Welcome to the Rock Tumbling Hobby Forum where we share a love of rocks and a sense of community as enduring as the stones we polish.
The RTH Forum of www.RockTumbling.com is an Amazon Associate site and we earn money from
qualifying purchases you make after clicking on our links such as this
Rock Tumbling Supplies on Amazon
link for instance, or any of our various product ads and banners. By clicking our links every time you begin your Amazon shopping
experience, you are generating a bit of revenue for the forum which helps us cover our expenses. Thank you for your support!
If you cannot see Amazon ad banners directly below this text, please whitelist this site in your ad blocker(s). The ads below have been hand-selected for relevant content, and your patronage directly benefits this forum community, thanks!
Post by rocknewb101 on Jul 22, 2023 11:37:47 GMT -5
Hi all - so my mini sonic arrived yesterday and in went my stage 2 rocks. This is about 15 hours post start and I'm wondering if 1. it's wet enough (I've read where the mini needs more water than the lot-o; however, I've also read that you empty the barrel of water in the same way as the lot-o, so I'm not sure what I should be seeing), and 2. is it full enough? It runs great - I have a tbls of 120/220 based off a post I found while searching. I purposefully kept out a larger rock based on other's posts, but the slurry doesn't seem thick enough - maybe this just needs more time. 3. Should I recharge the grit? Or is this good to go for the 3-4 days?
Anyways, any thoughts are appreciated. Thanks so much!
I typically use a little more grit at the 220 stage than you did. Looks about right. I have always tried to fill mine 2/3 full with the filler. I typically add enough water so I can just see it when turning but I think most people use less. Seems to work for me. You could add borax if you want more of a slurry. I have been doing without borax lately and seems to work well although I am using more grit. I would say see how it looks after 3-4 days and adjust from there.
I typically use a little more grit at the 220 stage than you did. Looks about right. I have always tried to fill mine 2/3 full with the filler. I typically add enough water so I can just see it when turning but I think most people use less. Seems to work for me. You could add borax if you want more of a slurry. I have been doing without borax lately and seems to work well although I am using more grit. I would say see how it looks after 3-4 days and adjust from there.
I know the machine directions say 5tsp - that seemed excessive and I'd seen a post from 2017 where the member talks abut using only a tbls for this stage, so I went with the lower amount. I'll add in some borax and see what it does to the slurry and adjust next round . May add a little more water too and see what happens. THank you!!
I think your water level looks fine and I use the same amount of grit in the first stage. Sometimes when it looks like that, I’ll add a little pinch more of grit. I only use borax in the 500 and polish stage, but I would imagine adding a little of that would help thicken the slurry too and be cheaper. You could add a little bit of borax and give it a spritz or two with a water bottle and see how that looks in a few hours. The action looks good, and the fill level looks perfect.
I think your water level looks fine and I use the same amount of grit in the first stage. Sometimes when it looks like that, I’ll add a little pinch more of grit. I only use borax in the 500 and polish stage, but I would imagine adding a little of that would help thicken the slurry too and be cheaper. You could add a little bit of borax and give it a spritz or two with a water bottle and see how that looks in a few hours. The action looks good, and the fill level looks perfect.
Great! Thank you! This morning it's still going well and has the slurry amount has increased. I added about 1/2 tbls of borax last night, along with about a tbls (give/take) of water. Glad to know about the fill level. I didn't want to go too high. Thanks!
Looks good to me. My understanding is you only need minimal water. I think the manual says if the rocks look shiny-wet then there's too much. Not that the manual should be followed and I don't have a lot of experience with the MT-4 yet either. but I've been trying just enough water to keep it moving. I'm actually using vinegar, little experiment. I'm using 1tsp of kaolin to slurify. I've heard good things about sugar in these too.
Thank you! I'd always heard you needed more than the lot-o, but it appears to be about the same, maybe slightly more wiggle room with the mini...Interesting experiment with vinegar. I'd be curious to know if any affect with the final polish (one way or another).
This space is for temporary chat only and all posts drop off automatically and are not saved.
Members with real questions or comments that need an actual response, please post on the main forum - not here! Casual PG-13 posts only, no politics or religion please!
Wooferhound: Are you interested in Changing your Long Distance service ?
May 6, 2024 7:50:13 GMT -5
RickB: "Is this the party to whom I am speaking?"
May 6, 2024 8:15:06 GMT -5
*
Wooferhound: Have you got Prince Albert in a can ?
May 6, 2024 14:56:44 GMT -5
parfive: Nah, they parked Eddie in a big oak box.
May 6, 2024 16:04:57 GMT -5
Wooferhound: Doing an Appliance Survey . . . is your Refrigerator Running ?
May 6, 2024 17:03:22 GMT -5
RickB: I thought the dryer was shrinking my clothes... Turns out it was the refrigerator all along.
May 6, 2024 19:31:44 GMT -5
werejen: I need opinions on rocks that cannot safely be tumbled. I have found a lot of quartz/mix with nice edges that I do not want to lose. Some have told me to use lacquer on them, and others have said a clear coat nail polish. Thoughts?
May 6, 2024 21:22:55 GMT -5
*
1dave: werejen, you are in the wrong place.
May 7, 2024 9:59:24 GMT -5
ThomasT: The rare Double brood of Cicadas coming out now... last time this occurred Thomas Jefferson was President...
May 7, 2024 17:42:04 GMT -5
ThomasT: Cicadas 13- and 17-year emergence cycles align only once every 221 years... much rarer than a solar Eclipse. Next event will be in the year 2245 AD. Woohoo
May 7, 2024 17:55:50 GMT -5
ThomasT: Buy your tickets now... once in a lifetime
May 7, 2024 20:16:09 GMT -5
Wooferhound: why aren't they making any noise
May 8, 2024 12:11:59 GMT -5
ThomasT: Too early yet... I'm sure they will get pretty loud this summer.
May 8, 2024 13:14:48 GMT -5
*
amygdule: The crispy fried Cicadas don't make any noise until you chew on them
May 8, 2024 14:10:18 GMT -5
Wooferhound: The last person that quit or was fired will be held responsible for everything that goes wrong -- until the next person quits or is fired.
May 8, 2024 16:22:09 GMT -5
liveats14rocks: the fox has entered the glade
May 8, 2024 17:46:23 GMT -5
RickB: Welcome to the board. You are just in time for appetizers
May 8, 2024 19:25:39 GMT -5
*
Wooferhound: it's Cicada me if its Cicada you
May 8, 2024 20:40:29 GMT -5
1dave: To fix any body problem Just place a spoon on it and tap with another spoon. The WEB has spoken!
May 8, 2024 21:54:09 GMT -5
Welcome to the Rock Tumbling Hobby Forum where we share a love of rocks and a sense of community as enduring as the stones we polish.
The RTH Forum of www.RockTumbling.com is an Amazon Associate site and we earn money from
qualifying purchases you make after clicking on our links such as this
Rock Tumbling Supplies on Amazon
link for instance, or any of our various product ads and banners. By clicking our links every time you begin your Amazon shopping
experience, you are generating a bit of revenue for the forum which helps us cover our expenses. Thank you for your support!