plankspanker
starting to shine!
Member since October 2021
Posts: 31
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Post by plankspanker on Oct 27, 2021 15:53:57 GMT -5
Hi everyone, I have a Lortone 33B tumbler with 4 drums, as I have been advised to use one drum for each grit size in the 4 stage tumbling process. I'm trying to find out if it is better to use the drums this way to insure there cannot be any cross contamination between drums from the grit becoming imbedded into the rubber drum walls?
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Post by miket on Oct 27, 2021 16:47:13 GMT -5
I started with a 33b and ran everything through my barrels, all the way through polish without any discernible issues- although I do know that a lot of tumblers on here use dedicated barrels for each grit size.
Since you have extra barrels, I suppose you might as well keep them separate- but I found that my rocks spend way more time in the rough stages than they do in any other stage.
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Post by Rockindad on Oct 27, 2021 17:45:04 GMT -5
Hi everyone, I have a Lortone 33B tumbler with 4 drums, as I have been advised to use one drum for each grit size in the 4 stage tumbling process. I'm trying to find out if it is better to use the drums this way to insure there cannot be any cross contamination between drums from the grit becoming imbedded into the rubber drum walls? That is overkill in my opinion. When we were all rotary we had a dedicated barrel for polish, the others were for everything else. With the knowledge I have today, I probably would not even bother with that, rubber just does not become embedded with grit like some other materials (for instance my UV-10 vibe polyethylene bowls). If my lineup consisted of two 3lb. barrels I would be running them both as coarse stage barrels until I had enough rocks that I was happy with to move on. Then I would have one barrel still running the coarse stage and one running whatever you deem should be your next stage. As miket said, your rocks will likely be in the coarse stage much longer than any other.
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plankspanker
starting to shine!
Member since October 2021
Posts: 31
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Post by plankspanker on Oct 28, 2021 6:58:40 GMT -5
Many thanks miket and rockindad, your expertise is a huge help!
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Post by fernwood on Oct 28, 2021 8:04:45 GMT -5
I currently have 2 working tumblers with 3 lb. barrels. A Lortone 33b and a CE one. I have 2 extra 3 lb. barrels and a 1 lb. barrel. If a person comepletely cleans the barrels/lids between stages I see no need for stage specific barrels.
Acknowledge that some live by stage specific barrels.
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plankspanker
starting to shine!
Member since October 2021
Posts: 31
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Post by plankspanker on Oct 28, 2021 15:19:32 GMT -5
Thanks for your input fernwood, i really appreciate it,
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LazerFlash
Cave Dweller
The more they over-think the plumbing, the easier it is to stop up the toilet.
Member since September 2021
Posts: 550
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Post by LazerFlash on Oct 29, 2021 22:46:11 GMT -5
Hi everyone, I have a Lortone 33B tumbler with 4 drums, as I have been advised to use one drum for each grit size in the 4 stage tumbling process. I'm trying to find out if it is better to use the drums this way to insure there cannot be any cross contamination between drums from the grit becoming imbedded into the rubber drum walls? Here's some additional thoughts on this subject: Do you have different barrels for different phases
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Post by Starguy on Oct 29, 2021 23:18:43 GMT -5
plankspanker If you’re careful cleaning it should be OK. I’ve run all stages through one 3lb barrel before. post some picture of your setup when you have time.
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doublebluff
having dreams about rocks
Member since September 2021
Posts: 60
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Post by doublebluff on Oct 30, 2021 21:16:56 GMT -5
I have wondered the same thing. I run all my stuff through the same barrel, though I just got a new barrel that I will dedicate to the polish stage. I do have a related question. I always run every batch the tumbler in water after each stage for an hour- it seems to release a heckuva a lot of grit from the previous run. Is this a logical thing to do, or is it not necessary? Thanks-
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RedWingTumbler
having dreams about rocks
Member since April 2021
Posts: 65
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Post by RedWingTumbler on Oct 31, 2021 18:11:57 GMT -5
I have wondered the same thing. I run all my stuff through the same barrel, though I just got a new barrel that I will dedicate to the polish stage. I do have a related question. I always run every batch the tumbler in water after each stage for an hour- it seems to release a heckuva a lot of grit from the previous run. Is this a logical thing to do, or is it not necessary? Thanks- I always run a short wash cycle (about an hour) before switching grits. I use about 3 Tablespoons of borax, with a squirt of Dawn dish soap. This also helps clean the barrel.
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LazerFlash
Cave Dweller
The more they over-think the plumbing, the easier it is to stop up the toilet.
Member since September 2021
Posts: 550
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Post by LazerFlash on Oct 31, 2021 18:32:42 GMT -5
I have wondered the same thing. I run all my stuff through the same barrel, though I just got a new barrel that I will dedicate to the polish stage. I do have a related question. I always run every batch the tumbler in water after each stage for an hour- it seems to release a heckuva a lot of grit from the previous run. Is this a logical thing to do, or is it not necessary? Thanks- I always run a short wash cycle (about an hour) before switching grits. I use about 3 Tablespoons of borax, with a squirt of Dawn dish soap. This also helps clean the barrel. I've seen people comment about using a squirt of liquid soap. Don't you have problem with foaming? I've started using a small (1/8 tbsp) amount of OxyClean as a wash for about 2 hours. And, like doublebluff , there seems to be grit release. But, even that small amount has to be watched for bulging.
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RedWingTumbler
having dreams about rocks
Member since April 2021
Posts: 65
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Post by RedWingTumbler on Oct 31, 2021 22:15:11 GMT -5
I always run a short wash cycle (about an hour) before switching grits. I use about 3 Tablespoons of borax, with a squirt of Dawn dish soap. This also helps clean the barrel. I've seen people comment about using a squirt of liquid soap. Don't you have problem with foaming? I've started using a small (1/8 tbsp) amount of OxyClean as a wash for about 2 hours. And, like doublebluff , there seems to be grit release. But, even that small amount has to be watched for bulging.There is foam, but not much. The longest I run with the borax & Dawn is about three hours for burnishing. While there is definitely foam inside the barrel, there is no bulging.
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doublebluff
having dreams about rocks
Member since September 2021
Posts: 60
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Post by doublebluff on Nov 1, 2021 8:29:20 GMT -5
Good stuff- thanks.
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
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Post by jamesp on Nov 1, 2021 9:56:42 GMT -5
doublebluff If I had it to do all over again there would be a rotary with one(or 2) barrel(s) for step 1 and step 2 (220 grit). Instead of investing in extra finish step barrels invest in a vibe. In this case you are dividing the process into two, the coarse shaping in the rotary(the dirty steps), and the finish(clean) steps in the vibe. Vibes are fast and do their job with a minimum of grit and electricity. And can make a fine polish an easy task. Over the long run the vibe ends up being a good monetary investment. Good luck.
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Post by rmf on Nov 1, 2021 15:51:18 GMT -5
Although I like Rockindad answer I prefer the polish barrel just for cleanliness. But What jamesp said is exactly what I use now. It uses the best of both worlds. that said don't go out and spend $$ unless you are going to tumble enough to make it worth while. If you only do a 3# drum every month it is hardly worth it.
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