razorburne
off to a rocking start
Member since March 2021
Posts: 18
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Post by razorburne on Mar 22, 2021 16:17:36 GMT -5
Hi guys! I am just starting to dip my toes in the tumbling waters and had a few basic questions:
1. I understand that this may become addicting and if so I will acquire more/bigger tumblers etc, however, as a first step I am looking to start small, and given my current living arrangements, it needs to be pretty much as quiet as it can be. I am gravitating towards either a Lortone 3A or the 33B. First silly question, is: are they pretty much the same level of noise or is it safe to say that the 3A is more quiet?
If I get 3A, is it advisable to get a 2nd barrel to dedicate only to final polish, or should I stick with one barrel and just clean really well?
I hear more people reporting issues with 33B than with 3A - not sure if this is just how it seems but isn't accurate or if it's a reality?
2. Ceramic media - I understand that new media is to be "broken in" so that the sharp edges on the media doesn't scratch up stones in polish.........although you wouldn't normally use ceramic in step1, is it advisable to do so in order to break in the media and then after that only use it when necessary as a cushion material or to get the barrel to 2/3 full?
And can ceramic really be used across grits when cleaned well? or should you have media dedicated only to specific stages?
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standles
spending too much on rocks
Well all I got was a rock ... Cool!
Member since February 2021
Posts: 325
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Post by standles on Mar 22, 2021 16:33:53 GMT -5
Do yourself a favor and get the 33B. There is no difference in noise to me and the second bbl will be appreciated for capacity. As for dedicating a bbl to the polish stages you can or you can just clean the bbls and such real well between grits.
For the ceramic media yeah it needs to be tumbled a bit but that is easily done by adding it to the first stage. All your doing it knocking the sharp edges off so it won't scratch in subsequent stages. I still add it to stage on to cushion fragile stones that like to bruise and chip.
Ceramics benefits over plastic pellets is it can be used across grits as it doesn't allow the grit to embed into it. Just make sure it is rinsed well before adding to next stage.
Stage one is going to see a significant reduction in volume of rocks because it is shaping them. The latter stages are polishing so not so much. I have 2 33B tunning and have a hard time keeping up with one Lot-o vibe tumbler.
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razorburne
off to a rocking start
Member since March 2021
Posts: 18
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Post by razorburne on Mar 22, 2021 16:41:18 GMT -5
Do yourself a favor and get the 33B. There is no difference in noise to me and the second bbl will be appreciated for capacity. As for dedicating a bbl to the polish stages you can or you can just clean the bbls and such real well between grits. For the ceramic media yeah it needs to be tumbled a bit but that is easily done by adding it to the first stage. All your doing it knocking the sharp edges off so it won't scratch in subsequent stages. I still add it to stage on to cushion fragile stones that like to bruise and chip. Ceramics benefits over plastic pellets is it can be used across grits as it doesn't allow the grit to embed into it. Just make sure it is rinsed well before adding to next stage. Stage one is going to see a significant reduction in volume of rocks because it is shaping them. The latter stages are polishing so not so much. I have 2 33B tunning and have a hard time keeping up with one Lot-o vibe tumbler. Thanks, standles! I appreciate the feedback!
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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 Mar 23, 2021 9:23:07 GMT -5
Welcome Razor- Want to save yourself some headaches tumbling rocks? Here is a good book that will help. It covers everything and is an easy read. Good luck! rocktumbler.com/book.shtml
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razorburne
off to a rocking start
Member since March 2021
Posts: 18
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Post by razorburne on Mar 23, 2021 10:03:40 GMT -5
Welcome Razor- Want to save yourself some headaches tumbling rocks? Here is a good book that will help. It covers everything and is an easy read. Good luck! rocktumbler.com/book.shtmlHey gatorflash1! Thank you for the advice - I actually ordered the book over the weekend and it has already shipped supposedly - so I guess I'm on the right track. I will read it from cover to cover. Thanks!
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Brian
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since July 2020
Posts: 1,512
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Post by Brian on Mar 23, 2021 12:12:29 GMT -5
I would also recommend the 33B. It gives you some flexibility to run rocks at different stages without having to wait too long. A 3 pound barrel may seem like a lot, but it really isn’t all that much.
I spent months reading up on tumbling before buying one (pandemic shortage made the wait extra long!) and I got a 33B. Even before the first round was completely done, I realized we needed more capacity. I’m still trying to get a better sense of what capacity would be sufficient, but the 33B should last many years. I can see the 33B still getting lots of use for special batches or that little extra bit of shaping even with bigger tumblers available.
We did not start with ceramics, but have since added ceramics and large aquarium gravel to the mix. To take the sharp edges off, I just try to toss a little bit of ceramics in with the rough grit. Once they have smoothed a bit, I then set them aside for use in later grits. I now have a nice little supply for each of the grits. I do look through them and pull any ceramics that have pits or cracks so they don’t end up in the finer stages.
The aquarium gravel is nice because it has a wider variety of sizes. There is a mix of materials in it and some are confined to stage 1 due to breakage, but some of those little pieces of gravel turn out pretty nice by the time they get moved on. My daughter likes them because they look like little jellybeans.
Edited to add that the 33B is quiet enough. I did have it in the open part of our basement but then moved it to a utility closet because my wife didn’t like hearing it at all. It sits right under my office and I can just barely hear it through the vent that sits immediately above the tumbler but it easily gets lost in background noise. Besides, I find the sound relaxing and would almost prefer to hear it more.
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Post by greig on Mar 23, 2021 12:46:52 GMT -5
If you play the music loud enough, you won't hear the tumbler. Seriously, I can run a small tumbler in the basement and stay married, as long as the basement door is closed. I usually wait until stage 2 to prep my ceramic media. It can be used for later stages as long as it is cleaned well, but if you have enough then using fresh media for polish is a better (just in case) idea.
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stefan
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2005
Posts: 14,113
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Post by stefan on Mar 23, 2021 17:58:20 GMT -5
Greig LOL! I run 4 tumblers in the basement and still stay married! I'm a Thumlers fan but I can tell you got with the 2 barrels model- you won't regret it. I use plastic poly pellets for cushioning form 500 grit onward. Separate pellets for each stage. Do not want to risk contamination!
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