Prov
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since March 2020
Posts: 116
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Post by Prov on Apr 29, 2020 19:57:38 GMT -5
Getting paid in a few days and looking to pick up a vibe tumbler to speed things along, and up my finish game.
I see a lot of stuff about the Lot-O, the only downside is I live in a small-ish apartment, and getting the 40lb cement block to mount it might be an annoyance in terms of my space constraints.
So I'm looking at the Thumler 4 lb, and the Diamond Pacific minisonic MT4.
Based on what I've read around here, the minisonic is only a finisher, whereas I can go into the Thumler starting in stage 2.
Price wise, the Lot-O and the Thumler are pretty similar, and the minisonic is a bit more expensive.
Can the wise tumblers of this forum give me some better qualitative explanations on these tumblers to perhaps help inform me towards a final decision?
Thanks in advance
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Post by knave on Apr 29, 2020 20:44:39 GMT -5
It sounds to me like you have a good grasp on things. I have the LOTO secured to my basement floor. I’m very happy with it. The Thumblers have a more aggressive action, and may need to be slowed down with sugar etc. The mini sonic is a good unit. I believe it comes with variable speed so you could slow it down for obsidian, etc.
Good luck.
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Post by joshuamcduffie on Apr 29, 2020 22:31:45 GMT -5
I’m very happy with my Thumler’s UV-18 but it’s a lot of tumbler to keep fed.
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JBe
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2019
Posts: 103
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Post by JBe on Apr 30, 2020 10:57:58 GMT -5
I have experience with a Lot-O and a Minisonic.
The Minisonic has a more aggressive action and a control to adjust the intensity. It can be used for stage two through final polish. The instructions actually say you can run the rough stage in it. I tried it and the slurry gets thick and slows down the action a lot unless you really babysit it. Rotaries are better suited for the rough stage. It is much louder than the Lot-O but it does not require a block to glue it to. I think the barrels are easier to clean than the Lot-O as well.
The Lot-O is quieter than the Minisonic and is quite a bit less expensive. It can get bogged down in the 220 stage if you don't babysit it but it gets good results overall. It does need to be glued to a weight.
I have the Lot-O running 24/7 myself and the Minisonic is at a friends house. They are both great vibratory tumblers. Personally I'd buy the Minisonic if I could find it priced closer to the Lot-O but I'm not sure it's worth the premium. If I were to be running these in my living environment I'd probably lean toward the Lot-O because it's that much quieter.
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Post by knave on Apr 30, 2020 16:43:59 GMT -5
I’m very happy with my Thumler’s UV-18 but it’s a lot of tumbler to keep fed. UV 18!! Wow you’re not kidding! I even park my loto from time to time. Guess I need a market.
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stewdogg
spending too much on rocks
Member since January 2020
Posts: 388
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Post by stewdogg on Apr 30, 2020 22:37:42 GMT -5
I have experience with a Lot-O and a Minisonic. The Minisonic has a more aggressive action and a control to adjust the intensity. It can be used for stage two through final polish. The instructions actually say you can run the rough stage in it. I tried it and the slurry gets thick and slows down the action a lot unless you really babysit it. Rotaries are better suited for the rough stage. It is much louder than the Lot-O but it does not require a block to glue it to. I think the barrels are easier to clean than the Lot-O as well. The Lot-O is quieter than the Minisonic and is quite a bit less expensive. It can get bogged down in the 220 stage if you don't babysit it but it gets good results overall. It does need to be glued to a weight. I have the Lot-O running 24/7 myself and the Minisonic is at a friends house. They are both great vibratory tumblers. Personally I'd buy the Minisonic if I could find it priced closer to the Lot-O but I'm not sure it's worth the premium. If I were to be running these in my living environment I'd probably lean toward the Lot-O because it's that much quieter. Is the Lot-O the quietest vibe? I have been running my TV-5 for the first time the last few days and the plastic tub is quite loud. I'm not sure I could run it in the open? I currently have it stashed in a closet in my machine room in the basement and I can hear it in the shared HVAC vent upstairs. It's loud, but seems very efficient.
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ataraktos
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2020
Posts: 140
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Post by ataraktos on May 1, 2020 8:43:22 GMT -5
Is the Lot-O the quietest vibe? I have been running my TV-5 for the first time the last few days and the plastic tub is quite loud. I'm not sure I could run it in the open? I currently have it stashed in a closet in my machine room in the basement and I can hear it in the shared HVAC vent upstairs. It's loud, but seems very efficient. I'm just getting started with the lot-o (and still a novice with the rotary, to be honest!) but I can speak to how quiet the lot-o is, as that was one of my main concerns with a vibe too! It's super-quiet! I have two mini ratchet straps securing mine to a paver, that's placed on top of two cinder blocks (ratchet straps go through the blocks holes, I didn't fill them in with cement, around the paver and hold down the little wooden base of the lot-o) ... I wanted to be able to move the whole set-up if needed. (And as is, my painted cement blocks kind of stuck together - so now, I can take the lot-o off, but otherwise have this heavy block of concrete! oh well!) I have all that on top of a rubber mat (upside down, with the little pegs up) and it's really quiet, with the barrel cap on, especially. The soft rubber barrel makes a lot of difference over the harder plastic ones. The lot-o is much quieter than my rotary tumblers ... no problem being right around it, with it going, at all. (I've been running with borax lately and that seems to make it even quieter still.) good luck!
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JBe
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2019
Posts: 103
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Post by JBe on May 1, 2020 11:53:30 GMT -5
I have experience with a Lot-O and a Minisonic. The Minisonic has a more aggressive action and a control to adjust the intensity. It can be used for stage two through final polish. The instructions actually say you can run the rough stage in it. I tried it and the slurry gets thick and slows down the action a lot unless you really babysit it. Rotaries are better suited for the rough stage. It is much louder than the Lot-O but it does not require a block to glue it to. I think the barrels are easier to clean than the Lot-O as well. The Lot-O is quieter than the Minisonic and is quite a bit less expensive. It can get bogged down in the 220 stage if you don't babysit it but it gets good results overall. It does need to be glued to a weight. I have the Lot-O running 24/7 myself and the Minisonic is at a friends house. They are both great vibratory tumblers. Personally I'd buy the Minisonic if I could find it priced closer to the Lot-O but I'm not sure it's worth the premium. If I were to be running these in my living environment I'd probably lean toward the Lot-O because it's that much quieter. Is the Lot-O the quietest vibe? I have been running my TV-5 for the first time the last few days and the plastic tub is quite loud. I'm not sure I could run it in the open? I currently have it stashed in a closet in my machine room in the basement and I can hear it in the shared HVAC vent upstairs. It's loud, but seems very efficient. I don't have a db meter but there is quite a difference in both the volume and tone. The sonic is more like a buzz saw or turboprop engine while the Lot-O is more of a lower pitched hum. My friend has the Minisonic in her garage on the concrete floor. She lives in a split level ~2000 sq ft house with attached garage and you can pretty much hear it, at least a little, everywhere in the house. It's annoyingly noticeable in the rooms that share walls with the garage. My Lot-O is in my garage on a workbench (and glued to a concrete block) that is against the wall that is shared with my living room. My couch is up against that same wall. I can barely hear it when I'm on the couch and I can't hear it anywhere else in the house. The QT12 is louder than the Lot-O. I don't have any experience with the TV vibes to compare this to.
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pizzano
Cave Dweller
Member since February 2018
Posts: 1,390
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Post by pizzano on May 1, 2020 14:43:34 GMT -5
Bowl vibes, like the Raytech TV-5-10's, Thumler UV's, Lyman Turbo's, are more noisy when not sufficiently loaded 3/4 to full. It also depends on the type of filler being used. If just tumbling stones together with grinding/polishing media, the noise will be a on par with a Lot-O. But if filler like ceramics (at least 35%) are being used and your at least 3/4 full, the sound will be less. It also helps to have the vibe placed on a solid foundation, not on a hollow wooden workbench or any surface that is not solid. The floor of a garage, shop, basement, or a room in the house designated for such, works well also (not just for vibes).
I've been vibing with the same two Lyman Turbo's in my garage/shop, for about 3 years now...........always with lid's on and covered with a 5gallon bucket that I have drilled 5/8" holes into the top (4" below the bucket lip), and place a towel around the floor and vibe, and set the bucket on top of the towel over the vibe. It reduces the noise by even more than 50%.......
I realize my method seems "unconventional" and a few here may shake their heads due to the concern for heat transfer. But since the Lyman's have a very large fan that draws air upward from the gap between the floor and base, circulating over the motor. I make sure the gap between the towel and vibe base is clear and the holes in the bucket provide additional ventilation......and I always run a circulating floor shop fan during the warmer months since the place gets very hot during the summer.
To date, I have yet had any problems or over heating issues with either of the Lyman's.........during the summer or when outside temps get above 85*, the slurry will get pretty "warm" and condensation will accumulate on the bowl lid. But, since I check my bowls about every 4 to 5 hours anyway, any residual moisture is dumped back into the bowl, preventing slurry thickness issues.
When the Spring, Summer and Fall months roll in, I'm out in the shop working or farting around (when not working abroad) 6 to 10 hours at a time almost every day........having those vibes running while on the lap-top, without the sound buffer's, drives me crazy and to say the least, most likely wrecking my ear drums and adding to my Tinnitus, which I picked-up from poorly protected ears at the range, back in the day.....!
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stewdogg
spending too much on rocks
Member since January 2020
Posts: 388
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Post by stewdogg on May 1, 2020 22:13:09 GMT -5
I'm currently burnishing a load in the TV-5 and I added more ceramic filler to bring it from 75-80% full to closer to 85-90% full and it got a lot quieter.
Thanks everyone for the great information and sorry to muck up your thread Prov!
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Prov
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since March 2020
Posts: 116
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Post by Prov on May 2, 2020 11:20:19 GMT -5
I'm currently burnishing a load in the TV-5 and I added more ceramic filler to bring it from 75-80% full to closer to 85-90% full and it got a lot quieter. Thanks everyone for the great information and sorry to muck up your thread Prov! No worries! This is exactly the kind of conversation I was looking for actually! Noise was not something I had initially considered. Right now I'm leaning towards the Lot-O, based on above feedback. Probably going to make a final decision this weekend. Due to the coronavirus situation, I'm working from home full time, and the area my rotary is in is my temporary office. The rotary doesn't bother me at all, in fact, the sound of the rocks tumbling is sort of like rain on a tin roof. Very comfortable to listen to. It would be absolutely devastating to my focus though if something on par with the noise of a power saw was here. Going to head out to home depot later today to look for a good concrete block to base it on.
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Post by knave on May 2, 2020 11:28:15 GMT -5
That is key, get your supplies around before the Lot-o arrives. That’s how mine ended up on the basement floor. But it’s very quiet.
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Prov
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since March 2020
Posts: 116
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Post by Prov on May 2, 2020 16:04:58 GMT -5
Got the concrete block and paint this afternoon, and ordered the Lot-O just now and an extra barrel, with some cerium oxide for the Sodalite, and some south dakota prairie agate and banded amethyst rough for the next few tumbles. Rockshed was offering a discount on tumbling grit and tumbling rough with the tumbler, might as well take advantage of it!
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gatorflash1
spending too much on rocks
Active in Delaware Mineralogical Society, Cabchon Grinding and Polishing, 2 Thumlers B's and a UV-18
Member since October 2018
Posts: 375
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Post by gatorflash1 on May 4, 2020 8:41:36 GMT -5
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shardy
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since October 2019
Posts: 110
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Post by shardy on May 4, 2020 10:14:52 GMT -5
I haven't tried myself, but rumor is that cerium oxide doesn't work well in vibes. They say it breaks down too easily with the vibration. Judging by the speed at which the lot o breaks down grit, I tend to believe it. I have tried tin oxide in it, and it didn't seem as effective as aluminum oxide. Next time I'll try some small additions throughout the polish stage. Got the concrete block and paint this afternoon, and ordered the Lot-O just now and an extra barrel, with some cerium oxide for the Sodalite, and some south dakota prairie agate and banded amethyst rough for the next few tumbles. Rockshed was offering a discount on tumbling grit and tumbling rough with the tumbler, might as well take advantage of it!
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Post by knave on May 4, 2020 10:29:12 GMT -5
Sodalite being softer, would help with that issue, but the ceramic would break it down quickly.
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Post by rmf on May 4, 2020 22:32:07 GMT -5
Prov I have nothing against the Lot-O just no experience with it. I have a older Geosonic and I like it real well. I have not used the Raytech Vib and so am not sure about the material the tub is made from. If it is hard plastic like the Gemstone it wares out too quick if you use it for coarse. Vibs do not do coarse well. the rocks are too sharp and they do not slip past each other well until they are more rounded. I found rotary best for coarse then go to vib and then vib is superior. Vibs are more picky about how much water you put in them. If too much it will stop the action. The raytech type is more picky than the minisonic. the minisonic should be able to adjust level of vib easier.
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madman
off to a rocking start
Member since June 2020
Posts: 10
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Post by madman on Jun 12, 2020 15:12:49 GMT -5
I have a minisonic 4 lb. I have it sitting on 1" neoprene padding not much noise with lid on. Did I mention I have 50% hearing loss. What do I know.
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madman
off to a rocking start
Member since June 2020
Posts: 10
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Post by madman on Jun 12, 2020 16:34:54 GMT -5
Thanks knave and rockjunqe.
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