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Post by cookie3rocks on Oct 10, 2004 20:12:21 GMT -5
This latest batch I'm doing was giving me fits. It's broken local quartz and in the coarse stage it just wouldn't tumble well. I have a vibe so I have to depend on the vibratory action to keep the rocks moving like they are in a washing machine, around the bowl and over one another. I work 10 hour shifts and before I could check them each day, they got stuck and wouldn't roll, just sit there and dry out while vibrating. I tried borax, then dish soap to give the rocks some slip so they wouldn't get stuck. Then, while I was washing my hair it came to me. I use a silicone based oil to keep my curly hair smooth when I dry it. Would this work on the rocks? I tried a couple of drops at first (helped a bit) then several drops. The rocks are rolling like a dream now and smell nice too. So far no negative effects. I'm not wasting grit with a forced recharge to break them apart and using less water.. If you are interested the product is called "got 2b glossy". Not a professional product so it's cheap, you can get it at Ekerd. It's water soluble so it doesn't seperate in the slurry. Vibe users might find this of use, I hope cookie
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Post by Toad on Oct 10, 2004 23:06:03 GMT -5
Very interesting. I wonder if a squirt or two of WD-40 would work as well? (No nice smell though)
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WarrenA
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since November 2003
Posts: 1,530
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Post by WarrenA on Oct 10, 2004 23:13:31 GMT -5
who says rocks can't smell nice
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Post by Cher on Oct 10, 2004 23:16:56 GMT -5
Cool Cookie, what a neat discovery. Keep track of things and let us know how your expericment goes. Also, thanks for the info on the got2b stuff, going to pass that on to my daughter in law. ~ Cher ~pages.prodigy.net/bestsmileys1/signs/RockOn.gif [/img]
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Post by puppie96 on Oct 11, 2004 1:13:21 GMT -5
That's so interesting! I've always thought that using a lubricant would stop or slow the grinding, so it's really great news if you have found that it has no ill effect. This is really good to know, I'm telling you, as I believe I have worn through some kind of record number of bowls. Cookster, did you find some product to surface/reinforce/strengthen your vibe bowls? I'm not gonna mention that it's kinda weird here us talking about vibes and lubes....and grinding, too.
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Post by connrock on Oct 11, 2004 18:49:21 GMT -5
It's funny how different soap does different things. I use Dreft powdered soap in my vibe to make the grit stick to the rocks. I put a VERY small ammount in and let it run for about 10 minuets then add the grit. The soap also forms a coating on the rocks and gets into the very tiny cracks etc before the grit can get there. Tom
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Post by cookie3rocks on Oct 11, 2004 19:11:37 GMT -5
That's a good idea, Tom, Thanks. Yeah, puppies, since I learned to lube my vibe, the grinding action is sooo much better. Please do not forward this to Penthouse forum cookie
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Post by hermatite on Oct 11, 2004 19:14:24 GMT -5
Okay...Thank you cookie! I was starting to think it was just me!
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Tellfamily
spending too much on rocks
Member since September 2004
Posts: 476
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Post by Tellfamily on Oct 11, 2004 19:32:45 GMT -5
I ordered a Ultra-Vibe 10 (which has not arrived yet so I have not tried this out for myself) I read in somewhere that Propylene Glycol works great instead of water.
This is RV Antifreeze, Propylene Glycol. Not the type for the engine. This RV Antifreeze is used to condition the water lines for storage. I am quessing, but it must not be that toxic, if you use it in water lines.
It is said to provide cushioning as well as lub. Has anyone else read this or tried it out?
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JC
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since September 2004
Posts: 107
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Post by JC on Oct 11, 2004 19:34:38 GMT -5
And who said this hobby wasn't exciting...
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Post by cookie3rocks on Oct 11, 2004 19:45:08 GMT -5
Seems like James had talked about it. Said the stuff was safe enough to eat. I suggested smoothies of said product. Then it kind of deteriorated to a "yes it is" "no it isn't" thing. The ingredients on the lable are: cyclomethcone dimethiconol ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate And it is appearently flamable cookie
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Post by puppie96 on Oct 12, 2004 1:15:02 GMT -5
Always use a nontoxic lube to enhance the grinding of your vibe.
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birdseed
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since September 2004
Posts: 167
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Post by birdseed on Oct 12, 2004 2:57:24 GMT -5
What happened next?--tell me..tell me....
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Exotica
starting to shine!
Member since January 2005
Posts: 39
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Post by Exotica on Jan 11, 2005 14:18:03 GMT -5
Cookie,
How did this experiment work out? I love my new vibrating tumbler. I started it up at 7:00 pm last night, and it had already smoothed the razor sharp edges off all the rocks by 4:30 am this morning. It had all dried out, though, and even adding extra water didn't help. After adding the water and the rocks still not moving by 7:30 am, I flushed and dumped the load and restarted it fresh. I just went in to check a few minutes ago, and the rocks weren't moving as well again. This time I added extra water and they loosened right up, but I am worried about tonight after I go to bed again. If this didn't hurt your load, I am tempted to add a little of my Citre Shine to the mix. I don't have any borax on hand, but I do have Calgon water softner. Let me know if this worked. I don't want to ruin a load of garnets, emeralds, and opalized petrified wood!
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Post by connrock on Jan 11, 2005 18:01:22 GMT -5
The RV coolant cushions the rocks by thickining the slurry. In a vibe unit you don't want to slow the action down in the grinding stages on almost all types of rocks.All this does is make it take longer for what we want to do faster!! There are several tumbling "additives" on the market and Diamond Pacific makes a product called Water Aid. Water can be found at : www.rockpeddler.com/DIAMOND PACIFIC WATER AID. Concentrated wetting agent. It increases cutting action of sawing, grinding, and sanding/polishing operations using water by eliminating surface tension and preventing hydro-planing. Allows easy flushing of residues, extending life of tools. Biodegradeable. Approximately 6 drops per pint of water is all that is needed. ITEM SIZE OUR PRICE 410-WA-108 8 Oz 3.00 410-WA-116 16 Oz 4.95 410-WA-110 1 Gal 25.00 I use it in mw trim saw and Gienie and it works great.I've also used it in my vibe units when I started many years ago but have found that "magic" recipe since and just use water and soap. The Borax also breaks the surface tention and works very well too. Tom
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Post by cookie3rocks on Jan 11, 2005 19:32:06 GMT -5
The hair shine product kept them rolling, but then I discovered that the grit didn't stick to the stones as well. Borax really was the better solution. You are doing some extremely hard stones right now, and I think what you will fin is in the first few days of the grind, the grit just breaks down so fast that you may have to dump and recharge more frequently. Adding water won't help much as the grit is history allready and you are just tumblinf rocks in mudd. Toms suggesttion are very goo also. And , at the beginig of the grind, it probably woundn't hurt to add a little Citre Shine if you can't get to the tumbler for more than 5-7 hours. At least they wouldn't get stuck ;D
cookie
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Exotica
starting to shine!
Member since January 2005
Posts: 39
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Post by Exotica on Jan 11, 2005 19:43:45 GMT -5
I added some more water and grit and 1/4 of a teaspoon of Calgon water softner (don't have any borax right now). It seems to have helped. Everything is rolling around the way it should now, all coated in grit (looks like a bunch of gray muddy rocks), and the grit still feels gritty when I smudge some of the rocks onto my fingers. I will add more grit and water to the mix before I go to bed tonight, and hopefully that will keep things rolling until 4:30, when I get up. I (think) I can manage to add more water and grit while the coffee is brewing and more Calgon if it needs it. On my next paycheck, I will order some borax! This is sort of like feeding my cat . She's really old, so her digestion and teeth are failing, and she's really picky. You have to find just the right amount of wet food, dry food, catnip, and water or the whole process breaks down. It changes on a couple times a week, so it is sort of like this! Little more, oops!too much, no wait less, no more! I have been walking in and peeking in the clear cover every hour or so today, so hopefully no more premature bowl wear occurred. I think I caught it just as it was getting too thick. Things were still moving around, just not as fast as normally.
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