salticidae
off to a rocking start
Member since March 2023
Posts: 14
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Post by salticidae on Apr 1, 2023 1:01:28 GMT -5
Greeting Tumblers!
I'm a week old in this hobby and have a few questions if y'all can help:
1) Does the gray, thin sludge that covers all the tumbling rocks produce in every step? I am using a vibratory tumbler and I only saw that in step 2 with the 120 grit. I barely saw it on step 3 and haven't seen it on step 4. I tumbled for 2 days in each step.
2) How many hours of tumbling does the ceramic filler media last? Does it differ between a vibratory tumbler and a rotary tumbler?
3) Why do my rocks so far in step 3 have what seems to be white lines between the small hairline cracks?
4) I know how much grit to add to my tumblers, but what I don't know is how much water do you add to "X" amount of weight of rock/media. Is there a standard?
5) I understand that if you have very little water initially, the grit won't stick to the rocks, and if you add too much, the grit stays at the bottom. How do you know when you've added too much water if the you can't really see the grit when it's wet?
6) Are you supposed to clean the media and the rocks with soap right after every step or just after the last step?
Whatever you can answer is greatly appreciated!
Thanks,
Salticidae
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Post by jasoninsd on Apr 1, 2023 1:57:10 GMT -5
1. The gray sludge is the rock that's being ground off. You're seeing less and less with each stage because less and less rock is getting ground off..
2. How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop? Okay...I really don't know since I always bite mine like the owl did! Anyway...the ceramic media is going to last quite a long time. Eventually it will wear down...which is one reason a lot of people just use small rocks as media.
3. That's the grit and sludge stuck in the cracks...which needs to be cleaned out to prevent possible contamination going into the next step.
4. I add just enough water to my vibe to get the action going well enough. Normally what I personally do is have a spray bottle of water and spritz the rocks when starting...that way I can stop adding water as soon as the rocks are rolling pretty good.
5. It starts splashing...
6. I don't use soap between every step...I actually use some Dawn dish soap in with the tumble during each step. I like the action better.
I'm more of a cabber than a tumbler...but I think I'm close to correct with all the above...if I'm not, I'm sure someone will gladly correct me! LOL
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Post by Peruano on Apr 1, 2023 6:22:38 GMT -5
jasoninsd hit most of the important points to address your concerns.
As to how much water to start each step. Flood the load with water, then pour it all off (but you don't have to wait for the last drops to come out of the bowl). In other words very wet rocks. Then add a hefty squirt of Dawin Liquid Detergent and start the action. The rock load will start out somewhat violently moving but will calm as the soap coats the rocks. You can add your grit now too but do it slowly (not all in one dollop). I like to take the measuring spoon with grit and touch it to the edge of the bowl which causes to grit to gleefully jump into the fray in a dispersed manner. Ok, things will still be sort of violent but calmer. Let it rock for 15 to 30 minutes and it should calm. If still too vigorous you might need more rock/fill, or a smidge more water. If you are using water to calm things down, it probably will take too much and become detrimental, so you are much better off to add small rocks or ballast instead to achieve good action. The spray bottle is a good way to add water if need because things are too thick/slow. When your rocks have the sludge coating and are too dry, the action slows down conspicuously; that's when to add a spritz of water (enough to speed things up but the increase may take a minute (or not)). You want action that is like your coffee grinder or beverage blender, not clashing and banging. The soap helps to cushion things, but you usually don't want big foam (it happens and its more messy than lethal). Once you know how to select little rocks, you can substitute them for your ceramics. I often add a few small rerun rocks to the load to adjust weight and the provide better movement (separating the big stones or slabs from each other). However when you are adding ballast rocks, you should use rounded or smooth ones that won't eat or consume your grits. Onward and upward and best wishes for a successful tumbling series.
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Post by Son Of Beach on Apr 1, 2023 8:08:29 GMT -5
These guys dialed in on most of it, you kind of get a feel for the amount of water for each batch, some rocks are softer than others and will gum up the slurry a little faster. Don't be afraid to experiment a little. 3. I bought a cheap set of dental picks from Harbor Freight and have an old toothbrush to remove any slurry in those fine cracks if needed. Some high pressure water also helps get what those tools cannot. forum.rocktumblinghobby.com/thread/98488/calling-tumblers-tumbling-input-needed
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nursetumbler
Cave Dweller
Member since February 2022
Posts: 981
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Post by nursetumbler on Apr 1, 2023 23:30:25 GMT -5
These guys dialed in on most of it, you kind of get a feel for the amount of water for each batch, some rocks are softer than others and will gum up the slurry a little faster. Don't be afraid to experiment a little. 3. I bought a cheap set of dental picks from Harbor Freight and have an old toothbrush to remove any slurry in those fine cracks if needed. Some high pressure water also helps get what those tools cannot. forum.rocktumblinghobby.com/thread/98488/calling-tumblers-tumbling-input-neededChad I'm supposed to use an OLD toothbrush? No wonder it sounds like I'm chewing a bunch of sand when I get done brushing my teeth. Better get me a new one for inside and take the current one out
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Post by Son Of Beach on Apr 2, 2023 5:32:24 GMT -5
These guys dialed in on most of it, you kind of get a feel for the amount of water for each batch, some rocks are softer than others and will gum up the slurry a little faster. Don't be afraid to experiment a little. 3. I bought a cheap set of dental picks from Harbor Freight and have an old toothbrush to remove any slurry in those fine cracks if needed. Some high pressure water also helps get what those tools cannot. forum.rocktumblinghobby.com/thread/98488/calling-tumblers-tumbling-input-neededChad I'm supposed to use an OLD toothbrush? No wonder it sounds like I'm chewing a bunch of sand when I get done brushing my teeth. Better get me a new one for inside and take the current one out I had to specify so others didn't make the same mistake I did BTW there is nothing quite like taking a bite of a sandwich with sand on it š
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CLErocks
spending too much on rocks
Member since October 2021
Posts: 342
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Post by CLErocks on Apr 2, 2023 5:48:50 GMT -5
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