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Post by cpdad on Mar 19, 2008 23:15:47 GMT -5
dude....put the lids back on...let them run for a week....this is just to get the most out of the grit you have in there....throw a tums in the one on the right.
you need to break them down after a week...throw the grit away...start over....and put a better mix together for the 2 barrels.
by mix...i mean size of rocks in each barrel....if you had larger rocks in the barrel on the right.....they would have more earthly matter on them....and maybe cause that effect.....even though it aint hurting a thing.
when tumbling....watch the bottom of the barrels....if they suck in a little....all is good.....if they bow out.....stop and burp.
i think you got the sizes of rock screwed up in your barrels....kev.
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Roan
has rocks in the head
Member since January 2008
Posts: 600
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Post by Roan on Mar 20, 2008 12:02:19 GMT -5
Oooooooooo! I know that foam! That's the same foam I got when I tried to tumble some rocks that were too soft. It was serpentine and it undercut like mad. All the nice yellow parts came off  I eventually gave up trying to tumble it in the 60/90 cause it just kept breaking down. Could that be what the problem is? Eileen |
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geogoddess
spending too much on rocks
Member since December 2007
Posts: 287
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Post by geogoddess on Mar 20, 2008 12:26:23 GMT -5
I get the foam with Rose Quartz, and agates.
Gotta agree with CP... put the lid back on and let them gooooooooooo. If the bottom of the barrels poof out, then open them up to burp them. As someone else said... the foam is keeping the grit in suspension so its not sitting at the bottom of the barrel... so its coming into contact with the rocks.
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Wolfden
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since November 2007
Posts: 1,368
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Post by Wolfden on Mar 20, 2008 13:04:21 GMT -5
Thats how mine always look ,foam wise , I figure its normal ... as I have run both soft and hard stones. I look at the bottom of the barrels everyday and they always , so far , seam to get sucked in. I figure its all good so far lol ....
" note to self - buy tums "
I have been using The RockShed's 80 grit , it seams to last longer than the 7 days , when I open the barrels there always seams tobe grit left over.I'm gonna start letting them run for 10 days and see if the grit is broke down better.
IMHO your right on track just let'm run lol
Thanks for the pictures great help
Wolf
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geogoddess
spending too much on rocks
Member since December 2007
Posts: 287
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Post by geogoddess on Mar 20, 2008 14:19:22 GMT -5
If you've got Arm and Hammer Baking Soda in your kitchen, you can use that instead of Tums. It helps with the gas, too. I usually put about 1 tbs in.
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Roan
has rocks in the head
Member since January 2008
Posts: 600
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Post by Roan on Mar 20, 2008 14:55:00 GMT -5
I get the foam with Rose Quartz, and agates. Ah, learn something every day! THanks! What do you do if the grit isn't suspended? Just gunks up on the bottom of the barrel? This is with rocks of all sizes and tiny chips, too. I tried some 46/70 grit and that's what happened. Eileen |
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geogoddess
spending too much on rocks
Member since December 2007
Posts: 287
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Post by geogoddess on Mar 20, 2008 15:55:47 GMT -5
Hmmmm, not sure! I usually shake up the barrel some, easier to do with my 1.5 lb one than the 15 lb one. Sometimes, at the end of the week or so, I have a bit that isn't broken down... but I've never had it gunk up, or otherwise collect on the bottom.
What order are you adding things to the barrel? I'm just thinking about what happens in cooking when you add dry and wet stuff in the 'wrong' order (clumpy flour in gravy for example)... and if you put the grit in, then the rocks and water... that might happen. Beyond that I don't have a clue.
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Post by akansan on Mar 20, 2008 17:04:55 GMT -5
With my CE tumbler, I had to let it run longer to get the grit completely gone. I don't want to think of the rough grit I threw away my first two months following the 7 day cycle. I accidentally let it run 10 once...and realized my waste.
And yeah on the foam - it's what drove me to this board to begin with. Totally normal, and new barrels tend to foam more than broken in barrels. A bit of borax in the load also cuts down on the foam, but if you only open the lids if the barrel starts poofing out on the bottom, a lot of time the foam is gone by the time you open the lid at the end of the cycle.
Roan - if you have clumpy grit on the bottom, it could be either not enough time tumbling or too much grit. I'd let them run longer or use less grit to experiment.
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Wolfden
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since November 2007
Posts: 1,368
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Post by Wolfden on Mar 20, 2008 17:32:57 GMT -5
could Roan not be using enough water ? I dont know but would think that might couse the clumping ? just a thought  I add rock then water then grit topped off with pellets if needed .. I only get stickies on the bottom if I set the barrel down for a min or so Wolf |
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dewman
starting to shine!
Member since March 2008
Posts: 29
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Post by dewman on Mar 20, 2008 17:54:02 GMT -5
So....the foam is o.k???
The "instructions" that came with the CE said to check the barrel everyday. So now I won't do that. Today is day four, so I'll let it run for at least another 3 days, but probably 6 days. I could tell there was foam in the grit, so it's not broken down yet. The grit I have I also bought at Harbor Freight. Is this alright?
Anything else I should do? Rearrange the rocks? More grit?
Thanks for all the replies. More pics to come as the stones progress.
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geogoddess
spending too much on rocks
Member since December 2007
Posts: 287
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Post by geogoddess on Mar 20, 2008 18:30:50 GMT -5
The foam is *not* an issue. I've figured out...by checking... they really mean: look at the barrel, make sure its not about to explode, make sure its still turning. As much as we all want to see results... there is no need to look inside the barrel everyday. Unless you have a photographic memory, you won't see changes from one day to the next. You will see changes between day 1 and day 7. Or, in other words, every time you check it, you're taking away from tumbling time. They may even need to tumble in the coarse grit for 10 or 14 days. I have no idea about the HF grit, my guess is the first 3 grits are probably alright. Depends on who makes the polish, you may want to get some different polish. But that is still 3-4 weeks away. |
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Post by akansan on Mar 20, 2008 18:40:13 GMT -5
I'd agree that the first three stages of the grit are probably just fine. It's when you get to the polish cycle that you really need to know the quality of what you have.
Maybe I missed it, but what did you finally decide to do about the belt? I switched my belt out with a Lortone belt from the Rockshed and that worked great.
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dewman
starting to shine!
Member since March 2008
Posts: 29
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Post by dewman on Mar 20, 2008 20:04:49 GMT -5
Man, I can't thank you enough for all of you're input! I really appreciate it!
I'll have to look in to finding some better grit...at least the polish grit. There's a place about 40 miles from here I'll have to check out and see if they some good stuff. Otherwise, I'll have order some.
And Akansan, I got a Thumler's Tumbler #400 belt from Johnjsgems. So far so good. I have three back up belts from CE or HF, but I hope not to use them unless necessary.
Man, I'm really glad I don't have to open the barrels tonight. That was a pain.
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dewman
starting to shine!
Member since March 2008
Posts: 29
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Post by dewman on Mar 24, 2008 21:58:44 GMT -5
OK, today was day eight, and I haven't opened the barrels in four days.
Should I go a couple of more days before I check them?
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huffstuff
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since August 2007
Posts: 1,222
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Post by huffstuff on Mar 25, 2008 9:33:29 GMT -5
Hi Dewman, great thread you've got going here!
I love to pull my rocks once a week and look at them, but keep in mind that my last batch (my second one I ever did) had rocks tumbling in rough grit for 8 weeks! If you think you have different hardnesses, you may want to check them to see how the softer ones are progressing. Otherwise, I think checking at this point isn't necessary. I check because it's fun for me, and I have the time. But I don't think you HAVE TO check now that it's been a total of 8 days.
Other opinions?
Also, I saw your other thread in the photos section, your last question was about whether it was OK to run the barrels at only 1 or 2 lbs. I believe the general opinion (again, I've only done 2 batches myself!) is that the rocks get much better contact with the grit when the barrel is 2/3 to 3/4 full. Less elbow room for each rock, requiring them to rub against each other.
Hope this helps! Your thread is collecting a lot of input, and I'm sure it's benefitting lots of others at the same time. Welcome!
Amy
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Roan
has rocks in the head
Member since January 2008
Posts: 600
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Post by Roan on Mar 25, 2008 13:50:45 GMT -5
. . .What order are you adding things to the barrel? I'm just thinking about what happens in cooking when you add dry and wet stuff in the 'wrong' order (clumpy flour in gravy for example)... and if you put the grit in, then the rocks and water... that might happen. Beyond that I don't have a clue. Rocks, then water, then grit. I think I found out what part of the problem was, though. My countertop isn't exactly level from front to back and I noticed that the tumbler was sitting diagonally on the counter and not horizontally. In other words gravity was pulling everything to the bottom part of the barrel. Even though it's not *that* much of a tilt, I moved it and everything seems to be fine now. Eileen |
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dewman
starting to shine!
Member since March 2008
Posts: 29
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Post by dewman on Mar 26, 2008 22:43:02 GMT -5
Thanks for the info huffstuff! I appreciate it. Especially now... ROUND ONE COMPLETE! (...I think...) Man, what a difference in the rocks. More photos to come. I'll get them up as soon as possible and you can give me your opinions. But when the stones are wet, they look beautiful...mostly.  I took pictures of the rocks individually and recorded their weight before the tumble, and I will be doing the same again (with the larger stones anyway). The smaller store bought stone I think have gotten a bit too small, but we'll see when I post the photos. See you guys soon...with photos! |
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flipme8
off to a rocking start
Member since March 2008
Posts: 16
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Post by flipme8 on Mar 31, 2008 23:43:05 GMT -5
another avenue other than O rings ive found is vaccuum cleaner belts, also the CE may have improved the belts recently i broke one the first week but when i released the motor ( they are adjustable) it has ran solid for the last four weeks without looking like breaking. Using the vac belt on my thummler and has lasted 50 times longer than origianl or O rings but is showing signs of stress but when i put new one on will hit motor with a hammer to reduce tension and should be ok.
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Post by cpdad on Apr 1, 2008 20:03:21 GMT -5
dewman why did you weigh your rocks?..i just wanna know ;D
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