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Post by Sea Faring Wang Dang on Feb 2, 2009 21:19:19 GMT -5
Just a quick question. I have many manuals, books etc. on how much grit & polish should be used for tumbling, plus advice from the person who sells me grit.
I have a double drum that has 2 barrels, (three pounds each) & a Vibe that holds 5 pounds.
What would be the best amount of the grits & polishes for a 3 pound tumbler and also for a 5 pound vibe tumbler? I've read from 1 tbsp to 6 tbsp for 3 pounds of stones in a 3 Pound roller drum. That is a wide spectrum. I would really like some plain Jane layman's advice on this. I would love to hear from you guys instead of the person selling me the grit.
P.S What a heck of a Super bowl. Thought I tripping or something when they had the 100 yard touch down run. Wow.
Also, have any of you guys heard of this stuff called black beauty? We use on the tug as deck non-skid. It is very, very coarse glass slag like material that is super hard. Do you think this could be used for the 1 st grinds? I would guess it to be 5 to 10 grit or less. I'll post a pic of some. Very tough stuff
Thanks Guys, Casey
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Post by NatureNut on Feb 2, 2009 21:26:42 GMT -5
1 rounded (not heaping, like a football) Tblsp. of everything for the vibe. I have a 10 lb vibe and use 2 rounded Tblsp.
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Post by akansan on Feb 3, 2009 9:37:29 GMT -5
For the rotary, the recommendation is generally 1 Tbsp of grit per pound, 1/2 Tbsp. of polish per pound. So, a 3 lb. rotary tumbler would use 3 Tbsp of grit for the first 3 stages, and then 1 1/2 Tbsp. of polish.
I'm not sure about the black beauty. One of the reasons with SiC is used is because it's harder than most of the rocks it grinds (Mohs 9.5). Typical glass is about a Mohs 5-5.5, whereas most stones you'll try to polish will be a Mohs 7.0-7.5.
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wildoaks
starting to shine!
Member since November 2008
Posts: 31 
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Post by wildoaks on Feb 3, 2009 9:38:36 GMT -5
Black Beauty is often used in driveway sealing. It's a coal slag abrasive material. The product name Black Beauty refers to a byproduct of the combustion of coal which is processed into abrasive products by Reed Minerals, a division of Harsco. Sounds like I'm an expert, but I've heard of it when I had my driveway sealed. Got that description from a website.
I too have seen varying recommended grit quantities. I have a Thumlers rotary A-R2 (2 - 3lb barrels) and Model B (15 lb). For the 3 lb, I had been following the instructions that came with the grit pack (from Rockpick Legend Co.): 4, 4, 6, 6 Tbs for each of the 4 Phases. Now I thought 6 Tbs was a bit much for 3 lb barrel, but I went with it anyway. Seemed to hinder movement in polish phase though. You got me thinking, so I just checked The Rock Shed 's website: 4, 4, 2, 2 oz (not Tbs). I think I'll switch to their recommendations. For the 15 lb, The Rock Shed recommends 1, 1, 1/2, 1/2 lbs. This is what I've been following.
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Post by akansan on Feb 3, 2009 9:44:53 GMT -5
From what I recall, an oz. of SiC = 1 tbsp.  |
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Post by johnjsgems on Feb 3, 2009 9:56:55 GMT -5
The only firm belief in tumbling is ask 20 successful tumblers and you will get 20 variations on how to tumble correctly. It is best to follow a guide book on how to for a few batches (assuming their way works) until you get good results then try your own variations. Generally in the 3lb drum 2-3 tablespoons of each grit will work (you can check every 3-4 days nd add a little if you think progress is slow). Polish depends on quality of the polish. The inexpensive polishes usually provided in grit kits will need 2-3 tablespoons. The better quality polishes you can get by with 2 teaspoons. Vibes will use from 1/3-1/2 of hat the rotary does and only damp not wet.
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Post by Sea Faring Wang Dang on Feb 3, 2009 10:00:53 GMT -5
Thanks guys for the information. It really helps to hear it from people that also practice what the teach. Thanks again. I'm still wondering about the Black Beauty being used. I might give it a try for the heck of it.
Casey
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ejs
spending too much on rocks
Member since July 2008
Posts: 478
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Post by ejs on Feb 7, 2009 19:23:41 GMT -5
Casey: For yet another opinion...
In my Lortone 3# tumblers, I use 4TB of 60/90 SC for coarse and 4TB of 120/200 SC for medium. For the 6# tumblers, I use 10TB of 60/90 SC (I only run coarse in these). I always check the grit at the end of my five day coarse runs, and it is almost always totally broken down (indicating that I did not use too much). Try whatever quantity you like and then check it at 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 days. When the grit is all broken down (i.e. you cannot see any visible grains when you run your fingers across the base of the barrel) then you found a good method. There is no one right answer. I would guess that there are several combinations of grit quantities and days spinning that will come out fine. Other variables such as rock hardness, rock shape, and tumbling speed also affect the grit breakdown.
For the pre-polish and polish, I use 6TB in the 3# barrel. However, I suspect that this may be too much and I may try using 4TB next time.
Good luck, have fun, experiment, keep records, and let us know how it turns out!
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Post by Sea Faring Wang Dang on Feb 8, 2009 0:02:42 GMT -5
Thanks for all the info. I am paying attention to all of the and finding a happy medium until I find out what works for me. Thanks so much for the info. You guys rock!!!!
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