jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,392
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Post by jamesp on Mar 29, 2018 6:51:22 GMT -5
I have compared the Lot-O to the Vibrasonic with the Vibrasonic adjusted to various vibration settings.
One thing is obvious. You cannot skip the 220 step in the Lot-O. It is a very gentle machine. No skipping steps.
This minimum recipe is necessary. 2 days in each:
220 500 probably 1000 for obsidian and glass, softer rocks. polish
The Vibrasonic will allow you to run 80 grit right up to polish. Totally different machine. However the Vibrasonic will not polish glass or obsidian as well as the Lot-O. Not sure about agates, have not tried them in the Lot-O. Pretty sure the Lot-O will out polish any material. The Vibrasonic generates enough force to breakdown 80 or 220 grit into pre-polish. No problem there. But because of it's more aggressive nature it does not lay down as fine a polish as the Lot-O on glass.
So, the Lot-O has become the polisher and the Vibrasonic is the pre-polisher. A very welcome addition to my arsenal. And no serious clean outs needed as the Lot-O is dedicated to running only AO 14,000.
Looking closer at the polish step with glass.... The polish after 6 hours in the Vibrasonic looks like the polish in the Lot-O after 18 hours. However, there is little improvement after 6 hours in the polish with the Vibrasonic. But the Lot-O continues to increase the polish quality over a period of 48 hours to absolute wet shine.
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Post by grumpybill on Mar 29, 2018 7:08:35 GMT -5
This minimum recipe is necessary. 2 days in each: 220 500 probably 1000 for obsidian and glass, softer rocks. polish Are you using AO or SiC for 220? I'm finding that with SiC I can shorten the 220 run to 24 - 36 hours, depending on how fine I grind down the 60/90 grit in the rotary stage.
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,392
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Post by jamesp on Mar 29, 2018 9:26:08 GMT -5
This minimum recipe is necessary. 2 days in each: 220 500 probably 1000 for obsidian and glass, softer rocks. polish Are you using AO or SiC for 220? I'm finding that with SiC I can shorten the 220 run to 24 - 36 hours, depending on how fine I grind down the 60/90 grit in the rotary stage. Yep, coarse SiC easily breaks down to very fine in a rotary. Your tumbler is a fine abrasive reduction machine.(hammer mill). And thorough. Either one Bill. The SiC does break faster. It is usually gone - vaporized. But the AO can impart a polish even if particles are still in the bottom of the hopper. I have wet shined agates with AO 22, and the AO 22 particles were still in the bottom of the Vibrasonic hopper, rounded albeit. It is the nature of AO to round off, it is the nature of SiC to do 2-4-16-256, i.e. breaking in half. Not AO. 2-4-16-256 is probably similar to 30 - 60 - 240 - 500. 500 is some fine abrasive, compare to 60 - way smaller. I could see polish in the bottom of the Lot-o hopper after 24 hours(white fine powder). After 48 hours the white powder is gone. The Vibrasonic has no white polish powder in the bottom of the hopper after 12 hours. This finding is directly proportional to the finish polish. White AO on a black hopper belly is a dead ringer. To do the white powder test you have to slowly flush the hopper with clean tap water slowly till the dense 3.7grams/milliliter AO particles settle to the bottom. Then pick the rocks out whit a fine spray and not dump them out so the powder stays in the belly of the hopper. This test is near impossible with SiC because of it's black color matching the hopper.
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Wooferhound
Cave Dweller
Lortone QT66 and 3A
Member since December 2016
Posts: 1,431
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Post by Wooferhound on Mar 29, 2018 9:32:10 GMT -5
Do you use any plastic or ceramic media ?
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,392
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Post by jamesp on Mar 29, 2018 13:48:06 GMT -5
Do you use any plastic or ceramic media ? plastic pellets - Only would consider in pre-polish and polish in a rotary. Better is to fill your barrel to 85% by adding polished smalls. 85% barrel fill with added smalls eliminates need for plastics. I know this running glass. Glass is sensitive. Plastics in coarse grind is a serious shower with a raincoat. I f you have a sensitive load go with 85% barrel fill. coarse is slow enough as it is. ceramic media is great but quartz pea gravel does the same thing. Maybe for glass/obsidian
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Post by Garage Rocker on Mar 29, 2018 14:35:11 GMT -5
Glad you got that machine up and running. Sounds like the perfect piece to get that final bit of shine on your glass rocks.
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,392
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Post by jamesp on Mar 30, 2018 5:46:18 GMT -5
Glad you got that machine up and running. Sounds like the perfect piece to get that final bit of shine on your glass rocks. Did the third clean out on pre polish in Vibrasonic and polish in Lot-O. Both are dedicated to one abrasive. So clean outs are not thorough at all. Both run the same cycle time so they are synchronized which frees up the Vibrasonic. The Lot-O purrs like a kitten. Well balanced and only sips electricity. Slam dunks the wet shine. Polish nice at 24 hours, continually improves and maxes out around 40 hours.
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quartz
Cave Dweller
breakin' rocks in the hot sun
Member since February 2010
Posts: 3,348
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Post by quartz on Mar 30, 2018 6:20:54 GMT -5
Good to see an oranges to oranges comparison. How did the broken tack weld thing go with the Loto?
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