electrocutus
spending too much on rocks
Member since October 2020
Posts: 331
|
Post by electrocutus on Dec 1, 2020 11:12:37 GMT -5
Hi all, I have used plastic pellet fillers in my last 2 batches in a rotary tumbler and I am wondering if they can really be reused. Should I be careful to only re-use plastic pellets with the same grit? I have used pellets in my pre-polish (500 Silicon carbide) and polish (1200 Aluminum oxide) steps, and the pellets came out grey, and did not wash out back to white. I wanted to carry over the same pellets from pre-polish into polish, but I was worried that there is still some 500 grit stuck in the pellets that I can't wash out. To be safe I used new pellets. Here's a photo of both. I used new pellets in each step to be sure. Dark grey at the bottom is from pre-polish, and lighter grey on top os from polish. I should also add that I ran a 12-hour borax-only clean cycle between pre-polish and polish, so I really triec to clean them out :-)
|
|
|
Post by aDave on Dec 1, 2020 11:34:34 GMT -5
When I was doing all-rotary runs, I religiously used plastic pellets in all stages after coarse. I started doing so to protect against chips with some material, and I carried over the habit for all stages after that. Sure, it's tedious, but I was happy with my results.
In doing so, I reserved pellets for a particular stage only, and I never moved them along with the rocks for the reason - the potential of carrying embedded grit to the next finer stage. I just used a pie tin to allow for the drying of pellets after a cleanout, and I placed them in a labeled Ziploc bag to be used the next time around.
If I was burnishing with Borax after polish, I had dedicated pellets for that stage as well. I did so because even though I "could have" used what I ran in polish, I was looking to do as good a cleaning as I could, and I didn't want to carry along polish that might have been embedded. Overkill? Perhaps.
|
|
electrocutus
spending too much on rocks
Member since October 2020
Posts: 331
|
Post by electrocutus on Dec 1, 2020 11:40:48 GMT -5
When I was doing all-rotary runs, I religiously used plastic pellets in all stages after coarse. I started doing so to protect against chips with some material, and I carried over the habit for all stages after that. Sure, it's tedious, but I was happy with my results. In doing so, I reserved pellets for a particular stage only, and I never moved them along with the rocks for the reason - the potential of carrying embedded grit to the next finer stage. I just used a pie tin to allow for the drying of pellets after a cleanout, and I placed them in a labeled Ziploc bag to be used the next time around. If I was burnishing with Borax after polish, I had dedicated pellets for that stage as well. I did so because even though I "could have" used what I ran in polish, I was looking to do as good a cleaning as I could, and I didn't want to carry along polish that might have been embedded. Overkill? Perhaps. Thanks! I'll keep separate jars of pellets for each stage, just to be safe.
|
|
|
Post by aDave on Dec 1, 2020 11:48:10 GMT -5
Thanks! I'll keep separate jars of pellets for each stage, just to be safe. Good luck. If you haven't noticed, it takes a while for the pellets to dry out, simply because of the way they "stick" together. I made sure things were extra dry before sealing them up in a container. I didn't want mold forming on them if conditions were right.
|
|
pizzano
Cave Dweller
Member since February 2018
Posts: 1,390
|
Post by pizzano on Dec 1, 2020 12:28:18 GMT -5
Thanks! I'll keep separate jars of pellets for each stage, just to be safe. Good luck. If you haven't noticed, it takes a while for the pellets to dry out, simply because of the way they "stick" together. I made sure things were extra dry before sealing them up in a container. I didn't want mold forming on them if conditions were right. When I used plastic pellets during my pre-polish, polishing stages (that's the only time I ever used them much), after siphoning them out/off of the slurry, cleaned/soaked them in Borax and rinsed......I'd spread them out evenly over an old bath towel and let them air dry in the sun shine. Within 2 to 3 hours they'd be dried. Like many, stored them in individual containers as to not mix stage uses.
Someone had also previously asked if those pellets/beads wear down over time..........they most certainly will if used in 60/90 thru 500 stages, not so much if only dedicated to the polishing stages........regardless if used in rotary or vibe applications.
|
|
|
Post by aDave on Dec 1, 2020 16:01:12 GMT -5
When I used plastic pellets during my pre-polish, polishing stages (that's the only time I ever used them much), after siphoning them out/off of the slurry, cleaned/soaked them in Borax and rinsed......I'd spread them out evenly over an old bath towel and let them air dry in the sun shine. Within 2 to 3 hours they'd be dried. Like many, stored them in individual containers as to not mix stage uses. Someone had also previously asked if those pellets/beads wear down over time..........they most certainly will if used in 60/90 thru 500 stages, not so much if only dedicated to the polishing stages........regardless if used in rotary or vibe applications.
I used the sun, like you, but I spread them out in an old pie tin. And, I agree that they do wear out, and it will become noticeable in the "finer stages." I would not advocate using them in a coarse stage. That kind of defeats the purpose.
|
|
electrocutus
spending too much on rocks
Member since October 2020
Posts: 331
|
Post by electrocutus on Dec 2, 2020 6:24:58 GMT -5
Thanks for the advice everyone. I found it really easy to separate the pellets when I clean the rocks at the end of a stage, and they don't stick together much. Maybe different brands are better than others? I use the ones from Polly Plastics. I just spread them on a synthetic shammy and they dry fairly quickly.
Thanks.
|
|
stewdogg
spending too much on rocks
Member since January 2020
Posts: 388
|
Post by stewdogg on Dec 2, 2020 10:13:32 GMT -5
Sorry, not to derail the thread, but is your polish 1,200 AO or 12,000 AO? I've been testing 1,200 AO for prepolish lately, at least till my supply of 1,200 runs out. Then I run the Rock Shed AO polish, which I believe is closer to 14,000AO.
|
|
cman60
off to a rocking start
Member since September 2019
Posts: 13
|
Post by cman60 on Dec 2, 2020 21:04:17 GMT -5
I thought I would try plastic tile spacers for my fill media. Maybe a different size tile spacer for each stage / grit.
|
|
|
Post by aDave on Dec 2, 2020 22:30:53 GMT -5
I thought I would try plastic tile spacers for my fill media. Maybe a different size tile spacer for each stage / grit. IMHO, since tile spacers won't float, it makes them a pain to clean or separate from the rocks. If you're good with that, then try it. No need to adjust sizes for specific stages. Frankly, I can't think of a reason that might be done.
|
|
|
Post by Mel on Dec 3, 2020 15:31:38 GMT -5
Sorry, not to derail the thread, but is your polish 1,200 AO or 12,000 AO? I've been testing 1,200 AO for prepolish lately, at least till my supply of 1,200 runs out. Then I run the Rock Shed AO polish, which I believe is closer to 14,000AO. TXP polish (supposedly some of the best) is about 3 micron/8600 grit size. (edited, I incorrectly stated the Rock Shed polish micron size so have removed it).
|
|
electrocutus
spending too much on rocks
Member since October 2020
Posts: 331
|
Post by electrocutus on Dec 3, 2020 16:38:05 GMT -5
Sorry, not to derail the thread, but is your polish 1,200 AO or 12,000 AO? I've been testing 1,200 AO for prepolish lately, at least till my supply of 1,200 runs out. Then I run the Rock Shed AO polish, which I believe is closer to 14,000AO. I am very new to all of this, so I bought a set of refill grit on Amazon, and the jar says 1200 AO... and that's all I know. I don't know of places to order it locally yet (in Ontario/Canada) It does feel just like fine powder :-) Would I get a much better shine by using a better one? I assume there is a big difference in price between a 1200, 3000, or 12000 grit? I'm just a new hobby tumbler :-)
|
|
|
Post by aDave on Dec 3, 2020 16:38:38 GMT -5
Sorry, not to derail the thread, but is your polish 1,200 AO or 12,000 AO? I've been testing 1,200 AO for prepolish lately, at least till my supply of 1,200 runs out. Then I run the Rock Shed AO polish, which I believe is closer to 14,000AO. Just a heads up; I believe what they sell (through emailing Shawn) as "polish" is around 3000 grit (6.5 micron), and the TXP polish is around 8600 (3 micron). I saw your post, so I thought I'd jump in. I've spoken to Shawn in the past about his polish, and he told me his polish was 1.5 microns. For clarity, and in the event he changed manufacturers, I just called and spoke to him again. He said his polish is 1.5 - 2 microns, centering more toward 1.5. Depending on the charts you find, 1.5 microns is 13000. You are correct in that TXP is 3 microns which converts to about 8000 grit.
|
|
|
Post by aDave on Dec 3, 2020 16:43:32 GMT -5
Sorry, not to derail the thread, but is your polish 1,200 AO or 12,000 AO? I've been testing 1,200 AO for prepolish lately, at least till my supply of 1,200 runs out. Then I run the Rock Shed AO polish, which I believe is closer to 14,000AO. I am very new to all of this, so I bought a set of refill grit on Amazon, and the jar says 1200 AO... and that's all I know. I don't know of places to order it locally yet (in Ontario/Canada) It does feel just like fine powder :-) Would I get a much better shine by using a better one? I assume there is a big difference in price between a 1200, 3000, or 12000 grit? I'm just a new hobby tumbler :-) 1200, while often sold as "polish," is more of a pre-polish. In a rotary tumbler, you'll be hard pressed to get a wet looking shine with that 1200 grit product. In a rotary, I'd look to at least get something like TXP which is 8000 grit as I noted above. If you can fine finer, you're even better off. Maybe greig will jump in with where he orders his material. He's in Canada as well.
|
|
electrocutus
spending too much on rocks
Member since October 2020
Posts: 331
|
Post by electrocutus on Dec 3, 2020 16:50:10 GMT -5
I am very new to all of this, so I bought a set of refill grit on Amazon, and the jar says 1200 AO... and that's all I know. I don't know of places to order it locally yet (in Ontario/Canada) It does feel just like fine powder :-) Would I get a much better shine by using a better one? I assume there is a big difference in price between a 1200, 3000, or 12000 grit? I'm just a new hobby tumbler :-) 1200, while often sold as "polish," is more of a pre-polish. In a rotary tumbler, you'll be hard pressed to get a wet looking shine with that 1200 grit product. In a rotary, I'd look to at least get something like TXP which is 8000 grit as I noted above. If you can fine finer, you're even better off. Maybe greig will jump in with where he orders his material. He's in Canada as well. I already got greig 's input about where to order good rough stones from his Youtube channel, so maybe I can find out about grit too :-) Thanks!
|
|
|
Post by Mel on Dec 3, 2020 22:35:38 GMT -5
Just a heads up; I believe what they sell (through emailing Shawn) as "polish" is around 3000 grit (6.5 micron), and the TXP polish is around 8600 (3 micron). I saw your post, so I thought I'd jump in. I've spoken to Shawn in the past about his polish, and he told me his polish was 1.5 microns. For clarity, and in the event he changed manufacturers, I just called and spoke to him again. He said his polish is 1.5 - 2 microns, centering more toward 1.5. Depending on the charts you find, 1.5 microns is 13000. You are correct in that TXP is 3 microns which converts to about 8000 grit. Oops! Yes, I thought I had asked him about their polish when I had asked about TXP. Corrected my post, don't want anyone getting wrong information. Shawn is super helpful!
|
|
|
Post by Mel on Dec 3, 2020 22:39:34 GMT -5
Sorry, not to derail the thread, but is your polish 1,200 AO or 12,000 AO? I've been testing 1,200 AO for prepolish lately, at least till my supply of 1,200 runs out. Then I run the Rock Shed AO polish, which I believe is closer to 14,000AO. I am very new to all of this, so I bought a set of refill grit on Amazon, and the jar says 1200 AO... and that's all I know. I don't know of places to order it locally yet (in Ontario/Canada) It does feel just like fine powder :-) Would I get a much better shine by using a better one? I assume there is a big difference in price between a 1200, 3000, or 12000 grit? I'm just a new hobby tumbler :-) Depending how much you want, you might want to talk to Surface Prep, but you'll need to buy a couple hundred pounds at a shot...I also sell grits/polish on my site, but there are closer places to you to get it and save on shipping.
|
|
cman60
off to a rocking start
Member since September 2019
Posts: 13
|
Post by cman60 on Dec 11, 2020 13:22:31 GMT -5
I thought I would try plastic tile spacers for my fill media. Maybe a different size tile spacer for each stage / grit. IMHO, since tile spacers won't float, it makes them a pain to clean or separate from the rocks. If you're good with that, then try it. No need to adjust sizes for specific stages. Frankly, I can't think of a reason that might be done. My thinking for different size spacers was to get around the cleaning of the spacers. dedicated size spacers for each stage of polishing. just a thought.
|
|
HuntingHuron
starting to shine!
Member since October 2020
Posts: 39
|
Post by HuntingHuron on Dec 13, 2020 14:05:55 GMT -5
I am very new to all of this, so I bought a set of refill grit on Amazon, and the jar says 1200 AO... and that's all I know. I don't know of places to order it locally yet (in Ontario/Canada) It does feel just like fine powder :-) Would I get a much better shine by using a better one? I assume there is a big difference in price between a 1200, 3000, or 12000 grit? I'm just a new hobby tumbler :-) Depending how much you want, you might want to talk to Surface Prep, but you'll need to buy a couple hundred pounds at a shot...I also sell grits/polish on my site, but there are closer places to you to get it and save on shipping. electrocutus - I took Mel's advice ( Mel ) and made the trip up the 401 to Surface Prep. She is right, you likely need to buy a lot. On my first trip I got quoted / picked up 100lbs of my first stage and 50lbs of my 2nd stage SiC. Didn't have enough money left after that to get the 500SiC, but will need to eventually - LOL. I'm not clear yet on what I need to order for the polishing stage white Aluminum Oxide. Their stated sizes are 240, 280, 320, 400, 500, 600, 800, 1000,1200, F, FF, FFF. Not sure what the F, FF, FFF are. The others would appear to be too coarse. I really wouldn't need as much of this because I try to reuse (capture) as much of the AO as possible when cleaning out the barrel at that stage because it is expensive....at least where I was getting it from. I didn't yet get it quoted from Surface Prep, and I don't know what the minimum order is. I interested, here is the site - www.surfaceprepcanada.ca/products/blast-media/
|
|
|
Post by Mel on Dec 13, 2020 15:16:43 GMT -5
HuntingHuron- Sent you a message about them. Minimum is 55 pounds. You are going to need FF or FFF. I'm waiting for confirmation from them what the particle size works out to.
|
|