celt40
noticing nice landscape pebbles
KNIGHTHOOD FOR JOCK STEIN.
Member since July 2009
Posts: 99
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Post by celt40 on May 22, 2011 9:53:35 GMT -5
I took my second Lot-o batch out yesterday, and noticed that 80% of the rocks had bad fracture lines running through them. Some had split into smaller bits leaving rough edges. As I checked the rocks after each stage the damage has happened either in the polish stage or the last burnishing stage. I followed the recipe of adding both TO & CO to the polishing and I intended to do the final wash by hand. When I had gave the rocks a good wash in warm soapy water there were still alot of Hardened CO in the pits on some of the surfaces. I decided to do a 20min burnish in the Lot-o adding soap flakes Borax and filled the barrel up to the top of the stones with warm water. It was when they had finished and dried that I noticed they were very badly fractured. What do you think I have done wrong??? Through each stage I thought that the level was okay and did not add to the batch, was this a mistake and did the stones get a rougher ride as I put them through the grit stages?? Should I have used plastic pellets to help protect the stones?? Will I have to start the Lot-o stages again and will the stones end up breaking up?? Help needed. Dermot.
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snuffy
Cave Dweller
Member since May 2009
Posts: 4,319
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Post by snuffy on May 22, 2011 11:22:29 GMT -5
I'm running 2 lot-s 24/7 and I have never had that problem. The vibration and movement of the lot-o,no way should any rocks fracture like that.Dont know what to tell you,other than the rocks were possibly fractured before you put them in there.
snuffy
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Post by tntmom on May 22, 2011 11:59:01 GMT -5
I am so sorry to hear that. I've never had that happen in my Lot-O either but I always add ceramics all the way along to keep it full to the top. What kind of stones were they? I have done slag glass before and broken a couple when dumping and rinsing them in a collander with a garden hose on too high of a setting. They broke from the dumping and aggressive rinsing though, not from the Lot-O vibration. Another thing I've noticed is that some peices of quartz have internal fractures all the way along but you just don't see them until they get to polish.
~Krystee
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,466
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Post by Sabre52 on May 22, 2011 14:40:00 GMT -5
Yep. even vibes need a bunch of plastic pellets in the final stages to prevent fracturing. I was surprised in fact, to find my UV-10 seems to be rougher on rocks in polish and final burnish than the 33B rotary was.....Mel
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celt40
noticing nice landscape pebbles
KNIGHTHOOD FOR JOCK STEIN.
Member since July 2009
Posts: 99
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Post by celt40 on May 23, 2011 8:27:20 GMT -5
I do think that I did not keep this batch as full as the first one. Krystee You might have a point about the way I handle the stones when changing grits and washing. I also washed them with the full pressure of my garden hose. Now I have plumbed a sink and tap into my shed that runs to drain, this will make cleaning less of a sunami for the poor stones. I had mostly Agates and some great looking Jaspers Mel I will fill up with plastic pellets on the next batch.
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Post by Jack ( Yorkshire) on May 24, 2011 3:16:25 GMT -5
Hi Dermot,
Sorry to hear that I havent had any problem like that.
DONT put the wast down the drains or it will set like concrete
When you re fill the bottle do you fill it with water first so the rocks drop lightly ?
I just wash in a bowl After all if there is a bit of grit left it is the same stage (Broken down stage ) as what is going back in ! ! ! right ?
I fill the bowl switch on the Lot"O", they shake down then add a few more for the first run make sure it is really full ,(but they run ok ) so at the next stage it is still full after the slight rock loss of stage two 220Grit
If you had some larger rocks in the bottom first they could have filled the bottle up always run to shake the small around into the hole between the big rocks,
Plastic Pellets You might be better off with Cermic fillers in a vibe people say ?
Keep on all part of the learning process,
Jack Yorkshire uk
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celt40
noticing nice landscape pebbles
KNIGHTHOOD FOR JOCK STEIN.
Member since July 2009
Posts: 99
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Post by celt40 on May 24, 2011 17:43:09 GMT -5
John I think I have worked out what has happened to the stones. With this batch they were all big rocks, untill I took Maxwell My (silver hammer) to reduce them into lots of small broken rough rock. Some of them were tuff and they had to get hit a few times till the broke down in size. I might have damaged them without knowing. The waste I flush through a pipe to outside of my shed, this just goes to ground. Dermot.
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Post by Jack ( Yorkshire) on May 25, 2011 2:20:36 GMT -5
Hi Dermot Phew I had visions of you digging up the blocked sewer pipe ! !
Note Borax and plants dont agree
I answered your new thread befor I saw your answer above
We came to the same conclusion
have a great day
jack
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Post by frane on May 25, 2011 14:37:06 GMT -5
I did have a quartz batch damage themselves pretty badly in the final burnish in the vibe. Not enough ceramic filler and too much water was my problem so they were slamming against each other when it first started running. I now hold out the preforms until everything is running smoothly, the ivory snow has coated all the stones and filler in the vibe with which ever grit or burnish it is in and then I add preforms one at a time, gently. It works pretty good so far. Fran
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