coasthunterjay
starting to spend too much on rocks
Carefull ive got a gun....and a closet full of rocks
Member since May 2009
Posts: 155
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Post by coasthunterjay on Jun 10, 2009 19:17:29 GMT -5
OK, im getting frustrated....i filled my bowl up with more rocks...before i didnt have enough and at first i got great movement....added some grit.....then sprayed it a few times....everything looked good...so i checked it about 2 hours later....nice, smooth, all covered rocks...looked good....
so i woke up to add a squirt of water or just look it over....the freaking rocks are almost hard mud covered all around them and there not moving as fast as before......
AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHh
What do i do? I tried pulling them out and whipping them off a bit....but who knows....i might have to start over and i hope not.
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MikeS
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since January 2009
Posts: 1,081
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Post by MikeS on Jun 10, 2009 19:20:38 GMT -5
If it is starting to gum up, just add a small amount of water to get them moving again. Using 120/220 in a vibe, you'll be changing the grit out every 24 hours or so anyway, you can rinse the rocks clean then, I wouldn't worry about it in the meantime....
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Post by NatureNut on Jun 10, 2009 20:14:23 GMT -5
Jay, The 220 stage is the most needy in terms of attentiveness and adjustments. You will have the moisture level just right and in a few hours it will need a few more squirts. Softer rocks will gum up faster, harder may not gum up at all. Every batch is a little different. You'll be able to tell when there is just too much slurry that adding water does not restore movement... then it is time to rinse and reload.
The subsequent stages are not as needy in terms of attention, although you'll still need to keep an ear out. Yes, an ear... learn the sound of your tumbler and notice what it is doing. You'll be able to know what it needs or doesn't need just by the sound. Learn the sound of your tumbler as you go through this. Jo
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Post by 150FromFundy on Jun 11, 2009 10:06:57 GMT -5
Rocks are porous and absorb water. Ceramic media is also porous and absorbs water. You can minimize some of this drying effect by pre-soaking all of your rocks (and ceramic media) and placing them in your vibe dripping wet.
I beleive BikerRandy's instrsuction indicate thay he sprays his vibe with a few squirts of water every time he lifts the lid to inspect them, 2 to 3 times daily. This works. Spray a little whether they need it, or not.
When the grit turns to dry caked mud, all it takes is a little water to get things moving again. If the action slows down, just add a little water.
Vibes are a little more tempremental than rotaries, but the decreased time requirment is more than worth a few extra inspections.
150FromFundy
150FromFundy
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coasthunterjay
starting to spend too much on rocks
Carefull ive got a gun....and a closet full of rocks
Member since May 2009
Posts: 155
|
Post by coasthunterjay on Jun 11, 2009 15:23:58 GMT -5
If it is starting to gum up, just add a small amount of water to get them moving again. Using 120/220 in a vibe, you'll be changing the grit out every 24 hours or so anyway, you can rinse the rocks clean then, I wouldn't worry about it in the meantime.... every 24 hours? i was under the inpression that you only change it about every 3-5 days? oh boy...i already need to change it. THANKS GUYS...oh and i got them moving better...cant wait to see what they look like when i get home. |
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coasthunterjay
starting to spend too much on rocks
Carefull ive got a gun....and a closet full of rocks
Member since May 2009
Posts: 155
|
Post by coasthunterjay on Jun 11, 2009 15:28:15 GMT -5
SO EVEN WHEN THE MUD IS GETTING CAKED ON THE ROCK AND I SPRAY IT A BIT AND IT SOFTENS UP A LITTLE BIT AND ROATATES BETTER THATS STILL A GOOD SIGN?
IF SO THINGS ARE GOOD IN MY TUMBLER. HOPEFULLY KEEP IT THAT WAY...LOL...
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Post by Bikerrandy on Jun 11, 2009 16:08:37 GMT -5
Sounds like too much grit "and" not enough water. As long as the water isn't puddling up at the bottom of the bowl, give it a few more sprays.
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coasthunterjay
starting to spend too much on rocks
Carefull ive got a gun....and a closet full of rocks
Member since May 2009
Posts: 155
|
Post by coasthunterjay on Jun 11, 2009 17:52:26 GMT -5
gotcha.....yah thats what i thought yesterday also...so i took them out and wiped them off with a rag and then put em back in...some was still caked on so i left it and then sprayed water and away it went....when i get home ill restart it....clean the rocks off and then only use 2 tablespoons of grit....i probably used twice that.....i just kept ading it over and over....woops....
IM LEARNING I PROMISE............thaks randy! thanks everyone else.
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coasthunterjay
starting to spend too much on rocks
Carefull ive got a gun....and a closet full of rocks
Member since May 2009
Posts: 155
|
Post by coasthunterjay on Jun 11, 2009 23:37:06 GMT -5
HELL YAH.....I WENT HOME AND CHANGED OUT MY STUFF...IT WAS SEMI MUDDY-SEMI CAKED STUFF.....BUT WHAT PART OF THE ROCKS WAS SHOWING THROUGH LOOKED PROMISING SO I PUT IT UNDER THE FAUCET....WOOPs i had caps on....
anyways i put it under the faucet and rinsed the rocks the best i could in a plastic strainer and just mixed the rocks around for about 10-15 minutes getting all the old grit and mud off the rocks that i could...
then i put them back in my tumbler for about 2 hours with alot of water....probably up to the level of the rocks...maybe 2 cups if not more....and let it vibe like that...
just went back to my rocks and they were clean as a whistle but milky muddy....so i repeated rinsing under the faucet and shinny rocks appeared. still some rough...but amazingly shinny rocks.
So i put the rocks back in my bowl damp and thenput only 2 table spoons of grit on them....barely coats them....WHICH I BELIEVE IS WHAT YOU WANT.....
But they were a tumbling like crazy and looking happy....so i sprayed a couple more times and let her go.
Cant wait to show you guys when i change steps....these rocks are so cool....!
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MikeS
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since January 2009
Posts: 1,081
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Post by MikeS on Jun 12, 2009 15:10:13 GMT -5
If it is starting to gum up, just add a small amount of water to get them moving again. Using 120/220 in a vibe, you'll be changing the grit out every 24 hours or so anyway, you can rinse the rocks clean then, I wouldn't worry about it in the meantime.... every 24 hours? i was under the inpression that you only change it about every 3-5 days? oh boy...i already need to change it. THANKS GUYS...oh and i got them moving better...cant wait to see what they look like when i get home. Yeah, about every 24 hours with a coarse grit...maybe even more frequently depending on the type of material you are tumbling...harder material like agate will break down the grit more quickly...I just typically let it go for 24 hours however. This ensures that I use up most of the grit, and some extra time in the vibe with the broken-down grit removes some of the deeper scratches left by the fresh 120/220, giving me typically better results in the 500 grit stage.... |
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coasthunterjay
starting to spend too much on rocks
Carefull ive got a gun....and a closet full of rocks
Member since May 2009
Posts: 155
|
Post by coasthunterjay on Jun 12, 2009 15:29:05 GMT -5
AWESOME THANKS MAN...GOOD INFO...ill use a little less grit and try changing it every 24hours. Im sure that makes for better results....!
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