sendstone
off to a rocking start
Member since December 2021
Posts: 16
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Post by sendstone on Jul 22, 2022 13:41:51 GMT -5
Hey everyone quick question. I’ve been using 60/90 silicon carbide as my stage 1 grit in a 30 pound barrel. As a rough estimate I can probably move 10-15 stones out of 100 on to the next stage each week.
My question is would there be any detriment to going to a more course grit for my first stage, say a 36 grit or a 46/70 combo. I tumble mostly harder material, jasper, agate, pet wood, chalcedony.
I’m just about out of my supply of 60/90 so I wanted to mess around with potentially going with a different grade next week.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Jul 22, 2022 13:59:25 GMT -5
sendstoneI can’t help I don’t know enough but I know Wooferhound uses 30 grit so he might be of some help.
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Wooferhound
Cave Dweller
Lortone QT66 and 3A
Member since December 2016
Posts: 1,423
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Post by Wooferhound on Jul 22, 2022 18:21:59 GMT -5
Oh Yeah , I am all about big grit.
Started out with a 3 pound tumbler and messed around with a bunch of different grits for my Stage-1 runs. Using #80 or #60/90 grit is about as big as I would get with these 3 pound barrels. After a week there would always be some leftover grit that did not breakdown. I feel there can't be enough weight in rocks to be aggressive enough to wear down larger grits in those barrels.
Now I normally use my Lortone QT66 with the Dual 6 Pound Barrels. Those barrels will breakdown any size of grit in short time. I have even successfully used Ungraded Grit that can have 1/2 inch grit pebbles in it. I like to use the #30 and #36 grits in the 6 pounders. There is nothing left after a One Week Stage-1 run. Am recommending some kind of grit recovery in your cleanout though. My last order for Stage-1 grit was 45 pounds of #30 grit from Kingsley North.
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jimmie
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since August 2021
Posts: 233
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Post by jimmie on Jul 23, 2022 5:44:04 GMT -5
I use 46 grit in my six pound tumblers, nothing left after a week. I aggreee with woofer, reclaim your grit.
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Post by Bob on Jul 23, 2022 9:47:12 GMT -5
Have 2 x 20lb and a 40lb. Experimented all the way down to 20 grit. Now use either 50 or 60 for coarse grind.
I have bought that 46/70 mix a few times and it worked fine also.
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lordsorril
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since April 2020
Posts: 766
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Post by lordsorril on Jul 23, 2022 21:58:43 GMT -5
I use #46 grit in my 3lb. tumblers: as long as there is enough space for the rocks to tumble: I don't have a problem. If I had a 30lb. barrel I would definitely use something more aggressive for shaping. Using coarser grit does take a toll on the barrel lid liners though.
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Wooferhound
Cave Dweller
Lortone QT66 and 3A
Member since December 2016
Posts: 1,423
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Post by Wooferhound on Jul 24, 2022 9:27:00 GMT -5
Good point about the Lid Liners I've replace a few of those, always keep a spare available
It helps to take the metal lid and Grind or File down the center bolt a bit so it doesn't stick out so far Then put a few layers of Duct/Duck/Gaff Tape over the bolthead before putting the rubber liner back on This will give you some more life on the liners
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ericabelle
spending too much on rocks
Instagram acct: @erica_shoots_everything
Member since April 2021
Posts: 482
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Post by ericabelle on Aug 25, 2022 7:40:15 GMT -5
I have a Thumler's Model B (15lb barrel), and I was using 60/90 alone for a while. Then I got some 46/70 and experimented with all ratios of the two grits. As soon as I started adding any of the 46/70, there was a big increase in grinding progress each week. In the end, I found that 1/4 60/90 and 3/4 46/70 caused the most progress, even better than using 100% 46/70! A few times I've run out of the 60/90 and used just the 46/70 alone, and the grinding progress decreases. I have no explanation for it. MAYBE having the lower grit, wearing down faster, provides some cushioning for the stones. So perhaps what I am noticing is less breakage/ more smoothing. ANYWAY, I will definitely order some coarser 36 grit next time. I love a good experiment!
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Post by Bob on Aug 25, 2022 16:32:51 GMT -5
Lid liners are so cheap and easy to patch that there is no need to worry about them much. I suspect they are worn more from rough rocks than from grit action. Even with very sharp rough rocks and rough grinding 24/7 I get about 3 years out of them before they need attention. This is after grinding the bolt head way down to maybe .5mm and smearing some epoxy over and around it to taper off and form a very low center hump maybe 3" in diameter that tapers out to nothing.
Today I was ordering some more rough grit, and instead of ordering 100lbs of 60/90, I got 50lb of 46 and 50lb of 60/90. The thought occurred to me for the first time how I always dump it into a big plastic bucket that holds almost 100lbs anyway. So it will be easy to grab a big scoop from one, then the other, so that this big bucket ends up being a mix of the two sizes. I speculate the 46 is fractured up pretty quickly to 60 or smaller, but those first few rotations before that happens might get a bit of extra grinding done. But my experience has not been good using 46 alone.
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quartzilla
Cave Dweller
Member since April 2020
Posts: 1,216
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Post by quartzilla on Aug 25, 2022 17:28:22 GMT -5
46/70 in the 6lb barrels and larger. As others have said it works wonders.
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Post by Starguy on Aug 25, 2022 19:53:39 GMT -5
sendstoneI have two 12 pound rotaries running coarse grit. I also have an extra barrel so they pretty much run 24/7. They don’t keep up with my 33B running fine through polish. I prefer 46/70 for coarse. Honestly, whatever is cheapest is probably your best bet. I don’t notice a lot of difference between 60/90 and 46/70. There are coarser grits available. They might help you go a couple extra days but then you run into thick slurry issues. My advice is to look for good deals on anything 80 grit or coarser that is a good price. Good luck and always have fun.
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ericabelle
spending too much on rocks
Instagram acct: @erica_shoots_everything
Member since April 2021
Posts: 482
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Post by ericabelle on Aug 29, 2022 19:19:01 GMT -5
Oh, I forgot to mention that, once I started using mostly 46/70 grit, I started going through the lid liners - two in 7 months' time! I always have one on reserve now. I also should mention that I may run my tumbler a little dry compared to most. It seems more progress is made when I do this.
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Post by rmf on Aug 30, 2022 7:05:46 GMT -5
I have used 46/70 for years it is the best bang for the buck IMHO. I found 36 grit is too big to do a good job for what I was tumbling (agate and Jasper).
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