thomtap
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since December 2007
Posts: 237
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Post by thomtap on Jan 9, 2008 8:53:19 GMT -5
I'm looking at vibrating rock tumblers on ebay. Could someone explain why there is a difference between "Dry process only" machines and "Wet" machines? The dry process ones are much cheaper... would they work for regular rock tumbling as well?
Thom Tapp
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Post by Jack ( Yorkshire) on Jan 10, 2008 3:56:17 GMT -5
Hi Thom,
I use a Lot "O" 4 1/2lb although its wet it is more of a damp than awash with water like a tumbler.
It is very good from 2nd stage and (for me) cuts polishing time down from 6 weeks + to 10 days as well as a reduction in grit costs and power consumption.
as for dry I havent used that method I think they use corn cobs and dimond grits ?
Jack
yorkshire UK
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thomtap
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since December 2007
Posts: 237
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Post by thomtap on Jan 10, 2008 7:07:54 GMT -5
Well - I opted for a RAYTECH VIBRATORY TUMBLER TV-5 instead of the "dry process" tumbler. It cost more, but I think it will last longer. Now... I need advice on how to get the best results!
Thanks!
Thom
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Post by johnjsgems on Jan 12, 2008 22:37:06 GMT -5
The biggest problem my customers had with the Raytechs were using too much water. Mix should be damp, not wet. You should never see water splashing. Using too much water causes the grit to settle out near the bottom and wears a groove in the bowl. The rocks rotate above the grit. Check often as vibes are much faster than rotaries.
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thomtap
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since December 2007
Posts: 237
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Post by thomtap on Jan 13, 2008 9:03:25 GMT -5
Thanks John! Do you know where I can buy extra bowls?
Thom
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Post by johnjsgems on Jan 15, 2008 11:15:53 GMT -5
Thom, I would think the dealer you bought the tumbler from would carry the bowls as well. They are available from Diamond Pacific (part #113-23-005, $23.95 ea. or throuh me for 10% less - cheap shameless plug).
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lsmike
spending too much on rocks
Maxwell's demon lowers tumbling entropy
Member since January 2007
Posts: 468
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Post by lsmike on Feb 5, 2008 11:56:44 GMT -5
I'm not sure but wet process MAY refer to tumblers that have a recirculating sytem.This is just used for jewelry findings and such and you do not want one for rock!.If it means that you use water and not dry media then you do want one.The dry media ones are mainly for cleaning fired bullet casings.They are of a lighter build and will not last as long.Mike
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rockgirl
noticing nice landscape pebbles
great state of ohio
Member since April 2011
Posts: 99
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Post by rockgirl on Jul 13, 2013 12:22:05 GMT -5
I have this same vibrator and can't find my book..... can anyone help me on the mixes and time?? Karon
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Post by johnjsgems on Jul 14, 2013 14:29:13 GMT -5
Not sure which tumbler you have but here is a rough idea. My GyRoc 2.5 lb. uses 1 teaspoon of grit per load. The 10 lb. one tablespoon. If you have the Raytech TV5 it is about 4 lbs. So, about a teaspoon or a little more. I use 220 for first step for two days. Rinse and repeat another two days. Rinse and run 600 for two days. Wash out and burnish (more water than normal and a little Tide or borax). Polish (.3 micron aluminum oxide same quantity as the grit. Wash and burnish. Use non abrasive ceramic media about 1/3 of load by volume or 70% by volume for flat rocks, slabs, or cabs. For the grit and polish rinse the rocks and ceramics in a collander and put in the bowl dripping wet. Add the grit and turn on watching the movement. If rocks are rotating well add no more water. If really sluggish add drops of water or a spritz with a spray bottle until everything moves well. Remember this movement and check 2290 step every two hours. As a slurry forms it will slow down. Add very small amounts of water until initial motion returns. After the first half day check at night and adjust as needed. By then it should run through the night unsupervised. The second day an occasional check will work. Usually the 600 and polish steps run trouble free. Polish can be checked each day until the polish you want is achieved. I usually run at least 2 days and usually 4 days. The amount of water is really critical in all vibe tumblers.
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critterrider
off to a rocking start
Still waiting for help, maybe I loaded my bowl to much.
Member since August 2023
Posts: 4
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Post by critterrider on Sept 16, 2023 21:25:37 GMT -5
I was on earlier with a problem with my vibrating tumbler spitting rocks out while I'm trying to ad water and or grit. It is a Harbor Freight, Central Machines 5lb tumbler. Thinking I can still use it if I just turn it off while I'm adding stuff.a little inconvenient but it might work.
Any suggestions I think I can still take it back and get the expensive one.
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Post by vegasjames on Sept 16, 2023 23:13:50 GMT -5
Rock tumblers are wet. They are sealed to keep water out, and have heavier springs to handle the weight of the rocks and water.
The "dry" tumblers are made for polishing things like brass casings in a dry tumbling media. They are not as heavy duty, including the bowls, which are often made with thin plastic and will not hold up to the rocks and grit.
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rydersrocks
starting to spend too much on rocks
Likes rocks of all kinds
Member since January 2024
Posts: 109
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Post by rydersrocks on Jan 3, 2024 2:41:12 GMT -5
Hi! What is the best vibratory tumbler to get. I have looked at the Lot-O tumbler but it is never in stock. How good of a polish does the MT-4 get on agates and jaspers? What are some recipes for the MT-4 I could use? I am looking for Museum piece quality stones. Thanks!
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Post by chris1956 on Jan 3, 2024 17:03:56 GMT -5
Hi! What is the best vibratory tumbler to get. I have looked at the Lot-O tumbler but it is never in stock. How good of a polish does the MT-4 get on agates and jaspers? What are some recipes for the MT-4 I could use? I am looking for Museum piece quality stones. Thanks! I have both a Lot-O single and MT-4 tumbler. My impression is that the MT-4 rotates the rocks faster than the Lot-O and might be a litter harder on rocks. Although I don't know that I notice much difference on the final rock polish. The MT-4 is smaller and you have to be careful with larger rocks and longer rocks that they don't cause jams. When I have more delicate stuff that I want polished well, I usually put it in the Lot-O with a lot of ceramics or small already tumbled rock pieces from sawing. Let us know when you get that museum piece quality and post some pics. |
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rydersrocks
starting to spend too much on rocks
Likes rocks of all kinds
Member since January 2024
Posts: 109
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Post by rydersrocks on Jan 4, 2024 2:10:34 GMT -5
Hi! What is the best vibratory tumbler to get. I have looked at the Lot-O tumbler but it is never in stock. How good of a polish does the MT-4 get on agates and jaspers? What are some recipes for the MT-4 I could use? I am looking for Museum piece quality stones. Thanks! I have both a Lot-O single and MT-4 tumbler. My impression is that the MT-4 rotates the rocks faster than the Lot-O and might be a litter harder on rocks. Although I don't know that I notice much difference on the final rock polish. The MT-4 is smaller and you have to be careful with larger rocks and longer rocks that they don't cause jams. When I have more delicate stuff that I want polished well, I usually put it in the Lot-O with a lot of ceramics or small already tumbled rock pieces from sawing. Let us know when you get that museum piece quality and post some pics. Hi! Thanks for answering my questions. I am working on a "Trade Secret" polishing method. I am going to use a combination of rotary and vibratory or just rotary. I so far only use rotary and have gotten amazing results. Based on what i have seen I actually disagree that vibratory tumblers give a better polish. However so can rotary tumblers, it just will take longer. It just needs to be done right. I rotary tumbled obsidian and got really nice results. I'm probably never going to give away the method I'm developing because first off: its highly theoretical, and second: If it does make the rocks have a hyper polish, I kinda wanna save that info for a competition. Thanks man! |
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geoff59
spending too much on rocks
Member since October 2022
Posts: 288
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Post by geoff59 on Jan 4, 2024 4:10:58 GMT -5
Ryderrocks:
Hard to find a new Vibe right now. The Lot-O is currently on it’s 3rd motor manufacturer in just a few years, there have been problems with the previous motors, time will tell if the latest will be “the fix” everyone hopes for. And I hear that Thumler has all but abandoned their line, try to find one of those, you can’t. There aren’t a lot of choices out there at the moment. Few places have new machines in stock, seems like the one and only that can be found (searching high and low) is quite expensive. I was planning on adding my first vibe over these next couple of winter months, but because of the situation with them, I think I am going to wait a while instead.
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ts
starting to shine!
Member since March 2023
Posts: 36
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Post by ts on Jan 6, 2024 16:57:02 GMT -5
Hi! What is the best vibratory tumbler to get. I have looked at the Lot-O tumbler but it is never in stock. How good of a polish does the MT-4 get on agates and jaspers? What are some recipes for the MT-4 I could use? I am looking for Museum piece quality stones. Thanks! The Minisonic MT4 does a terrific job of polishing stones. I get amazing shine and it's Quiet. I also don't have to worry about the motor dying as it uses magnets and electrical current for vibration. I got mine at SUVA Lapidary. Just make sure you change default shipment from Diamond Pacific which takes weeks but costs less to SUVA in stock which is full retail but it ships quick. I got mine last year in 2 days! Love it |
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arentol
off to a rocking start
Member since July 2023
Posts: 20 
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Post by arentol on Jan 15, 2024 15:29:42 GMT -5
I was on earlier with a problem with my vibrating tumbler spitting rocks out while I'm trying to ad water and or grit. It is a Harbor Freight, Central Machines 5lb tumbler. Thinking I can still use it if I just turn it off while I'm adding stuff.a little inconvenient but it might work. Any suggestions I think I can still take it back and get the expensive one. I have that tumbler, and it is not at all designed to polish rocks as is. The base is actually fine for rocks (though not sealed as tightly against water, so be careful still) but the bowl is not designed for rocks in the slightest and will likely break pretty quickly. Some people have had it crack as quickly as their second week of tumbling rocks. There is a solution though, go someplace like rocktumbler.com or rockshed.com and get yourself a Thumler's UV-10 replacement bowl (make sure it is the BLUE stripe one. The yellow is not for rocks). It costs about $100, but it will work great, and last a long time, and effectively gets you a Thumler's U-V10, but for a far lower price than the real one. (I know all this, because this is the tumbler setup I use for stage 2 and 3 for all my rocks. I do stage 1 in rotary tumblers, and stage 4 in a Lot-O tumbler). As to your actual problem.... Don't load it with grit at all when it is running. I don't know why anyone would do that. . What you should be doing is loading the bowl with wet rocks and wet media to the appropriate level (watch videos to see this). Then add your grit. Then put the bowl back on the tumbler base, put the washers and nut back on, and turn it on, and check your movement. It shouldn't spit rocks out if it is loaded properly with rocks and media. You can still spritz water in with it running at this point if you need more water, but don't put in very much, as that just keeps it from working right. Once all looks good, turn it off, put the lid on, tighten down the washers with the wingnut, and turn it back on. Check it every 12 hours for good movement and to make sure it isn't dry, and each cycle should take about 2 days. Once it is done, take the bowl entirely off to empty it and rinse it and the rocks out before doing another stage. I do suggest getting a very deep socket wrench to speed up and simplify this process. |
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