charles kuchar
spending too much on rocks
getting ready for the second coming
Member since November 2010
Posts: 300
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Post by charles kuchar on Mar 26, 2013 12:15:08 GMT -5
I am now down to 1 tbsp of 120/220 or 200 in my lot-s's. I had been using 2 tbsp of that grit for a two day run but I am finding out it does better with 1 tbsp for a one day run, then refresh and run with another tbsp for one more day. then I put the rocks that are done with 1/2 tsp of 500, maybe a little more than that because the top of the measure is rounded. I run that for two days then switch to tom's polish method. 1/2 tsp 1000 for two days, 1 tsp Tripoli added for one day and then two days with 1/2 tin oxide and 1/2 cerium oxide added to the mixture. sure does a nice job of polishing in the lot-o. charlie
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cardiobill
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since March 2012
Posts: 881
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Post by cardiobill on Mar 26, 2013 16:03:28 GMT -5
Charlie, I also use only about 1 tbsp of 120/220 as well. I'm not trying to save money but the action of the rocks just seems better to me. When I use 2tbsp the slurrry seems thicker and the rocks don't seem to rotate as well inside the loto. Even when I use a little more water it still seems slower. I use soap and borax in each stage. Maybe it's how my lot-o is tuned as I don't remember it being as much of a deal when I first got it. It has never been quite the same since my 8 year old smacked one of the wheels when it was on Bill
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charles kuchar
spending too much on rocks
getting ready for the second coming
Member since November 2010
Posts: 300
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Post by charles kuchar on Mar 27, 2013 9:14:49 GMT -5
that describes my action exactly. the rocks do better with a little less grit and less water. I did find out I was squirting it too much in the past. and yes, I do use soap on the coarser grits but use the borax in the polish modes and washing the rocks after the 500 grit mode. as for the wheels, make sure you are balanced. you can see where the weight is at on each wheel and they should be the same. and I have the wheels as close to the motor as I can without hitting anything. I also found the best item to hold the top on is a small bungee cord. I tied a knot in the center of it to keep from slipping off also. that really helps. I have three different models of the lot-o. the old one with weights flying around on the motor shaft. learned to keep my knuckles out of the way there. then I have the older lot-o with the hex shape and then the newer one with the rounded shape. I keep a supply of the spring connectors to attach the motor assembly to the base. they don't break often but they work better when they are not broken. the back connection has two of them and one broke for me in the past and it wasn't working like it should until I replaced the spring connector. but I really do like the lot-o's for doing a good job of polishing rocks. charlie
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danb
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since March 2011
Posts: 107
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Post by danb on Apr 3, 2013 0:37:33 GMT -5
When you say you refresh with another tablespoon, are you rinsing the rocks off and starting clean, or just adding more grit to the barrel?
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charles kuchar
spending too much on rocks
getting ready for the second coming
Member since November 2010
Posts: 300
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Post by charles kuchar on Apr 3, 2013 13:38:26 GMT -5
refreshing the 120/220 means I wash the rocks sometimes without taking them out of the barrel. just draining the wash, filling it again with water, draining it again, sometimes three or four times, and then putting in one more tbsp. of grit. with 500 grit I sometimes do the same but usually I just add another 1/2 tsp without washing them after one day. when I drain and wash, I always add powdered soap to the batch also. charlie
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