stefan
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2005
Posts: 14,113
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Post by stefan on Jul 22, 2022 11:13:06 GMT -5
Background: I decided to get a Vibe tumbler a while back. THen I bought a Thumlers Model B instead, but that Vibe Vibe just won't go away. I told my wife I was going to get a Vibe this summer (OK begged, pleased, cried, whined, threw a temper tantrum). SHe said whatever. Well if anyone has tried to by a tumbler this summer you know what happens. I stumbled across THE CHEAPEST VIBE EVER (ok maybe not ever but still pretty cheap) on sale at Amazon for $73 shipped (including NYS' cut of my income they already taxed me on once). Well low and behold we had points saved up on the Amazon CC so it cost me $0! While waiting for it to show (3 days from order to my door) My 17 years old Model T Thumler's motor gave up the ghost (I think Still need to try one more cleaning trick). SO the vibe arrived and I decided to save it for polish only, but I'm weeks away from having anything ready for polish. SO I tossed some 500 grit and rocks and filler gravel in it and fired it up. It is LOUD!!! but the vibe action is there and it seems to be working. Of course there are no recipes for this tumbler so I'm flying blind at this point. Also you CANNOT run this with out the lid securely fastened (oh such bad things happen) so I have to shut it off to check on the contents. I for sure overloaded it (probably 8 lbs of rock and filler) but it is big for sure! FYI this is NOT a rock tumbler. They state that very clearly in the directions, online, and on the box. It is NOT recommended to be used with liquids, and by putting rock in it I automatically voided the warranty. I fully acknowledge that if this is a complete failure- it is my own doing and NOT a fault of the machine in any way shape or form. SO here it is ext to a 3Lb barrel Yeah it came with 3 bags of Walnut shells! And here is how full I filled it for the first go. I'm going to take another photo in a couple hours and post it here to see how it is working. Stay tuned!
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stefan
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2005
Posts: 14,113
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Post by stefan on Jul 22, 2022 12:27:51 GMT -5
After an hour. I think I have the moisture just right.
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pizzano
Cave Dweller
Member since February 2018
Posts: 1,390
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Post by pizzano on Jul 22, 2022 13:56:07 GMT -5
Background: I decided to get a Vibe tumbler a while back. THen I bought a Thumlers Model B instead, but that Vibe Vibe just won't go away. I told my wife I was going to get a Vibe this summer (OK begged, pleased, cried, whined, threw a temper tantrum). SHe said whatever. Well if anyone has tried to by a tumbler this summer you know what happens. I stumbled across THE CHEAPEST VIBE EVER (ok maybe not ever but still pretty cheap) on sale at Amazon for $73 shipped (including NYS' cut of my income they already taxed me on once). Well low and behold we had points saved up on the Amazon CC so it cost me $0! While waiting for it to show (3 days from order to my door) My 17 years old Model T Thumler's motor gave up the ghost (I think Still need to try one more cleaning trick). SO the vibe arrived and I decided to save it for polish only, but I'm weeks away from having anything ready for polish. SO I tossed some 500 grit and rocks and filler gravel in it and fired it up. It is LOUD!!! but the vibe action is there and it seems to be working. Of course there are no recipes for this tumbler so I'm flying blind at this point. Also you CANNOT run this with out the lid securely fastened (oh such bad things happen) so I have to shut it off to check on the contents. I for sure overloaded it (probably 8 lbs of rock and filler) but it is big for sure! FYI this is NOT a rock tumbler. They state that very clearly in the directions, online, and on the box. It is NOT recommended to be used with liquids, and by putting rock in it I automatically voided the warranty. I fully acknowledge that if this is a complete failure- it is my own doing and NOT a fault of the machine in any way shape or form. SO here it is ext to a 3Lb barrel Yeah it came with 3 bags of Walnut shells! And here is how full I filled it for the first go. I'm going to take another photo in a couple hours and post it here to see how it is working. Stay tuned! I'll chime in once you've had time to experience the pit-falls that bowl has.......been there, done that.......! We can compare notes......or would you rather have me express the drawbacks now and save you time/effort and frustration......lol
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Post by rmf on Jul 22, 2022 13:58:48 GMT -5
stefan you need more smalls and just eye balling you can probably add about 25% more stones. when it is tumbling it comes up the outside and down the inside. It will reach its own level but you can add stones until the center cone is about 1" down from the top of the plastic.
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stefan
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2005
Posts: 14,113
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Post by stefan on Jul 22, 2022 15:36:10 GMT -5
I already see a major issue with the barrel in that clean out is going to be "interesting"I welcome all input as this is all new to me! I am on a waiting list for a UV 10 so I figured why not get my feet wet with this!
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pizzano
Cave Dweller
Member since February 2018
Posts: 1,390
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Post by pizzano on Jul 22, 2022 16:43:12 GMT -5
I already see a major issue with the barrel in that clean out is going to be "interesting"I welcome all input as this is all new to me! I am on a waiting list for a UV 10 so I figured why not get my feet wet with this! Issues by priority....: Noise.......due to it's thinness and material construction. Durability.......same as above, lack there of. Clean-out.....same as above and add the shape undulations. Moisture containment......not made for wet seal.....as you know. Performance.......due to it's shape and undulations, material subjects will not be provided the proper polishing circulation needed for best results. Micro media contamination........grinding residue/media, that forms slurry, will embed it's self into the bowl plastic. Reducing the bowl to only 1 type of media process. As for the vibe mechanism it's self.....yours looks a lot like the Harbor Freight unit I had. Purchased on a whim due to cost, not wanting to invest to much on a new hobby at first. Mine was a rattle trap, used it for a month. Shit canned it due to it's noise.......not even used for my ammo brass casing cleaning. I, like you, did my homework, researched, went cheap.......already owned two Lyman Turbo vibes that I use for ammo casings......not considering (until the HF destroyed my hearing), that, why not try them with a proper bowl......So, purchased a couple of Ray Tech TV-5 bowls....Lyman, same company that makes TV-5. Did not go with the UV bowls due to cost and size, since I don't process that much at a time and I use both of my Lyman's during the various stages of tumbling (120 thru polish). Although, the UV bowls that fit that vibe size, will sit on the vibe plate securely, circulate well and function on the Lyman just like a UV.....I eventually bought one UV bowl. There you have it........now for the slurry development learning curve.........you're already on your way (mess included)........just remember, stone size, hardness and media compatibility, will be the keys to success.....I use ceramics, though more expensive.....I prefer reliability and predictability over experimenting with unknowns.....! Hope this helps.......now that you're on your way to perfection.....!
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stefan
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2005
Posts: 14,113
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Post by stefan on Jul 23, 2022 9:47:15 GMT -5
Cleaned out the 500 (pix to follow once I figure out why I'm having vertigo). I have already decided that this is going to be a polish only machine. Clean out is a nightmare as removing the bowl is a chore and a half, and there is no way the tiny nylok nut and threaded rod are going to stand a lot of use. I figure if I only run Polish in it I really don't have to clean out the bowl, just scoop the rocks out and let the polish sit in there for next run. As for noise- yeah this thing will cause deafness. I run it in the basement shop with the door close and only when I'm not in there. We can barely hear it thru the floor so it is doable. I don't have anything ready for polish at this point, so I will update in a couple weeks, but as for now- NOPE I would not recommend one and I would not buy another one at any price.
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jimaz
spending too much on rocks
Member since July 2018
Posts: 463
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Post by jimaz on Jul 23, 2022 11:01:30 GMT -5
I had a similar tumbler I used to clean pistol shells. I wanted to try a vibe so I figured what the heck. Filled it up with small sand some larger rocks that had already been through rough. It was NOISY, so noisy my neighbor complained. It worked and I got the rocks polished quickly. I was hooked and knew I wanted a good vibe. Two weeks later my Lot-O arrived.
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pizzano
Cave Dweller
Member since February 2018
Posts: 1,390
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Post by pizzano on Jul 23, 2022 16:16:54 GMT -5
Cleaned out the 500 (pix to follow once I figure out why I'm having vertigo). I have already decided that this is going to be a polish only machine. Clean out is a nightmare as removing the bowl is a chore and a half, and there is no way the tiny nylok nut and threaded rod are going to stand a lot of use. I figure if I only run Polish in it I really don't have to clean out the bowl, just scoop the rocks out and let the polish sit in there for next run. As for noise- yeah this thing will cause deafness. I run it in the basement shop with the door close and only when I'm not in there. We can barely hear it thru the floor so it is doable. I don't have anything ready for polish at this point, so I will update in a couple weeks, but as for now- NOPE I would not recommend one and I would not buy another one at any price. Sounds good......although, you may not be happy with that bowls "polishing" results.....I wasn't. Thus, one of many reasons I opted out for legit wet tumbling bowls. Would have kept the damn thing for brass shell casing cleans and 120-800 grinds using the TV/UV bowls, had it not been so damn noisy, leaky and a bitch to clean. As jamesp has provided over the years, lots of info related to vibe tumbling techno research........vibe frequency ratios, container/bowl configurations, horizontal/vertical mechanical motion aspects. Not all vibes, provide both vertical & horizontal action/circulation.......which is really required for proper stone grinding and polishing. That is/are the biggest differences with the wet vs dry action tumblers, especially the less expensive dry only.........UV has really set the standard for wet stone application, that's why they can charge a premium for them (always on back-order), same with the Lot-O. Once I discovered the "turbo" Lyman vibes operated on the same mechanical principals as the UV, at 1/2 the cost, purchasing just bowls made my results shine......quickly. Less noise and those bowls have a good life span and seldom if ever contaminate or scar, even with the constant use with ceramics......just my +5yrs experience using them.
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stefan
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2005
Posts: 14,113
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Post by stefan on Aug 7, 2022 13:54:47 GMT -5
Just an update. So I ended up leaving a 3 star review. I wasn't expecting much and I got what I expected. I tried to run a polish cycle, but the dang thing is just WAY too loud. THe company reached out to me and offered me a free "professional" tumbler designed for rock. I said sure and got a 2 barrel CHicago Electric (painted Blue) rotary. Not real confident as it had walnut shell bags packed in the barrels, and a bag with 5 extra belts lol. Alright I came ahead on the deal, but I really don't have the room right now for another rotary on the shelf, and my last venture with a CE tumbler was a lot more work than it was worth. So while the tumbler itself was not amazing, I gotta say the customer service was decent. I ended up coming down with the "VID" and recovery is just kicking my butt, so once I can get my energy levels back to normal I may play with the Blue CE tumbler a bit.
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