Final notes on tumbling using PVC barrels and Viking vibe
Feb 19, 2016 6:19:19 GMT -5
Thunder69, tims, and 1 more like this
Post by jamesp on Feb 19, 2016 6:19:19 GMT -5
This may sound opinionated. It is simply findings from tumbling many hundreds of pounds of Mohs 7 hardness rock.
I have no tolerance for softer material. Or my process doesn't.
Since I have gone to clay I have no problems with chipping. You must realize that I run some darn thick slurry. Thicker than I mention on the open forum.
And the clay is in the rotary with SiC 30 only, but the last charge gets run 2 weeks and is ready for AO 500 in the vibe. No more SiC 220.
Done over a dozen loads in the clay. Never ever did that stuff get thin. It stays thick, regardless of temperature. and the thick slurry flat out grinds.
SiC 30 is gone in 4 days. Turns into SiC 220 in a week. I go two weeks for safe keeping before going to AO 500 in the vibe.
The concept that thick slurry reduces grind time and grit break down is such a myth. I can barely hear any knocking on those loud PVC barrels sitting on straight steel.
I no longer concern myself with hard barrels. These coarse stage clean out is a thing of the past. Dump slurry and add water only.
And if needing to cherry pick, then do a clean out. But I restart with clay thickened slurry.
My barrels are only 6 inches inside diameter and turn at a conservative 30 RPM.
Now ceramic media impregnated with SiC will wear a hole thru a sherman tank. And even pure ceramic media can have a toll.
Ceramic media is nothing but a giant chunk of AO. it is usually Mohs 9. Basically 000 grit AO. I don't like the stuff. I like small quartz and agate for media in the Viking.
And that quartz media set me free with the Viking. I never run even 1 inch rocks in the Viking with out at least 30% pea sized roundish quartz media.
That quartz media is key in the Viking with my settings. The bigger the rocks the higher percentage quartz media. Unfortunate, but to avoid ding damage that is the case.
Any of those cylinder shaped vibe hoppers are unstable and send the bigger rocks to one side. Basically impossible to have equal vibration from left to right.
All it takes is 1% of 1% difference from left to right and after 24 hours you will find heavier rocks shifting to one side. Rock less than 2" with 40% media mix fine in the Viking.
Go to 2.5 inches and less than 50% media as mentioned and you will find them banging against each other the next morning on one side and have dings in all but the very hardest rock.
Those snake skins are the biggest rock I ever did in the Viking. 6 pounds snake skins and 8 pounds media as mentioned. Still piled up to one side, but that is one of earth's hardest agates.
No dings. And a bunch of media. To me, the Viking is a 10 pound vibe for small rocks, and a 6 pound vibe for larger rocks due to media requirements. And round glass works great as media too.
But, you can finish a 6 pound load of big rocks easily every week. 8 weeks = 50 pounds !! But that 1/3 HP motor has been eating your electricity.
To me, tumbling big rocks is the biggest challenge. That means all steps start to finish. Thick clay slurry solved the rotary problems, media solved the vibe problems.
If tumbling more than one 7-10 ounce rock in any machine protection best be used to keep them from banging against each other.
I have no tolerance for softer material. Or my process doesn't.
Since I have gone to clay I have no problems with chipping. You must realize that I run some darn thick slurry. Thicker than I mention on the open forum.
And the clay is in the rotary with SiC 30 only, but the last charge gets run 2 weeks and is ready for AO 500 in the vibe. No more SiC 220.
Done over a dozen loads in the clay. Never ever did that stuff get thin. It stays thick, regardless of temperature. and the thick slurry flat out grinds.
SiC 30 is gone in 4 days. Turns into SiC 220 in a week. I go two weeks for safe keeping before going to AO 500 in the vibe.
The concept that thick slurry reduces grind time and grit break down is such a myth. I can barely hear any knocking on those loud PVC barrels sitting on straight steel.
I no longer concern myself with hard barrels. These coarse stage clean out is a thing of the past. Dump slurry and add water only.
And if needing to cherry pick, then do a clean out. But I restart with clay thickened slurry.
My barrels are only 6 inches inside diameter and turn at a conservative 30 RPM.
Now ceramic media impregnated with SiC will wear a hole thru a sherman tank. And even pure ceramic media can have a toll.
Ceramic media is nothing but a giant chunk of AO. it is usually Mohs 9. Basically 000 grit AO. I don't like the stuff. I like small quartz and agate for media in the Viking.
And that quartz media set me free with the Viking. I never run even 1 inch rocks in the Viking with out at least 30% pea sized roundish quartz media.
That quartz media is key in the Viking with my settings. The bigger the rocks the higher percentage quartz media. Unfortunate, but to avoid ding damage that is the case.
Any of those cylinder shaped vibe hoppers are unstable and send the bigger rocks to one side. Basically impossible to have equal vibration from left to right.
All it takes is 1% of 1% difference from left to right and after 24 hours you will find heavier rocks shifting to one side. Rock less than 2" with 40% media mix fine in the Viking.
Go to 2.5 inches and less than 50% media as mentioned and you will find them banging against each other the next morning on one side and have dings in all but the very hardest rock.
Those snake skins are the biggest rock I ever did in the Viking. 6 pounds snake skins and 8 pounds media as mentioned. Still piled up to one side, but that is one of earth's hardest agates.
No dings. And a bunch of media. To me, the Viking is a 10 pound vibe for small rocks, and a 6 pound vibe for larger rocks due to media requirements. And round glass works great as media too.
But, you can finish a 6 pound load of big rocks easily every week. 8 weeks = 50 pounds !! But that 1/3 HP motor has been eating your electricity.
To me, tumbling big rocks is the biggest challenge. That means all steps start to finish. Thick clay slurry solved the rotary problems, media solved the vibe problems.
If tumbling more than one 7-10 ounce rock in any machine protection best be used to keep them from banging against each other.