Skipper
spending too much on rocks
Member since March 2003
Posts: 258
|
Post by Skipper on Sept 23, 2004 13:14:30 GMT -5
We've talked a lot about recharging (when and how much).
In my 3lb barrels I check after about 4/5 days and find that the rocks need more time, but the water is really dirty/sludgy/foamy. There is still grit left in the bottom so no need to recharge.
I pour all the water out and refill it. Sometimes it do it twice to clean more of the sludge out. I do not usually add grit unless I think it really needs it.
Question: Anyone else doing water replacement without grit recharge? Do you find this speeds up the stage at all?
I figure that as the water gets muddier, it likely slows the grinding action.
I only do this in the coarse stage since the grit stays on the bottom when you pour the water out.
|
|
|
Post by krazydiamond on Sept 23, 2004 14:13:11 GMT -5
i may be wrong, but i thought that nice thick sludgy stuff meant that the grit was getting boken down as well as the stones, that the process was indeed working.
when i have a lot of grit stuck to the bottom, i have found that i've done something wrong (over charged, under charged, proportion of stone not right) and try to remedy the problem.
i would have thought that adding water without adding more grit woud actually slow the grinding action....
good question, Skip! i'll be interesting to see the response to this one,
KD
|
|
deepsouth
fully equipped rock polisher
He who rocks last rocks best
Member since January 2004
Posts: 1,256
|
Post by deepsouth on Sept 23, 2004 15:51:38 GMT -5
In all the information I have read about tumbling , I have never come across this idea of recharging the water. If too dry , add a bit . If too wet , take some out.
The finer the grit becomes , the smoother the stones will be .
Jack
|
|
|
Post by docone31 on Sept 23, 2004 18:59:46 GMT -5
I have run water only recharges. I have not found any significant reason to continue. I have not "ruined" the batch, and I did not mind running it longer. I believe it does continue the tumbling process, but how much I am not sure. I did find it was easier to clean between grits with a water only run. It is a water only clean that I would add borax. It seemed to work.
|
|
Skipper
spending too much on rocks
Member since March 2003
Posts: 258
|
Post by Skipper on Sept 23, 2004 22:16:05 GMT -5
Thanks for responses so far!
Just to clarify, I only change the water (sludge) and leave the leftover grit in the bottom. It's not stuck to the bottom, it just settles there when I open the barrel. I see it when I pour off the sludge. This is a "mid-stage" refresh rather than a full recharge. Hope that helps. Still interested to hear if any others do this and whether it speeds the process.
|
|
|
Post by stoner on Sept 24, 2004 1:38:45 GMT -5
Hey Skipper. I sometimes pour off some of the sludge when I'm just checking the progress of the stones, but I add more grit when I refill the water. The reason I do this is because I've noticed the grit left on the bottom of the barrel is pretty much worn out. If you compare it to some new 60/90, you'll find the new stuff has sharper edges. And a slurry will also stick to the rocks better than water, thereby giving you more grinding power. So I think that by not adding fresh grit, you're actually prolonging the process.
Anyone agree, disagree?
Ed
|
|
|
Post by puppie96 on Sept 24, 2004 3:31:02 GMT -5
I'm more likely to have a problem with the mix remaining watery and being very slow in forming slurry. The way I understand it is that you need for it to form a slurry and that's how you know it is working -- the slurry helps the grit adhere to the sides of the rock and do its work. OTOH, in order to avoid this problem, and because others on this board have discussed this, I sometimes do very low water loads and have them end up so thick the stones can't move. Come to think of it, I've just had the same thing occur in a polish barrel with tin oxide polish, and there's not much room there for water, so I don't know what to do. Anyway, it is obvious to add water when too dry. I have done what you do, sort of, in the past and I'm not sure it helps. Now and then I find a lot of grit settling out in the wash water, even though it has gone the appropriate time in the grit, and in that case I pour off the grit into small containers and pour off water as the grit settles, what I end up with, I use when I'm having problems getting a slurry to form, or when halfway through a week in rough grind it already appears that there isn't much sharp grit in there. I check them a lot and shake them a bit when I put them back.
|
|
llanago
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since January 2004
Posts: 1,714
|
Post by llanago on Sept 24, 2004 8:46:25 GMT -5
I had such a problem with grit on the bottom of the barrel, no matter what I did, there was grit on the bottom. I solved the problem by adding less grit than called for. Has worked fine. Rocks get shaped and there's no grit left over. Will probably save a little money in the long run too!
When I did have grit left, I just drained off the excess water and put it back to tumbling. I have also stopped using as much water as they say and that probably helps too.
llana
|
|
Skipper
spending too much on rocks
Member since March 2003
Posts: 258
|
Post by Skipper on Sept 24, 2004 11:01:58 GMT -5
Great advice - thanks all! I'll reduce water and let the sludge rule the day!
|
|
Skipper
spending too much on rocks
Member since March 2003
Posts: 258
|
Post by Skipper on Sept 25, 2004 15:53:23 GMT -5
Now this is weird...I put a load in polish stage (glass/obsidian) and put in water just under the top level of stones.
I let it run and checked one day later. All water gone! Refilled to just under top layer again. Just checked and now there is too much water so I poured some out. Anyone else had this weirdness? I must have a magic tumbler.
|
|
|
Post by krazydiamond on Sept 25, 2004 16:54:26 GMT -5
i have recently encountered that problem using Tin Oxide. what alerted me was the noise of rocks on rock...opened it up and the powder had sucked up all the water, it was like thick biscuit mix. added a llittle water and checked again, added the tiniest bit more and seems to be going ok now.
i have some obsidian in coarse and the foamy slurry ws almost up to the top of th barrel, rabid obsidian....i poured some out as the gas was not coming out of that dense mix at all. i added a bit o borax.
never ceases to amaze me, KD
|
|
Skipper
spending too much on rocks
Member since March 2003
Posts: 258
|
Post by Skipper on Sept 26, 2004 22:06:53 GMT -5
regarding the foam - I had the exact same experience with a glass/obsidian mix. It kept pushing at the lid so I would "burp it" every other day.
Thanks for the tip on the polish - I think you are right that it had just sucked it all up.
|
|
MoonStone
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since August 2004
Posts: 202
|
Post by MoonStone on Sept 27, 2004 0:38:05 GMT -5
I never had to add water (yet). I used to get a lot of foam but now I just add 1 tsb. of borax at the beginning and it apparently stopped the problem. It looks that some rocks produce more foam than others.
|
|