mbelvadi
off to a rocking start
Member since November 2015
Posts: 11
|
Post by mbelvadi on Nov 20, 2016 16:25:17 GMT -5
Hi, I'm tumbling heavy agate, with a 12lb Lortone barrel for my coarse stage and corresponding base. I filled it about 2/3 full as per everyone's instructions, and with grit and water to barely cover the rocks. Also, I re-used last batch's coarse slurry plus added fresh grit. I sealed it and weighed it and it was 21 lbs! Far too much for the motor. I had a couple of packages of large ceramic media, so I took out a bunch of stones, put in the ceramic media, re-sealed and re-weighed. Still 18 pounds! It doesn't seem like I have very many actual rocks left already in this batch for this to weigh so much. Questions (1) Am I adding unnecessary weight reusing old coarse slurry?
(2) What else could I be putting in that weighs much less than rocks but will fill up the space for good tumbling action?
Thanks for any help you can give me!
|
|
shadyatbest
off to a rocking start
Member since November 2016
Posts: 23
|
Post by shadyatbest on Nov 20, 2016 16:57:03 GMT -5
Hello. I am new to this hobby but think i know the answer to the volume wishing l question. Plastic pellets. www.amazon.com/Fundamental-Rockhound-Products-Cushioning-Protecting/dp/B00JUFY9J4I could be wrong. I wonder about your concern of over loading the motor. I am sure it can happen but I don't think being a 6 pounds over weight will matter. It's rolling weight, not like lifting. But again, i am not the one to ask.
|
|
ChicagoDave
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2016
Posts: 720
|
Post by ChicagoDave on Nov 20, 2016 21:11:13 GMT -5
Why do you think the barrel weighs too much? I run 2 QT66s and fill them both quite full and then add grit and water. Not had a problem yet and the machine seems to be running just fine.
|
|
quartz
Cave Dweller
breakin' rocks in the hot sun
Member since February 2010
Posts: 3,352
|
Post by quartz on Nov 20, 2016 21:53:58 GMT -5
Fill with water to no more than the bottom of the top layer of rocks, then experiment with even less. Water is heavy, will save a bit of weight.
|
|
|
Post by parfive on Nov 20, 2016 23:58:27 GMT -5
|
|
dottyt
spending too much on rocks
Member since July 2016
Posts: 305
|
Post by dottyt on Nov 21, 2016 0:22:30 GMT -5
I think the weight for the barrels means the weight of the rocks only; it is assumed that you will be using water and grit so they don't count. At least that is what I have always assumed. I never thought of weighing the barrel with water and grit. I am sure that would make them considerably heavier. Anyway, I would run the barrels 2/3s full as recommended and with the suggested amount of water and grit; if the motor can't handle it, I'm thinking it is not a very good motor for tumbling and you should be covered under the guarantee. I have heard that Lortones are good and this has also been my experience. I recently bought a used Lortone QT66 (2-6lb barrels) that has had regular use for years and it is still going strong.
|
|
|
Post by captbob on Nov 21, 2016 0:37:16 GMT -5
My 15 lb Thumlers barrels are always well over 20 lbs when loaded, often approaching 25 pounds.
Did your tumbler not turn when you put the barrel on it?
|
|
jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,558
|
Post by jamesp on Nov 21, 2016 3:14:24 GMT -5
Problems with rotation ? 12 pounds rock + heavy rubber Lortone barrel + water = 18 pounds. Sounds correct. Be aware that a 1/2 full barrel puts way more stress on the motor than a 3/4 full barrel. A 50% full barrel will not roll down an incline where a full barrel will. A full barrel is balanced like 2 equally weighted people on a see-saw. Of course, for tumbling you should fill to 3/4. Happy tumbling and welcome to the forum mbelvadi.
|
|
unclesoska
freely admits to licking rocks
All those jade boulders tossed in search of gold!
Member since February 2011
Posts: 934
|
Post by unclesoska on Nov 21, 2016 4:38:25 GMT -5
Rotary tumbler = plastic pellets for each grit phase; don't carry over from one grit to the next, especially for the polish phase. 3/4 full, rocks and filler Vibratory tumbler = ceramic media; carryover OK when well washed; dedicated ceramics for polish only phase. Typically run almost full, otherwise excessive banging occurs, causing all manner of woe. Lortone QT motors typically run HOT- no worries there. If power 0utage occurs, sometimes they won't start rolling again on their own, they need a push. If not pushed, thermal overload will occur. Solution is to always check tumbler after power outage. If not, unplug motor and allow it to completely cool down, re-plug and you should be rolling. 3/4 full, w/ rocks and filler. DO NOT WEIGH! It's just an Anxiety producing waste of time, IMHO. Welcome!
|
|
mbelvadi
off to a rocking start
Member since November 2015
Posts: 11
|
Post by mbelvadi on Nov 22, 2016 7:40:49 GMT -5
Why do you think the barrel weighs too much? I run 2 QT66s and fill them both quite full and then add grit and water. Not had a problem yet and the machine seems to be running just fine. I think it's too heavy because although it starts rotating at first, when I check on it an hour later, it has stopped. I added oil to the appropriate spots, made sure everything was otherwise clean and tight, and tried again, and again it stopped within an hour or less. I really don't want to burn out the motor. As to the person who said that the weight rule is for just the stones, I find lots of places on this site and many other rock tumbling sites that say that the weight limits are intended to include everything - the barrel itself, the water, and the grit too. Thanks for all of the suggestions (and the welcome, jamesp!) - I'll try reducing the water a bit, see if I can get it down to a total weight of about 17 lbs, and try again. Also I obviously need to order plastic pellets. Thanks again to everyone for your advice!
|
|
Fossilman
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 20,709
|
Post by Fossilman on Nov 22, 2016 10:59:14 GMT -5
Mine always weighs more than it should,I have no problems with the tumblers....You should be good to go....
|
|
|
Post by Drummond Island Rocks on Nov 22, 2016 11:39:35 GMT -5
I have never bothered to weigh a barrel full of rocks. Only issue I have ever had with the QT series is that the barrel may need a push to start momentum. The other concern is power outages. When the power goes oout and comes back on when not home the barrel may be sitting in place while the motor tries and fails to move it.
I also run lortone 12 pound barrels on my homemade and no issues at all starting from a dead stop.
Chuck
|
|
|
Post by Jugglerguy on Nov 22, 2016 11:49:22 GMT -5
I'll echo what many others have said here and add one thing. I have never weighed a barrel. I use a QT66 and it's been running for about three years nonstop with 3/4 full barrels. I never unplug the machine, so the barrels go on while it's already moving. No push necessary for me.
I wouldn't recommend plastic pellets for the first stage. I've used them three or four times and it just slows down the action a lot. After a week of tumbling where the grit is usually used up, I have a LOT of unused grit when running with plastic. I'd only use plastic after the first stage.
|
|
|
Post by captbob on Nov 22, 2016 11:53:54 GMT -5
I wouldn't recommend plastic pellets for the first stage. I've used them three or four times and it just slows down the action a lot. After a week of tumbling where the grit is usually used up, I have a LOT of unused grit when running with plastic. I'd only use plastic after the first stage. +1
|
|
Fritz
noticing nice landscape pebbles
Member since May 2016
Posts: 77
|
Post by Fritz on Nov 22, 2016 12:00:40 GMT -5
I was worried about weight too when I started tumbling but their quoted weights aren't practical so I stopped caring.
|
|
mbelvadi
off to a rocking start
Member since November 2015
Posts: 11
|
Post by mbelvadi on Nov 22, 2016 19:20:16 GMT -5
But if the barrel actually comes to a stop some time (not within the first 5-10 minutes but within about an hour) after I get it started, surely that means it's too heavy? Or is there something else that could cause that? Note that when that happens, the moment I take the barrel off, the roller is going fine nice and fast, so it's not like the entire motor just stopped. I've also already adjusted the motor's mounted position as far back as it will go to keep the belt tight. But maybe I need to replace the belt anyway? I've been running this one almost constantly for about a year - how often should I have to replace the belt? This is a QT66.
|
|
|
Post by Jugglerguy on Nov 22, 2016 20:19:50 GMT -5
I don't think I've ever replaced my belt, but I have tightened it. Are the shafts turning with the barrels resting on them? Or do they just start up when you remove the barrels? I'm not great at troubleshooting mechanical issues, but my barrels are pretty heavy and they don't ever stop. It sounds to me like you have a problem with something mechanical and not with the weight of the barrels.
|
|
|
Post by Jugglerguy on Nov 22, 2016 20:25:04 GMT -5
Ok, you got me curious. According to my bathroom scale, my two Lortone barrels weigh 17.4 lbs. together. I weigh 199 lbs.
|
|
|
Post by Drummond Island Rocks on Nov 22, 2016 20:56:13 GMT -5
Ok, you got me curious. According to my bathroom scale, my two Lortone barrels weigh 17.4 lbs. together. I weigh 199 lbs. TMI
|
|
mikeinsjc
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2010
Posts: 329
|
Post by mikeinsjc on Nov 28, 2016 19:32:02 GMT -5
Something is wrong with your tumbler. Is it homemade?
I have a homemade tumbler running six 12lb Lortone barrels on a 1/4hp motor. Also a factory Lortone three 12lb barrel machine. These machines run 24 hrs/day for nine months with no problems.
Check your bearings. Factory machines usually come with bronze bushed bearings to minimize cost. They only last so long. I keep a stash of pillow block ball bearings on hand and replace the factory units with these when they die.
|
|