jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,154
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Post by jamesp on Jul 29, 2020 6:09:10 GMT -5
There are a lot of guarded opinions regarding the ways of the tumbling process. Many have problems with the process. Others catch on instantly. To some it is a big victory to master the process and are not willing to change. Some are motivated to simply tumble rocks and be done. People like you and I like to try new stuff he he. About a month ago I trashed about 10 different abrasives and a half dozen different slurry additives. Weird stuff like garnet powder, diatomaceous earth, crushed sea shells, silica powder, lime, modeling clay, rice hulls, etc etc. And various tumbler barrels made out of metal or plastics. I have had a lot of fun over the past 8 years tinkering with all that stuff. Found it best to respect others but express yourself too. Regardless of any anxiety the may arise. I think/hope entropy will hang out here. There was a little ruffle, but he is a man on a mission. He'll be back.
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Post by jasoninsd on Aug 14, 2020 21:44:04 GMT -5
I gotta say, I'm on the edge of my seat to see what comes of this. The process makes sense to me, so I'm curious to see if anyone pulls the trigger on trying this out...someone with A LOT more experience than myself!
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,154
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Post by jamesp on Aug 17, 2020 6:32:10 GMT -5
I gotta say, I'm on the edge of my seat to see what comes of this. The process makes sense to me, so I'm curious to see if anyone pulls the trigger on trying this out...someone with A LOT more experience than myself! I did this experiment using quarry saw diamond teeth inserts, similar to the carbide tips on a Skillsaw blade. They were about the size of large dice. The blade they were weld mounted on is typically 6 to 8 feet in diameter. It did not work because the diamonds were round crystals and were too dull to cut the rock in a rotary tumbler. They would cut granite all day long when mounted on a quarry saw blade because the saw uses 1000's of pounds of hydraulic pressure to push the saw blade into the granite. But a tumbler does not create such high grinding pressure so very sharp diamonds are needed. The diamonds on say hand held tools like angle grinders are often super sharp to ease the force required by the tool operator. Sharp diamonds are usually crushed diamond crystals. They can not be run under high pressures because they are too delicate and would not last long.
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Post by pauls on Aug 17, 2020 16:35:18 GMT -5
People at my club destroyed a couple of sintered grinding wheels from misuse , I cut them into segments and put them in my tumbler and it had very little to no effect at all.
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Post by jasoninsd on Aug 17, 2020 18:25:07 GMT -5
I gotta say, I'm on the edge of my seat to see what comes of this. The process makes sense to me, so I'm curious to see if anyone pulls the trigger on trying this out...someone with A LOT more experience than myself! I did this experiment using quarry saw diamond teeth inserts, similar to the carbide tips on a Skillsaw blade. They were about the size of large dice. The blade they were weld mounted on is typically 6 to 8 feet in diameter. It did not work because the diamonds were round crystals and were too dull to cut the rock in a rotary tumbler. They would cut granite all day long when mounted on a quarry saw blade because the saw uses 1000's of pounds of hydraulic pressure to push the saw blade into the granite. But a tumbler does not create such high grinding pressure so very sharp diamonds are needed. The diamonds on say hand held tools like angle grinders are often super sharp to ease the force required by the tool operator. Sharp diamonds are usually crushed diamond crystals. They can not be run under high pressures because they are too delicate and would not last long. Dangit... People at my club destroyed a couple of sintered grinding wheels from misuse , I cut them into segments and put them in my tumbler and it had very little to no effect at all. ...and double dangit!
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,154
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Post by jamesp on Aug 17, 2020 21:25:49 GMT -5
Thanks for the heads up pauls. Loose grit constantly between every contact point is probably hard to beat.
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Post by Mel on Aug 30, 2020 13:40:54 GMT -5
This whole discussion is fascinating. I love the ingenuity of the rock community, even if it doesn't always pan out.
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,154
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Post by jamesp on Aug 31, 2020 10:50:00 GMT -5
This whole discussion is fascinating. I love the ingenuity of the rock community, even if it doesn't always pan out. If there is any room for improvement it would be in saving time to do the coarse shaping Mel.
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Post by Mel on Aug 31, 2020 13:21:27 GMT -5
This whole discussion is fascinating. I love the ingenuity of the rock community, even if it doesn't always pan out. If there is any room for improvement it would be in saving time to do the coarse shaping Mel. Agreed!!!! I've burned off so much grit just trying to tumble away the bad parts. I've resorted to cutting garbage areas or cracks off bigger pieces with a tile saw and then tumbling. Haven't lost a finger yet so must be doing something right!
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,154
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Post by jamesp on Aug 31, 2020 15:54:10 GMT -5
Pre removal is a clever path Mel. Just be cautious.
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lordsorril
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since April 2020
Posts: 766
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Post by lordsorril on Sept 20, 2020 6:51:24 GMT -5
Hey James,
How did/are the diamond beads working out for you?
Maybe they are working so well you want to keep it a secret? *adjusts tinfoil hat*
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