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Post by newbiefromdibley on Jul 23, 2023 16:01:17 GMT -5
I have this tumbler www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0B2DPSGPZ/It's a basic 3Lb capacity rotary tumbler and I've had it about a year The belt broke recently so I replaced it with the spare one provided with the unit. Since then it starts up fine but after a day or so it starts 'grinding' away the surface of the belt, like it's rubbing on something, leaving powder around the 'pulley' area. I took it apart and cleaned what I could (twice now), but I can't see why this is happening or what it could be rubbing on. The wheel that is powered by the motor moves with a bit of a 'clicking' motion when turned manually (imagine turning a volume dial on a radio, where there is a gentle 'click' when you go from one level to the next). I would have expected it to be very smooth when moving around, but I don't know if it was always like that. The moving parts seem to be well oiled still and it's not squeaking at all to suggest it needs more. The pulley wheel seems to be seated vertically above the motor wheel Any suggestions? Thanks very much in advance
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dillonf
fully equipped rock polisher
Hounding and tumbling
Member since February 2022
Posts: 1,595
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Post by dillonf on Jul 23, 2023 20:50:37 GMT -5
newbiefromdibleyI've Had this happen for 3 different reasons on different machines: 1) the belt was loose and was rubbing against the belt cover/guard. 2) the belt got twisted when it was placed on the drive shaft wheel. 3) When the tumbler was overloaded and the belt was struggling to turn the load.
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quartz
Cave Dweller
breakin' rocks in the hot sun
Member since February 2010
Posts: 3,341
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Post by quartz on Jul 23, 2023 21:48:16 GMT -5
Due to the tumbler being variable speed I wonder if the drive motor is a direct current motor with the AC current from the wall being rectified to DC for the motor. DC motors have permanent magnets in them that result in a bit of gentle "notching" as the motor is rolled by hand. Check both pulleys to make sure the grooves are smooth, I've seen a couple plastic pulleys that have ridges crosswise in the grooves from the molding process and not completly cleaned up. A ridge could be chewing on the belt.
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Post by newbiefromdibley on Jul 29, 2023 21:45:15 GMT -5
Thanks everyone. I ordered some new belts and using one of those seems to work more smoothly than using the spare one that came with the tumbler.
I also think my barrel may have been on the heavy side, it was only 70% full, with some ceramic media, but maybe what I was tumbling was putting too big of a load on the motor
Who knows- I'm coming to realize that this tumbling thing is not as easy as it looks!
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stefan
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2005
Posts: 14,095
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Post by stefan on Aug 12, 2023 8:24:18 GMT -5
I get that powdery belt grind on all my tumblers. It is from the plastic pulley ridges. I have cleaned them up and it is a lot less but it still happens. I am still using the original belts on a lot of my machines (5 plus years so far) Just keep an eye on the rpm of the barrel and make sure to keep the load at or under manufactures recommendation.
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dillonf
fully equipped rock polisher
Hounding and tumbling
Member since February 2022
Posts: 1,595
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Post by dillonf on Aug 12, 2023 8:52:52 GMT -5
I tend to overload my QT12 all the time and my poor belt starts shedding!
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skmcconnell361
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since August 2023
Posts: 122
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Post by skmcconnell361 on Aug 12, 2023 11:56:16 GMT -5
I get that powdery belt grind on all my tumblers. It is from the plastic pulley ridges. I have cleaned them up and it is a lot less but it still happens. I am still using the original belts on a lot of my machines (5 plus years so far) Just keep an eye on the rpm of the barrel and make sure to keep the load at or under manufactures recommendation. I had my Nat Geo Hobby tumbler error out on me after 3 weeks of use, I contacted support and they replied back and they are sending me a new unit. At first I thought I had overloaded the barrel and tried to remove some of the media 3 different times. I got it down to less than 1/2 full by volume but it still stop after a minute or so. I still think overloading the Barrel is what brought this issue to light, but support is already sending me a new unit. After reading this thread I now think I can revive the original one, I checked the pulleys and can feel the ridges in fact they feel more like burrs. So I will scrap those down with an exacto knife and clean up with alcohol. The belt is not broken but I can see where it has been worn down I am guessing by the burrs on the pulleys. Thank you Guys
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JR8675309
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since August 2019
Posts: 751
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Post by JR8675309 on Aug 23, 2023 15:30:28 GMT -5
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Post by velodromed on Aug 23, 2023 17:31:15 GMT -5
Thank you for this hack!! When melting the ends together, is it as easy as it sounds, using my soldering set up?
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JR8675309
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since August 2019
Posts: 751
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Post by JR8675309 on Aug 23, 2023 19:12:02 GMT -5
Thank you for this hack!! When melting the ends together, is it as easy as it sounds, using my soldering set up? I'm so glad it helps and Yes it is easy. I used the flat bit on the iron and have an end of the urethane on each side. Heat to temp and the. shove the ends together and hold. I included a video on my other post. one of the posters in that thread suggested a tool to hold each end that closes like scissors to press the ends together. I haven't needed to make a belt since so I just use my hands... or helping hands.
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Post by velodromed on Aug 23, 2023 20:57:54 GMT -5
Thank you for this hack!! When melting the ends together, is it as easy as it sounds, using my soldering set up? I'm so glad it helps and Yes it is easy. I used the flat bit on the iron and have an end of the urethane on each side. Heat to temp and the. shove the ends together and hold. I included a video on my other post. one of the posters in that thread suggested a tool to hold each end that closes like scissors to press the ends together. I haven't needed to make a belt since so I just use my hands... or helping hands. Perfect, you gave me the perfect verbal visual. And I have a fantastic set of helping hands that I built a while back to help me with my other hobby, building high end RC cars lol. I see there’s all different sizes and strengths of the stuff to make any kind of belt needed pretty much. Much appreciated!
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JR8675309
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since August 2019
Posts: 751
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Post by JR8675309 on Aug 23, 2023 21:02:03 GMT -5
velodromed I'm glad that made sense! Would love to see your helping hands build, I make guitar pedals and frequently fall short of hands 😂.
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Post by velodromed on Aug 23, 2023 21:19:57 GMT -5
JR8675309Shore thing! I looked at your name and thought, ‘great now I have to remember a bunch of random numbers’, and then realized, ‘oh hell yeah, I know Jenny’s number by heart!’ This is the set up I use. It’s not the nicest looking thing, but it’s very functional. I call it the octopus. I bought a cheap, three part helping hands off Amazon, took it apart, and attached it to this piece of 2 x 6. Then I drilled holes in the wood to fit different connectors that I use and the helping hands help me hold wires where I need them. I also use these industrial tweezers with its on weighted holder thingy, when needed. Helping Hands Soldering, Third Hand Soldering Tool PCB Holder Flexible Arms Helping Hands Crafts Jewelry Hobby Workshop Helping Station (Y3) a.co/d/9NKQguOQWORK Third Hand Tweezers, Cross Locking Jewelry Welding/Soldering Tweezers with Base 360°Rotation, Jewelry Making Repair Kit a.co/d/1qBsP1E
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JR8675309
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since August 2019
Posts: 751
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Post by JR8675309 on Aug 23, 2023 21:33:28 GMT -5
newbiefromdibley I apologize for blowing up your thread. But I'm guessing the helping hands could help w belt making. velodromed awesome setup and thanks for links! Yes, Jenny's # is easy to remember!
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