dillonf
fully equipped rock polisher
Hounding and tumbling
Member since February 2022
Posts: 1,583
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Post by dillonf on Jan 26, 2023 22:36:39 GMT -5
I have only used my Lot-O 3 times. I've used it for the polish step only - rotary for the rest. I noticed mine slows down significantly sometime between 36 & 48 hours. Adding water seemed to help in the beginning - then appeared to have no impact. I interpreted it as the grit was spent? I too am going to play with it a bit before I move the dowel. I feel like I got a real good polish anyway - that it didn't need more time. i don't think polish should get "spent" as much as the other grits? i mean, people here run stages in their lot-o's for longer than 2 days (especially polish) ... i mean, 120/220, i don't think much past two days but the later stages, people can run and run and run. it's actually something i'm working (kinda unsuccessfully so far) towards. i'd like to be able to run polish for like a week, if i wanted to! one thing to keep in mind - the later the stage, the less bogging down is typical. so definitely, in you situation, i'd try to get the polish stage running better and then step back (if you are interested in doing so) to earlier stages. a few things to think about ... are you using borax with your polish? and if so, how much? did you fill in that little pocket (omg, that stupid little pocket!) in the bottom of the barrel? i always had a "conglomerate" form in the bottom, i believe, seeded by borax and the smallest of my small media, getting stuck in that pocket. my first lot-o modification was epoxy-ing the pockets in my barrels. (it actually wasn't nearly as difficult as i was expecting. gorilla two part epoxy, wide tongue depressors and a headlamp flashlight (a must!)) ... i tried to rough the barrel pocket with sandpaper before. let it cure well before using. (i probably went a few weeks.) fingers crossed, it's held now for quite a while. currently, i'm also weeding out the smaller of my pea gravels in my media and replacing with ones about the size of large ceramics (or a tad larger). and i moved the dowel. marked the original spot and husband drilled 3 pairs of even holes so i could move the dowel (which i replaced with a longer metal rod of the same diameter) and drop a little nail in the set of holes to hold it still. (though it's more a moving guide because the rod doesn't move when you tighten things back up.) so moving the dowel a smidge closer to my frame has helped me a bit. I am using a tablespoon of borax and 1/2 teaspoon of polish. I put the rocks and ceramics in fill it with water dump the water out - then put it in the machine add the borax turn it on then add the polish. First time I added 4 squirts of water and it was too dry. Now I add about 6-10 squirts of water. There isn't really a large dimple on the bottom of my barrel - it is mostly filled with rubber?? I think I had it a little over filled I'm going to try running less stone next time and see how it does. To be honest I haven't even tried the instructions that came with the machine - I think I'll give that a go too. A week seems long? But maybe not? I would like it to run longer with less maintenance for sure.
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ataraktos
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2020
Posts: 140
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Post by ataraktos on Jan 27, 2023 19:18:28 GMT -5
i don't think polish should get "spent" as much as the other grits? i mean, people here run stages in their lot-o's for longer than 2 days (especially polish) ... i mean, 120/220, i don't think much past two days but the later stages, people can run and run and run. it's actually something i'm working (kinda unsuccessfully so far) towards. i'd like to be able to run polish for like a week, if i wanted to! one thing to keep in mind - the later the stage, the less bogging down is typical. so definitely, in you situation, i'd try to get the polish stage running better and then step back (if you are interested in doing so) to earlier stages. a few things to think about ... are you using borax with your polish? and if so, how much? did you fill in that little pocket (omg, that stupid little pocket!) in the bottom of the barrel? i always had a "conglomerate" form in the bottom, i believe, seeded by borax and the smallest of my small media, getting stuck in that pocket. my first lot-o modification was epoxy-ing the pockets in my barrels. (it actually wasn't nearly as difficult as i was expecting. gorilla two part epoxy, wide tongue depressors and a headlamp flashlight (a must!)) ... i tried to rough the barrel pocket with sandpaper before. let it cure well before using. (i probably went a few weeks.) fingers crossed, it's held now for quite a while. currently, i'm also weeding out the smaller of my pea gravels in my media and replacing with ones about the size of large ceramics (or a tad larger). and i moved the dowel. marked the original spot and husband drilled 3 pairs of even holes so i could move the dowel (which i replaced with a longer metal rod of the same diameter) and drop a little nail in the set of holes to hold it still. (though it's more a moving guide because the rod doesn't move when you tighten things back up.) so moving the dowel a smidge closer to my frame has helped me a bit. I am using a tablespoon of borax and 1/2 teaspoon of polish. I put the rocks and ceramics in fill it with water dump the water out - then put it in the machine add the borax turn it on then add the polish. First time I added 4 squirts of water and it was too dry. Now I add about 6-10 squirts of water. There isn't really a large dimple on the bottom of my barrel - it is mostly filled with rubber?? I think I had it a little over filled I'm going to try running less stone next time and see how it does. To be honest I haven't even tried the instructions that came with the machine - I think I'll give that a go too. A week seems long? But maybe not? I would like it to run longer with less maintenance for sure. yes, a week is kind of long ... but sam and @ jugglerguy (i don't need to tag him in here) definitely let the 2022 world championship rocks run long. i remember one stage (don't remember which), sam said he got busy and it ran for like 10 days! and some people, (@ ingawh included, i think) do that only two stage deal, where they put obsidian in 500 ao, right from rotary/coarse and just let it roll for a LONG time. that's awesome that you don't have the dimple. maybe they've improved how they make the barrels. i probably bought mine 2-3 years back. that sounds pretty standard for the borax, polish, water amounts/draining, etc. but you know, the instructions that come with the lot-o - cover the obsidian with water? (i think that's actually what it said ... and like, i don't know too much but ... NO! LOL)
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mgroothuis
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since November 2022
Posts: 163
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Post by mgroothuis on Feb 5, 2023 11:32:06 GMT -5
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khara
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since September 2022
Posts: 1,710
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Post by khara on Feb 5, 2023 12:39:25 GMT -5
These Lot-O posts are interesting cause I don’t have one. I got a rotary tumbler years ago and that’s the only kind I’ve used. You folks that are using these Lot-O’s, what made you go that route? Is it just that they were kind of a new type readily available on the market and reasonable enough cost or did you research and choose this type over the rotary?
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Post by susand24224 on Feb 5, 2023 16:28:59 GMT -5
These Lot-O posts are interesting cause I don’t have one. I got a rotary tumbler years ago and that’s the only kind I’ve used. You folks that are using these Lot-O’s, what made you go that route? Is it just that they were kind of a new type readily available on the market and reasonable enough cost or did you research and choose this type over the rotary? Reasons for using a vibratory: 1. It's faster. 2. It doesn't "round" much, so if you want to shine up amethyst crystals, for example, you will still have more form with your shine. NOTE: I skip the usual 60/90 stage on these. 3. It uses *far* less grit and polish. 4. I also can easily tumble slabs in a vibe (if larger, one at a time) and I have more difficulty in a rotary. Reason is that when they "stick" together, I realize it quicker in a vibe since I'm checking it more often. 5. They don't "explode." 6. It's faster. Reasons for not using a vibratory: 1. Softer rocks, and sometimes more brittle rocks may get damaged--it is more aggressive than a rotary. 2. Any necessary stage of grit larger than 120 (unless you want to be replacing expensive barrels frequently, to say nothing of the mess). 3. Inability to frequently check to see if it needs more water, although this is not really a deal breaker. If it gets too dry, it will just slow your process down until you add more water. 4. *Sometimes* when the rocks contain several materials that are of unequal hardness. (Ex: T-eggs where you want to maintain the matrix) Qualifiers: I've never run rocks with a dry polish in a vibratory and don't know how well it would work. Example: hematite, which always "rusts" for me when using water. There is nothing that I have done in a vibe (I have a Lot-O) that I couldn't do in a rotary. The rotary just takes a whole lot longer. Also, something that has worked for me with water is not a particular measurement--I fill the Lot-O barrel with water (with the rocks in it) then turn it upside down and let it drain through my fingers. This coats the surface of the contents, and the surface area is going to vary based upon the rocks in the barrel. This has worked better for me than a "one size fits all" amount of water.
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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 Feb 9, 2023 22:29:59 GMT -5
These Lot-O posts are interesting cause I don’t have one. I got a rotary tumbler years ago and that’s the only kind I’ve used. You folks that are using these Lot-O’s, what made you go that route? Is it just that they were kind of a new type readily available on the market and reasonable enough cost or did you research and choose this type over the rotary? In the whole scheme of things I'm a very new tumbler.-just under 1 year. I watched Michigan Rocks videos and he uses a Lot O. His results were amazing to me. Having dumped pounds of grit into a 12 lb barrel, the idea of a teaspoon or even half a teaspoon for a batch in the Lot O had great appeal. It is also nice, especially for the grandkids, that once the rocks come out of stage 1, there can be a finished batch in a week. I will be "retiring" in the next couple of years so I pulled the trigger while I still have decent income. LOL
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khara
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since September 2022
Posts: 1,710
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Post by khara on Feb 11, 2023 2:07:26 GMT -5
susand24224 dirtsifter Thank you for all the info. The lesser amount of grit and time definitely sound appealing. I also saw a Michigan Rocks video and thought did he just toss a small spoonful of grit in there? At the time I wasn't taking notes because I didn’t intend to tumble any time soon but it did strike me as considerably less grit than we used to use in our 12 pound barrels. The grit alone is a huge cost savings.
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nickinmd
off to a rocking start
Member since February 2023
Posts: 15
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Post by nickinmd on Feb 19, 2023 4:51:12 GMT -5
I don't have a vib or really any experience. But one thing you didn't mention was why you adjusted your dowel. I was going to get a lot o, but there's none to be had.So while doing research I do remember watching a michigan rocks vid where he adjusted his dowel. He moved that dowel almost to the bolt and said something along the lines of the factory not properly tuning the units.
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dillonf
fully equipped rock polisher
Hounding and tumbling
Member since February 2022
Posts: 1,583
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Post by dillonf on Feb 26, 2023 11:15:22 GMT -5
The main reason you adjust the dowel is to improve the "action" of the tumbler - make the rocks circulate at a faster speed. Another advantage of this is that it prevents your tumble from getting "stuck" (rocks stop circulating).
I played with my lot-o for about a month to see if I could improve the circulation of my tumble with varying amounts of grit, water, ceramic and rocks to no avail. So, I broke down this weekend and moved my dowel rod. I just threw in some moonstone with 220 grit and the circulation in the tumbler has improved dramatically - I even have some rocks in there that I feel are too big (not ideal), but things are tumbling away just fine. It is amazing what moving that dowel can do!!
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waterboysh
spending too much on rocks
Member since April 2021
Posts: 369
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Post by waterboysh on Mar 2, 2023 10:08:10 GMT -5
nickinmd check out this post I made a little while back after I moved the dowel on my Lot-O. I've got some short videos showing the difference. Before I moved it, after about 18 - 24 in the medium grit stage my rocks would stop moving no matter what I did. After moving the dowel I have had very few problems.
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ashley
Cave Dweller
Member since February 2023
Posts: 914
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Post by ashley on Mar 2, 2023 22:53:20 GMT -5
rocknewb101Wanted to suggest to lower the amount of 120/220 you are using. I know it sounds crazy but decrease from the 2Tablespoons to 1 Teaspoon. It works great, doesnt bog the first stage down and it saves money. Here is my “recipe”
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ashley
Cave Dweller
Member since February 2023
Posts: 914
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Post by ashley on Mar 2, 2023 22:57:23 GMT -5
Following up on my previous post, I tried 1/2 tbsp of 120/220 SiC in stage one instead of the usual 2 tbsp and I noticed no difference in the quality of shine from my previous Lot-O batches. I'll likely stick with this amount. You can go down to 1 tsp off 120/220 and get the same results.
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Post by Pat on Mar 3, 2023 0:33:26 GMT -5
khara. Michigan Rocks videos are made by Jugglerguy a member of this forum. Very helpful.
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rocknewb101
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since October 2022
Posts: 1,319
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Post by rocknewb101 on Mar 3, 2023 8:08:17 GMT -5
rocknewb101 Wanted to suggest to lower the amount of 120/220 you are using. I know it sounds crazy but decrease from the 2Tablespoons to 1 Teaspoon. It works great, doesnt bog the first stage down and it saves money. Here is my “recipe” Ashley - thanks so much for sharing this! Since I did this post I've changed my recipe dramatically! Definitely found that 2 tbls created a very thick slurry and way slowed down the movement in the lot-o. Things are rolling in there nicely now (although not now as I'm waiting to finish enough in the rotary for another batch!)
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ashley
Cave Dweller
Member since February 2023
Posts: 914
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Post by ashley on Mar 3, 2023 9:07:33 GMT -5
rocknewb101You’re welcome! Looking forward to seeing your next batch!
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