Intheswamp
Cave Dweller
Member since September 2015
Posts: 1,910
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Post by Intheswamp on Dec 26, 2015 22:41:00 GMT -5
Will stainless mark rock? I'm a rookie so I don't know whether you'd want to use this with rocks coming out of polish... ? Ok, well I looked at the black pan at Lowes this evening. One of them in the stack had part of the rim torn off so I pulled on the torn part to see how tough it was...it basically came off in my hand. I left them where they were...this was an ODJOB, or something like that, brand. It wasn't the one they show on the website. I ended up buying a $5.00 flat 28-quart sterolite container at Wallyworld. I'll use it till I come up with a better idea. I might try the pan that James linked to earlier. AND....it just dawned on me that I forgot to look for a plastic colander. Ah well, dollar store tirp Monday...don't really need it just yet.
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cobbledstones
spending too much on rocks
Member since January 2014
Posts: 482
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Post by cobbledstones on Dec 27, 2015 0:24:44 GMT -5
I put an old nylon screen door panel over a salvaged table that has 1/2" metal screen for a top, spray with hose, done in 15 mins.
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Post by Rockoonz on Dec 27, 2015 1:47:39 GMT -5
Will stainless mark rock? I'm a rookie so I don't know whether you'd want to use this with rocks coming out of polish... ? Ok, well I looked at the black pan at Lowes this evening. One of them in the stack had part of the rim torn off so I pulled on the torn part to see how tough it was...it basically came off in my hand. I left them where they were...this was an ODJOB, or something like that, brand. It wasn't the one they show on the website. I ended up buying a $5.00 flat 28-quart sterolite container at Wallyworld. I'll use it till I come up with a better idea. I might try the pan that James linked to earlier. AND....it just dawned on me that I forgot to look for a plastic colander. Ah well, dollar store tirp Monday...don't really need it just yet. Stainless is non marking, that's a big reason it's used in medical items. I would stay away from aluminum and copper or brass though.
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Intheswamp
Cave Dweller
Member since September 2015
Posts: 1,910
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Post by Intheswamp on Dec 27, 2015 8:14:48 GMT -5
cobblestones, that sounds like a great wash table you've got set up!!!! Good support and fine screening. I've been mulling over the idea of using some of that screen material, but no something of the size that yours most likely is. Seems I've got a little bit of "solar" screening around here...a bit heavier than standard nylon screen. Maybe 1/2" hardware cloth beneath the nylon screening on a frame. Definitely some options here!
Thanks for the clarification regarding stainless steel, Lee. I'll definitely keep that option open and also stay away from the metals that you mentioned. I see, though, that you didn't mention galvanized metal such as would be in hardware cloth/screen. Is there a difference in the marking or is it that the three metals you mentioned are more subject to corrosion...or something else?
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Post by Jugglerguy on Dec 27, 2015 10:04:03 GMT -5
I didn't know that there were so many different methods for rinsing rocks. I have a different colander for each stage. It's probably completely unnecessary, but they're cheap at the dollar store. I start with this one for the first stage. I bought it first (not at the dollar store) and I think it's good that it's metal because it gets much heavier use. When shopping for colanders, look for one with small holes. Small ceramic media falls through the larger holes. When you scrounge up a bucket, get the lid too. This is a paint bucket. I also use a lot of buckets from the deli/bakery of the grocery store. They get stuff like frosting in them. Those tend to be more like four gallons though. Cut a hole in the lid to match the size of your colander. If you get a big enough one, you don't need the lid, but you have to be careful not to tip it. I do all of my rinsing inside because for much of the year it's freezing outside. Besides, my tumblers are in my basement, so I don't want to carry everything upstairs. I just dump the rocks in the colander, fill the barrel with water in the sink, and pour it over the rocks. On the first filling, I rinse the lid into the barrel. On the second filling, I use a toothbrush to clean the rim of the barrel while it's filling up. On about the third rinse, I have to mix the rocks up in the colander with my hand to rinse underneath. I also have two buckets. When I dump out my slurry, I try to retain the sludge that has settled to the bottom. Then I dump all the remaining water (the last inch or two) into the other bucket. I let the slurry dry out and dump it in the trash. I dump all of my slurry in a box that I buried in the ground in the woods behind my house. I try not to dump too much slurry in the hole because eventually it clogs up the sand and it slows the hole from draining.
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,182
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Post by jamesp on Dec 27, 2015 11:30:02 GMT -5
Will stainless mark rock? I'm a rookie so I don't know whether you'd want to use this with rocks coming out of polish... ? Ok, well I looked at the black pan at Lowes this evening. One of them in the stack had part of the rim torn off so I pulled on the torn part to see how tough it was...it basically came off in my hand. I left them where they were...this was an ODJOB, or something like that, brand. It wasn't the one they show on the website. I ended up buying a $5.00 flat 28-quart sterolite container at Wallyworld. I'll use it till I come up with a better idea. I might try the pan that James linked to earlier. AND....it just dawned on me that I forgot to look for a plastic colander. Ah well, dollar store tirp Monday...don't really need it just yet. Stainless is non marking, that's a big reason it's used in medical items. I would stay away from aluminum and copper or brass though. The restaurant pans mark rocks bad Lee. With the most gentle touch. I think it is 316 and it will leave bad marks on agates. It is way softer than surgical and knife stainless. Learned that the hard way. Made a mess on finished tumbles. It is annealed for forming. Stainless is like engineers, easy to work with if you anneal with high temps. It is overlooked as a jewelry medium, can be malleable in annealed state.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Dec 27, 2015 12:06:10 GMT -5
Yeah, spaghetto colander over a mixing tub.
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bushmanbilly
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2008
Posts: 4,719
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Post by bushmanbilly on Dec 27, 2015 12:41:13 GMT -5
If you want a classifier that never wears out. Get one made for the sh^t and abuse that rocks dish out. I use a Garrett gold panning plastic classifier. I use two, one for course grind and one for polish. The one pictured is 3 years old and still looks new. As for cleaning the vibe tumbler. I just use the bowl itself. Fill with water, shake it up and use the lid to strain the waste into a bucket. I have a fine screen mesh classifier in the bucket to catch any that slip past the lid. As long as you don't use borax, the waste water and slurry is safe for plants. My trees and shrubs love it.
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,182
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Post by jamesp on Dec 27, 2015 15:03:52 GMT -5
My smallest barrel is 15 pounds. Had to go bigger than a colander. Those industrial classifiers look like the trick.
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bushmanbilly
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2008
Posts: 4,719
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Post by bushmanbilly on Dec 27, 2015 16:17:09 GMT -5
They work great. 1/2 inch mesh. Fit nicely in a 5 gal bucket. There tuff. Have only broke one. Thanks to not looking before I throw a large rock while panning.
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Intheswamp
Cave Dweller
Member since September 2015
Posts: 1,910
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Post by Intheswamp on Dec 27, 2015 21:33:25 GMT -5
Some more great ideas. Rob, that was a good photo essay. I like the colander in the bucket lid. I may go with that one for the Loto clean outs. bushmanbilly, that looks interesting...I had/have one of those Garret panning sets...I'll have rummage through my packrat stuff!!!
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Post by johnjsgems on Dec 28, 2015 11:40:05 GMT -5
The old gentleman that developed Myers Rapid Polish finishes his cabs in Gy-Roc tumblers. He has a pretty slick way of washing the slurry off. He has 5 or 6 5 gallon buckets of water. He sews bags out of the nursery shade cloth fabric. He lines up the buckets full of clean water and dips the bag in the buckets moving from one end to the other. The first bucket gets very dirty and less as he progresses. Water stays clean by last bucket. As first bucket gets too dirty he dumps it and refills and moves it to opposite end. The second bucket becomes the first, etc. He claims it uses much less water than hosing through screens.
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Post by Jugglerguy on Dec 28, 2015 11:49:25 GMT -5
Does he rinse the barrels in the same buckets?
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Post by Rockoonz on Dec 28, 2015 13:20:13 GMT -5
The Gy-roc vibe tumblers use plastic tubs shaped like angelfood cake pans. We got rid of ours after we got our first Thumlers UV10. We had dedicated tubs for each stage so they requires very little rinsing, I think that's what a lot of people end up doing with the vibe units.
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