ponchorage
off to a rocking start
Member since April 2015
Posts: 7
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Post by ponchorage on Jan 11, 2016 18:10:13 GMT -5
I've been a rockhound for several years now, but had yet to get into tumbling. It was always in the back of my mind though. We picked up a Thumler AR-2 for Christmas and after reading A LOT of posts here I decided to also grab a Lot-o-tumbler. I've got my first batches running in both tumblers right now. I'm already excited with the results I'm seeing just during the first stage. I've realized I've got to be a little more picky with the rough that I put in. I noticed a lot of pitting and cracks that may never get tumbled out. One question I have regarding that particular problem is if pitting would come out more easily with the rotary or the vibe? I understand it would probably take a long time tumbling regardless but some of the rough is quite beautiful and I hate to see it go to waste. I guess my big concern is grit contamination and that ruining the polish later on. I am going to buy another barrel to use just for the polish stage on the Lot-O. I'll probably usually go the route of doing the first stage in the rotary then finish things off in the vibe. I just couldn't stand NOT running something in the vibe while I wait for the rotary to give me enough to move into the vibe. Many thanks to all for all the information I've already picked up from the forums.
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indiana
spending too much on rocks
Member since October 2015
Posts: 285
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Post by indiana on Jan 11, 2016 18:18:43 GMT -5
I'm pretty new too, but I have found that sometimes, I can save more of a rock if I pre-trim it with my tile saw. Some flaws would require grinding away 80 percent of the rock to get rid of but can be removed by strategically cutting off 25 percent in the beginning (for example).
Can't help with the vibe question. I don't have a one! Happy tumbling.
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Post by pauls on Jan 11, 2016 18:35:17 GMT -5
If you want to keep the cracked and pitted stones put them to one side to run them through seperately, your top stones then go through without any danger of contamination from grit or broken rocks. When you have a tumbler full of seconds put them in and accept that you might get mediocre results. Give them a really good clean out between stages and run for a while in clean water and detergent to make sure you are doing your best to stop contamination, pick through and remove broken stones and ones that are still holding grit to be returned to coarse and do what Indiana says and saw through deep pits. Good luck, kids will still love your seconds.
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Post by Jugglerguy on Jan 11, 2016 21:10:14 GMT -5
I agree with what pauls said. As for your pitted rocks, the pits may or may not ever come out. If the rock seems to be porous throughout, I'd throw out the rock. However, if the pits are just one the outside, they will eventually come out. Many rocks take months to do in the first stage. This is normal. Just remember that your whole rock will have to wear down to the depth of the deepest hole. As Indiana said, you could cut off the portion with the deep hole to save a lot of tumbling. Sometimes, if there is a bad fracture or deep hole, I'll use a chisel to break the rock along the fracture or hole and have two better, small rocks.
The Lot-O will not round your rocks or remove holes much at all. Most of us run our rocks in a rotary tumbler for the first stage until all the holes are gone and then go to the Lot-O. I once did some rocks from the beginning in the Lot-O just to see what would happen. I ran them for a full month with grit changes every single day. Then I ran the other stages as I usually do. The rocks had some bad holes still in them, but still got very shiny. It was a fun experiment, but took a lot of grit. I prefer running them in the rotary first much better.
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Post by Jugglerguy on Jan 11, 2016 21:14:10 GMT -5
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ponchorage
off to a rocking start
Member since April 2015
Posts: 7
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Post by ponchorage on Jan 12, 2016 10:12:02 GMT -5
indiana and pauls - great advice about pre-trimming and grinding and running worse stones through separately. I'll have to give those a try. Jugglerguy - I had read through your experiment post before but reading it again I see some great answers. Takes me reading things a couple of times to retain the information, apparently. Seems like a pain to try and run the course stage in the vibe, changing it daily or twice daily for so long. I can see the vibe working without going to the rotary first if you already had very clean rough to work with. I think, as you said, the best route will be to run in the rotary first until the holes/pits/gashes/etc are gone. Thanks, again.
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Intheswamp
Cave Dweller
Member since September 2015
Posts: 1,910
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Post by Intheswamp on Jan 12, 2016 12:52:48 GMT -5
I think that it's usually not recommended to run coarse (<~220 grit)in a vibe as it can wear the barrel out prematurely.
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,563
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Post by jamesp on Jan 12, 2016 12:59:30 GMT -5
I think that it's usually not recommended to run coarse (<~220 grit)in a vibe as it can wear the barrel out prematurely. Depends on the hopper Ed. Polyurethane will do fine with about any grit. 30-60-80 grit breaks down too fast in a vibe do do any serious rounding though.
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Post by Starguy on Jan 12, 2016 20:41:26 GMT -5
ponchorageFor pitting, I grind the pits on an 80 grit grinding wheel. Sawing them off works too. For cracks, try tapping the rock with a light hammer. Sometimes it will break on the crack. If that doesn't work, I use a cold chisel and try to break the rock along the crack. The chisel gives you a better chance of hitting the rock in exactly the right place. If you just keep tumbling them, it seems like the good parts grind away and you are left with only the pit or crack. perfect rocks are rare in this hobby but you can always improve your chances.
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ponchorage
off to a rocking start
Member since April 2015
Posts: 7
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Post by ponchorage on Jan 13, 2016 23:02:08 GMT -5
With the Lot-o, how do you do the burnish stage? Do you fill the barrel with water? How long do you let it run? What do you add? Do you clean out the polish first or just leave it in?
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Post by Jugglerguy on Jan 14, 2016 6:32:27 GMT -5
I clean the rocks and barrel well. Then I fill the barrel with water and rocks, dump out all the water, and put it on the tumbler. I add a tablespoon of borax and then slowly pour in water until I see the tumbling action just start to slow down. Maybe a tablespoon or two of water should do it, I do this between each stage to clean the rocks well also. Borax kills plants, so be careful where you dump the water.
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ponchorage
off to a rocking start
Member since April 2015
Posts: 7
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Post by ponchorage on Jan 14, 2016 15:40:18 GMT -5
Jugglerguy Thanks for the great information! How long do you typically let it run for?
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Post by Jugglerguy on Jan 14, 2016 15:43:16 GMT -5
An hour or two. I don't really think that it's a true burnish, but rather a good scrubbing.
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