CornDogs
off to a rocking start
Member since September 2004
Posts: 18
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Post by CornDogs on Sept 6, 2004 11:58:03 GMT -5
Here is a list of my latest questions.....I figure if I put them all out there - between all of you - I might get them all answered at some point 1. How full should the barrel be with rock? 2. How much does my little Rolling Stones barrel hold? 3. How much grit? 4. How much water? 5. Will I get a different result if the barrel is 1/3 full, 1/2 full or 3/4 full? (per another response to a post of mine, someone said it needed to be either 1/3 or 1/2 - 3/4 full - and that seems to be a heck of alot of difference ;D 6. What is the optimum 'fullness'? 7. Does the size of the rock depend on how long it will take?? (ie...I am using 1-10 caret rubies - will it only take a few days instead of 7-10?) 8. If I am going to tumble some emeralds to remove the biotite matrix (as per another thread) is this in the barrel empty except for the rocks?? Do I use water only?? Do I use rough grit?? OK, there you have it....I have another question about my Dremel - but I will put that on yet another thread I do sincerely hope you guys don't mind me asking all of these questions.....but just think.....if I get to the point where I am making a nice product - I heard about trading from someone around here ;D I would love to hear more about that, too Thanks in advance....for not hating me Bren
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MoonStone
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since August 2004
Posts: 202
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Post by MoonStone on Sept 6, 2004 16:38:39 GMT -5
Hello Bren! ;D
Let's see if I could help you with some of the questions. I really don’t know exactly the type of toy tumbler that you have but my initial recommendation will be to follow the instructions that came with your tumbler regarding the water, grit, amount of rocks to tumble etc. for better results.
To give you a basic idea on the amounts used in the different polishing steps here you can look at the instructions from my Lortone’s tumbler manual.
Tumbling compound quantities:
Barrel Size in Pounds: 1.5 - barrel capacity 1 1/4 cups Step 1 coarse 4 tbs - Step 2 Medium 4 tbs - Step 3 Pre-polish 5 tbs - Step 4 Polish 5 tbs - Burnishing ½ tbs - Washes ½ tbs
Barrel Size in Pounds: 3 - barrel capacity 3cups Step 1 coarse 4 tbs - Step 2 Medium 4 tbs - Step 3 Pre-polish 6 tbs - Step 4 Polish 6 tbs - Burnishing 1 tbs - Washes 1 tbs.
Barrel Size in Pounds: 4.5 - barrel capacity 5 cups Step 1 coarse 8 tbs - Step 2 Medium 8 tbs - Step 3 Pre-polish 8 tbs - Step 4 Polish 8 tbs - Burnishing 1 ½ tbs - Washes 1 ½ tbs
Note: These are the quantities recommended by Lortone, some people use lesser quantity of grit with satisfactory results as well.
1. Well usually the first thing to do is to lubricate your new tumbler before you use it. I use a small can of WD-40 and just use a Q-Tip to lubricate the bearings.
2. The barrel is loaded with rocks - Lortone recommends from ½ to 3/4 barrel fullness. Some people use plastic pellets when they have lesser material in order to get and maintain the proper amount of material and to protect the rocks from dents and scratches.
3. Next step is to fill with water - The manual recommends that the water is touching the bottoms of the top layer of the rocks. Some people prefer to use less water to accomplish faster and better results. There is a posting about it somewhere in here.
4. Add the amount of the tumbling compounds using the chart.
5. Carefully seal your barrel and start tumbling.
If your new tumbler came without instructions I would recommend to try to find the manufacturer’s website and see if they have the manual available for users to read or print. If it is your first time tumbling with it and your tumbler came with premeasured compounds in little bags, I will recommend to measure the amount with teaspoons and write that down for future reference and then just use them.
Well I hope that these gives you a general idea on the steps to follow in regular rotary tumblers (in this case Lortone tumblers). Good Luck Bren! :-)
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Post by Cher on Sept 6, 2004 17:51:30 GMT -5
I've been using 2 tablespoons in my 3 pound Lortone. The barrel on your toy tumbler looks pretty close to the 1.5 pound barrel in size so I think you can use that as a measure (I have both of them). I'd use 1 tablespoon of the coarse grit in the toy barrel. Don't know about the next stages as I haven't gotten that far yet.
[glow=red,2,300]~ Cher ~[/glow]
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