soccermud
off to a rocking start
Member since July 2008
Posts: 18
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Post by soccermud on Apr 30, 2009 19:47:42 GMT -5
Hey all. I'm working on my first tumble right now. I'm tumbling Fairburn Agates and I'm getting ready to recharge my 60/90 grit. When I read about recharging, I'm sort of confused on how to go about doing it. Do I take out the rocks, clean them off, inspect them, and then recharge it with grit and water....OR....do I just open up the barrel and throw in a few more tablespoons of 60/90 grit?
Question 2: When I got home from work today, I noticed that the belt in my tumbler had broken and had to replace it with a new belt. After I replaced it, it seemed to make a small clicking noise (along with the normal hum) every time it goes around. Does anyone know what causes this and have a way to fix it. I suppose it's not that big of a deal, but I don't want to have my tumbler bust before I even finish my first batch. Any help in advance on these questions will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Chris
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Post by 150FromFundy on Apr 30, 2009 20:47:19 GMT -5
One the first question ... You don't have to clean and inspect your rocks on the first few recharges unless they are already near-rounded. Agates are hard and it will be several weeks (several recharges) before they are ready to consider moving on to Stage 2. Dip your fingers to the bottom of the barrel and feel if there is any grit left. This will help you gage whether you are using too much, or too little grit. After 5 to 7 days, you should feel only slimy mud, no grit. You need a full recharge if this is the case.
Question 2 - Make sure your pulleys are clean and smooth. If there is any debris or rough edges, your belts will continue to cut.
Make sure your pulleys are in a straight alignment. If they are misaligned, your belts will continue to cut.
Add a little drop of light machine oil to all moving parts, but keep the oil off your rubber rollers and belt. Technically, the nylon guides (bushings?) should not require oil, but it makes my machine run quieter.
Good luck.
150FromFundy
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soccermud
off to a rocking start
Member since July 2008
Posts: 18
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Post by soccermud on Apr 30, 2009 20:50:23 GMT -5
Uh oh...I think there is oil along the belt. Do I need to stop my tumbler and clean it all up?
Chris
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Post by Hard Rock Cafe on Apr 30, 2009 21:00:55 GMT -5
First: I do wash my rocks during the recharge, just to get the bulk of the mud off. Second: If you have a Chicago Electric tumbler, belts normally break frequently.  I would clean the oil off to keep the belt from slipping. Chuck |
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soccermud
off to a rocking start
Member since July 2008
Posts: 18
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Post by soccermud on Apr 30, 2009 21:20:33 GMT -5
Alright, I cleaned off the belt, but it's still making the small clicking noise. It is a Chicago Electric...Could I help prevent belts breaking by cleaning the belt and pulley every couple of days or would that work be in vain?
Chris
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Post by Hard Rock Cafe on Apr 30, 2009 22:23:28 GMT -5
The clicking sound is probably either a bad bearing or misalignment somewhere. One of the pulleys may be loose.
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news. I haven't owned a Chicago Electric, but from what I've gathered here, the barrels are the best parts. The belts, motors, bearings all go out. The belts break pretty regularly; that's why you'll see a lot of listings for them on eBay. You might be able to find a vacuum cleaner or sewing machine belt that will fit.
Chuck
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Post by Jack ( Yorkshire) on May 1, 2009 2:44:37 GMT -5
HiChris,
Welcome to the board
Iwash between charges as Chuck says to get rid of the mud but also to see how they are tumbling ,
I do a continuas tumbling system ( so I need to see the progress ), (those ready out , new ones in to fill barrel to 3/4 full)
I then put back a couple of cups of old goop (this helps carry the grit around) fill with water to just below 1st rocks,
Q2, nobody seems to mention "have you anything on the belt " that could be clicking over the pulley ?
Bearings breaking down , generally are a growling noise getting worse
Oil on rubber = disaster use talcom powder (baby powder) this dries up the oil (a tempory mesure)
Dont over tighten the belts this tends to put added pressure on the bearings especialy polythene and problems
Jack
Yorkshire
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tom
having dreams about rocks
Member since March 2009
Posts: 50
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Post by tom on May 1, 2009 18:06:30 GMT -5
Hallo Chris,
I have owned several of the chicago type tumblers. The clicking sound could be the internal bearing on the motor shaft is worn. Or, the plastic pulley, drive or roller, set screw as melted down and slipping on the shaft. No real good fix for that. Instead of taking the whole thing back, use your warrenty to get a free replacement.
As for belts, start calling around to any bearing supply place. Most should have the O-ring type belt you need. They are realy cheap about .50c each. Get about 5-7 O-rings which work well for a few weeks.
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Post by johnjsgems on May 1, 2009 21:40:27 GMT -5
Buy a Thumler's Tumbler Model T belt. If I remember it is their #400 belt. I think they are $3.00 ea. and fit the CE perfectly.
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ejs
spending too much on rocks
Member since July 2008
Posts: 478
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Post by ejs on May 2, 2009 8:13:26 GMT -5
Welcome, Chris. As you'll soon learn, there is no single proper path to tumbled stones. For the recharges, I prefer to rinse off my rocks and to get a look at them. I separate out the ones that are well shaped, add fresh grit, and then add water. I recharge every 5 days in my 6 lb. Lortone (and every 6 days in my 3 lb.). For agates, it will typically take about 5 recharges before I get any that are shaped the way I like them. Checking the grit at the bottom of the barrel is a good way to tell whether the grit is worn out. Here is a photo of what 60/90 SC looks like when it is not quite done. I'd say this grit still has a day or two left:  Have fun and good luck! |
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soccermud
off to a rocking start
Member since July 2008
Posts: 18
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Post by soccermud on May 3, 2009 18:40:34 GMT -5
OK, so another one of my belts broke just after a couple days...how frustrating. Now I have to wait for my replacement belts to come ( I ordered some on Ebay). I thought that the reason the belts are breaking could be a result of the fact that the pulley and fan are both plastic pieces that looks like they are injection molded. Since they appear to be injection molded, they seem to have a little "notch" around the inner part of the pulley on either side where the molten plastic was fed to the die when they were molded. I figured that this could be a cause for my belts breaking so I took some electrical tape and lined the inner part of the pulley and fan where the belt makes contact with both to see if that will help. I'll let you know once I get my replacement belts. Any thoughts on my line of reasoning??
Second thing...if my belts keep breaking like this, I think I'm going to have to buy a new tumbler to avoid the headache. I'm thinking of going with the Lortone 3A. It seems like everyone likes the Lortone models. Does anyone have any comments on this model of tumbler? Does it require a lot of maintenance or can I rely on it to run for an extended period of time without having problems? Thanks for helping out.
-Chris
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Thunder69
Cave Dweller 
Thunder 2000-2015
Member since January 2009
Posts: 3,105
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Post by Thunder69 on May 3, 2009 19:31:08 GMT -5
If you look at the fan before you put on the belt ...make sure the motor/fan is not too close to the side ..I have found that the fan was hitting the side of the tumbler casing.......as for the belt ..the Rockshed has thumblers ar12 belts that work really well with this tumbler.....John
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ejs
spending too much on rocks
Member since July 2008
Posts: 478
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Post by ejs on May 4, 2009 9:34:55 GMT -5
The Lortones have a pretty good reputation. I have five (of 3 sizes) and I am very happy with them.
The 3A is a good entry level tumbler, but you should seriously consider the Lortone 33B. It has two 3# barrels instead of one, which lets you run two different stages at once. At The Rock Shed website, the 3A sells for $74, while the 33A, with twice the capacity, sells for $98.
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Post by Hard Rock Cafe on May 4, 2009 11:50:19 GMT -5
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wildoaks
starting to shine!
Member since November 2008
Posts: 31 
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Post by wildoaks on May 5, 2009 18:46:02 GMT -5
I have Thumlers and the belt started making a clicking sound after maybe the 1st week. Upon closer inspection, the belts appear to have a manufacturing flaw, a little rough spot, where 2 ends were fused. This and the accumulation of black residue appears to be the cause of the clicking. Cleaing belt and pulley thoroughly makes it go away for a while, up to a few days. Then it starts up again. I haven't broken any belts though.
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