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Post by bobby1 on Mar 15, 2009 22:32:21 GMT -5
I opened the tumbler and washed off the contents. Its now ready for the polish. Here is an overall photo.  Here are two close ups.   These are from my 40 lb unit. I can't start the polish right away. I just noticed a crack in the liner. I'm not suprised. Its been in almost constant use for the last 14 years. Bob |
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Rogue Trader
freely admits to licking rocks
"Don't cry because you are leaving, smile because you were there."
Member since December 2008
Posts: 839
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Post by Rogue Trader on Mar 16, 2009 3:23:36 GMT -5
Bloody hell !! 14 years? Just how big were these rocks when you put them in there?  (Sorry, just couldn't not ask that one ;D ;D ;D ) |
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Post by bobby1 on Mar 16, 2009 9:52:59 GMT -5
I generally tumble a lot of slabs and a mix of small to larger rocks up to smaller fist size. I use the tumbling to sort out whether some of the pieces are good enough to cab. A lot of the freeform cabs that I do are from these tumbled pieces.
I took the barrel liner to a truck tire repair shop about 5 or 6 years ago and had them to vulcanize a tire "boot" onto the bottom. The center of the bottom had worn rather thin. The problem that I have now is that one of the walls has developed a split lengthwise that is not repairable.
Bob
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DeanW
has rocks in the head
Member since December 2007
Posts: 721
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Post by DeanW on Mar 16, 2009 10:23:27 GMT -5
I like the ;D in that red one with the quarter!
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Post by frane on Mar 17, 2009 12:22:17 GMT -5
Nice looking group. I hope you can get a new barrel soon. Seems like you sure made it last a good long time!
I love that little smiling face in the red stone. I didn't notice it until someone else mentioned it.
Fran
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Post by bobby1 on Mar 19, 2009 9:44:22 GMT -5
I hadn't noticed the smily either. All I saw was a defect in the piece that prevented me from making a big cab of it.
Bob
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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 19, 2009 10:39:42 GMT -5
Wow, I was looking at those rocks and saw the quarter and thought "how big IS that tumbler?  ?" A 40 lb unit, wow! Sorry to hear the liner can't be repaired. I was a bit concerned at first, you are such an awesome cabber, and some of those rocks you are tumbling and have ready for polish have cracks or pits. Do you still get an awesome shine, or do you have contamination issues? Do you tumble mostly to see what will make it to freeform, or do you end up with perfect tumbles (like your perfect cabs!), too? Just don't want the newbies to get confused. We warn them a lot about pits and cracks... no offense intended... Amy |
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Post by bobby1 on Mar 19, 2009 21:41:15 GMT -5
I do the lazy man's tumble.
1 month in coarse (may add coarse grit after 10 days if the starting rocks were really coarse),
Hose off with a hand nozzle on sharp stream after a full month, Toss back into barrel with polish and plastic pellets and roll it for another month. Hose off again. The final polish is usually very good, oft times great.
Sort through the batch and keep those that I want to cab, look for a source to peddle the rest to.
Tumbling is not something that I focus much effort on if I can avoid it.
Bob
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