Exotica
starting to shine!
Member since January 2005
Posts: 39
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Post by Exotica on Jan 11, 2005 14:30:05 GMT -5
My new vibrating tumbler finally arrived last night! I started it up right away, and it seems to be working great. It had already removed all the razor sharp edges off the stones by this morning; however, it had also dried up. I tried adding more water to loosen it up, but that didn't work. I had used the 2 tsps of water on wet rocks and 2 tsps grit per the instructions. I dumped, rinsed, and reloaded. After about 5 hours, I went to check it, and the stones weren't moving around as much as they had been - very sluggish. I opened it up, and the slurry was very, very thick. I added 4 tsps of water, and that seemed to get things going well again. I don't have any borax on hand right now, but I do have Calgon water softner. Will this help things from turning to clay again if I add a little bit? How much should I add? I am using a Raytech TV-5. I have a total weight of four pounds with the rocks, grit, and water.
I have to admit that I am in love with this tumbler. I love having the clear lid, so I can just glance and get an idea of whether or not I need to stop things and take a closer look. I did notice that the bowl is already torn up on the bottom. Will adding the borax help slow this? I also read cookie's post about the frizz serum (silcone) helping with keeping her load moving, but wasn't sure how this came out.
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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 11, 2005 17:35:15 GMT -5
Hey Exotica, (I love that name by the way, makes my imagination run wild every time I read it!) you didn't mention what you were tumbling. If things turned to mud that quick, I would suspect that you're running something fairly soft. The softer the rock, the faster it breaks down, the faster mud develops. And of course, once the mud forms, it takes away some of the precious little water that you use in a vibratory tumbler. You may want to change out and clean more frequently than usual. If the rocks are shaping up, just move on to the next step.
Ron
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Post by connrock on Jan 11, 2005 17:46:05 GMT -5
Hi Ex, The vibe units grind down the rocks very fast and that's why they dried out on you. You'll have to keep a closer eye on it until you get the right "recipe". When the action slows down it's because the grit and slury (ground rock and water) have sunk to the bottom of the barrelThis will lead to premature barrel wear as I think you have discovered already. If your load dries out again you can use just about any soap in an emergency but a powdered soap such as Dreft premixed in a small cup with warm water should loosen the load for you. I sprinkle a very small amount of Dreft,(about the same volume as an eraser on a pencil),on each load of wet rocks before I add my grit.I let it run for about 5-10 minuets and then add grit.The soap gets into the nooks and cranies before the grit and slurry and it also helps the grit to stick to the rocks. The amount of water used in the vibe units is critical.I keep a spray bottle of water next to mine and set it on the lowest spray.As the load turns I spray just a tad and let it run.I do this for several minuets until the rocks and grit have the right amount of water. Too little water and your load dries out ,,,,,,,,Too much water and the grit washes off the load and erodes your barrel. It's very hard to explain what this should look like and only trial and error will get you there. Hope this helps a little,,,,,,,,, Tom
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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 17:51:36 GMT -5
I am running a load of emeralds, garnet, and opalized petrified wood. They were all listed in my books as having a Mohs hardness as 7.
It has already turned to mud again , so I am going to add more water, grit, and water softner and try dumping and rinsing again in the morning. Depending on how they look, I might just move on to the next step. I don't want to get ahead of myself though.
I have to say, I was incredibly surprised at how much they have been shaped already, since I had read everywhere that vibratory tumblers don't shape that much. All the sharp edges have been smoothed, but some of the pits and such still needed to be smoothed out somewhat this morning. If it continues as well as it has gone, I am guessing I can move onto the next stage tomorrow. I don't think it is going to take the 5 days it says in the instructions for the coarse grind.
This tumbler is wonderful! I didn't want to use a rotary one because I don't like the time frames involved, and I also don't want the rocks that rounded. I wanted to retain most of their unique shapes but still take a good polish. It seems to be giving me exactly what I was looking for!
Thanks for the compliment. Keep your imagination running - it's one of the things that keeps life interesting.
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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 17:53:25 GMT -5
Hmm. Don't have any powdered soap on hand. Will a little liquid soap do in a pinch?
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Post by connrock on Jan 11, 2005 19:29:29 GMT -5
Liquid soap will do fine in a pinch but just in a pinch!! Tom
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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 19:35:04 GMT -5
Well, next time I make it out to the store I will buy some powdered soap, but there isn't a flake or grain in the house! I use liquid soap for dishwashing and the laundry.
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Post by cookie3rocks on Jan 11, 2005 19:35:22 GMT -5
And just use the tiniest amount or you'll have a bubbley mess. Gotta love the vibe.
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 19:52:12 GMT -5
I didn't add soap yet, since the Calgon seems to be working okay. In the supplementary instructions I have from the Rock Shed for vibratory tumblers, they say to add a little bit of soap about 15 minutes before you rinse. I plan on trying that, too, in the morning to see if it helps the rinsing at all. I plan on putting in the Calgon a little bit before I add the grit in the morning, per Tom's suggestion, to see if that helps with the stuff not drying out as fast.
It is amazing how fast this works. I knew they were faster than the rotary ones, but this just blows my mind! I knew I wasn't patient enough to wait four to six weeks, or more, for a load, and I don't have the luxury (need rocks fast for jewelry). I just didn't expect to wake up and find that after running the tumbler for 9 hours would take all the sharp edges out of the load. I'm assuming it wasn't even working for the majority of that, since it was so dry when I woke up.
We have also been happy to find out it is a great white noise generator. It is loud if you are in the same room, although I tune it out after awhile, but with the door shut it didn't even disturb our sleep last night. It's in the middle of the house, too, not in the garage. In fact, now I only notice it if I pay attention. By the time I woke up this morning, I couldn't even hear it, sort of like a fan blowing all the time.
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Post by krazydiamond on Jan 11, 2005 19:59:12 GMT -5
white noise generators.....yep, i have 5 rotarys going at the moment downstairs, you get used to the sound after a while. at least that is a constant, the furnace wakes me up all the time and we live near a creek, so torrential rains make it howl.
when the ice breaks in the spring it sounds like an earthquake.
KD
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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 20:35:50 GMT -5
It was funny because when I first plugged it in, both my husband and I thought it was too loud. I was dreading putting it in the garage, due to the cold, bending over, and not enough light to see what's going on. Within a few minutes though we both realized that the noise wasn't that loud, and it was white noise. It sounds a lot like a fan to me, especially with the door closed to my studio. We live in a very small house, so it's kinda funny how something so loud can be so quiet! I gues it means I don't need to use white noise generator at all - just through a load in (heehee).
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Post by cookie3rocks on Jan 11, 2005 21:56:43 GMT -5
At first I kept the vibe in the basement, then moved it to the spare bedroom. Got to where I knew the sound so well when I got off of work and came home at night, I could tell by the sound if it needed tending to or not. And it was shut away in the spare bedroom. There was a paticular sound that told me it was "stuck in the muck" and needed immediate attention. The last sound I heard was silence, and of course I freaked out. Poor thing had bitten the proverbial dust. And I knew it the moment I walked in the door. Anyway,, it will become second nature to you. Enjoy! cookie
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Exotica
starting to shine!
Member since January 2005
Posts: 39
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Post by Exotica on Jan 12, 2005 6:39:18 GMT -5
Now I have another question. The rocks seem ready to me to move on to the next stage, except most of the garnets which I pulled to work on more late. All the res are nice smooth everywhere, no pits. I have been tumbling with a bunch of rock chips in the mix. I figured they would help move the grit, and I can use them to decorate jewelry boxes. Should I pull these out now and finish them off separately? I am worried that they might scratch some of the other rocks. They do seem to have done a great job of carrying the grit though! Most of them seem very smooth now, too.
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Exotica
starting to shine!
Member since January 2005
Posts: 39
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Post by Exotica on Jan 12, 2005 9:24:08 GMT -5
Ron,
I just didn't realize it until now, but I have been cruising your site for awhile and making lists of what I will be buying when I start getting more set up.
I took your advice and just dumped, flushed, and moved on to the medium grind. I figure at the speed it has been going that about 12 hours should do it. The instructions say 24, but since the 5-day coarse grind was only 36 hours, I will check how they are doing at 12 to see if I want to move on to the next stage. They already look gorgeous wet, so I think I am getting somewhere! I put in some Calgon water softener with this load for 15 minutes before adding the grit and threw in a pound of ceramic media to get the load back up to four pounds.
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Exotica
starting to shine!
Member since January 2005
Posts: 39
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Post by Exotica on Jan 12, 2005 12:20:24 GMT -5
Well I don't know if it was bastardizing Tom suggestion of the soap and using Calgon water softener or the smooth round ceramic media, but things are still moving beautifully in there, when at this time yesterday it was starting to thicken up too much. Thanks for the help! ;D
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Jon
starting to shine!
Member since January 2005
Posts: 43
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Post by Jon on Jan 12, 2005 21:33:33 GMT -5
What brand of vibe tumbler did you get, and where did you get it?
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Exotica
starting to shine!
Member since January 2005
Posts: 39
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Post by Exotica on Jan 13, 2005 8:43:04 GMT -5
I got a Raytech TV-5. It holds about 4 pounds and seems to be jamming along.
I bought it from Finding King, but I don't recommend them at all. I ordered a bunch of tools, and it took five weeks for them to finally ship the last of them to me - a pair of cutting pliers. With the tumbler, they kept telling me they shipped it and to call/email back in five days. Right before it finally arrived, they decided the first ship date of several weeks before was when they really shipped it and provided me with tracking data to prove it. According to the tracking data, it had shipped five days before, not three weeks. So, it took almost a month to get the tumbler, too. They don't apologize for any delays and always list what you are ordering as being in stock. They then email you an invoice and shipping confirmation, without letting you know that your order is incomplete. It takes literally a week to get a response from anyone when inquiring about your order, their ETA is always "soon." If you do deal with them, don't bother calling - they don't return phone messages. The only way to contact them is vai email or AOL IM.
I was originally planning on purchasing the tumbler from Dad's Rock Shop - which is what I should have done. They have the whole kit, with spare bowl and grit, for $135. I buy replacement grit and all the rest of my supplies from The Rock Shed. They give excellent service and information.
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Post by sandsman1 on Jan 13, 2005 9:34:14 GMT -5
hey Exotica that guy findingking has to be the worst seller on ebay take alook at his bad feedback---he sells stuff that he dont have then he orders it so it takes two weeks for him to get it then he sends it to you another week or more and when he cant get the item he just dosent answer emails or what ever,, he dont care he allready has your money and ebay does nothing to him they let him keep doin it cause they get there cut of the sale i forget who but he did the same thing too someone else on this board
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Exotica
starting to shine!
Member since January 2005
Posts: 39
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Post by Exotica on Jan 13, 2005 10:03:21 GMT -5
Yes, I am not ordering anything from them again, even if they are the last seller on earth to have it. It doesn't take much to say, "that is out of stock and will be here in two weeks" instead of "it wasn 't shipped - it will be there 'soon'." My idea of fast shipping isn't five to six weeks. I certainly don't wait that long to ship my clients' orders - and I have to make it after they order! They actually acted like they were doing me a favor when they had it drop shipped from the manufacturer! They still got my order wrong, but since the iolox they sent is actually a higher grade than what was supposed to be in the kit, I am not going to do anything about it. I have actually been debating reporting them to eBay for pre-selling. eBay only allows pre-selling in certain conditions, such as custom made items or items that are on order. Then, you have to list how long it will take to get to the customer in the listing, and it can't be more than thirty days. Otherwise, you have to have possession of what you list. They are obviously not following that policy and are rude about it in the process! If I was going to disregard a policy that could potentially have a dramatic result on my ability to do business, I would at least be polite and deliver excellent service. With my luck, I would still be blasted! I try to give praise where it is due and try to refer others to business and vendors that have treated me right. On the other hand, I do let others know when I haven't been treated right so that I can warn them. I have found that for the most part it is better to deal with other small businesses - I can build a relationship with the person, and I almost always get better service. To me it is worth the little bit extra money to get good service and have any problems resolved rather than getting poor service. The orders I placed with Finding King weren't small, and I know there are other business out there that will appreciate the patronage and treat me right!
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