stamello
off to a rocking start
Member since May 2017
Posts: 8
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Post by stamello on May 26, 2017 21:15:58 GMT -5
I've never rock tumbled before, but the kids and I have been rockhounding lately, and I've got to do something with all these stones. I've got a big parts tumbler. The bowl is about 16 inches across. It has a hose and a very small drain in the bottom, though I could remove those and plug easily. Any advice on whether I could use this to tumble rocks, and if so - how best to go about it?
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Post by spiceman on May 26, 2017 21:48:43 GMT -5
Looks like a heavy duty vib. for machine parts. But it should work for rocks. First, a vib will not round your rocks. I don't know if the metal bowl would cause a problem. Try it and see.
Search this site for loto vib That should help out.
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grizman
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since July 2011
Posts: 878
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Post by grizman on May 26, 2017 21:51:09 GMT -5
I have no idea if that will work or not, but it sure looks cool, and it has got to have some sort of usefulness even if it is just to wash your socks! The one issue I see is that without a lid the slurry would dry out very quickly. I think a lid is a must. When others jump into the discusson you'll see just how little I really know.
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stamello
off to a rocking start
Member since May 2017
Posts: 8
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Post by stamello on May 26, 2017 21:56:52 GMT -5
I have no idea if that will work or not, but it sure looks cool, and it has got to have some sort of usefulness even if it is just to wash your socks! The one issue I see is that without a lid the slurry would dry out very quickly. I think a lid is a must. When others jump into the discusson you'll see just how little I really know. Is the lid needed to keep the rocks in too? If not could I just put plastic wrap over the top to keep the moisture in?
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Post by spiceman on May 26, 2017 22:26:30 GMT -5
The drain hose means that the vib. Always gets water. I don't know if there is a reservoir or a connection to a Water supply. I would say there never was a lid.
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vera
spending too much on rocks
Member since December 2016
Posts: 259
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Post by vera on May 26, 2017 22:38:17 GMT -5
That is so cool! I would plug the holes so your polish doesn't run out. I think running it with some CLR and some metal parts should clean out the rust for you. You would probably need a sturdier lid than just plastic wrap, though the rocks would probably stay in without it. I don't know if the bowl being metal is bad - I would think there is some kind of substance it could be coated with if you had to. I would find a way to use that. ;-)
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stamello
off to a rocking start
Member since May 2017
Posts: 8
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Post by stamello on May 26, 2017 22:43:45 GMT -5
That is so cool! I would plug the holes so your polish doesn't run out. I think running it with some CLR and some metal parts should clean out the rust for you. You would probably need a sturdier lid than just plastic wrap, though the rocks would probably stay in without it. I don't know if the bowl being metal is bad - I would think there is some kind of substance it could be coated with if you had to. I would find a way to use that. ;-) I was thinking about spraying the whole inside with "flex seal". That way the rubber coating would seal the little drain hole and also pad the rocks against the metal.
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stamello
off to a rocking start
Member since May 2017
Posts: 8
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Post by stamello on May 26, 2017 22:44:46 GMT -5
The drain hose means that the vib. Always gets water. I don't know if there is a reservoir or a connection to a Water supply. I would say there never was a lid. There's no reservoir. I have a hose I could hookup.
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Post by coloradocliff on May 26, 2017 22:55:52 GMT -5
A temporary top to see if it works.... piece of 6 ml or thicker plastic wrapped with a bungi cord might keep the moisture in. Ask James about using it. He's a mechanical whiz. Heck of a guy too. If its been done or thought about he has done it.. Lots of other smart and capable will wander through and chime in with great ideas Tough way to break into the hobby but worth a shot. Maybe James will trade you for something. heheheheh. Welcome to the family and hope this works out for your family. Cliff
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Post by spiceman on May 26, 2017 23:04:02 GMT -5
I would just plug the hole so the water doesn't leak out. Just put water in as needed. The drain tube may get clogged anyway.
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Post by spiceman on May 26, 2017 23:05:49 GMT -5
Spray on truck bed liner may work.
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Post by youp50 on May 27, 2017 0:46:08 GMT -5
To line the bowl, Devcon makes a product, Flexane. It will work. I think I would try some local quarzites or jaspers, something free for the finding, before I spent the money on Flexane. Just to see if the tumbler works for rocks.
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zekester55
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since March 2017
Posts: 111
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Post by zekester55 on May 27, 2017 10:18:20 GMT -5
Bet that sucker is loud with a metal bowl!
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Post by coloradocliff on May 27, 2017 11:42:11 GMT -5
Bet that sucker is loud with a metal bowl! Not if your deaf..grin Yeah the thing will sure rumble but its a vibrate . Might need to see if theres an adjustment to set the frequency. Thinking there's going to be more engineering than kids rock polishing on this project but will be interesting to watch the progress.
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vera
spending too much on rocks
Member since December 2016
Posts: 259
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Post by vera on May 27, 2017 14:17:34 GMT -5
Looks like a heavy duty vib. for machine parts. But it should work for rocks. First, a vib will not round your rocks. I don't know if the metal bowl would cause a problem. Try it and see. Search this site for loto vib That should help out. I thought the reason people did not use vibes to round the rocks was because they did not want to wear out the plastic barrels with coarse grit. I think this one could be used with coarse grit - it would take a very long time to wear out that bowl!
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stamello
off to a rocking start
Member since May 2017
Posts: 8
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Post by stamello on May 27, 2017 19:59:01 GMT -5
Bet that sucker is loud with a metal bowl! It's loud. The belt is squealing too and I realized that some of the springs aren't attached well so it's off balance and pulling the belt up and down. So I'm going to reattach all of the springs and level it before I load it with something heavy like rocks .
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stamello
off to a rocking start
Member since May 2017
Posts: 8
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Post by stamello on May 27, 2017 19:59:51 GMT -5
To line the bowl, Devcon makes a product, Flexane. It will work. I think I would try some local quarzites or jaspers, something free for the finding, before I spent the money on Flexane. Just to see if the tumbler works for rocks. Good idea - I've got lots of extra rocks to experiment with
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stamello
off to a rocking start
Member since May 2017
Posts: 8
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Post by stamello on May 27, 2017 20:00:57 GMT -5
Looks like a heavy duty vib. for machine parts. But it should work for rocks. First, a vib will not round your rocks. I don't know if the metal bowl would cause a problem. Try it and see. Search this site for loto vib That should help out. I thought the reason people did not use vibes to round the rocks was because they did not want to wear out the plastic barrels with coarse grit. I think this one could be used with coarse grit - it would take a very long time to wear out that bowl! I'm ok with it not rounding them . But I'll experiment a bit and see what it does when I leave them in there for a long time.
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stamello
off to a rocking start
Member since May 2017
Posts: 8
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Post by stamello on May 27, 2017 20:01:21 GMT -5
Spray on truck bed liner may work. Good idea!
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Post by coloradocliff on May 27, 2017 20:27:18 GMT -5
Looks like a heavy duty vib. for machine parts. But it should work for rocks. First, a vib will not round your rocks. I don't know if the metal bowl would cause a problem. Try it and see. Search this site for loto vib That should help out. I thought the reason people did not use vibes to round the rocks was because they did not want to wear out the plastic barrels with coarse grit. I think this one could be used with coarse grit - it would take a very long time to wear out that bowl! A vibe won't round the contours of the rock only polish it and make it shiny in almost the original form. Just smooth's the edges a bit but not round them up. Most people rol them in a rotary for 1-3 weks incoarse and then in a vibe .
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