tyandnan
noticing nice landscape pebbles
Member since April 2014
Posts: 96
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Post by tyandnan on Feb 6, 2015 8:23:08 GMT -5
I just bought a new toy, the dual lot o. I have read through a few threads about vibe tumbling, and I still have a couple questions.
When running the 120/220 from the rock shed, do I run it 48 hours, completely clean, and then recharge with a FULL new load of 120/220 for another 48, or should I recharge after 24, or should I not recharge at all? They gave me their starter packet of grit, but that will only be enough for one charge of each grit. I bought a full grit pack from them though, so I have extra.
Question 2. Is it okay to just fill the second barrel with water? I want to save it for a polish only barrel, so I just put water in it to weigh it down while the other barrel runs the first two stages.
Thanks, Tyson
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Post by fantastic5 on Feb 6, 2015 8:36:40 GMT -5
I have a single Lot-O, so I can only speak to the first question. I run the 120/220 for a full 48 hours without a clean out. Just keep an eye on it every few hours (or if you are like me, the best I can do is every 12-not recommended) to add small amounts of water. This keeps the slurry thin enough to have good motion. Get some borax too. I get my from Walmart in the laundry section. I use 1 tsp along with a 1/2 tsp of dry laundry soap with each stage. I've had my Lot-O less than 2 years, so I am still learning with every run. I will tell you that when you add your extra water do it SLOWLY! I've over added and stopped the motion from being too thin. I keep a squirt bottle of water next to the vibe and give it a small squirt, then wait a few minutes for it to incorporate, then squirt again. You will certainly over water at some point, then just dump everything into a bowl, clean it and start again. You can allow the grit to settle out and re-use it if you need to. I've also had marginal success with adding more borax if I made it slightly too thin, but I only try this if I don't have time to start over. And don't dump any of the washings down the drain. It will turn to cement in the pipes. Good luck, have fun, learn from the mistakes and post pictures of your progress. We like pictures
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tkvancil
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since September 2011
Posts: 1,547
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Post by tkvancil on Feb 6, 2015 9:32:12 GMT -5
Congrats on the new toy. I run a Thumlers brand so don't know much about the Lot-O other than what I read here. I would think something like ceramic media or marbles with a little water would be the way to go in the second barrel. I run my 220 for 48 hours with no recharge. After that I go to 600 after a cleanout. You can run a second 220 after a clean out but I don't think it is needed most of the time. Exception might be if your doing rocks that have not been roughed in a rotary. In that case as many 220 runs as you like until desired finish is achieved.
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Post by connrock on Feb 6, 2015 10:07:30 GMT -5
This is a pretty basic set of instructions for using the Lot-O-Tumbler,,,I hope this link opens OK,,, linkconnrock
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tyandnan
noticing nice landscape pebbles
Member since April 2014
Posts: 96
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Post by tyandnan on Feb 6, 2015 11:05:06 GMT -5
Alright. Thanks for the replies. I will run the rough grind a full 48 hours and then clean and check the rocks.
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