rockdewd
has rocks in the head
Member since October 2007
Posts: 605
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Post by rockdewd on Apr 9, 2008 10:22:57 GMT -5
I bought a Central Electric vibe tumbler on sale at Harbor Freight for $39.99. I bought it for backup up but wouldn't you know the RCBS vibe motor would give out. So I put the HF tumbler into service two weeks ago and it is running fine so far. I'm using it for my polish tumbler so I don't expect to have the bowl wear that I experienced with using a HF bowl for grit stages.
Since my vibe tumblers run 24x7 it should be a good test for HF durability.
Rick
The vibe tumbler crash test dummy.
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turquoiselover
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2008
Posts: 115
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Post by turquoiselover on Apr 9, 2008 23:24:01 GMT -5
Rick -
I think that for what you're using the HF vibe for (polish) it will work just fine. It will just need a lot of monitoring, and I wouldn't let it run while you weren't at home.
After reading the reception that Aggotmaggot got when she announced that she had purchased a HP vibe, and reading the negative threads about HP vibes in general, I never borrowed my dad's. He bought one to get rust off of nuts and bolts, etc. in a machine shop capacity. Other than the fact that everyone said that they leaked, no one really gave any other reasons for not buying one. It's hard to ignore the sweet price....
So I borrowed my dad's and this is what I (as a total newbie to the hobby - just 9 months with 5 rotary barrels running, 2 being a CE dual tumbler!) discovered:
I first searched this board and a few other sites for directions and tips for a vibe, having never used one before.
I ran it for basically 2 days with 120/220, 2 days with 500/600, and 2 days with CO. My results were mixed, as was my batch of rocks - but I was pleased with them, and amazed how FAST a vibe works.
It does have a few problems, though. It DOES leak. It IS meant for dry tumbling for a reason, and that is because it's not water-tight. And not being water-tight means it isn't air-tight, either so I had to keep a close eye on the load to make sure that it wasn't getting too dry.
Because it's meant to run without water, it's not really built to handle a heavy load of rocks, with the barrel being 70-80% full (as per the directions I found on the net). The motor is really light weight - not the heavy-duty design that would be needed for 24/7/365 that my rotary guys do. One morning when I went to check it, I burned my fingers on the wing nut that holds the lid on. The rubber gasket on the lid below the wing nut was starting to disintegrate, too.
After the first 2 stages, I could see the barrel was thinning already (holding it up to the light) so I went ahead and bought another barrel for the final polish phase. At least they're cheap, too - just $12.99.
All in all..........it's just not built to be durable, must always be watched (I checked it several times a day - there was always something going on....leaking, heat, dry, etc...)
If I bought one of my own, I'd have several barrels and constantly rotate them out.
Sounds like yours is doing well if it's been going for 2 weeks. I ran this one for 6 days and it scared me enough not to leave it on while I was out of the house.
Luck to you -
Turq
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rockdewd
has rocks in the head
Member since October 2007
Posts: 605
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Post by rockdewd on Apr 10, 2008 10:40:28 GMT -5
Turq,
Thanks for your experience with HF vibe tumblers. I just emptied it out with a load of polished rocks and they all turned out nice. I haven't had leakage problems like others have reported. The center of the HF bowl doesn't go up as high as other bowls but the motion of the tumbling mass moves it away from the center. Maybe others ran them too wet.
I have found if you remove the center tube the lid fits nice and snug with the rubber lip on the bowl and is virtually air tight.
I have a few HF bowls because they fit so many other vibe tumblers they are good for backup or special situations.
I plan on getting another Thumlers vibe tumbler either an ultra-vibe 10 or 18 in the next week. So I hope the HF holds out until then.
I will tell you about one unpleasant experience I had last night. When I'm going to clean out a vibe tumbler I fill it up with water and put dish soap in and let it run for a 1/2 hour. That cleans the stones and media really good and they just require rinsing. When I tried that with the HF it shot water and tin oxide all over the place and me when I poured water into it. So there seems to be a lot of abnormal vibration where higher price tumblers just circulate the water.
I have gotten into commercial cutting of cabs and if I stay on top of it I can produce 100 cabs a week. So vibe tumbler performance is a priority to me. But I think the HF vibe tumbler is good for backup or short jobs. I wouldn't expect it to last in my 24x7 shop.
Rick
The vibe tumbler crash test dummy
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earthdog
Cave Dweller 
Don't eat yellow snow
Member since June 2006
Posts: 2,731
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Post by earthdog on Apr 10, 2008 21:58:23 GMT -5
Agatemaggot is a dude, not a she....
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Post by Bikerrandy on Apr 11, 2008 13:49:41 GMT -5
LOL, you beat me to it. ;D
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turquoiselover
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2008
Posts: 115
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Post by turquoiselover on Apr 13, 2008 16:34:26 GMT -5
Dang...my bad. I don't know where I got the idea that HE was a SHE. No insult intended, of course.
Rick - my dad doesn't seem to want his HF vibe back any time soon, and in fact told me that if I borrowed it, I'm required to store it for a while, due to his lack of space. So I think I'll mess with it a bit, since I bought another barrel and all. I'll take your advice about the center tube.
Sounds like you're really crankin' out the cabs. Good luck to you and yours.
Turq
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rockdewd
has rocks in the head
Member since October 2007
Posts: 605
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Post by rockdewd on Apr 13, 2008 20:20:00 GMT -5
Well, the Harbor Freight vibe tumbler survived my trial. It did a good job on polishing over 100 cabs as the final load. I wouldn't trust it to do 24x7 service but for occasional use it's good in a pinch. One thing I noticed when I was cleaning it out was the blue of the bowl was mixed in with the tin oxide and the bowl smelled like mothballs. The harbor freight store smells the same way. It must be the rust inhibitor on the imported steel tools.
Anyway, it's back on the shelf for the HF tumbler. I ordered a Thumler's UV-10 from the rock shed. No need to tempt fate when i'm running 24x7. Except for now. I got behind on my cutting. The an uneasy silence permeates the garage...
Rick
The vibe tumbler crash test dummy
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turquoiselover
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2008
Posts: 115
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Post by turquoiselover on Apr 15, 2008 14:43:03 GMT -5
YES!!!! I noticed the smell, too - but I thought that my dad had used some solvent in it or some kind of nasty smelling "grit" to clean nuts and bolts. When I had it running in my walk-in closet with the door closed, that smell permiated the whole bedroom! I don't have a garage or shed to run it, so I'm left with just finding some place that the sound doesn't drive everybody crazy. Glad you cleared up the smell question, though.
I will use it again, but I won't load it as heavily as I did before. The box that the new barrel came in said "generous 4 lb capacity" and I know I had about 10 lbs of rock in there (to get it to 70-80% full)
Hope you catch up - too bad I don't live closer, I'd love to help. Oh, well - good luck.
Turq
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rockdewd
has rocks in the head
Member since October 2007
Posts: 605
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Post by rockdewd on Apr 16, 2008 0:29:20 GMT -5
Hey Turq, I caught up in the last two evenings. Got another 96 cabs in the tumbler tonight. When I woke up this morning my hands were cramped like lobster claws. But I enjoy it. Always something different to do in my shop. It took me forever to get inventory done for taxes. I woud go out to do it but get distracted by some rock just begging to be cut, polished, and have a piece of jewlery made for it. I feel like Kevin Costner in the Field of Dreams when he asked some of the town people if they ever heard voices in the cornfields. Somehow I figure I might find a kindrid soul or two on this board who has had silmilar experience.  Rick |
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turquoiselover
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2008
Posts: 115
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Post by turquoiselover on Apr 17, 2008 18:18:39 GMT -5
Rick, I feel your pain. All week long, I've had errands to run, meetings and doc appts.....and every one of them has been just INCONVENIENT enough to keep me from getting out the WF, putting on my head phones and slicing open some rocks. And I'm painting my parents' house this weekend and next............................................(sigh) It drives me nuts to have rough that I haven't explored.
Have a good weekend, Rick. Our DSL is out, and I'm at the library with the kids to use the computers. Talk about inconvienience!
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rockdewd
has rocks in the head
Member since October 2007
Posts: 605
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Post by rockdewd on Apr 18, 2008 0:12:39 GMT -5
>>Our DSL is out<<
Gasp! A fate worst than death! If our DSL was out my two teenagers would go out of their minds. Well me too to be honest. ;-)
Rick
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