tobias
off to a rocking start
Member since July 2014
Posts: 3
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Post by tobias on Jul 15, 2014 11:40:56 GMT -5
Comming back to the hobby after 35 years away... Bought a dual 3-Pound Harbor Freight Tumbler and it works great. Even experimented with 36 grit to speed up the "rounding" process and I've been really happy with the results (even though some rocks disappeared after 6-7 days). But this isn't the problem...
Also bought a 5-Pound Vibrating Tumber (Harbor Freight) and I can't get it to "float" the rocks. They sit in the bowl and vibrate like hell, but they won't climb/float/roll/dive. Also, the rocks get REALLY hot. Didn't expect that to happen. I filled the bowl with rock up to the middle of the bulge in the bowl and it vibrated so hard, that the washer and the wingnut disappeared after I turned my back for 2-3 minutes. Last night I added some small ceramic media (1-2 pounds), hoping to improve the tumbling or reduce the vibration, turned my back, and now the lid is missing!
I was going to try to add more media (on order). Is there anything else I should try?
I apologize if this subject was on a different thread...
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Post by Jugglerguy on Jul 15, 2014 11:54:00 GMT -5
I have a Lot-O, so I don't know anything about Harbor Freight vibes. Actually, this is the first I've heard that Harbor Freight makes vibratory tumblers. When I first started using my Lot-O, I sometimes added too much water, which slows the rolling action down. Not having enough water will also slow the action. I fill my Lot-O barrel with rocks and water, then drain off all the water, so the rocks are just wet, but no water is setting in the bottom. I use a squirt bottle to give a couple squirts of water if the slurry gets thick enough to slow the action down. Do this slowly because it's easy to add too much. That's how I ended up getting too much water in when I was starting.
I have no idea how the rocks could be getting hot. That seems very bad.
Hopefully someone who has experience with your particular tumbler can give you better advice.
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Post by johnjsgems on Jul 15, 2014 12:00:22 GMT -5
Harbor Freight vibes are labeled as dry tumblers for metal finishing. That said, most vibes need to be full and need media to about 30% by volume to work properly. Rinse rocks and ceramic and dump in dripping wet. Add grit (starting with 220) and turn on. If everything moves well add no water until slurry forms slowing the motion. Then add drops of water a little at a time until motion is restored. I would run the HF tumbler with a lot of ceramics to keep weight down. It will still self destruct pretty quickly.
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tobias
off to a rocking start
Member since July 2014
Posts: 3
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Post by tobias on Jul 18, 2014 13:20:06 GMT -5
Added about 5 pounds of ceramic tumbling media and it really helped. Vibration got smoother and the action was less violent. Gonna empty and re-load tonight.
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Post by johnjsgems on Jul 18, 2014 13:33:11 GMT -5
Grit typically breaks down completely in 2 days in vibe tumblers. I run 220 2 days, rinse and recharge with 220 for 2 more days. Fine grit (I use 600) is 2 days. Then I run a wash cycle with Tide and more water than normal and rinse well before polishing. Fine aluminum oxide seems to work best in vibes for final polish. Look for .3 micron or .5 micron. I run polish for 2 days and let it run longer if needed. With any type tumbler a dedicated polish barrel is a good idea.
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