rebekkahm
off to a rocking start
Member since July 2012
Posts: 7
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Post by rebekkahm on Nov 10, 2013 15:56:32 GMT -5
It's now turning cold up in Canada My garage is no longer heated (furnace broke and we won't be replacing it) so I can't keep my tumbler out there. I would like to continue tumbling rocks during our long cold winter but now that I don't have a heated garage, it's going to have to be set up in the house. When we have company over, can I shut it off for a few hours or will this disrupt the process?
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Post by orrum on Nov 10, 2013 18:00:00 GMT -5
Put it in a cheap insulated cooler with air holes, cuts way down on noise.
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Post by orrum on Nov 10, 2013 18:00:16 GMT -5
Put it in a cheap insulated cooler with air holes, cuts way down on noise.
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panamark
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since September 2012
Posts: 1,343
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Post by panamark on Nov 10, 2013 19:34:25 GMT -5
Put it in a cheap insulated cooler with air holes, cuts way down on noise. Watch the temp though. Those little motors get surprisingly hot and need the air circulation to cool. I have turned my tumblers off for a few hours with no problems. Just be sure to check about 10 minutes after you restart and it should be making the nice rumbling noice. If not, then probably the grit and cement mixture has set up and needs to be broken up.
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Steve
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2005
Posts: 506
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Post by Steve on Nov 10, 2013 20:04:36 GMT -5
Shutting it down should not cause any problems other than adding time to the run. HOWEVER - depending on your tumbler you may have to take the barrels off before you restart the tumbler and then put the barrels back on. You also may have to manually shake the barrels to break up any settled sludge before the barrel will roll. If you have a really strong motor on your tumbler you shouldn't have any problems.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Nov 10, 2013 20:15:15 GMT -5
If you take off the barrels and set them upright when you turn it off everything will settle to the bottom and not one side. That way when you turn it back on everything will be balanced out and start breaking up. Like Steve said, it might be good to shake them up a bit. Jim
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rebekkahm
off to a rocking start
Member since July 2012
Posts: 7
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Post by rebekkahm on Nov 10, 2013 21:00:25 GMT -5
Thanks so much for your replies everyone I'm sure glad that I figured this one out. It was going to be a long winter with no shiny rocks to keep me occupied!
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Post by Peruano on Nov 11, 2013 21:26:02 GMT -5
Rebekkahm, I know that this may be contrary to advice received to date, but I'd be really careful about stopping a tumbling process. I have zero experience with rotary tumblers, but my vibratory tumbler would lock up badly if unplugged for several hours, i.e. form concrete with the grit settling to the bottom and solidifying to an undesirable and potentially fatal mass. I have allowed this to happen on a couple of occasions when I stopped the tumbler in the middle of the night because I was worried that it was going to far, and it was a mess to restart. Yes, I did save the stones, but some were never totally rid of the grit that had solidified in the crevices during the outage. So, be careful and perhaps proceed slowly in terms of intermittent tumbling. Just saying. Tom
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herchenx
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2012
Posts: 3,360
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Post by herchenx on Nov 12, 2013 0:13:07 GMT -5
I've had full barrels sitting idle now for almost a month. I just shake them every 10 days or so and they aren't setting up yet.
I wouldn't do this with my vibe, but the lortone rubber barrels seem to handle it with no problem.
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,563
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Post by jamesp on Nov 12, 2013 7:11:20 GMT -5
I think the only time you may have a problem is if the tumbler's motor is under powered or starting to wear out.
the idea of standing the barrel up should even solve a issues with a weak motor since you would not get an off balance settlement(a lub dub).
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grayfingers
Cave Dweller
Member since November 2007
Posts: 4,575
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Post by grayfingers on Nov 12, 2013 8:11:11 GMT -5
Maybe a silly notion, but perhaps a person could use a bit of RV antifreeze with the water in the barrel, and run it in the garage.
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,563
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Post by jamesp on Nov 12, 2013 9:09:56 GMT -5
If you 110vac motor is pulling a 1/2 amp then you have a 60 watt heater. Mine pulls 1 amp....
Orum's cooler cover is brilliant. Maybe just a corrugated card board box will do the trick.
But motor heat in a small compartment is substantial.
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jollyrockhound
spending too much on rocks
Member since March 2013
Posts: 409
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Post by jollyrockhound on Nov 13, 2013 11:53:37 GMT -5
I've had full barrels sitting idle now for almost a month. I just shake them every 10 days or so and they aren't setting up yet. I wouldn't do this with my vibe, but the lortone rubber barrels seem to handle it with no problem. yuppers i do the same thing sometimes. As long as the barrels are sealed no problem. have fun, good advise on here.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Nov 14, 2013 16:54:40 GMT -5
Nice thread.............
Great knowledge here. We walk with giants here everyday.
Thank you all.
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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 14, 2013 21:39:33 GMT -5
"When we have company over, can I shut it off for a few hours or will this disrupt the process?" From my experience, you're going at the problem from the wrong direction. I prefer not to have company over that can't handle a little noise. For me, the tumbler noise doesn't cause a problem, it solves it.
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rebekkahm
off to a rocking start
Member since July 2012
Posts: 7
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Post by rebekkahm on Nov 17, 2013 18:41:53 GMT -5
lmao! My husband doesn't quite see it that way Thanks for all the advice guys! "When we have company over, can I shut it off for a few hours or will this disrupt the process?" From my experience, you're going at the problem from the wrong direction. I prefer not to have company over that can't handle a little noise. For me, the tumbler noise doesn't cause a problem, it solves it.
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Post by johnjsgems on Nov 18, 2013 14:41:03 GMT -5
We have had people up there in the cold that run their tumblers in a box in the cold. The motor heat keeps the barrels from freezing. You would have to experiment with how much ventilation if any you would need. You can also deaden a lot of the noise by putting the tumbler on a rubber mat or carpet (make sure carpet fibers don't get sucked into motor). I think rubber barrel rotary tumblers have a peaceful sound (like rocks rolling on the beach) but I've never had one in the house.
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