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Post by glennz01 on Sept 11, 2014 16:58:27 GMT -5
Well i will be doing something temporarily like that (probably with a heavy duty trash bag.... but i know a few people that might be able to make me a metal hood part. They are on the slope and out of phone range / contact now.
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Post by glennz01 on Sept 21, 2014 19:37:48 GMT -5
Tomorrow I get to see how my new 40 lb capacity tumbler did... Depending on what it did i may not make a new tutorial section for it
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Post by glennz01 on Sept 21, 2014 19:39:09 GMT -5
Quick fix on the saw hood= visquine + duct tape. Well i have that as a temp fix now... Doesn't work all that good... need to have a metal cover made some time.
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Post by captbob on Sept 25, 2014 11:39:27 GMT -5
Tomorrow I get to see how my new 40 lb capacity tumbler did... Depending on what it did i may not make a new tutorial section for it So... how's that 40 pound tumbler workin' out for ya? Gotta be one expensive date to keep fed! From your post time stamps (from different threads), it looks like you've had a load in your new 40 pound tumbler for ... 6 days? (at the time of post above) I must be doing something wrong, most of my tumbler batches take months. maybe I'm preparing them wrong, or I need me some of that coal slag ... My methods are improvements of the basic tumbling methods everyone uses, granted some can only be done in large tumblers like mine most likely How are your "improved methods" different due to tumbler size? I'm looking forward to seeing some of your "improved method" finished tumbles.
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Post by glennz01 on Sept 25, 2014 11:57:01 GMT -5
The new tumbler works great, rounds stuff off very fast which would normally take 2 weeks in my other tumbler... Adding in coal slag with your regular grit does help a lot for most stones on the rough stage (its basically like a volcanic glass that keeps breaking down).
Next week i will probably have enough to put the rock in with stage 2 grit.. I'm not sure how long i will have to run stage 2 to become smooth, i'm hoping just a week for most of it.
This tumbler spins about 3 times faster than a small tumblers ar-12 or lower model (not sure about the 15) so the times should be a lot less to tumble.
the improved method will probably be dealing with stage 1 and 2 a lot more, different additives to the grit. I have tried garnet sandblast media in my ar-12 and it doesn't help nearly as much as the slag did.
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Post by captbob on Sept 25, 2014 11:59:58 GMT -5
How many revolutions per minute is your new tumbler turning?
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Post by glennz01 on Sept 25, 2014 12:19:11 GMT -5
I can't find how many revs per minute it turns online, but i can easily find out before i clean it out on monday. It has a 1/3 HP motor if that gives you an idea.
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vugs
starting to spend too much on rocks
Rockbiter
Member since February 2014
Posts: 225
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Post by vugs on Sept 25, 2014 13:49:47 GMT -5
I can't find how many revs per minute it turns online, but i can easily find out before i clean it out on monday. It has a 1/3 HP motor if that gives you an idea. Horsepower has nothing to do with RPM's.. The motor should say what RPM it turns at somewhere on it unless it has worn off but you also have to factor in the pulleys to determine the RPM. I dont have a ton of tumbling experience but i would assume a 40# capacity barrel spinning at a higher revolution would indeed cut down the overall time on each stage but would lead to more chipping/breakage overall as well. I would like to see your improved methods as well because through the years plenty of experimenting has gone on with tumbling methods and personally i dont think it can get much better than the results some of the members get here. Looking forward to seeing your results.
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Post by glennz01 on Sept 25, 2014 14:24:35 GMT -5
The resaults can't get much better but the methods mostly decrease or help to decrease stage 1 and 2 times.
I will probably be using the AR-12 as a polish only unit for the reason of chipping
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Sept 25, 2014 17:08:19 GMT -5
[Friendly encouragement] again
Glenn;
How old are you? 20 you say?
Dude; there are people here who have been tumbling twice (maybe 3X!) that long. I can assure you, the snark you might be sensing is based on your bravado.
My encouragement: Think about it.
How long have you tumbled? How many batches complete? Have you even finished a single batch?
When people three times (almost 4X!!) your age see these kinds of statements with so little experience, well.... they get snarky.
You say you are a college student.
This website is post graduate learning for lapidary principles and we have the best professors in the world here. All you have to do is be humble. Right friendly folks indeed. You walk with giants here. I encourage you to sit back and notice that.
[/Friendly encouragement]
BTW, I learn new stuff everyday from these folks. I am still being schooled. I admit to 4 years of cutting rocks. I'll probably never stop learning.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Sept 25, 2014 17:11:27 GMT -5
Oh... and as for RPM, that is revolutions per minute. Get a watch and count how many times your tumbler rotates in one minute. That will tell you the RPM's. No need to read motors and measure pulleys. That is for the real technical folks. (sorry vugs!) For the purpose of this discussion it is good to know the diameter of your barrel and how many times it spins in a minute. Easy peasy thank you pleasey.
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vugs
starting to spend too much on rocks
Rockbiter
Member since February 2014
Posts: 225
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Post by vugs on Sept 25, 2014 17:19:37 GMT -5
Oh... and as for RPM, that is revolutions per minute. Get a watch and count how many times your tumbler rotates in one minute. That will tell you the RPM's. No need to read motors and measure pulleys. That is for the real technical folks. (sorry vugs!) For the purpose of this discussion it is good to know the diameter of your barrel and how many times it spins in a minute. Easy peasy thank you pleasey. if you're calling me "technical folk".. i'll take that, haha!
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Post by glennz01 on Sept 26, 2014 2:02:33 GMT -5
[Friendly encouragement] again Glenn; How old are you? 20 you say? Dude; there are people here who have been tumbling twice (maybe 3X!) that long. I can assure you, the snark you might be sensing is based on your bravado. My encouragement: Think about it. How long have you tumbled? How many batches complete? Have you even finished a single batch? When people three times (almost 4X!!) your age see these kinds of statements with so little experience, well.... they get snarky. You say you are a college student. This website is post graduate learning for lapidary principles and we have the best professors in the world here. All you have to do is be humble. Right friendly folks indeed. You walk with giants here. I encourage you to sit back and notice that. [/Friendly encouragement] BTW, I learn new stuff everyday from these folks. I am still being schooled. I admit to 4 years of cutting rocks. I'll probably never stop learning. I realize that and i am fully aware that everyone knows the process... I have used the process for many years since my first 3 lb tumbler.. however have you ( referring to the reader ) considered that there might be a faster way to shape the rocks that could take weeks off the tumbling process? Have you ever experimented by putting pure carbide in your tumbler which can be reused for multiple loads due to the fact it does not break down or round, and costs around $25+ per pound. Do you know how to get a windblown polish taking off the oxidation but not rounding off the rocks much. While i agree that stage 3 and 4 can only be altered in duration of tumble (longer for better polish), I don't agree that stage 1 and 2 can't be improved. You may be great at tumbling and have done it for 60 years using the same method... without trying other methods / materials how do you know that your (and the standard) method is the best and there are no methods that are better than that method. experience is good... but just because you have the most experience doesn't mean you are the best at it... If i didn't know what i was doing i would not have bought a 40 lb capacity tumbler, it would just be a money drainer. With rock cutting anyone with or without experience can put a rock in a vice, turn the machine on, have autofeed cut the rock... and you will not be able to tell the difference between a beginners cut and someone who has been cutting for 70 years... the only experience in cutting is knowing where and what angle to cut the rock to get the best design.. and possibly cutting large rocks on a 10 inch saw only by using your hands to feed the rock through like some people do.
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Post by glennz01 on Sept 26, 2014 2:04:09 GMT -5
Oh... and as for RPM, that is revolutions per minute. Get a watch and count how many times your tumbler rotates in one minute. That will tell you the RPM's. No need to read motors and measure pulleys. That is for the real technical folks. (sorry vugs!) For the purpose of this discussion it is good to know the diameter of your barrel and how many times it spins in a minute. Easy peasy thank you pleasey. exactly what i was going to do... accept i hoped online had the answer.
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Post by Drummond Island Rocks on Sept 26, 2014 4:40:49 GMT -5
rpm's are easy to figure out. it only takes a minute
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azgnoinc
spending too much on rocks
Member since March 2014
Posts: 484
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Post by azgnoinc on Sept 26, 2014 7:33:30 GMT -5
[Friendly encouragement] again Glenn; How old are you? 20 you say? Dude; there are people here who have been tumbling twice (maybe 3X!) that long. I can assure you, the snark you might be sensing is based on your bravado. My encouragement: Think about it. How long have you tumbled? How many batches complete? Have you even finished a single batch? When people three times (almost 4X!!) your age see these kinds of statements with so little experience, well.... they get snarky. You say you are a college student. This website is post graduate learning for lapidary principles and we have the best professors in the world here. All you have to do is be humble. Right friendly folks indeed. You walk with giants here. I encourage you to sit back and notice that. [/Friendly encouragement] BTW, I learn new stuff everyday from these folks. I am still being schooled. I admit to 4 years of cutting rocks. I'll probably never stop learning. I realize that and i am fully aware that everyone knows the process... I have used the process for many years since my first 3 lb tumbler.. however have you ( referring to the reader ) considered that there might be a faster way to shape the rocks that could take weeks off the tumbling process? Have you ever experimented by putting pure carbide in your tumbler which can be reused for multiple loads due to the fact it does not break down or round, and costs around $25+ per pound. Do you know how to get a windblown polish taking off the oxidation but not rounding off the rocks much. While i agree that stage 3 and 4 can only be altered in duration of tumble (longer for better polish), I don't agree that stage 1 and 2 can't be improved. You may be great at tumbling and have done it for 60 years using the same method... without trying other methods / materials how do you know that your (and the standard) method is the best and there are no methods that are better than that method. experience is good... but just because you have the most experience doesn't mean you are the best at it... If i didn't know what i was doing i would not have bought a 40 lb capacity tumbler, it would just be a money drainer. With rock cutting anyone with or without experience can put a rock in a vice, turn the machine on, have autofeed cut the rock... and you will not be able to tell the difference between a beginners cut and someone who has been cutting for 70 years... the only experience in cutting is knowing where and what angle to cut the rock to get the best design.. and possibly cutting large rocks on a 10 inch saw only by using your hands to feed the rock through like some people do. You entirely missed the point of what @shotgunner was saying to you Glenn - take a moment and let this part of his statement sink in "All you have to do is be humble. Right friendly folks indeed. You walk with giants here." No one wants to see you suceed in your experiments more than all of us other rockhounds, new and veteran, cause if it works then we all get to share in that knowledge - but tried and true methods are just that, and there have been plenty tried before you or I were even walking the planet. Don't take this as a knock, cause I for one am following this very closely in the hopes that what you are doing DOES work better & faster, though only time will tell if your methodology becomes tried and true. Good luck & keep us posted.
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vugs
starting to spend too much on rocks
Rockbiter
Member since February 2014
Posts: 225
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Post by vugs on Sept 26, 2014 8:02:29 GMT -5
You may be great at tumbling and have done it for 60 years using the same method... without trying other methods / materials how do you know that your (and the standard) method is the best and there are no methods that are better than that method. experience is good... but just because you have the most experience doesn't mean you are the best at it... If i didn't know what i was doing i would not have bought a 40 lb capacity tumbler, it would just be a money drainer. With rock cutting anyone with or without experience can put a rock in a vice, turn the machine on, have autofeed cut the rock... and you will not be able to tell the difference between a beginners cut and someone who has been cutting for 70 years... the only experience in cutting is knowing where and what angle to cut the rock to get the best design.. and possibly cutting large rocks on a 10 inch saw only by using your hands to feed the rock through like some people do. Man, I guess being humble is out of the question haha? Maybe you dont realize that some of the things you are saying are insulting but to insinuate anyone can cut perfect slabs no experience necessary is insulting. You say theres no difference between a beginners cut and a cut made by someone cutting for 70yrs but i disagree. For example, in your slabbing thread the green rock in your lastest pic clearly has a large edge on it. To me that would be a sign of a less experienced saw operator versus an experienced saw operator. And do you really think someone who has been tumbling rocks for many years hasnt experimented with a ton of techniques? C'mon now.. Trial and error is how these tried and true methods were realized.
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panamark
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since September 2012
Posts: 1,343
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Post by panamark on Sept 26, 2014 8:57:27 GMT -5
Have you ever experimented by putting pure carbide in your tumbler which can be reused for multiple loads due to the fact it does not break down or round, and costs around $25+ per pound. Please do tell. Would that be tungsten carbide, silicon carbide, calcium carbide, or what? There is no thing that I know of that is simply "pure carbide".
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Sept 26, 2014 9:21:50 GMT -5
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Sept 26, 2014 9:23:46 GMT -5
Have you ever experimented by putting pure carbide in your tumbler which can be reused for multiple loads due to the fact it does not break down or round, and costs around $25+ per pound. Please do tell. Would that be tungsten carbide, silicon carbide, calcium carbide, or what? There is no thing that I know of that is simply "pure carbide". hahahahahahaha!! Calcium Carbide it is. The synergy with the water we use to make slurry is unequalled.
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