txrockgal
off to a rocking start
Member since December 2013
Posts: 3
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Post by txrockgal on Dec 10, 2013 6:28:08 GMT -5
I am new at this I have the... thumler ultravibe 10 vibrating rock tumbler. I don't know if I have too little grit or too much water or just not enough grit. this is my second try. I did the first two grits in a rotary and then I got my vibration machine. I was going to attach a picture but it will not let me. I sure appreciate any help!
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grayfingers
Cave Dweller
Member since November 2007
Posts: 4,575
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Post by grayfingers on Dec 10, 2013 8:53:34 GMT -5
txrockgal, welcome to the forum! It is hard to tell what is your specific problem? Have you finished a batch and feel they have not shined well? Are you getting good movement of the stones in the tumbler? Best overall advice I would have for you is to be sure you are tumbling stones of a similar hardness, a mix of sizes of stones is important as well. Additionally, ceramic tumbling media added will help the action of the stones in the bowl. Around 3- 4 heaping tablespoons of grit to a 10 lb. bowl. Bowl should be filled at least 3/4 full. A good way to wet the stones is to pour water in bowl until stones just covered, then put a strainer over, and drain water off. Only enough water is needed to stick the grit to the stones, a lot less than a rotary tumbler. Add grit, and use a spray bottle to add water if needed, as you watch the tumbler to see if the stones are moving in a "mixing vortex" sort of action before securing the lid. Hope this helps a bit. This is a good read, should cover what I have written, and much more. forum.rocktumblinghobby.com/thread/29369/instructions-vibe-tumblers
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txrockgal
off to a rocking start
Member since December 2013
Posts: 3
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Post by txrockgal on Dec 10, 2013 10:33:22 GMT -5
Thank you for your advice and tips. I am using the pellets in it and it had the correct amount of rocks and pellets in it. Watching the video on you tube of my v. tumbler - well the rocks and pellets don't look like theirs - totally covered with the grey slurry. So not sure what it needs.
With that said, my first batch in this tumbler - I had too much water and not enough rocks and media in the barrel. I had sludge built up in the bottom of the barrel that I pried loose with my fingers. I washed all and reused the pellets in this second round of tumbling using the same size grit. I guess time will tell if I am doing this right or not.
Again, thank you for your help and advice.
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bsky4463
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since September 2013
Posts: 1,696
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Post by bsky4463 on Dec 10, 2013 11:59:05 GMT -5
Also make sure that you are tumbling stones of equal hardness. If you have some material that is softer, that can result in excessive sludge as well. The link grayfingers provided is a great one, it got me started. Good luck. To attach pictures you need to post them to a photo host (photobucket, flikr, etc) then copy the url link to the photo then paste the link in the forum message. There is a thread on this somewhere within the forum. Cheers
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Post by 150FromFundy on Dec 11, 2013 19:42:00 GMT -5
I'm not sure what the video looks like, but here is what I do.
Assuming your rocks have been pre-tumbled in a rotary and you have removed all the pits, blemishes, scratches and are satisfied with the size and shape.
Many start with 120/220 grit in the UV-10. I skip this stage and go straight to 500 grit. The coarser grit will wear down the bowl, so if you can eliminate it, your bowl will last longer. The 120/220 is not necessary if you have removed all the pits, blemishes and scratches in the rotary.
Pre-wet your rocks/media before you fill the bowl. This will prevent the rocks from absorbing water from your slurry and will make it easier to get the right consistency.
Fill the bowl to the top of the center cone, but not over. Add no more than 3 tablespoons of grit, or polish.
Start the machine and watch the grit slowly forming a thick slurry with the water from the pre-wet rocks. Now spray additional water into the bowl with a tropical pant spray bottle until the thick slurry starts to look like a milky coating on the rocks. There should be no excess ponded water in the bottom of the bowl.
The bowl needs to be checked 3 to 4 times a day. Rock flour will thicken the slurry, so you must add more mist until the slurry is thinned once again. There should be no excess ponded water in the bottom of the bowl.
The vibe should take no more than 3 days to complete a grit cycle. Move on to 1000F (pre-polish), then polish.
Burnish with borax between all stages.
Use lots of ceramic media. There's a lot of debate over how much. I use about 40% ceramic media for tumbled stones, 60% for pre-forms, and 80% for delicate and prized cabs. To avoid chips and scratches, your tumbles should be vibrating against the ceramic media, rather than each other.
Good luck. Post some photos.
Darryl.
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txrockgal
off to a rocking start
Member since December 2013
Posts: 3
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Post by txrockgal on Dec 12, 2013 16:30:52 GMT -5
Thanks for all the advice. I dumped out the first batch and started over and I got the slurry right. Will now do the polishing. Can't wait to see how they turn out. About the hardness of the rocks well. I have no idea - I am using a lot of petrified wood pieces and then rocks, pebbles that I have found in the sam rayburn resevoir area. I guess now I need to learn about the hardness of rocks, lol.
I will post picks as soon as I can!!! Can't wait to see how they turn out in this tumbler.
Thanks again for all the help.
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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 Dec 12, 2013 17:08:02 GMT -5
pet wood is my favorite to take a nice polish. sometimes its hard to get a nice finish on the pieces because sometimes there is different hardness in the same piece. most pet wood is around a 7 hardness. you can polish them with agates and such. charlie
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Jasper-hound
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since June 2010
Posts: 208
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Post by Jasper-hound on Dec 15, 2013 11:46:54 GMT -5
That is a good machine; I have one and have a system that works very well (after a first summer of trial-and-error). The barrel needs to be pretty full, almost to the top of the hub in the middle. I wait until I have enough material so that I do not have to use any ceramics or pellets (which don't do much good). You want the rocks moist but not sitting in water. I literally add just a few teaspoons of medium. As the rocks wear, they will add their own mud to the mixture, and you will have to use a spray bottle a few times a day to add moisture. These tumblers need a lot of monitoring.
Oh, and I do all my rough (60/90) tumbling in my rotaries. Usually after that, the stones will need 24 hours with 600, 24 hours with 1000, and 24-48 hours with AO polish. My rocks come out with a mirror shine.
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