like that and agree! Never thought about how could probably use less of 220 and finer for the reason you explain so well. May start trying that immediately.
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nursetumbler
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Post by nursetumbler on Oct 4, 2022 19:34:24 GMT -5
Same with 500 AO, just do not need as much. The good thing about my method is that I use less of the more expensive grit. Since I am also adding previously dried slurry, I am getting a bit of help with cushioning and grit suspension.
Where do you get more expensive grit?
Thank you in advance
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