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Post by roy on Oct 6, 2021 12:51:59 GMT -5
fantastic work Al.
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Post by Rockindad on Oct 6, 2021 18:58:44 GMT -5
Nice work .. The fail heart could be the broken đź’” heart .. Thanks Mike, definitely a heartbreaker. The brecciated jasper in group 2 was the very first one I did. It started out as a large one. I tumbled it with a mixed batch to see how well the big ones would rotate in the vibe. I knew the slab had a healed fracture but after wrenching on it a bit I deemed it to be solid and gave it a go. It almost made it all the way through but broke during polish. I considered gluing it together for myself but the broken edges wore enough that it just didn't look good. At least I was able to recut it and run it again.
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Post by Rockindad on Oct 6, 2021 19:06:28 GMT -5
Thanks Roy. Group 9 is all from slabs I got from you a couple of years ago. When my youngest daughter snagged the big one I offered to make her another one from a slab with more pronounced colors. She wanted nothing to do with it as hers had the perfect beach colors she wanted.
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Post by rockjunquie on Oct 7, 2021 6:04:43 GMT -5
That's a great group of cabs! Your symmetry in a lot of them is admirable.
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Post by Rockindad on Oct 7, 2021 12:38:31 GMT -5
That's a great group of cabs! Your symmetry in a lot of them is admirable. Thanks, after living with them awhile I am happier with some than others. No doubt you lose a lot of control as soon as they are put in the vibe and some are destined to come out a bit wonky, materials much more suited to a proper set of wheels, etc. No doubt I could have shaped some better as well. It’s all good though as this all started out to see how the big ones would turn out with our setup. By the way, what would you call the larger ones that are approximately 3 1/2” high by 3 1/2” wide? They are shaped, edges are rounded over but the faces are typically flat. Maybe there is no proper name, just looking for a way to describe them.
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Post by rockjunquie on Oct 7, 2021 14:02:55 GMT -5
That's a great group of cabs! Your symmetry in a lot of them is admirable. Thanks, after living with them awhile I am happier with some than others. No doubt you lose a lot of control as soon as they are put in the vibe and some are destined to come out a bit wonky, materials much more suited to a proper set of wheels, etc. No doubt I could have shaped some better as well. It’s all good though as this all started out to see how the big ones would turn out with our setup. By the way, what would you call the larger ones that are approximately 3 1/2” high by 3 1/2” wide? They are shaped, edges are rounded over but the faces are typically flat. Maybe there is no proper name, just looking for a way to describe them. I dunno- just a really big heart shaped cab.
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Post by Rockindad on Oct 7, 2021 17:31:53 GMT -5
Thanks, after living with them awhile I am happier with some than others. No doubt you lose a lot of control as soon as they are put in the vibe and some are destined to come out a bit wonky, materials much more suited to a proper set of wheels, etc. No doubt I could have shaped some better as well. It’s all good though as this all started out to see how the big ones would turn out with our setup. By the way, what would you call the larger ones that are approximately 3 1/2” high by 3 1/2” wide? They are shaped, edges are rounded over but the faces are typically flat. Maybe there is no proper name, just looking for a way to describe them. I dunno- just a really big heart shaped cab. Hmm, maybe "Big Ol' Heart of Stone". Gotta come up with something as apparently I cannot stop making them. Roughed out some more yesterday. Trying to limit them to a half dozen or so thrown in with each tumbling batch.
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Post by Rockindad on Oct 7, 2021 17:35:28 GMT -5
These will go in the next batch in the UV-10. Three are 3" x 3", the dendritic is a bit smaller at about 2 1/2". Rough shapes only, still need a lot of grind time.
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Post by Son Of Beach on Oct 7, 2021 17:45:47 GMT -5
These will go in the next batch in the UV-10. Three are 3" x 3", the dendritic is a bit smaller at about 2 1/2". Rough shapes only, still need a lot of grind time. Those are all so good.
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Post by Rockindad on Oct 7, 2021 18:02:56 GMT -5
These will go in the next batch in the UV-10. Three are 3" x 3", the dendritic is a bit smaller at about 2 1/2". Rough shapes only, still need a lot of grind time. Those are all so good. Got high hopes for these. The second from the left was sold as Dendritic Jasper but seemed fairly soft, may be rhyolite. Fingers crossed.
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Post by holajonathan on Oct 8, 2021 10:25:17 GMT -5
These are really great.
Care to share your process? In particular:
Did you make your own templates? If so, how? After cutting with a trim saw, did you grind and/or bevel the edges? If so, how? I assume these were vibe tumbled only. How many per batch? Normal vibe recipe process?
Any specific tips that you learned along the way that made the process easier?
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lovemyrocks68
off to a rocking start
Member since October 2021
Posts: 4
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Post by lovemyrocks68 on Oct 8, 2021 17:38:53 GMT -5
Absolutely beautiful!♥️
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Post by Rockindad on Oct 11, 2021 17:06:45 GMT -5
These are really great. Care to share your process? In particular: Did you make your own templates? If so, how? After cutting with a trim saw, did you grind and/or bevel the edges? If so, how? I assume these were vibe tumbled only. How many per batch? Normal vibe recipe process? Any specific tips that you learned along the way that made the process easier? Sorry but...
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Post by Rockindad on Oct 11, 2021 17:58:43 GMT -5
These are really great. Care to share your process? In particular: Did you make your own templates? If so, how? After cutting with a trim saw, did you grind and/or bevel the edges? If so, how? I assume these were vibe tumbled only. How many per batch? Normal vibe recipe process? Any specific tips that you learned along the way that made the process easier? Actually Jonathon, sorry for the delay. My daughter was home from college for the weekend so I have not been on here since last week. I am happy to report she loved the hearts and took a few of the large ones with her along with some necklace/pendants. I've got no secrets, so here goes: Did you make your own templates? If so, how?
I started off by finding some generic shapes on my work Ipad that were close to what I was looking for. By zooming and taking screenshots I was able to print off many sizes. From there I started cutting them out with scissors and just kept trimming until I was happy. After doing a few, and seeing that I was still modifying the shapes on the stones, I traced the stones onto thin cardboard, I actually used the backs of legal pads. I have since bought sheets of mylar that these need to get transferred to. After cutting with a trim saw, did you grind and/or bevel the edges? If so, how?All cutting was done on our 7" tile saw. We use oil on our 6" trim saw as we use it primarily for small slabs so unless the material is fragile most of our general cutting is on the tile saw. All grinding of the preforms were done on the saw up to the point I was ready to round the edges. From there I went to my combo machine (Cheapo 6" x 1" diamond wheel: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06W58822R/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 to finesse the pieces. You caught an oversight- I didn't take any profile pics. All of the pieces were rounded over very thoroughly like would be done on a cab- multiple cuts at different angles and then blended together. I do not have the ability to dome the large ones so they had a flat face. The largest ones I tried to dome were about 2". The ones smaller than 1 1/2" were typically done like a traditional cab, even being worked to a girdle. I did however decide to round these over all the way to the back in the end though as most of the girdle would be lost in the vibe anyways. All of the pieces had a small bevel on the backs to prevent chipping. I assume these were vibe tumbled only. How many per batch? Normal vibe recipe process?Yep, vibe only. All 66 were done in a single batch in a Thumler's UV-10. Nothing special about the recipe. Any specific tips that you learned along the way that made the process easier?This really made me long for a cab wheel setup, tough it did prove just how versatile a tile saw can be. I did find my sweet spot with what blade to use. A flat continuous rim was not aggressive enough. A new raised ridge blade like this www.amazon.com/DEWALT-DW4712B-Performance-Diamond-Masonry/dp/B00291EJ32/ref=sr_1_18?crid=9YDYJOX3OPE8&dchild=1&keywords=dewalt+tile+saw+blade&qid=1633992015&s=hi&sr=1-18 was too aggressive. I rummaged through my old blades and found a well worn one and it had just enough bite to be useful but gentle enough not to cause chipping. I found working in batches of 6-8 really helped. Pick out a half dozen slabs +/-, trace, cut, grind, etc. I also liked to run a batch through the process but come back another day to inspect the final shape with fresh eyes and do the final tune up. Using the side of the tip of a pencil to mark where I needed to refine the edge. Oh, and while I would like to do some (like the Carnelians) on a proper set of wheels to avoid losing the shape in the vibe, it was pretty cool to get a whole batch of these done at once. That being said I will probably limit them to a handful thrown into a batch of normal tumbles from this point on. This project chewed up a ton of material.
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Post by holajonathan on Oct 11, 2021 20:22:43 GMT -5
RockindadThank you for the detailed response. Good information all around about your process. The one thing that shocked me is that you were able to vibe tumble them all at the same time! The action in the UV-10 must be very different than it is in the Lot-O. Or maybe it's just way larger. I don't think I could keep more than a half a dozen of the larger ones moving at the same time in the Lot-O. Your project is really a testament to the efficiency and efficacy of a vibe tumbler as a rock polishing tool.
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Post by Rockindad on Oct 12, 2021 9:44:41 GMT -5
Rockindad Thank you for the detailed response. Good information all around about your process. The one thing that shocked me is that you were able to vibe tumble them all at the same time! The action in the UV-10 must be very different than it is in the Lot-O. Or maybe it's just way larger. I don't think I could keep more than a half a dozen of the larger ones moving at the same time in the Lot-O. Your project is really a testament to the efficiency and efficacy of a vibe tumbler as a rock polishing tool. We also have a Lot-O and they are very different machines, not only in capacity but also the movement. I keep a pad on our workbench that I have been jotting down observations- keeping notes of pros/cons of each machine. I plan on making a detailed thread down the road comparing the two of them a bit. While not necessarily an apples to apples comparison there is plenty of overlap on what these machines can do, but each of them have areas that they are superior to the other as well. While I could get some of the larger hearts in the Lot-O when turning them a certain way, I did not have confidence that they would circulate properly. One advantage the UV-10 has over the Lot-O is the ability to run a large number of flats, pendants, etc. without the use of a lot (in my estimation) of filler to keep the pieces from sticking together. The difference in the action and having the center cone to help separate the pieces allows for the use of less ceramics/gravel.
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Post by holajonathan on Oct 12, 2021 12:34:00 GMT -5
Rockindad Thank you for the detailed response. Good information all around about your process. The one thing that shocked me is that you were able to vibe tumble them all at the same time! The action in the UV-10 must be very different than it is in the Lot-O. Or maybe it's just way larger. I don't think I could keep more than a half a dozen of the larger ones moving at the same time in the Lot-O. Your project is really a testament to the efficiency and efficacy of a vibe tumbler as a rock polishing tool. We also have a Lot-O and they are very different machines, not only in capacity but also the movement. I keep a pad on our workbench that I have been jotting down observations- keeping notes of pros/cons of each machine. I plan on making a detailed thread down the road comparing the two of them a bit. While not necessarily an apples to apples comparison there is plenty of overlap on what these machines can do, but each of them have areas that they are superior to the other as well. While I could get some of the larger hearts in the Lot-O when turning them a certain way, I did not have confidence that they would circulate properly. One advantage the UV-10 has over the Lot-O is the ability to run a large number of flats, pendants, etc. without the use of a lot (in my estimation) of filler to keep the pieces from sticking together. The difference in the action and having the center cone to help separate the pieces allows for the use of less ceramics/gravel. Good info. I will be interested in your side-by-side comparison. I currently have a single barrel lot-O and the dual barrel model. I recently purchased a large (40 pound capacity) Raytech vibe tumbler that has the same shaped hopper as your UV-10. I think the Raytech model # is av-40. It's on back order (like everything right now) so I'm waiting for it to arrive. The Lot-O is an incredible polishing machine, but as you point it, it has a real limitation when it comes to polishing flats, especially larger ones. I hope to be able to use my new, larger, donut shaped vibe to polish whole slabs. The dimensions of the hopper will permit quite large slabs, up to at least 5" x 4", if the tumbler can in fact keep such a large slab moving when loaded primarily with ceramic media or smalls. We shall see.
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Post by Rockindad on Oct 12, 2021 19:14:02 GMT -5
We also have a Lot-O and they are very different machines, not only in capacity but also the movement. I keep a pad on our workbench that I have been jotting down observations- keeping notes of pros/cons of each machine. I plan on making a detailed thread down the road comparing the two of them a bit. While not necessarily an apples to apples comparison there is plenty of overlap on what these machines can do, but each of them have areas that they are superior to the other as well. While I could get some of the larger hearts in the Lot-O when turning them a certain way, I did not have confidence that they would circulate properly. One advantage the UV-10 has over the Lot-O is the ability to run a large number of flats, pendants, etc. without the use of a lot (in my estimation) of filler to keep the pieces from sticking together. The difference in the action and having the center cone to help separate the pieces allows for the use of less ceramics/gravel. Good info. I will be interested in your side-by-side comparison. I currently have a single barrel lot-O and the dual barrel model. I recently purchased a large (40 pound capacity) Raytech vibe tumbler that has the same shaped hopper as your UV-10. I think the Raytech model # is av-40. It's on back order (like everything right now) so I'm waiting for it to arrive. The Lot-O is an incredible polishing machine, but as you point it, it has a real limitation when it comes to polishing flats, especially larger ones. I hope to be able to use my new, larger, donut shaped vibe to polish whole slabs. The dimensions of the hopper will permit quite large slabs, up to at least 5" x 4", if the tumbler can in fact keep such a large slab moving when loaded primarily with ceramic media or smalls. We shall see. Whoa, that Raytech should be fun. After this heart experiment I have been seriously considering stepping up to a UV-18 or even the UV-45. They are having the same issues as everyone else though as it relates to supply chain issues. May have to give the Raytech a look, may be whoever gets there issues resolved first gets to take my money.
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Post by Rockindad on Oct 12, 2021 19:17:35 GMT -5
I just noticed the group shot is a heart shape in itself lol! I shouldn’t be surprised coming from a tumbling contest winner, but dang, that is an impressive tumble! Thanks! I call that first picture an attempted heart, tried to get a little creative and ended up getting frustrated .
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Post by hummingbirdstones on Oct 12, 2021 20:02:27 GMT -5
That's a great group of cabs! Your symmetry in a lot of them is admirable. Thanks, after living with them awhile I am happier with some than others. No doubt you lose a lot of control as soon as they are put in the vibe and some are destined to come out a bit wonky, materials much more suited to a proper set of wheels, etc. No doubt I could have shaped some better as well. It’s all good though as this all started out to see how the big ones would turn out with our setup. By the way, what would you call the larger ones that are approximately 3 1/2” high by 3 1/2” wide? They are shaped, edges are rounded over but the faces are typically flat. Maybe there is no proper name, just looking for a way to describe them. Call them buff top cabs.
ETA: Or paperweights.
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