mikeinsjc
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2010
Posts: 329
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Post by mikeinsjc on Feb 23, 2014 11:18:59 GMT -5
How do you guys clean the grit off between steps on a vibratory tumbler? I need to have a pretty quick and efficient method because of the size barrel I'm using. A regular garden hose spray nozzle doesn't do well, and I end up using 20 gallons of water to get them clean. This is my first experience with a vibratory tumbler. I don't recall rotary tumblers imbedding the grit the way the vibe does. Maybe I just wasn't paying attention! Tumbler is the 50 lb. vibrasonic.
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Steve
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2005
Posts: 506
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Post by Steve on Feb 23, 2014 11:54:12 GMT -5
Fill the tumbler with water and a bit of soap and let it run for a half hour. Then clean as you did before. This works for smaller vibs. Not sure about your 50 pounder though.
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SirRoxalot
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since October 2003
Posts: 790
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Post by SirRoxalot on Feb 24, 2014 9:31:40 GMT -5
One seldom hears the phrase "quick and efficient" used in tumbling circles, lol.
Steve nailed it. I'm only running rotaries atm, and the cleaning and inspecting btw stages is a massive time sink, having to brush every stone. A fifty pound vibe is pretty sick, I'm totally jealous!
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miander
spending too much on rocks
Searching for the shop of my dreams...
Member since November 2013
Posts: 407
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Post by miander on Feb 26, 2014 9:59:45 GMT -5
50 lbs!!! No wonder you can't get the dang thing clean, you have to climb out between all the stages!
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Post by 150FromFundy on Feb 26, 2014 16:29:31 GMT -5
On a smaller scale, this works ...
1. To loosen the grit/polish from the load, fill the bowl to just below the nose cone with water and run the machine for several minutes. This turns the slurry to dirty water and makes it easier to pour off most of the grit/polish.
2. Dump the dirty load into a sieve/strainer and rinse the remainder of the grit/polish off. Clean the bowl with soapy water. You will have to hand scrub the sides with a Brillo pad, or micro-fiber cloth. Don't forget the lid.
3. Time to burnish. Place the load back into the bowl, fill to just below the nose cone with water, add borax and run the machine for a few hours.
4. Repeat Step 2. noting the colour of the water you are pouring off.
If the water is still grey, the burnish is still removing grit/polish. Repeat Step 3. again. Repeat Step 2. again.
If the water is clear, the burnish is complete. Time to move on.
It is a lot of work to be fussy, but this approach virtually eliminates the possibility of cross contamination. It may not scale up well. I can't even envision a 50 lb. vibe bowl, running a 10 lb. myself.
Many vibe members will tell you that you only need a fussy burnish before and after the final polish. I have better results if I take the time to be fussy and burnish between all stages.
Let us know what you come up with and please post a picture of your rock-eating monster machine.
Darryl.
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mikeinsjc
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2010
Posts: 329
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Post by mikeinsjc on Mar 7, 2014 23:11:20 GMT -5
One thing I didn't consider when I got this tumbler. When it is time to change grits, I fill it up to near the top with water and let it run for about 45 minutes. On a fifty pounder, the barrel empty alone is heavy. Add the rocks. Add a full barrel of water. Hard on the back. I learned something else you vibe guys probably already knew. If you let the stones dry out while running, the grit turns to cement in the cracks. No way to get it out. There is no recourse except to return the stones to the rotary and run them again with the 46/70 grit.
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