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Post by phil on Jan 7, 2013 13:47:12 GMT -5
Hi. Been using my lot-o to polish up some stones, works great... but that barrel hole is kinda small..... How does everyone clean the inside? I've tried water and soap and vigorous shaking, filed with water and soap, water soap and ceramic media, and there's still tiny bits (walnut, grit, whatever was used last) and stone chips stuck to the inside walls.... Any help out there? Thanks! Phil
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Geoff
spending too much on rocks
Please add 1074 to my post number.
Member since December 2012
Posts: 446
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Post by Geoff on Jan 7, 2013 15:29:53 GMT -5
Toilet brush. A regular round one from target for $1.87.
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Post by Jugglerguy on Jan 7, 2013 16:04:19 GMT -5
I haven't done any scrubbing. Before I unload it, I add about a half cup of hot water and let it run for about 15 minutes. I use soap in my Lot-O with my grit, so I don't add additional soap, but I would add some if it wasn't already in there. I dump my rocks into a colander and then fill the tumbler several times and dump it over the rocks to rinse them. By the time the rocks are clean, so is the barrel. It's rough rubber around the mouth, so sometimes I scrub that with my finger a little. The inside is smooth, so nothing seems to stick.
If there was grit left in your barrel at the end of the batch, wouldn't it be broken down to the point where it wouldn't be a problem for your next batch because you'd be starting at 120/220? I have a second barrel for polish, so there's not much chance of that one getting contaminated.
Did you fill the hole inside with something? When I first got mine, small pieces of ceramic would get stuck in the hole. People here suggested filling the hole. I used epoxy, but others used other filler. I can't remember what they were. My epoxy has held up well over the last year.
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Mattatya
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2012
Posts: 452
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Post by Mattatya on Jan 7, 2013 16:25:07 GMT -5
Great topic, I am half way through mounting my Lot-O and was curious about how to fill the hole in the bottom. I bought an extra barrel for polish as well. The toilet brush sounds like a perfect idea or a bottle brush if the brush is stiff.
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Post by Jugglerguy on Jan 7, 2013 16:48:01 GMT -5
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Post by phil on Jan 7, 2013 20:11:25 GMT -5
Juggler, I do the last 15 to 30 minutes of each run with a couple drops of Dawn added to clean off the stones. That works well, for the coarser grits up to maybe 600 or so. If it was my rough use barrel, you're right, wouldn't matter. But this is my extra finishing only barrel that gets walnut and stone specs that don't flush out.
The hole seems a bit small for a toilet brush, but I'll give it a try with my vegetable brush. Thanks.
Mattaya, I filled on the dimple in the bottom (Hey Lot-O - serious design flaw you have there!!!) with E-6000. Just put a bunch on a stick, lowered it in there, let it drip off, and it self leveled. Takes a couple days to totally cure tho, so plan on being down about a week till it sets up completely. Be a shame to get any silicone sealant contaminating the stones.
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Geoff
spending too much on rocks
Please add 1074 to my post number.
Member since December 2012
Posts: 446
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Post by Geoff on Jan 7, 2013 21:28:39 GMT -5
Ok, are you taking about the divet in the bottom of the barrel? I filled that with black silicone 15 months ago, and it still looks like the day I put it in.
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Post by Jugglerguy on Jan 7, 2013 22:19:50 GMT -5
I've never used walnut shells in mine. I use AO polish, ceramic, and rock in the barrel and don't have any problems. If its your finishing barrel, why do you have rock specks? Shouldn't any noticeable specks have been ground off before the polish stage? I'm not sure what walnut shells are for, but I bought some corn cob because I was going to try a dry polish. I decided not to do the dry polish, so I've never used the corn cob. Was the walnut for a dry polish?
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Post by phil on Jan 8, 2013 15:56:03 GMT -5
I've never used walnut shells in mine. I use AO polish, ceramic, and rock in the barrel and don't have any problems. If its your finishing barrel, why do you have rock specks? Shouldn't any noticeable specks have been ground off before the polish stage? I'm not sure what walnut shells are for, but I bought some corn cob because I was going to try a dry polish. I decided not to do the dry polish, so I've never used the corn cob. Was the walnut for a dry polish? I also include tiny turquoise bits to use for inlay work when I polish regular size stones. Yes, the walnut is for a final dry polish. Works very well. Thanks!
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