unclestu
Cave Dweller
WINNER OF THE FIRST RTH KILLER CAB CONTEST UNCLESTU'S AGUA NUEVA AGATE
Member since April 2011
Posts: 2,298
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Post by unclestu on Apr 5, 2011 17:56:31 GMT -5
I was told that you can do all the phases of tumbling with just one tumbler and I am not talking rotary. I was told that if you have a Lot O vibe tumbler you can do all the phases of tumbling from the shaping phase to the polishing phase with just this one tumbler. You need to rinse and re grit every day. I was told that the shaping phase can be done with this tumbler because Lot O uses a soft rubber barrel that will not erode as a result of the abrasive nature of the grit used in shaping the rough stones.
I would like to get some feedback on this before I go out a spend some serious$ on two tumblers.
Thanks
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learn2turn
noticing nice landscape pebbles
Member since February 2011
Posts: 77
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Post by learn2turn on Apr 5, 2011 18:46:22 GMT -5
Is it worth an experiment?
I have a 3lb rotary and a vibe with two 3-4lb barrels.
Given 6lbs of rough, I'd be glad to run an experiment the next time both are empty. Should be in a couple weeks. Take pictures of each every week and see how it goes.
Maybe someone on the trading board would volunteer some material for the cost of shipping?
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Post by Toad on Apr 5, 2011 19:02:37 GMT -5
Learn2turn - how is that going to answer unclestu's question about just using a lot-o?
Never tried it unclestu. So can't say for sure. My guess would be it wouldn't work as well as using rotary for first stage...
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meta99
has rocks in the head
Ohio Flint Ridge flint
Member since October 2010
Posts: 540
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Post by meta99 on Apr 5, 2011 19:39:59 GMT -5
OK, I am a REAL tumbling newbie, but I 'borrowed' my hubby's Beacon Star vibe and tried some flint. I did a "no-no" and used coarse grit for a first stage and then proceeded as in the tutorial for vibes. Got a nice shine. Now if I can only learn how to take decent pictures! The only thing is, they are not 'rounded' Sue
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Post by Toad on Apr 5, 2011 23:30:02 GMT -5
Sue, that is what the rotary step is for in rought grind. Very difficult to get rounded in a vibe with rough/hammer-broken rock...
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Post by tntmom on Apr 6, 2011 0:25:49 GMT -5
Unclestu,
I have a Lot-O and from my experience, I am not able to shape and round stones with it. I use rotaries to round my stones first, or I preform them with a tile saw or dremel. The Lot-O will smooth the sharp points a little and give a great shine but I think most people use it to speed up the finishing stages.
BTW, Welcome to RTH!!!
~Krystee
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Post by Jack ( Yorkshire) on Apr 6, 2011 0:46:53 GMT -5
Hi uncle stu, Welcome to RTH from UK
Sue has shown you the answer the stones are still sharp edged and some pits that trap grit so be carefull
I have a shore batch in my Lot"O" at present but all are rounded and I do a 24 hour pre run in 220 Grit ( to get rid of any algy or green matter )wash up and start again proper (220Grit for 48 Hours )
If you have some pre cuts the Lot "O" is great it smoothes down the edges slightly and makes a good job and gives a fantastic shine
BUT if you want to use your Lot"O" for a natural finish like on Pet wood its Ideal I think there is a person on RTH who does that.
Ps Added later, See Connrock 's answer below on Pet wood
Jack Yorkshire uk Ps The rotary take months to do the job that the Lot"O" does in 10 days (from 220 G )
Saves on Grit - - - saves on Power - - saves on Time
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MikeS
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since January 2009
Posts: 1,081
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Post by MikeS on Apr 6, 2011 8:12:11 GMT -5
My Lot-O will do a bit of shaping, but it takes a long time and several grit recharges. The three big issues with using a Lot-O (or any vibe for that matter) for shaping are #1 it requires a lot of attention during the process to make sure the stones keep moving properly and there is still adequate grit/water in there, #2 the longer the stones bang around in the vibe, the greater the chance is that they will develop cracks, and #3 the lack of the constant tumbling action (like you see in the rotory) never seems to remove enough material to adequately shape stones that have fissures or pits in them.
Having said that, IF your material is reletively free of fissures and pits, and already pretty close to the shape you want them, the Lot-O will suffice to put a bit of a final shape on them. I use my Lot-O often for a coarse stage on material like Sweetwater agates, but these are already shaped and partially polished when found in the field by wind, so very little needs done to them in a coarse stage anyway.
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unclestu
Cave Dweller
WINNER OF THE FIRST RTH KILLER CAB CONTEST UNCLESTU'S AGUA NUEVA AGATE
Member since April 2011
Posts: 2,298
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Post by unclestu on Apr 6, 2011 12:54:44 GMT -5
Thanks to all for your feedback. You all ROCK. A man or womans best friend most certainly is a "ROCKHOUND" I am starting to see the light. I think the best way to go is with the rotary for the 1st phase (shaping) and the vibe for the remaining phases. This brings me to the next stage in my journey....Choosing the right rotary and vibe tumblers for my DREAM TEAM. I will eagerly await your valued feedback. Please look for my next thread to be titled "WHICH ROTARY WOULD YOU CHOOSE/WHICH VIBE WOULD YOU CHOOSE?" In this thread I will ask which you would choose if choosing between a Lortone QT66 rotary and a Thumler Model B. For the vibe I will ask your choice between the LotO and the UV10 Until than release the hounds
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MikeS
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since January 2009
Posts: 1,081
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Post by MikeS on Apr 6, 2011 17:12:45 GMT -5
I like my Lot-O, I'd certainly recommend it....
Rotary for the coarse stage and vibe for the remaining stages is pretty common practice for most materials....the exception is very soft or very brittle material, both of which will yeild the best results if done in a rotory from start to finish. And as stated above, if the material only requires very minor smoothing or shaping in a coarse stage and is relatively free of pits and fissures, there is nothing wrong with saving some time and doing a coarse stage in a vibe...
Note on coarse stage in a vibe....any grit more coarse than about 120 won't work well in a vibe...most people use a 120-220 grit as a coarse grit in a vibe....
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Post by Bikerrandy on Apr 6, 2011 20:18:14 GMT -5
120/220 is coarse for vibes because 60/90 chews up the bowl.
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MikeS
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since January 2009
Posts: 1,081
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Post by MikeS on Apr 6, 2011 22:09:51 GMT -5
yep, it's tough on bowls, and also it's a lot harder to keep 60/90 from simply sinking to the bottom and doing no good at all, (in a Lot-O, anyway.....)
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Post by connrock on Apr 7, 2011 9:17:32 GMT -5
There are times that a totally finished,rounded rock look may not be what's desired! Here is a piece of Arizona Petrified Wood that would loose all of it's natural beauty if it had been roughed in a rotary to be all rounded off,,,,,, The piece is about 2-1/2" long x 2-1/4" wide by about 3/4"-1" thick at it thickest and widest point. This next view shows the area that I "cropped" for the next photo which is a close-up of that area,,,,,I chose the back of this piece as it was the roughest area to show the "texture' of the shine,,,,, Here is the close-up where you can see that the outer surfaces are polished and the inner areas aren't,,,,, (sorry for the blurry photo's) This piece was done in a Lot-O and is about as big as can be done at one time. I gave up trying to do loads from rough to finish in a Lot-O because, as was stated before, it takes a LOT of tending and you just don't get that rounded look that most want for a tumbled rock. connrock
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peachfront
fully equipped rock polisher
Stones have begun to speak, because an ear is there to hear them.
Member since August 2010
Posts: 1,745
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Post by peachfront on Apr 7, 2011 16:40:48 GMT -5
Yeah, I heard that too. I had a Lot O Tumbler back in the day. As far as shaping, no, it didn't really do any shaping. It got a great polish, but if you want a nice rounded perfect shape...forget it. In those days, people were wrapping and selling in flea markets with pretty cheap wire, and they weren't all equally skilled, so some of them actually told me that it was easier for them to wrap the "bumpier" stones. But I was never really happy with the shape or, I should say, the lack of shape. I went with that system because my buyers were cheap, but it looked cheap.
There's no market for "cheap" today. Silver is expensive now, and people expect a quality stone if they're going to use it in their work. So...
I am now going with a system where I have a separate rotary tumbler for the shaping, and I am also shaping some stones by hand on the grinding wheel. After I have the stone shaped the way I like, it can move on to the vibe. We'll see how it works out but it almost has to create better shapes than I got going from start to finish in the Lot O Tumbler.
Good luck.
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