deanf
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2007
Posts: 109
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Post by deanf on Feb 9, 2007 22:29:36 GMT -5
Many of us have a love/hate relationship with the plastic beads used to cushion the contents of the tumbler barrel (the batch I just got sink.... :-( ). I've seen a variety of comments on this board about other things folks have used as part of other threads. So.....
What do you use instead of beads and how well is it working for you ?
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Post by LCARS on Feb 9, 2007 23:48:24 GMT -5
I use beach glass but if you smash up some glass bottles and tumble it through coarse, it makes a good filler for most average hardness stones (6-7.5) and the best part is that it's heavier than water but lighter than most stone. Floaty pellets are easier to separate but they don't do much for the stone if they're not mixing in.
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Rockygibraltar
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since February 2006
Posts: 1,404
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Post by Rockygibraltar on Feb 9, 2007 23:54:02 GMT -5
I tried dry polishing with oat meal once. I actualy worked a little but the oat meal doesn't last long before it's ground into powder. I don't recomend it. HaHa.
I think the platic beads that we buy by the pound are expencive for what they are. Any clean, soft plastic with no fillers such as what milk jugs are made out of will work.
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Post by Jack ( Yorkshire) on Feb 10, 2007 2:42:26 GMT -5
Hi I use some leather once cut into small pieces I will have to try it out again I think the orignal was contaminated and I didnt get a good result BUT no fractures on the " Amy "
Jack Yorkshire UK
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Post by texaswoodie on Feb 10, 2007 8:35:44 GMT -5
I've heard of people using leather and I'm wondering about packing peanuts?
Curt
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lsmike
spending too much on rocks
Maxwell's demon lowers tumbling entropy
Member since January 2007
Posts: 468
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Post by lsmike on Feb 10, 2007 10:40:09 GMT -5
I do not like pellets either.I put about two small handfuls of shredded newspaper in my 12 pounder.This forms the slurry faster for cushioning and it just dissapears into the liquid.
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Post by stoner on Feb 10, 2007 14:08:40 GMT -5
I've taken 1/4" maple dowel stock(sold in 2, 3, 4ft lengths) and cut it into small pieces-1/4" or less- and it worked pretty good. The pieces float like pellets and are easy to remove and they don't stick to everything the way pellets do.
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Post by lonewolfrockhound on Feb 10, 2007 14:31:12 GMT -5
The little rubbery spacers that hold tile apart when you are setting them on the floor.
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Post by lbowman1 on Feb 10, 2007 18:05:36 GMT -5
I heard of using the little rubber BBs they sell for air pistols because they are soft and cushiony and float to the top to be separated out. I priced them though and the plastic pellets are way cheaper.
Lori
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Post by Cher on Feb 10, 2007 18:10:25 GMT -5
Lori, the ones I've seen don't float. They are all over the bottom of the lake at my parents from my grandson shooting his. ;D I picked a few up and thought they'd be great until it dawned on me that I had to pick them up off the bottom of the lake ... DOH!!
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Post by lbowman1 on Feb 10, 2007 20:39:04 GMT -5
I guess there must be different kinds. The site I looked at didn't say anything other they are rubbery and for BB guns.
The ones I looked at were too expensive anyway. $8 for about 1 1/2 cups of BBs.
Lori
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Post by sbreed on Feb 10, 2007 21:12:17 GMT -5
Murdering Beanie Babies is way to much fun for me!! At .10 a piece............CHEAP plastic pellets! They work for me. LOL
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Post by Cher on Feb 10, 2007 21:21:11 GMT -5
I suppose there might be different kinds. I did look at the price at Walnut, they were in a plastic jar and very expensive.
LOL Sheri, where do you find beanie babies for 10 cents?
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Post by lbowman1 on Feb 10, 2007 21:30:56 GMT -5
LOL. We've gone from hammering rocks to murdering beanie babies. This is not a forum for the faint of heart. ;D
Lori
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chinook203
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since February 2006
Posts: 849
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Post by chinook203 on Feb 10, 2007 22:36:50 GMT -5
What kind of price are you paying for the walnut shell. I used to buy it in large amounts for a walnut body scrub I used to make. Murdering beanie babies? I sell those in my antique booth for $10 each!!!!! AAARRRGGGHHH. You stay away from my beanies!
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spacegold
has rocks in the head
Member since September 2006
Posts: 732
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Post by spacegold on Feb 11, 2007 2:10:47 GMT -5
:)Glad I got my 2c early. This thread is going in the tank...............
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Post by connrock on Feb 11, 2007 8:33:20 GMT -5
I've used all sorts of different type materials for trial and error purposes both in the rotary and vibe tumblers but always seem to come back to the plastic pellets. I use the tile separators, small plastic pyramids and sometimes even carpet tacks in the vibe to achieve a certain effect on the material in question,but in the rotaries I stick to the pellets. Things I've tried and did I like them?? News paper-no Walnut shells-yes and no depending on the application corn cob- same as walnut shells saw dust-no rice-no oatmeal-no hard wood (tiny pieces)-no softer rocks (pea gravel) yes cardboard-no Styrofoam-NO ceramic pieces-yes There's probably more and not many I haven't tried, like glass, but as I said,I always come back to the plastic pellets. Why?? Well for one reason I get them for free and the second reason is that they are easy to manage and store. I did get a barrel full of the "sinkers" you're talking about and trashed them in a New York Minuet!! WOW,,What a pain getting them out !! Here's a link to a little slide show of my grandson Mike showing the "pellet sissies" how to cope with the pellets!! Just click on "Play" at the top and off ya go. imageevent.com/tcknkk/mikesfirstbatchoftumbledrocks?p=0&w=1&z=2&c=4&m=24&s=0&y=1&b=26&l=10connrock
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Post by lbowman1 on Feb 11, 2007 9:42:41 GMT -5
How do we put Spacegold on ignore again?
Lori
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spacegold
has rocks in the head
Member since September 2006
Posts: 732
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Post by spacegold on Feb 11, 2007 11:46:12 GMT -5
"Pellet sissies". Now that's clever.
Lori, still disgracing yourself, I see.
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Post by Bikerrandy on Feb 11, 2007 12:27:18 GMT -5
Dude, you're such a troll. ;D lol
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