Thanks to all (a question too)

gzed1500
starting to shine!

Member since February 2009
Posts: 31

Thanks to all (a question too) Feb 24, 2009 12:07:19 GMT -5

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Post by gzed1500 on Feb 24, 2009 12:07:19 GMT -5

I think I'm off to a good start, thanks to all of you on this forum.

As I stated before (please bear with me... I'm a newbie), I have a Lortone 33B with 4 barrels; 1 for each grinding stage. I purchased everything from the RockShed: tumbler, extra barrels, 5 lbs. of medium rough, grit/polish, and plastic pellets.

A little trouble at first with sludge and sticking rocks at the bottom of the barrel. I should have weighed the rocks first before I put in 4 tablespoons of coarse grit as per the instructions. I probably don't have 3 lbs., so maybe a little less grit next time.

I'm wondering if I should get a QT6 just for the coarse grind, so that I always have a batch ready to go. That way, if I have to recharge the 3 pound coarse barrel, I'll have some ground rock ready to go to make up the space and get the level back to 2/3-3/4 full.

I'm probably putting the cart before the horse. Any thoughts? Thanks!

fanatic
starting to spend too much on rocks

Member since October 2007
Posts: 233

Thanks to all (a question too) Feb 24, 2009 12:44:18 GMT -5

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Post by fanatic on Feb 24, 2009 12:44:18 GMT -5

Go by volume, not by weight when filling your tumblers. Make sure you have a mix of sizes including some pretty small stuff.

As far as the grit stuck to the bottom, we've all had that problem at one time or another. I stick with the proven recipe - water to just under the tops of the rocks and 4 tbls of coarse grit (3 lb tumbler). I run them 14 days before I check them. If the grit sticking to the bottom is eating at you, just take the barrel off the tumbler, hold it top down, and shake the grit loose everyday or two.

If you keep one barrel just for polishing you can use all your other barrels for the grinding and pre-polish stages. Just be sure to clean them thoroughly in between stages to avoid contamination.

That being said you might want to consider getting more tumblers. I started with a 33A and have added a pair of 33B's making 5 barrels running all the time. I have a sixth barrel and use four for the grinding and pre-polishing stages and I have two just for polishing.

If you decide on a QT-6 spend a couple extra bucks and get a QT-66. I'm probably going to do that myself once the craft show season starts again.

LDMA/GPAA GPAA NY State Claims Director

Get two miners together and you'll get three opinions

Hard Rock Cafe
driving up their electric bill

Rock tumbling is harder than it looks. Mohs definitely.

Member since April 2008
Posts: 2,735

Thanks to all (a question too) Feb 24, 2009 13:11:17 GMT -5

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Post by Hard Rock Cafe on Feb 24, 2009 13:11:17 GMT -5

There was another thread recently about water level. I think it split roughly 60/40 for the water below the bottom of top layer of stones vs. water below the tops of the top layer of stones. Found it:
forum.rocktumblinghobby.com/index.cgi?board=tottumb&action=display&thread=27515

The key is to find what works for you.

Since there is so much volume lost during the coarse grind, you need more rocks to make up for it in later stages (where there isn't nearly as much volume loss). So, it doesn't hurt to have extra coarse capacity.

You have a choice: you can either re-use a couple of barrels as fanatic said, or you can buy another tumbler. You might want to re-use what you have until you get more experience and decide on what you really want. For example, you may decide to use your 33B just for coarse grind a buy a vibe to speed up the process with the later stages.

Just food for thought,
Chuck

Some rocks aspire to greatness; others are destined to be grit carriers.

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Post by gzed1500 on Feb 24, 2009 12:07:19 GMT -5

Post by fanatic on Feb 24, 2009 12:44:18 GMT -5

Post by Hard Rock Cafe on Feb 24, 2009 13:11:17 GMT -5

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