herchenx
Cave Dweller 
Member since January 2012
Posts: 3,360
|
Post by herchenx on Oct 9, 2012 23:27:38 GMT -5
Ah, good. Does it have instructions? Vibe tumblers will polish but not shape rocks, so unless you are starting with smooth stones you will need to either grind or rotary-tumble your rocks smooth. Rather than me hijack this thread though, if you want any help tumbling just start a new thread with specific questions.
Good luck!
|
|
dan027bucsko
off to a rocking start
Member since December 2012
Posts: 1
|
Post by dan027bucsko on Dec 14, 2012 3:23:41 GMT -5
Hi! Im Dana and I'm quite new to this forum. I look forward to chatting about any topics in this forum and getting to know all of you. Feel free to reach out to chat with me at the address in my signature.http://www.thedoctors.com/KnowledgeCenter/Publications/TheDoctorsAdvocate/CON_ID_000348
|
|
hbonly
off to a rocking start
Member since December 2012
Posts: 7
|
Post by hbonly on Dec 20, 2012 18:25:05 GMT -5
What is the purpose of the borax? If I don't have Borax, what else should I use? Is this step completely necessary?
|
|
hbonly
off to a rocking start
Member since December 2012
Posts: 7
|
Post by hbonly on Dec 20, 2012 18:44:01 GMT -5
I have "Dreft". Is that the same as using Borax? Is it used for just cleaning the grit from my rocks and my bowl?
|
|
|
|
Post by Bikerrandy on Dec 20, 2012 19:15:38 GMT -5
Borax will "burnish" the rocks, putting the final liquid shine on them. If the other stages turned out the way they should, Borax will make them look wet when they're dry.
|
|
jspencer
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since March 2011
Posts: 929
|
Post by jspencer on Dec 20, 2012 23:02:38 GMT -5
I`ve had em that came out so slick they almost looked plastic. I don`t know exactly how to explain what it does. But I can tell you it does make a difference IMHO that is. :2cents:
|
|
rocknroller
off to a rocking start
Member since January 2013
Posts: 2
|
Post by rocknroller on Jan 6, 2013 18:26:47 GMT -5
Hi All. Forgive the ignorance - I'm a newbie to tumbling. We just purchased a vibe tumbler to polish some granite and marble pieces - one or two of which are of small paperweight size - which we collected during our vacation in British Columbia. Carefully following the instructions sent along with the vibe, I have now attempted two loads of "first cut step", mixing a variety of sized pieces in the loads, and checking at least twice daily. The slurry seems to be forming within the first day's run, and the pieces seem to have movement within the bowl. However, upon examination after two days, some of the pieces were showing significant  flat spots. I'm clearly doing something wrong here and could really use some help. Thanks in advance for ANY suggestions. :help: |
|
|
|
Post by Bikerrandy on Jan 6, 2013 19:51:19 GMT -5
Vibe tumblers don't round the rocks, they smooth them while retaining the original shape. Some people do the first step in a rotary tumbler and then move them to the vibe for the next two steps.
|
|
Roger
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since January 2013
Posts: 1,487
|
Post by Roger on Jan 8, 2013 23:13:56 GMT -5
Great information! I have just started tumbling..First tumbler, Industrial UV-10, for Christmas, from therockshed. I picked up a Lortone T12/T66 new in the box from Craigslist ($80.00!!!) and my Lot-O will arrive tomorrow..
FYI Shawn at therockshed is a very bad man and he keeps accepting my orders and taking my money!!
My plan is to buy two 6lb barrels for the Lortone to go with the 12lb.
1-12lb and 1-6lb will be used for rough tumble. The other 6lb for polish.
The UV-10 I plan to use for medium/medium fine grind.
The Lot-O is also for polish.
I am really happy that all the equipment is so well represented here and with recipes!
Thanks for all the terrific posts and the sharing of so much knowledge!
|
|
john01bohan
off to a rocking start
Member since January 2013
Posts: 1
|
Post by john01bohan on Jan 30, 2013 3:38:57 GMT -5
Hi! I'm new here. Would love to get to know each and everyone of you better.  John Bohan |
|
|
|
Post by doneall517 on Apr 15, 2013 19:17:22 GMT -5
What is the best vibe tumbler to buy? Not ready for the $1000 models but say between the Lot-o and the Ultra-Vibe 10. Also, we may get two but one one only for the finish polish..thanks Mike
|
|
Minnesota Daniel
freely admits to licking rocks
A COUPLE LAKERS
Member since August 2011
Posts: 891
|
Post by Minnesota Daniel on Apr 15, 2013 23:14:16 GMT -5
The two brands you name are probably the most popular among members here on the forum. They are different, and the owners of each swear by their model, but I think the only important difference really is size. The Lot-O I think holds about 4 lbs. The UV-10 holds about 10 lbs. The (hypothetical) questions then are: Are you going to have ten pounds coming out of the 60/90 in your rotaries to put in the UV-10? Is the Lot-O big enough for all the rock coming out of the 60/90 in your 12 lb rotary?
|
|
Debby
off to a rocking start
Member since May 2013
Posts: 9 
|
Post by Debby on May 29, 2013 12:54:37 GMT -5
...Then add with Lot"O" switched on (& at each stage following ) add 1/2teaspoon Soap flakes (to help carry the grit round ) and 1 teaspoon Borax... Jack Yorkshire UK I love these instructions; easy to follow! I just have one question. Do you add the 1/2 tsp soap flakes and 1 tsp borax to every step in the process? Thank you!!! Debby |
|
|
|
Post by doneall517 on Jun 5, 2013 16:04:20 GMT -5
I was wondering if you use the 500 and polish in a dedicated bowl or do you only use the polish in a dedicated bowl and the 500 Alum Oxide in the same bowl as the 120/220 bowl. And does it help to put some borax in the 120/220 and 500 runs. Thanks Mike
|
|
herchenx
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2012
Posts: 3,360
|
Post by herchenx on Jun 5, 2013 19:11:34 GMT -5
just polish in the polish bowl.
500 follows the 120/220 in the same bowl after a good cleaning.
You get a lot of differing opinions on borax or other cleaners. Randy's suggestion was a burnish after 500.
I generally only burnish after a polish or not at all and mine shine pretty dang well (if I do say so myself)
|
|
|
|
Post by doneall517 on Jun 20, 2013 23:10:35 GMT -5
Well my first "batch" came out nicely. I do have another question about the polish stage. About three days into the polish run-I notice a gray-pepper looking item floating through out the tumbler. I shut it down, cleaned the stones and bowl and re-charged it for another three days and saw the same gray pepper looking items floating in the bowl. What am I seeing and do I need to clean it and re-charge the mix? Thanks Mike
|
|
|
|
Post by doneall517 on Jun 22, 2013 23:45:40 GMT -5
would really like an answer on this..if ya have the time.. Mike
|
|
shana
off to a rocking start
Member since July 2013
Posts: 4
|
Post by shana on Jul 31, 2013 20:46:28 GMT -5
I'm new to tumbling and have my first batch churning away right now. I chose rocks from the beach that weren't perfectly smooth. Most had a little ridge or pit here and there. I was hoping that the UV10 would grind away the ridges and pits and make them smooth? Was this assumption wrong? Or should I only have chosen perfectly smooth rocks to start with?
I have another question. I rinsed the rocks off after 3 days in 220 and then cleaned the bowl out and put new 220 grit in. My concern is that it seems rather difficult to get all the prior grit out of the bowl. A really thin film of the grit, seems to be encased finely into the bowl - especially the center part. Will borax between loads get rid of this buildup or is there another trick?
|
|
herchenx
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2012
Posts: 3,360
|
Post by herchenx on Aug 1, 2013 1:16:23 GMT -5
Hi Shana and welcome!
Yes the vibe will take a little of the surface off, but not really re-shape it. You do want to have as perfectly smooth as possible before you get the vibe involved. You can either use a rotary tumbler or a grinder to do this (or you can find stones that are perfectly smooth but that is far easier said than done)
As far as the grit hanging around, for the repeat 220 stage it won't matter. I use my hand and sort of scrub and rinse and scrub and rinse to get the buildup off (we're talking a minute, not a hard cleaning). When I go from 120/220 to 500 I will sometimes run a burnish for a few hours (or days if I am too busy to get back to it right away)
I always burnish after 500, but then I do as everyone suggests and use a separate barrel for polish.
I also always burnish after the polish, sometimes the film makes rocks look dingy even with a good rinse. The burnish helps.
Take photos! We love photos here and can generally be more helpful when we see them.
|
|
bgast1
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since July 2010
Posts: 1,076
|
Post by bgast1 on Aug 1, 2013 3:12:43 GMT -5
In a vibe tumbler you shouldn't see any water at all, only wet rocks. Unless it's all slurry, you'd do better by draining the water from the top until it's only grit at the bottom and turn the tumbler back on to see what happens. The rocks should be "really" moving, not just vibrating around. When it's right, you'll definitely know it. Feel free to ask plenty of questions, I tumbled with numerous failed attempts before I finally got it right! Thanks for this comment Randy. I am tumbling my first load right now and the rocks seem to be just vibrating around. Not really moving a lot. How do I correct this? I am tumbling mostly rocks collected from the Lake Michigan beach. The load seems pretty heavy. Should I add more ceramic pellets, take some rocks out and run it with less rocks? Also, because I got this Lot-O used I am unsure of whether the bowl is supposed to go all the way down in the frame till the rubber tip hits the bottom or if it should not touch. |
|
flat spots. I'm clearly doing something wrong here and could really use some help. Thanks in advance for ANY suggestions. :help: 
