fisherpal
off to a rocking start
Member since November 2012
Posts: 10
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Post by fisherpal on Nov 18, 2012 23:31:21 GMT -5
After spending some quality time on this forum reading what other people have posted, I have learned some really great stuff. One of the biggest concerns was how hot that little motor was running on the QT66 - now I know that this is normal and I can stop worrying about it. It was an older tumbler off Craigslist so didn't know what to expect at all. Have had the 2 - #6 barrels going for a couple of days now. Also the photographs people have taken are both a learning experience and very inspiring. Now for the 'I'm embarrassed to even ask this but ... ' question. I haven't read every thread so maybe this was answered by someone back there but ... what exactly does it mean when it says '6 lb barrels'? Does it really mean you can put 6 lbs of rock in them or does it mean that the total load (including water AND the barrel itself) can be 6 lbs.What I've read says '6 lb capacity' so that seems to indicate up to 6 lbs of rock. I know it is kind of a moot point in a way because you fill it up to that 3/4 level and you have got what you have got. It's just that I'm curious ... I'm going to have to scout for YouTube videos so that I can listen to what a 'good load' sounds like. I can certainly hear the rocks tumbling so don't know if I should have fitted them into the barrel better and got more rocks in there. I was afraid of overloading so I just tossed in the rocks I wanted in there until I got to the right level. Different shapes, different sizes. I'm finding that I actually enjoy the sound of the rocks - kind of soothing in a way - but maybe that's because it hasn't had a chance to irritate me yet, lol. We don't have a basement so it is in a spare bedroom with the door closed. On a piece of aluminum because we were worried about how hot the motor was. I'm not expecting great wonders from this first batch as all that we put in it are some of the scores of rocks that have caught our eye over the years but still looking forward to see how they all turn out in the end! I have nothing but patience fortunately ...
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Minnesota Daniel
freely admits to licking rocks
A COUPLE LAKERS
Member since August 2011
Posts: 891
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Post by Minnesota Daniel on Nov 18, 2012 23:48:40 GMT -5
Welcome Fisherpal!
You are right. It's a moot point what the 6 lb barrel means. To me it's just the name of the barrel. Supposedly it's the weight of the rocks that fit in the barrel when it's filled correctly I think. At that it's just a ballpark guess 'cause not all rock weighs the same.
The big mistake I made starting out was not filling the barrel with a good mixture of different sizes. Now I use LOTS of small stuff to fill in the spaces between the rocks I'm tumbling. Picture it this way: You want to fill the barrel 3/4 full with the most surface to surface contact possible. I started out adding too much water also.
Post a picture anytime you need one of us to look at what you are doing and give advice.
The "sticky" post at the top of this board, the first thread, will show you the best way to search this forum. Good luck and come back soon!
Daniel
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marinedad
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since December 2010
Posts: 813
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Post by marinedad on Nov 18, 2012 23:49:50 GMT -5
it took me months of trial and error to get a good shine on a batch. try to have all similar hardness rocks, and use plastic pellets in the pre polish, polish, and burnish stage.
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Dora
spending too much on rocks
Member since September 2012
Posts: 252
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Post by Dora on Nov 19, 2012 1:13:57 GMT -5
Hello and welcome fisherpal :-) I find the sounds of the rocks soothing as well. After a while we got used to it and hardly notice it, but visitors do! If at times you find that you don't have enough rocks to fill it with, you could use tumbling ceramic media of different sizes to complete the load. Happy tumbling!
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Post by Jugglerguy on Nov 19, 2012 12:42:24 GMT -5
That's not a stupid question at all. Less than a year ago, I was asking the same sorts of things. I still ask questions that I feel are stupid. I think 6 lbs. refers to the whole barrel when full (rocks+water+barrel). I've read that some people actually weigh their barrels so that they don't put too much strain on the motor. I don't have a scale, so I just fill it to 3/4. I don't use as much water as is recommended, so I figure I'm probably ok.
I do measure when I fill the barrel for consistency. I measured the distance on the inside of the barrel from the bottom of the lip to the bottom of the barrel, so that I'd have the depth of a closed barrel. Then I divided that length by four. I added on the 1/4 inch or so for the lip and then cut a scrap of PVC pipe to that length. Now when I fill my barrel, I just set the PVC pipe on top. When it is level with the very top of the barrel, I know it's full to 3/4. I also keep notes, so this helps be minimize my variables. I know I always fill to 3/4 and I always use the same amount of water. I usually just vary my grit.
Welcome to RTH and keep asking questions. Pretty soon you'll be answering them for others!
Rob
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Post by Pat on Nov 19, 2012 15:30:48 GMT -5
I'm not a rock tumbler, but welcome!
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Post by connrock on Nov 21, 2012 9:01:45 GMT -5
NO question is stupid! The sound in the tumbler changes as time goes on because the rocks grind down and create what's called a "slurry",,which is water,ground down grit/rocks and looks similar to dark gray pancake batter. Before I go on,,,,DO NOT pour ANY grit or slurry down your house drain.It WILL form like concrete in the sewer lines! Ok,,,,when you first start a load it should sound nice and smooth with NO clunking.It should be a continuous sound of the rocks/grit/water tumbling inside the barrel just like a wave gently cresting on a shore. The word "cresting" may be the wrong word as you don't want your rocks to "crest" but rather just slide down over each other from top to bottom.
I think learning the different sounds in a barrel are VERY important and you will find that after you get to know these different sounds you will know EXACTLY what's going on inside the barrel without having to open it all the time.
Another thing that's important is to keep a log of what you're doing. What type of rocks,,,their size,,,how much grit and what type of grit it is,,,how much water/soap,borax,,,etc,etc,etc. Try to be consistent and don't vary from one way of doing things to another.If you're consistent you can weed out what you're doing wrong.If you're not consistent you won't have a clue what to do or not do.
DO NOT even think about tumbling difficult types of rocks until you KNOW what you're doing.Tumble tried and true rocks such as good agates and jaspers. DO NOT try to tumble inferior rough that has flaws such as pits,cracks,,etc! What you put into that tumbler WILL reflect what comes out and if you tumble trash,,,,,that's what you'll end up with.
Soon enough you will find your on "recipe"(grit/rocks.water,etc) and technique.Yes there is a basic recipe and technique to tumbling but a LOT of us have found our own and what works for one doesn't always work for all so you HAVE to find yours.
You won't do all of this over night and probably the best piece of advice I can give you is to be PATIENT!
Ask away! Good luck and welcome to our group!
connrock
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electricface
starting to spend too much on rocks
First fish of the day
Member since August 2012
Posts: 211
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Post by electricface on Nov 21, 2012 9:17:40 GMT -5
Another thing that's important is to keep a log of what you're doing. DO NOT even think about tumbling difficult types of rocks until you KNOW what you're doing.Tumble tried and true rocks such as good agates and jaspers. DO NOT try to tumble inferior rough that has flaws such as pits,cracks,,etc! connrock Listen to that advice. I started out doing amethyst and citrine. Not all the flaws are always apparent at first glance. It has taken me 3 months to barely get enough to move on to stage 2. I have thrown out a lot of material due to having bought a bad batch of the stuff. Not to mention money out the window. Second take notes for sure. I would advise taking notes on paper rather than a computer alone like I did. My computer crashed and I had nothing for a while. So I started noting on paper. You'll always have that. Best of luck to you.
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,564
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Post by jamesp on Nov 21, 2012 19:11:08 GMT -5
No question is stupid.And the basic ones are the most important.
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