prettystone
starting to shine!
Never expect anything and you'll always be surprised!
Member since January 2009
Posts: 25
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Post by prettystone on Feb 11, 2009 13:46:46 GMT -5
Hello all, I have just run my first tumble on 60/90 grit for 6 days and am going to rerun it. My question is, do I need to clean everything thoroughly before I recharge for the second tumble?
I am running red jasper and quartz and am amazed at the colors and patterns.
Thank you in advance for your help. I really enjoy reading all of the threads and am learning so much.
Cheryl
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syfun
noticing nice landscape pebbles
Member since January 2009
Posts: 85
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Post by syfun on Feb 11, 2009 14:05:10 GMT -5
No need to clean at all if you are staying with the same stage of grit. The reason for cleaning thoroughly is so you don't get any cross contamination between one stage and the next. You're going to rerun the same stage so no worries.
Steve
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prettystone
starting to shine!
Never expect anything and you'll always be surprised!
Member since January 2009
Posts: 25
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Post by prettystone on Feb 11, 2009 14:14:47 GMT -5
Thank you Steve. Just wasn't sure.
Cheryl
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MikeS
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since January 2009
Posts: 1,081
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Post by MikeS on Feb 11, 2009 14:36:47 GMT -5
I empty out the slurry and rinse the material off between recharges of the same abrasive...I have found that this speeds up the process a bit....
Mike
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Post by Hard Rock Cafe on Feb 11, 2009 15:58:13 GMT -5
I agree with Steve, but I'm like Mike. You certainly won't hurt anything if you just throw more grit in. Some people claim better results from the thicker slurry so they don't wash. Why not try it one way and the other way on the next batch?
Be patient with that first grind. You may find you have to do it for a month, depending on the hardness of the rocks.
Welcome to the board and good luck with your tumble! Be sure to post some pics when you're done.
Chuck
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rockdewd
has rocks in the head
Member since October 2007
Posts: 605
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Post by rockdewd on Feb 11, 2009 17:12:00 GMT -5
I generally check my barrels every two weeks. I run 12 lb and 15 lb barrels so you may need to check more often with smaller barrels. I open them up and if the slurry is thick like cream then it is time to wash out and recharge. If not I stick my finger in and if it comes out with grit on it I clean the sealing edge of the barrel and reseal it and let it run another two weeks. If there's not much grit on my finger then I add a cup of grit and reseal and let 'em roll for another two week.
Note: I only use my barrels for the rough grind (60/90) stage so the grit on the finger trick probably won't work for the subsequent finer grinding stages.
Rick
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MikeS
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since January 2009
Posts: 1,081
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Post by MikeS on Feb 11, 2009 18:14:55 GMT -5
I suppose I should clarify a bit...I don't rinse and recharge until I can't feel any more grit in the slurry. By this point it's pretty thick and creamy anyway, and IME too much thick slurry will tend to hinder the grinding action of the grit a little bit. Either way is fine, but you don't want the slurry getting too thick, IMO. That's one nice thing about this hobby, there are not too many hard and fast rules to follow, and you can experiment without worrying too much about ruining your work. You'll find that generally it's a pretty forgiving hobby, and if you don't like the results you get from a particular batch, you can always back up a step or two and try it again  Mike |
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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 11, 2009 20:06:20 GMT -5
Another tumbler, another opionion:
I run my Lortone 6# barrels for five days between 60/90 SC recharges. I give them a quick rinse, then add more grit (just under 2/3 cup) and water and run again. You do not need to be careful about removing all the old grit until you are changing stages.
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MikeS
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since January 2009
Posts: 1,081
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Post by MikeS on Feb 11, 2009 21:51:53 GMT -5
Agreed... I rinse them simply to remove the slurry once the grit is spent, I don't worry about cleaning them like you would prior to using a finer grit. Here is some of my logic behind rinsing them even just for a recharge...a slurry acts as a lubricant of sorts between the particles of grit and the rock and lowers the effectiveness of the grit a little bit. The the thicker the slurry, the more pronounced it becomes. While it certainly doesn't stop the grit from doing its job, it does slow it down a bit. I have also noticed that it takes more grit to get the desired results I want if I simply add grit to the slurry than if I rinse off the slurry once the grit is broken down. Realistically, it all comes down to personal preference... |
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prettystone
starting to shine!
Never expect anything and you'll always be surprised!
Member since January 2009
Posts: 25
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Post by prettystone on Feb 11, 2009 23:27:24 GMT -5
Thank you so much Mike, Chuck, Rick and EJS. I rinsed them off, mostly because I wanted to see what was going on! They looked good, but do need more time. I have a 15lb barrel for the first grit, so I put 1lb of 60/90 grit in, with 2/3 full of rock, 1 1/2 lb of ceramic pellets and then water to 3/4 full. Hopefully, that will give me a good result. There is red jasper, granite and quartz in this lot, so am hoping for some incredible pieces.
Thanks again for all your help, this is the best web site I have ever been on.
I will post pics when they are ready.
Cheryl
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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 11, 2009 23:36:08 GMT -5
Cheryl makes an excellent point: you need to have the rocks rinsed in order to judge whether they are ready to move on! I always look at the rocks carefully and feel them all over for cracks/pits. That would be difficult and *messy* if they were covered in slurry!
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Post by Hard Rock Cafe on Feb 12, 2009 8:23:42 GMT -5
Cheryl, I would not use ceramics in the rough grind unless you don't have any other filler material (ie. more rocks). They're hard, but they will grind down and they're relatively expensive. It certainly won't hurt anything (other than your wallet). Quartzite is pretty common and would be a good filler, as would flint or granite. Basically, just use whatever hard stone is common to your area.
And yes, I also rinse so that I can pull rocks, but it's not often that I have any to pull after the first week.
Chuck
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prettystone
starting to shine!
Never expect anything and you'll always be surprised!
Member since January 2009
Posts: 25
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Post by prettystone on Feb 12, 2009 10:30:46 GMT -5
Thanks Chuck, I didn't think of using quartzite or granite. There is plenty of that around here. When I recharge, I'll swap out.
Cheryl
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aaroninkansas
off to a rocking start
Member since January 2008
Posts: 11
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Post by aaroninkansas on Feb 12, 2009 12:12:19 GMT -5
I always rinse and recharge between the weeks. However, lately I've been noticing a lot of what looks like still useable grit being dumped out. I'm considering trying something different with my next batch. I am thinking about just dumping the top of the slurry out and adding 3/4ths of the grit and new water. I'll let you know how it turns out.
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fanatic
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since October 2007
Posts: 233
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Post by fanatic on Feb 12, 2009 12:42:52 GMT -5
IMO just let them run for two weeks instead of one. I've found it a waste of time and grit to open them up after just one week in coarse grinding.
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MikeS
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since January 2009
Posts: 1,081
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Post by MikeS on Feb 12, 2009 14:25:12 GMT -5
Agreed...I suppose it depends on the tumbler, the grit, and the material being shaped...I've seen the grit in my tumbler become exausted as quickly as 3 days, and I've seen it go as long as 10 days. I typically wait a week to 10 days before I check it, and if there is still grit in there I leave it alone and let it tumble a few more days...
Mike
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Post by MyNewHobby on Feb 12, 2009 18:05:52 GMT -5
Hi there!
So far I am still in stage one for all four tumblers. I have two small and a two-3 lb Lortone.
I am also still very new to this hobby ... but loving it.
I like checking the tumblers every 5-6 days so I can (and I have been) pull out stones I really love the shape of and do not want to lose any more mass and then replace with new rocks to balance the tumblers. And ... from what I have been told and learned is that the grit as a general rule breaks down after 5-6 days. I suppose this could vary from tumbler to tumbler.
I also just love taking the stones out so I can see the progress. I love doing that as it gives me a real sense that I am basically doing it right for now. And seeing the stones coming to life is great!
I am still running my two small (Rolling Stones) tumblers as I do not want to change tumbler size/type during a specific batch.
Again ... thanks to all for all of the great information
Julie
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prettystone
starting to shine!
Never expect anything and you'll always be surprised!
Member since January 2009
Posts: 25
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Post by prettystone on Feb 12, 2009 23:59:50 GMT -5
Thank you all for your valuable information. I realize now that I need to just wait a bit longer before checking and check the break down of the grit. When I opened the barrel after the first run, the rocks really were doing quite well. Most just needed a bit more shaping, so I may check them in 10 days and see where they are.
This is so exciting! I can't wait to see the next stage!
Cheryl
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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 13, 2009 8:21:09 GMT -5
Aaron: your idea of a "half recharge" sounds good. If you are finding usable grit at the bottom of the barrel, you can also just let it run for a few more days. I let mine run until all the grit is broken down into "too small to see with the naked eye" sized particles. Running the coarse longer never hurts (since the grit breaks down and essentially starts a medium grind) except that it can be less efficient in terms of time (i.e. you'll have to run the coarse for more days in total). Since I spend so much time in the coarse phase (usually running at least 10 rounds), I like to make it as efficient as possible. But if I were more patient and/or more concerned with using less grit, I'd let each coarse round go for another day or two.
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prettystone
starting to shine!
Never expect anything and you'll always be surprised!
Member since January 2009
Posts: 25
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Post by prettystone on Feb 13, 2009 11:51:11 GMT -5
Thanks Aaron and ejs. I didn't think of checking to see if there was still grit. Good way to save some money. I'll check it when I recharge next time.
Cheryl
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