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Post by captbob on Sept 14, 2015 15:20:45 GMT -5
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Post by Drummond Island Rocks on Sept 14, 2015 15:26:51 GMT -5
I seen that one. My opinion is that I would not want to wrestle with that barrel every week. I would stick to multiple 15 pounders or 12 pounders where it easier to handle. Thats a personal preference though. I sure do like the looks of that beast though.
Chuck
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Post by captbob on Sept 14, 2015 15:29:53 GMT -5
15 pounders I have (4) and a couple 12s. I want to tumble larger rocks.
Anything specific I should check for on it other than if it runs and the liner?
17 people watching the auction and it's not sold, so it's obviously overpriced. Value?
Will it actually tumble a 40 pound (rocks, water, grit) load?
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Post by Drummond Island Rocks on Sept 14, 2015 16:12:03 GMT -5
ahh tumbling bigger rocks. For some reason I did not think of that. Serves its purpose then. $300 seems fair
Chuck
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,563
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Post by jamesp on Sept 15, 2015 5:56:01 GMT -5
Not for me. 40 pounder will work you. 80 grit(and 30/60) is done in 3-4 days with those big barrels, so you are constantly having to recharge. Wrestling with them a pain. Prefer a 12-15-20 and 23. Sidelined the 35 and 40. Was going to use the 40 to coarse grind only, but had to recharge every 3-4th day like 8-12 times. Lot a work. Granted, fast coarse grind. 40 pounds rock + barrel weight + slurry is heavy. Not to mention dumping the contents and doing the clean out. Takes a big dump pan and clean out work area.
Big rocks can be done in a 15 ?? I think so. Put a bunch of baseball sized rocks in a big barrel and you have to have a balanced mix/padding or they will get frosted. Much higher chance of frost anyway.
I recently did rose quartz in the 23(8 inch) with real thick slurry. Few of them over 6 ounces wanted to get a few frost spots. Guessing 9-12 ounce ones would have had a good bit of damage. Best luck I had with 10-12 ounce rocks was in a 6 inch barrel, less chance of hard banging.
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mikeinsjc
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2010
Posts: 329
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Post by mikeinsjc on Oct 11, 2015 16:02:05 GMT -5
captnbob, I know you posted this some time ago, but wanted to share my experience with that unit. I have that unit I bought new, plus an old Scott-Murray 40lb unit. I tumble a lot of bigger stuff, and these units are great, particularly the Lortone. I haven't weighed the full barrel, but it has a handle welded on it so it's ok to pick up. I use these units for rough through 600, then to my vibe for prepolish and polish. I run 60/90 for 7-10 days. You do NOT need to recharge or change grit. $300 is a great price. If you see another, grab it.
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Post by Pat on Oct 11, 2015 16:11:25 GMT -5
15 pounders I have (4) and a couple 12s. I want to tumble larger rocks. Anything specific I should check for on it other than if it runs and the liner? 17 people watching the auction and it's not sold, so it's obviously overpriced. Value? Will it actually tumble a 40 pound (rocks, water, grit) load? Hmmm, I see you collect tumblers, too!
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Post by Rockoonz on Oct 11, 2015 21:53:14 GMT -5
I got a 40 with an extra barrel and a couple spare lid seals at a sale at a college awhile back. Not saying what I paid, everyone I told asked if I was wearing a mask when I stole it. Based on the new price from Lortone $300 would be a good price with a good liner. $450 not so good.
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ingawh
starting to spend too much on rocks
The rock wants to shine, I just help it get there
Member since February 2011
Posts: 194
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Post by ingawh on Oct 12, 2015 13:51:37 GMT -5
...I tumble a lot of bigger stuff, and these units are great, particularly the Lortone. I haven't weighed the full barrel, but it has a handle welded on it so it's ok to pick up. I use these units for rough through 600, then to my vibe for prepolish and polish. I run 60/90 for 7-10 days. You do NOT need to recharge or change grit. $300 is a great price. If you see another, grab it. I'm with you - I LOVE my Lortone 40lb. I'm afraid I paid for it new, but I love the quick course grinds it does. I've got 2 Lortone 12 lb. as well that I still run. Seldom use the two 6 lbs anymore, and the two 3 pounders have sat quiet for years. As long as you balance the load well, I haven't had a problem with bruising or breaking in Big Bertha. I also really like that if you let the 40 lb. go a few extra days, the grit is completely ground away. I use a really course grit - Silicone Carbide 25 and let it go a couple of weeks. Then, for rocks that are ready to move on, I can go straight to my second (and final) step for a polish in the the Lot-O.
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mikeinsjc
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2010
Posts: 329
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Post by mikeinsjc on Oct 12, 2015 14:07:03 GMT -5
ingawh, I have heard of people doing that. My friend runs 60/90 for a month, then goes to polish. Haven't tried that yet. Do you think running 60/90 for 7-10 days is too long? I have a ton (literally) of stuff to tumble so if I could shorten that time it would help.
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Post by captbob on Oct 12, 2015 14:10:08 GMT -5
Thank you folks for the further replies and opinions.
This tumbler is still listed on eBay. I figured that I wasn't going for it at the listed price, or that anyone else would either. If someone buys it at that price then they wanted it more than I do! So, I decided to let him sit on it for awhile. There are now 28 people watching the listing.
Listing (this go around - at least the 2nd listing period) runs until the 19th. He may be ready to dicker now with so many watching and no buyers. If he sells it local to me, he's already saving the eBay/Paypal fees. Will sleep on it (some more!)
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Post by captbob on Oct 12, 2015 14:14:47 GMT -5
Do you think running 60/90 for 7-10 days is too long? The grit is probably worn down past being useful for grinding / shaping the rocks by then. At which point you can add more grit. I wouldn't bother with a clean out every time when the rocks aren't ready to move on to the next grit. Maybe every other recharge to keep the slurry from becoming too thick.
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herchenx
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2012
Posts: 3,360
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Post by herchenx on Oct 12, 2015 16:04:29 GMT -5
I Like the heavier construction on that. I WISH my older 60+# tumbler had a steel barrel. The poly one it came with wore through and spilled goop and rocks all over the bearings and belts and they got trashed too...
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ingawh
starting to spend too much on rocks
The rock wants to shine, I just help it get there
Member since February 2011
Posts: 194
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Post by ingawh on Oct 12, 2015 17:47:50 GMT -5
ingawh, I have heard of people doing that. My friend runs 60/90 for a month, then goes to polish. Haven't tried that yet. Do you think running 60/90 for 7-10 days is too long? I have a ton (literally) of stuff to tumble so if I could shorten that time it would help. I doubt that's too long - it wouldn't be for me, but I really like the grit to be fully ground up. But I also start with really course grit - 17 or 25. It grinds a bit longer and maybe gets more done, so I let my batches go for at least two weeks usually.
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Post by MrP on Oct 12, 2015 17:59:09 GMT -5
...I tumble a lot of bigger stuff, and these units are great, particularly the Lortone. I haven't weighed the full barrel, but it has a handle welded on it so it's ok to pick up. I use these units for rough through 600, then to my vibe for prepolish and polish. I run 60/90 for 7-10 days. You do NOT need to recharge or change grit. $300 is a great price. If you see another, grab it. I'm with you - I LOVE my Lortone 40lb. I'm afraid I paid for it new, but I love the quick course grinds it does. I've got 2 Lortone 12 lb. as well that I still run. Seldom use the two 6 lbs anymore, and the two 3 pounders have sat quiet for years. As long as you balance the load well, I haven't had a problem with bruising or breaking in Big Bertha. I also really like that if you let the 40 lb. go a few extra days, the grit is completely ground away. I use a really course grit - Silicone Carbide 25 and let it go a couple of weeks. Then, for rocks that are ready to move on, I can go straight to my second (and final) step for a polish in the the Lot-O. ingawh Love it! Sure beats all the cleanouts and having to make sure everyone is perfectly clean. Thank you again for showing us the '2 step'.......................MrP
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mikeinsjc
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2010
Posts: 329
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Post by mikeinsjc on Oct 12, 2015 19:13:16 GMT -5
MrP, did I read your post correctly? Two weeks with 25 grit, then straight to final polish in a vibe? That would take nearly a month out of my cycle!
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Post by captbob on Oct 13, 2015 3:27:53 GMT -5
ingawh, what does that 17 or 25 grit do to your barrel liner? Do you remove the liner and inspect it for wear and have you had to replace the liner (at $200+ a pop!) or lid gasket?
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ingawh
starting to spend too much on rocks
The rock wants to shine, I just help it get there
Member since February 2011
Posts: 194
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Post by ingawh on Oct 13, 2015 10:20:46 GMT -5
Hi Captbob - I just ordered my first lid gasket replacement. it didn't wear through, but it is getting thinned down, so I wanted a replacement handy. The barrel itself isn't showing much wear. I'd be interested to hear how often others replace the lid gasket or the liner on the 40 pounders. I've run that barrel for a couple of years and this is the first replacement I've ordered. I usually run it with either the very course grit, or with no grit at all, just to knock the matrix off so I don't waste grit on that task. The 40 lb. is great at that.
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Post by captbob on Oct 13, 2015 10:40:32 GMT -5
Thank you Inga. I usually have to replace the lid gasket on my 15 pound barrels about once a year. Maybe the one for the Lortone is thicker if you are getting a couple years out of it. The gaskets are cheap, so no biggie.
More concerned about the expensive barrel liner. Do you ever remove your liner when doing clean outs to check wear? I'd be shocked if such coarse grit wasn't wearing on the liner.
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Post by johnjsgems on Oct 13, 2015 17:29:38 GMT -5
I used to see a guy at tailgate shows and CFMS group trips that would give away big fist sized rocks he tumbled in a 40 lb. HP. I got to talking to him about how neat that would be and ended up trading him a trim saw for the tumbler. Worked great but used a lot of grit. Like close to a one lb coffee can full if I remember right. I had a crate of Montana agates I wanted to tumble mostly the rind off to hopefully be able to sell them easier. Ran a few loads through and had a $30 increase on electric bill. When a friend asked about ordering a new 40 lb. tumbler I convinced him he needed an HP 40 used. As far as buying the Lortone, check the usual things like bearings and shafts for wear. Make sure it starts up easily. Check liner and drum. Lots of capacity for someone more serious than I am.
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