waterobert
off to a rocking start
Member since August 2023
Posts: 4
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Post by waterobert on Aug 26, 2023 18:21:52 GMT -5
Hi everyone! About two weeks ago I found out about rock tumbling and invested in Thumbler's AR-1. Machine arrived along with Mexican lace agat ,Mozambique agat and green moss agat. Each bag was 1 pound, however my tumbler barrel ( 3 lbs ) was to small to accommodate all that rock. I loaded it to about 75% with stones I thought were best looking and added 3 table spoons of 80 grit and 1 table spoon of 46/70. Tumbler has been running for two days. So, I have few questions: 1. All my rocks were about 1-2 inch in size, maybe 2 or 3 were under 1 inch. After reading this forum, now I know that I have to also add small stones. What would you suggest? Can I added at any time or should I wait until 7 days?
Since AR-1 didn't hold 3 lbs, I ordered Lortone 45C. This one has larger barrel, 4 lbs.
2. Will I see faster 1 stage, since there will be extra one pound of rocks?
I am also considering getting vibrational tumbler.
3. Is Raytech TV-5 any good? How large rocks can it finish?
I would like to get Mini-Sonic if they are available anywhere.
4.What size of the rocks can this one handle?
Thank you for your help !
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Post by velodromed on Aug 26, 2023 20:05:16 GMT -5
Welcome! By habit I add a small handful of small aquarium agate to barrels with 1-3” rocks. You’re probably fine with the mix of 1-2” rocks so just let it run a week. As the rock tumble they will wear down and you’ll need to add more rough rock to keep the 2/3-3/4ths full barrel. It’s mainly when you have all large or all medium rock that you need to add smalls. A mix of sizes is always best. You won’t see any difference in tumbling time between 3 and 4lb barrels honestly. At least I haven’t.. Course stages can be run 7-10 days or even longer if you want. It’s fine, but a bit messy, to open mid run and add or remove rocks. I’ll sometimes recharge barrels around day 5 or 6 and let it run 2 weeks total.
I run course stages as long as needed, several months even, with clean outs every 8-10 days an average. It all depends on what you want to achieve. There are so many factors involved with tumbling and you can experiment until you find the routine that best fits you. Some like more natural shapes with some defects, others want perfectly smooth rock. I love my raytech 5. I’ve run it 24/7 since I got it last March. I routinely run rocks up to 3-4” in it. Make sure to get the one with 2 barrels so you have a stage 2-3 SiC barrel and polish AO barrel. Stay clear of cheap grit. Rock shed and Kingsley north have good grits, polish and also good rough rock to tumble. You’ll go through course the quickest so get extra of that. 60/90 SiC is popular. Jasper and agates are the best rocks to cut your teeth on. They take a while to tumble but take a great polish. Research here like crazy and ask questions. There are many that like to help. Good luck bud!
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Post by vegasjames on Aug 26, 2023 20:37:17 GMT -5
Welcome from Southern Nevada.
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Post by jasoninsd on Aug 26, 2023 21:18:15 GMT -5
Welcome to the forum from South Dakota! The TV-5 has an 8" bowl...which means it could probably handle a rock which is 3-3.5" MAX.
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Post by chris1956 on Aug 26, 2023 21:52:36 GMT -5
Welcome from Missouri.
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skmcconnell361
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since August 2023
Posts: 125
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Post by skmcconnell361 on Aug 27, 2023 8:51:04 GMT -5
Welcome from Missouri I'm also just starting out with this hobby. I learned from this forum and watching "Michigan Rocks" youtube videos. I ordered some ceramic pellets to go in with the rocks and fill the barrel to about 2/3 full by volume with equal amounts of rocks and pellets and add more pellets as the volume decreases.
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waterobert
off to a rocking start
Member since August 2023
Posts: 4
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Post by waterobert on Aug 27, 2023 13:09:21 GMT -5
Thank you guys for the warm welcome!
Velo, what is your recipe for Raytech 5 if you don't mind sharing ? I am getting one next week, hopefully I will have few rocks ready for next stage.
Thank you!
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Post by velodromed on Aug 27, 2023 15:05:37 GMT -5
waterobert Quick hint- Next time you want to catch someone’s attention. Put the @ sign in front of their name or hit the ‘quote button’ attached to their post. I’ve been experimenting based on someone’s questions in another post. I’ll copy and paste below… I’ve always gone with the ‘less is more’ thing when loading a vibratory with grit. Typically using a level teaspoon of SiC or a half a teaspoon of AO. But your post got me wondering so I did an experiment, putting a couple teaspoons 220 SiC in my raytech 5 yesterday morning to see how it would run. First of all, it took a lot more monitoring because it would start to gunk up bad and I’d have to add more water. Then, after an hour, it seemed like there was too much water, so I had to let some evaporate. That cycle repeated itself several times and was a bit frustrating. It seemed to all come together overnight though, and it’s churning ok now… but the actions not as good. So I think I’ll stick with less as I usually do…
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Post by velodromed on Aug 27, 2023 15:06:51 GMT -5
(5 days later) I’m still experimenting. I reduced the amount of 220 SiC to one full teaspoon and added 1 tbs of borax. It still was too much. So I went with 3/4th tsp 220 and no borax. Much better! Next up is 500 SiC. I used a full teaspoon and 1 tbs borax. The action was poor over 48 hours of tumbling. I tried 1/2tsp 500 SiC and a bit less than a tbs of borax, which is what I normally would do, and the action was excellent. I’m done with my experiments.
Here’s my vibe method… 3/4th tsp 220 SiC and no borax for 2 days. I’ll repeat if the rocks need it. 1/2 tsp 500 SiC and 3/4th tbs borax for 3 days. I’m switching to rock shed 600 SiC, it seems to work better. Cleaning stage with dawn dish soap a couple hours and switch to AO bowl and ceramics 1/2th tsp 1200 AO with 1 tbs borax for 2-3 days. Cleaning stage with dawn dish soap a couple hours 1/4th tsp .3 micron AO and 1 tbs borax for 3 days. Burnish with borax a few hours Cleaning stage with dawn dish soap a couple hours All done! I will start using psyllium fiber soon instead of borax, except for a final burnish.
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Post by velodromed on Aug 27, 2023 15:11:52 GMT -5
Here are the results of my original way I run stages 2-polish in the raytech 5 and I’ll post the results of the ‘experiment rocks’ when they are done in a few days. Since I love to experiment I’ll do so on occasion. For example, I’ll swap out the 1200 AO stage for a 1200 SiC and run is 24-36 hours, and then follow up with 1500 AO for a couple days before I do the micron AO stage. It’s fun experimenting, more hands on and less sitting and waiting lol. But this is basically the recipe I’ll stick with.
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waterobert
off to a rocking start
Member since August 2023
Posts: 4
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Post by waterobert on Aug 30, 2023 22:42:46 GMT -5
Here are the results of my original way I run stages 2-polish in the raytech 5 and I’ll post the results of the ‘experiment rocks’ when they are done in a few days. Since I love to experiment I’ll do so on occasion. For example, I’ll swap out the 1200 AO stage for a 1200 SiC and run is 24-36 hours, and then follow up with 1500 AO for a couple days before I do the micron AO stage. It’s fun experimenting, more hands on and less sitting and waiting lol. But this is basically the recipe I’ll stick with. Those are really nice looking rocks! I am getting my Raytech 5 next week, maybe I will have few rocks ready for stage 2. Are you using plastic media or ceramic for final polish stage?
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Post by velodromed on Aug 31, 2023 5:24:46 GMT -5
Here are the results of my original way I run stages 2-polish in the raytech 5 and I’ll post the results of the ‘experiment rocks’ when they are done in a few days. Since I love to experiment I’ll do so on occasion. For example, I’ll swap out the 1200 AO stage for a 1200 SiC and run is 24-36 hours, and then follow up with 1500 AO for a couple days before I do the micron AO stage. It’s fun experimenting, more hands on and less sitting and waiting lol. But this is basically the recipe I’ll stick with. Those are really nice looking rocks! I am getting my Raytech 5 next week, maybe I will have few rocks ready for stage 2. Are you using plastic media or ceramic for final polish stage? Thank you! I’ve never used plastic beads and don’t think I will. I use a mix of ceramics and small, round agate. I load the bowl about an inch from the top. I have found that the action of the Raytech is so violent that it’ll damage the rocks, so I load up enough ceramics etc that it slows down the action. I only use it for stages two through on polish. I have three bowls all together. I made sure to buy the one that comes with two bowls, and somehow I ended up with an extra bowl. I think I had to warrantee it and accidentally kept one of the bowls (I was going through several surgeries and was not ‘all there’). Two are for doing SiC ( silicon carbide) runs, and one just for AO (aluminum oxide) polish. The polish bowl has its own set of ceramics. I use a separate bowl for the polish to avoid cross contamination. I noticed that the SiC will get embedded in the bowl, so that’s why I use a separate one for polishing only. It does not take much SiC or AO to work. For stages, two and three, I use 3/4th level teaspoon of SiC. For pre-polish I use 2/3rds level tsp of 1200 or 1500 AO. For the final polish stage I use 1/2 tsp of .2/.3 micron AO. The SiC that comes with it is pretty bad and I noticed it stains and gets embedded in the bowl. So I use that only in my rotary tumblers. I use better quality Rock shed and Kingsley north grit in the raytech. The polish seems ok, so I use it for pre-polish sometimes. it took me a while to figure out the proper way to use those rubber nuts that it comes with for securing the lid. The one that holds down the bowl, I put on and take care not tighten it too much m, otherwise the lid will not fit all the way down onto the bowl. So as I’m tightening it, I test a few times to make sure the lid fits tight against the top of the bowl. When I put the lid on, I tighten that nut down pretty hard and then put another regular nut on top of it and tighten it finger-tight. This helps the lid rubber nut to not loosen. Mine is in my garage, so it doesn’t bug me how loud it is. But I’ve heard that others have used a sheet of bubble wrap between the lid and the bowl to quiet it down some. The rocks that I have been experimenting with will be done the day after tomorrow. They are in their final micron AO stage as of yesterday evening. I like to let it run typically for 48 hour for each stage. I will run additional two and three SiC stages, if needed, so I pull out a rock, clean it off and check every 12 hours or so. Oh, I run rocks as large as 3 1/2 to 4 inches in the vibe. Cant put too many in there at one time though if using large rocks. Once you get your raytech, start a separate post with your experience and questions so folks here can help you out. Good luck and enjoy your new vibe!
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hplcman
spending too much on rocks
Member since August 2022
Posts: 460
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Post by hplcman on Aug 31, 2023 9:36:39 GMT -5
Welcome from Northern California!
You have absolutely come to the right place for advice and guidance as you learn this amazing hobby! Everyone here is nice and helpful. I can't add anything to what has already been posted answering your questions, I just wanted to say 'welcome'!
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michiganpebbler
spending too much on rocks
Member since April 2023
Posts: 344
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Post by michiganpebbler on Sept 1, 2023 8:50:56 GMT -5
Welcome from lower Michigan!
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skmcconnell361
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since August 2023
Posts: 125
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Post by skmcconnell361 on Sept 1, 2023 13:44:05 GMT -5
velodromed Is this the same as Aquarium gravel, I have and old 55 gal aquarium that needs to go out to the curb. of course if this it the stuff then I will run it through a borax wash for 3 or more days.
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Post by velodromed on Sept 1, 2023 16:53:07 GMT -5
velodromed Is this the same as Aquarium gravel, I have and old 55 gal aquarium that needs to go out to the curb. of course if this it the stuff then I will run it through a borax wash for 3 or more days. I’ve no clue about the colored stuff. It could be agate that’s painted or dyed. I’ve always used the natural color, rounded smooth, non shiny aquarium agate or landscaper agate.
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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 Sept 1, 2023 17:09:14 GMT -5
Welcome
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Post by velodromed on Sept 1, 2023 17:12:25 GMT -5
skmcconnell361I got this last time. It was cheap enough and delivered. Something similar would work well for you. imagitarium River Rock Shallow Creek Aquarium Gravel Substrate, 5 lbs. a.co/d/2PS6zIw
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Post by velodromed on Sept 1, 2023 20:49:29 GMT -5
skmcconnell361I was thinking about the colored rock you have, so I did a little research on dyed aquarium rock. It seems that agate is what they typically use. It takes a dye well and would hold up underwater. I think I would go ahead and throw a bunch of it in a tumbler for a few days with some coarse grit, and see what happens. Since you’re going to toss it anyway, you might as well find out if it’s any good to use for tumbling. If it’s dyed agate, It’ll serve the purpose fine. If it’s other kinds of dyed , softer rock, they may crumble up. You won’t know unless you try it. So go ahead and try it.
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Post by Pat on Sept 1, 2023 21:00:24 GMT -5
Welcome from California. Not a tumbler, but like tumbled rocks.
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