ChicagoDave
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2016
Posts: 720
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Post by ChicagoDave on Nov 27, 2016 20:19:44 GMT -5
Great work. That red moss is beautiful.
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ChicagoDave
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2016
Posts: 720
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Post by ChicagoDave on Nov 24, 2016 9:25:23 GMT -5
I played around with adding additional grit and ran into 2 issues. First, it was a pain in butt to clean the rim of the barrel. But I was trying to do it while all the rocks and grit were still in there. Second, when adding grit on the second day, the grit that was already in the slurry sunk to the bottom and solidified quite quickly. But, I was using my original amount of grit back then, 12 tablespoons (3/4 cup), so that might have been too much for one day of tumbling. I might try dropping the cat litter just a bit and starting with 1/2 cup of 46/70. Might then add another 1/2 cup of 46/70 on the third day. Then let the whole thing go for 3 or 4 days to break everything down. This would work out to about one full clean out each week, but I would be doubling the grit the rocks see in that time. I could also dump the whole barrel into a bucket so cleaning the lip would be easier during the second grit addition. BTW, here is the cat litter I'm using. Not sure of it's makeup.
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ChicagoDave
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2016
Posts: 720
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Post by ChicagoDave on Nov 23, 2016 22:16:30 GMT -5
I think the green rock here is Kambaba jasper and it took a good shine in the Lot-O
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ChicagoDave
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2016
Posts: 720
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Post by ChicagoDave on Nov 23, 2016 21:45:07 GMT -5
I once put too many small ceramic pieces in the Lot-O trying to make up for a small quantity of rocks. I had a heck of a time keeping everything moving. I rinsed everything and pulled about 1/2 of the smalls and replaced them with the large and it made a world of difference. Lesson learned - have a good mix of sizes.
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ChicagoDave
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2016
Posts: 720
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Post by ChicagoDave on Nov 23, 2016 18:41:53 GMT -5
jamesp, thank you for these directions. I will try it later tonight and see what happens.
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ChicagoDave
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2016
Posts: 720
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Post by ChicagoDave on Nov 23, 2016 17:36:10 GMT -5
I would be interested. Thanks!
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ChicagoDave
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2016
Posts: 720
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Post by ChicagoDave on Nov 23, 2016 17:35:29 GMT -5
OK, so I've seen all the discussions about grit breaking down really fast in PVC barrels and the magic clay involved. I've always wondered if 7 day clean outs were just a few days of rocks tumbling around with no grinding action. I currently use 1/2 cup of 46/70SiC and 1/2 cup of clay based cat litter (always leads to a nice pancake batter consistency). I fill my 6# Lortone barrels (which are rubber) about 75-80% full. Water just below the top layer of rocks. I always noticed a few bits of grit leftover after 7 days. But I was chatting with Garage Rocker and something he said made me want to do a little testing. I figured I had 4 barrels that were started on Sunday. I could test one today and then each day after. Would there still be grit in my slurry? So I just opened the barrel that has been running for 3 days. Emptied the slurry into a bucket. I don't have any scientific equipment to test leftover grit so I dunked my hand in there and began feeling around. I was shocked to find not much grit was left. I would even say it feels about the same as a barrel running for 7 days (yes, I have a habit of dunking my hand in slurry each week). There was a little bit that settled to the bottom, but I'm guessing it would amount to a 1/4 teaspoon or less. So I'm guessing I'll switch to barrel clean outs every 3 or 4 days. If I can't feel any grit left in the slurry, the grinding action doesn't really exist anymore, right?
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ChicagoDave
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2016
Posts: 720
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Post by ChicagoDave on Nov 23, 2016 16:52:33 GMT -5
Amazing. That turquoise is beautiful. Great work.
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ChicagoDave
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2016
Posts: 720
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Post by ChicagoDave on Nov 23, 2016 16:29:13 GMT -5
Wow. I need to keep an eye on the buy/sell board and see if someone is selling some San Jacintos. These are beautiful!
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ChicagoDave
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2016
Posts: 720
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Post by ChicagoDave on Nov 23, 2016 14:25:33 GMT -5
hmmmmm, maybe I'm adding too many rocks to my barrel. Interesting.
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ChicagoDave
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2016
Posts: 720
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Post by ChicagoDave on Nov 22, 2016 17:38:30 GMT -5
I've bought so many "mixed" boxes from various members on this board that it's getting very hard to keep everything apart. My 4 barrels are now just a big mixed bag party. Although I do still have a full box from Mel so maybe those should get their own barrel.
Oh, and, great batch!
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ChicagoDave
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2016
Posts: 720
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Post by ChicagoDave on Nov 22, 2016 12:42:27 GMT -5
Hello. I was wondering if anyone had a Lortone 33B sitting around collecting dust. I've been thinking about getting this smaller tumbler to play around with some of the different material I've bought. Thought I would jump on here and see if someone has one to sell. Thanks!
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ChicagoDave
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2016
Posts: 720
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Post by ChicagoDave on Nov 21, 2016 19:47:41 GMT -5
Garage Rocker, I remember you saying you mixed all kinds of material in your Lot-O regardless of hardness.
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ChicagoDave
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2016
Posts: 720
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Post by ChicagoDave on Nov 21, 2016 16:10:15 GMT -5
I'm going to agree - 12 and 13 are awesome.
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ChicagoDave
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2016
Posts: 720
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Post by ChicagoDave on Nov 21, 2016 13:43:29 GMT -5
Really liking 17 and 21. Great batch!
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ChicagoDave
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2016
Posts: 720
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Post by ChicagoDave on Nov 21, 2016 13:41:26 GMT -5
I clean my Lot-O out after final polish and rinse everything off. Add everything back to the Lot-O with 2 tablespoons of Borax and a capful of water. I let this run 4-5 hours. I haven't seen this cause any damage.
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ChicagoDave
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2016
Posts: 720
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Post by ChicagoDave on Nov 20, 2016 22:39:03 GMT -5
The water looks good on the right barrel, but I think it could use some more rocks. But I also think I fill my barrels more than most people recommend!
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ChicagoDave
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2016
Posts: 720
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Post by ChicagoDave on Nov 20, 2016 21:14:17 GMT -5
I clean out my rough grit (46/70) barrels once a week and pull out the rocks ready for the next stage. Everything gets dumped in a strainer and rinsed off. I then add fresh grit, water and more rough rocks to replace the volume removed and start it again.
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ChicagoDave
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2016
Posts: 720
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Post by ChicagoDave on Nov 20, 2016 21:11:13 GMT -5
Why do you think the barrel weighs too much? I run 2 QT66s and fill them both quite full and then add grit and water. Not had a problem yet and the machine seems to be running just fine.
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