69beeper
spending too much on rocks
Member since August 2004
Posts: 377
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Post by 69beeper on Oct 4, 2004 11:29:34 GMT -5
Went to the city this weekend and found a shop that sells 35/70 grit. I picked up a couple pounds.
Anyone familar with this grade of grit? Can I use it in place of 60/90 and go strait to 120/220 afterwards?
Also, I was thinking about the possibly of using it for the first 2-4 weeks on some botswana that I have. Then maybe switching to 60/90 to finish the shaping stage?? Would this speed things up?
Jimmy
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Post by krazydiamond on Oct 4, 2004 15:09:58 GMT -5
it sure would make sense, especially with those dang hard as a rock botswana agates....i don't see that would hurt, but i've never tried it.....i have some gnarly old grit that my dad uses for sandblasting, and i dont' even know the grade, but, i might try it...!!
let us know if you do! KD
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Post by connrock on Oct 4, 2004 19:55:42 GMT -5
Hi Jimmy, Yes you can use the #35/70 grit for roughing. In 7-10 days it should break down to about #70/140. Tom
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69beeper
spending too much on rocks
Member since August 2004
Posts: 377
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Post by 69beeper on Oct 5, 2004 15:36:28 GMT -5
Started the botswana last night with #35/70. Thanks! Jimmy
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Post by krazydiamond on Oct 5, 2004 16:51:26 GMT -5
do keep us apprised of your progress, pros and cons!
thanks, KD
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Post by puppie96 on Oct 5, 2004 22:33:48 GMT -5
Not to rain on the parade or anything, but I also once bought some coarser grit and didn't have much luck with it. Basically it stayed watery and didn't grind down into a slurry. Later on, I read a bunch of tumbler info and basically found many references to this problem, recommending that 60/90 was about as coarse as you can effectively go, otherwise, instead of sticking to the rocks like it needs to, it will be too heavy and just sink in the water and not do its work. The same holds true for vibe tumblers, where they tell you that going lower than 100/120 will not give a better result.
Like I said, not to be a downer or anything, but if I think I might know something I might as well put it out there....
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Post by stoner on Oct 6, 2004 1:23:48 GMT -5
You're right Puppie. At the speed that these tumblers turn, the coarser grits are ineffective. I think it was James who discovered that you can use the coarser grit if you have a tumbler set up to run at a higher RPM. I've tried the 45-70 grit, and it was still fresh after 2 weeks(and laying on the bottom). I've even tried mixing it with 60-90 thinking it might somehow blend and work in conjunction with it, but after a week, the 60-90 was ready to be dumped and the 45-70 was laying on the bottom.
Sorry beeper, but that has been my experience. Good luck and let us know how it works for you.
Ed
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69beeper
spending too much on rocks
Member since August 2004
Posts: 377
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Post by 69beeper on Oct 6, 2004 11:47:48 GMT -5
Now you tell me... .. heh Thanks for the info! The shop I bought it from sells it in 1lb and 5lb cans. They also sell the Lortone brand grits (and tumblers/parts), but said this was their best seller. I figured it was worth a try, always like to experiment anyway. ;D Jimmy
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Post by puppie96 on Oct 7, 2004 4:17:55 GMT -5
Well, it was a big pain in the butt, but I did manage to get a slurry eventually. I kept throwing recycled grit and tiny gravel into the barrel. Eventually something will start to work at thickening it up, and once that happens, there's a better chance that the coarsest grit will start to work. Patience is such a problem, if you do this, you have to hang in there until you get the classic gray sludgy crap and not water with grit in it, and once you get the gray crap, you have to wait patiently for some number of days for it to work. If you stay patient, it will, eventually.
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Post by connrock on Oct 7, 2004 18:56:32 GMT -5
Hi guys n gals,, James and I use #30 grit and have fantastic results with it. Our roughing tumblers run at twice the speed of a normal tumbler but #30 will work in the slower models as well. The trick is to use MUCH less water and you have to check the slury more often cause it get's real thick real fast. Try it,,,,,,,,You'll like it!! Tom
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birdseed
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since September 2004
Posts: 167
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Post by birdseed on Oct 8, 2004 5:58:00 GMT -5
Grit works upon itself twice as fast as it does the rock--that is-a 35/70 grit will break down much faster than a graded grit (60)-you will actually get 1/2 or less the grinding benefit from using ungraded grits....
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