dontrain
off to a rocking start
Member since January 2005
Posts: 2
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Post by dontrain on Jan 5, 2005 12:17:26 GMT -5
This is the second time I have written this; I don't think the first one went through.
My question is about the two type of rock agitators: rotary or vibratory. I can't seem to find any expert guidance on which is best for the polishing I plan to do, just an interesting hobby.
This is an interesting message board interface, especially the "tags". I haven't seen format codes like that since I used WordPerfect's Reveal Codes.
Thanks for your help.
Donald Hogue dontrain@sbcglobal.net
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Post by krazydiamond on Jan 5, 2005 12:29:26 GMT -5
hey Don, welcome to the board!
the "experts" are often divided on the Rotary vs. Vibe debate. here is what i understand about it.. if you have really gnarly rough rocks you are better off with a rotary tumbler. if you have relatively smooth rocks, like beach rocks, a vibe is going to get you through the polish process a lot faster. vibes are more expensive than rotary units but use less grit overall. the perfect world, get both, do the rough in the rotary till it gets to the right shape and then finish them off in the vibe. there are a lot of opinions in here, this is mine.
KD
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Post by creativeminded on Jan 5, 2005 15:09:19 GMT -5
Dontrain you will find that some of us use tumblers and other use vibes and we each like what we have. I have heard that vibes are faster. I like my 3# Lortone 3A tumbler that I like alot, I get great results with the stages I use. 2 weeks 60/90 1 week 120/220 1 week 500 1 week Tripoli 1 week 1000 3-5 days in polish. You can see my results by going to this link. andy321.proboards16.com/index.cgi?board=Pictures&action=display&thread=1104173628Tami
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Post by Cher on Jan 5, 2005 17:18:14 GMT -5
I have to agree, it's definitely a matter of choice. I have rotary tumblers but have never used a vibe so can't offer a comparison. I really like mine and the next one I get will be another rotary.
Welcome to the board.
Cher
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MichiganRocks
starting to spend too much on rocks
"I wasn't born to follow."
Member since April 2007
Posts: 154
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Post by MichiganRocks on Jan 5, 2005 17:41:16 GMT -5
I agree with all the above, plus keep in mind that a vibratory tumbler requires more and closer attention.
Ron
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bwalters
has rocks in the head
Member since March 2004
Posts: 557
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Post by bwalters on Jan 5, 2005 18:14:07 GMT -5
Welcome, Don! What are you planning to polish? If noise is an issue, you would probably want to stick with a rotary tumbler. Vibes are really loud, much more so than rotaries. At least mine is.
BE
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Post by cookie3rocks on Jan 5, 2005 20:13:22 GMT -5
All I have ever used is a vibe. From what I've seen and read, having patience in the rotary through the coarse stage (60/90) produces more well rounded stones than the vibe, if that's what you are looking for. I prefer mine to have a rougher appearence so the vibe suits my puposes there. And the vibe skips 60/90 all together, coarse is 120/220. As for pre polish/polish, the vibe just flies through these stages if the rocks are ready. 600 is a medium grit, Tripoli or any 1000 grit is pre polish and then the polish of your choice. You do need to use much less water and check and recharege every 12-24 hours, but it cuts the time in half. (These stages break down more quickly in a vibe, so it is essential to recharge more often). Good Luck and Welcome!
cookie
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Post by Toad on Jan 5, 2005 22:00:20 GMT -5
One advantage of vibes is top-loading. You can check your load without even turning it off. I've heard of problems with gassing and leaking with rotary, but I've never had one - just what I've read on the forums.
I had a vibratory and liked the results I got. Will be purchasing another one... someday.
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llanago
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since January 2004
Posts: 1,714
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Post by llanago on Jan 5, 2005 22:15:21 GMT -5
I have rotarys and a vibe. I use the vibe mostly for the pre-polish and polish stages. I do all my coarse runs in the rotary tumblers. If I have all the rotarys running in either 60/90 or 220 and don't have the vibe runnings, I will toss stuff in it in the 120 grit that came with the vibe and get it started on the course cycle, then move it to the rotary in 60/90 when I have a rotary available. I prefer to the rounded shape of the stones I get from the rotary.
llana
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Post by puppie96 on Jan 6, 2005 1:59:24 GMT -5
I've got both. I definitely feel best to start with a barrel (preferably a 2 barrel unit, 2 3-lb. barrels is good.) Barrels are more versatile as far as types of rocks they will handle well, and as a beginner it's probably best to get nice rounded rocks to start out with. Then after you've done a few batches consider a vibe. They also have their advantages, which cookster, kd, llana and others have covered well.
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dontrain
off to a rocking start
Member since January 2005
Posts: 2
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Post by dontrain on Jan 6, 2005 12:10:49 GMT -5
Thanks to you all for such good advice. For starters I think the double barrel Lortone is what I am going to buy. Clearly, the issue you emphasize is keeping the media from the grinding stages completely separate. To me, it seems that the small double barrel, running two grinding stages simultaneously makes sense for me. I envision one barrel to be used exclusively for coarse media and the other swapped among the finer grits.
Again, thanks for you help. I know you have saved me much time and buying agony. I will return in a few weeks.
Don
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Post by puppie96 on Jan 6, 2005 13:54:07 GMT -5
If you are still around Don, the important separation issue is to have a separate polish barrel and clean stones starting polish. In my opinion, carryover in the earlier grinds is less important and reusing the same barrel after a good washing works fine.
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