whodunit
off to a rocking start
Member since July 2023
Posts: 18
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Post by whodunit on Aug 2, 2023 23:01:22 GMT -5
How does one know how much ceramic media they might need for any given size tumbler? I am going to be getting a Rebel 17 and want to be all set up.
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Post by jasoninsd on Aug 3, 2023 7:11:22 GMT -5
I would buy eight to ten pounds...but that's just me. If a plan calls for 3 nails, I put in 6! LOL
My thought is...there's going to be times where you need the extra cushioning (obsidian for example) and you'll want almost a 50% ratio of media to rocks...
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Post by velodromed on Aug 3, 2023 7:56:21 GMT -5
How does one know how much ceramic media they might need for any given size tumbler? I am going to be getting a Rebel 17 and want to be all set up. I only use ceramics in my vibratory and even then it’s with a mix of smooth small river agates. Ceramics wear down quickly in a tumbler. I use small rocks in my rebel 17 and other tumblers to cushion, much of which I find and I also like to buy small bags of miscellaneous rock. Small agates, agate and other rock chips, river agate pebbles and so on. It makes clean outs more interesting also. yes, for the amount, I totally go by sound. I want a whooshing rumbling sound, not a loud clunking sound. That is unless I’m breaking down large rocks in the Rebel (which is what Imostly use it for, even got the high speed 40 rpm motor specifically for breaking down bigger rocks in course), then I want the klunk diddy klunk.
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Mark K
Cave Dweller
Member since April 2012
Posts: 2,752
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Post by Mark K on Aug 3, 2023 15:13:00 GMT -5
I use crushed quartzite that they use on the roads to wreck the plows as filler in my tumblers.
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Post by Mel on Aug 14, 2023 23:20:41 GMT -5
I would say 10 pounds for a 6 pound tumbler (I will almost never pay to ship anything less than 10 pounds when it comes to rocks), but that varies depending on how often you tumble, how many machines and how often you run them. I bought the largest media I could get -- the small stuff is a waste because it all wears down to dust eventually!
For what its worth, I've also used broken up ceramic tile and terracotta pots and plain old gravel as filler. Run it in stage 1 with a batch of rocks until smooth and then use it in whatever stage you need or just toss it in the tumbler for 3-4 days with a couple tablespoons of stage 1 and you're good to go.
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waterboysh
spending too much on rocks
Member since April 2021
Posts: 386
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Post by waterboysh on Aug 15, 2023 8:45:01 GMT -5
For the amount, I totally go by sound. I want a whooshing rumbling sound, not a loud clunking sound. When I fill my rotary I go totally by sound too. I'll fill it to what looks good, put the lid on and roll it around on my garage floor listening. I almost always end up adding a few rocks, not taking them out so I apparently have a tendency to slightly underfill. When I take the lid back off, I keep the barrel on its side, tilted towards the back a little. This gives me a good idea of what the inside will look like after rolling around a bit too. Sometimes, a weird shaped or larger rock might jam things up a bit so you think it's overfilled when it's really not. You just need shift things around a bit sometimes or swap a few bigger rocks for more smaller rocks.
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Post by velodromed on Aug 15, 2023 12:18:45 GMT -5
For the amount, I totally go by sound. I want a whooshing rumbling sound, not a loud clunking sound. When I fill my rotary I go totally by sound too. I'll fill it to what looks good, put the lid on and roll it around on my garage floor listening. I almost always end up adding a few rocks, not taking them out so I apparently have a tendency to slightly underfill. When I take the lid back off, I keep the barrel on its side, tilted towards the back a little. This gives me a good idea of what the inside will look like after rolling around a bit too. Sometimes, a weird shaped or larger rock might jam things up a bit so you think it's overfilled when it's really not. You just need shift things around a bit sometimes or swap a few bigger rocks for more smaller rocks. I had the opposite problem, always tended to overfill. Took awhile to break that bad habit lol.
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dillonf
fully equipped rock polisher
Hounding and tumbling
Member since February 2022
Posts: 1,622
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Post by dillonf on Aug 15, 2023 18:31:50 GMT -5
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