leisa
off to a rocking start
Member since January 2015
Posts: 16
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Post by leisa on Jan 3, 2015 11:56:32 GMT -5
My name is Leisa. I have a QT-6 and a Thumler Model T that were given to me (Currently both in use).
I either tumble rough rock I have purchased or rocks my kids and I have found on beaches in RI or on Lake Superior (which we visit during the summer). My daughter will sometimes turn the finished rocks into jewelry. Mainly, my kids and I enjoy the process of finding rocks and seeing how interesting they look.
I am looking to add another tumbler (possibly one with 2 three pound barrels or a tumbler with a 4 lb capacity) - probably from The Rock Shed.
But, the more reviews I read on Lortone vs. Thumler, the more confused I get as to which might be best for me. I understand it is ultimately a personal preference, but given my lack of mechanical know - how, I am trying to figure out which tumbler might be the more reliable.
Thank you in advance for advice/suggestions.
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Post by roy on Jan 3, 2015 12:22:40 GMT -5
welcome some of our expert tumblers will be along soon and help you out i dont tumble much so i wouldnt have much of good opinion
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tkvancil
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since September 2011
Posts: 1,546
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Post by tkvancil on Jan 3, 2015 15:54:51 GMT -5
Welcome Leisa.
I own two of the double 3# Lortone tumblers (model 33b). I routinely run them heavy, 7 to 8 pounds total, and they have held up well. I have replaced the motors in both. One simply ran out of life, 4 years running 24/7/365. The other was my fault for over tightening the belt. The barrels are well made and don't leak. Frame is strong and the unit is pretty quiet. I like mine a lot. Hope this helps and happy tumbling to you and the kids.
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Post by johnjsgems on Jan 3, 2015 15:55:42 GMT -5
If you can deal with the barrel retainer on the Model T go for the AR2 Thumlers. It has a real motor not a skeleton frame motor like the T and I believe the Lortone smaller tumblers. Back when I was a dealer the Thumlers belts were much better too. Welcome to the forum too.
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Post by Jugglerguy on Jan 3, 2015 18:42:48 GMT -5
I think what you really need is a vibratory tumbler. I have a Lot-O and I love it. People who have Thumler's vibratory tumblers love theirs too. I chose the Lot-O because it is smaller (4.5 lbs.) and it takes me a long time to rough tumble enough to fill it. A larger vibratory would have taken forever for me to fill.
With a vibratory tumbler, you only need a small amount of grit and it finishes rocks very quickly. You can do all the stages after rough tumbling (which is better done in a rotary like you have) in a week or two. Here's what I do in my Lot-O
2 TBSP 220 grit - two days 1/2 tsp 500 grit - two days 1/2 tsp 1000 grit - two days 1/2 tsp Aluminum Oxide polish - two days
I also use 1 TBSP of either Dreft laundry soap or borax in each of the above stages.
The savings in grit and electricity make a Lot-O a great deal.
By the way, welcome to the forum. I also enjoy collecting on Lake Superior. I pick up a lot of unakite. It polishes really well and is fairly plentiful around Grand Marais, MI.
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leisa
off to a rocking start
Member since January 2015
Posts: 16
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Post by leisa on Jan 4, 2015 13:40:30 GMT -5
Welcome Leisa. I own two of the double 3# Lortone tumblers (model 33b). I routinely run them heavy, 7 to 8 pounds total, and they have held up well. I have replaced the motors in both. One simply ran out of life, 4 years running 24/7/365. The other was my fault for over tightening the belt. The barrels are well made and don't leak. Frame is strong and the unit is pretty quiet. I like mine a lot. Hope this helps and happy tumbling to you and the kids. Thank you for the reply. Good to know that they will still work if the total happens to go above 6 lbs. I had been trying out a "recipe" I found on the board about recharging with grit (and rough rock) every few days, but I forgot about the conservation of matter law. Didn't remember that no mass would be lost and adding more rock would add more weight. Took me a while to realize why the barrel (the 6# barrel) seemed both empty (rock volume wise) and heavy. I am having a tough time smoothing out some carnelian rough we had bought this summer. This is week 5 in stage 1. Still many nooks and crannies. Will scrub them out as best I can. My kids like how the holes/creases add uniqueness to each rock. That is more important than a perfectly polished one. I consider myself lucky that my kids (25 and soon to be 23) look at nature rather than smartphones. Thanks again.
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leisa
off to a rocking start
Member since January 2015
Posts: 16
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Post by leisa on Jan 4, 2015 13:43:26 GMT -5
If you can deal with the barrel retainer on the Model T go for the AR2 Thumlers. It has a real motor not a skeleton frame motor like the T and I believe the Lortone smaller tumblers. Back when I was a dealer the Thumlers belts were much better too. Welcome to the forum too. Thanks for the input. I watched a video on youtube recently that showed the best way to put the lid on the Model T barrel. That made life much simpler with regards to the retaining ring. Also, showed how squeezing the sides of the barrel "popped" off the lid. The wonders of youtube.
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leisa
off to a rocking start
Member since January 2015
Posts: 16
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Post by leisa on Jan 4, 2015 14:16:30 GMT -5
By the way, welcome to the forum. I also enjoy collecting on Lake Superior. I pick up a lot of unakite. It polishes really well and is fairly plentiful around Grand Marais, MI. Interesting you should mention Grand Marais, MI since unakite is currently in one of the tumblers. We also collected many pieces of churt. We spent a week in Grand Marais last summer, but unfortunately we were fogged in most of the time. It was our first trip to the Eastern side of the UP. And without 4 wheel drive, we were limited in where we could go (beach wise). We are still hopeful we will someday find a Lake Superior agate (on our own) which is bigger than a speck, even though we can only get there during the summer. Thanks for your input re:purchasing a tumbler. I was not familiar with vibrating tumblers before and will do some more research. Leisa
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Post by Jugglerguy on Jan 4, 2015 16:05:39 GMT -5
There was only one place we went where we sort of needed four wheel drive. I was in a Jeep, but I don't even know if I ever put it into four wheel drive. If you he'd east out of Grand Marais, the road is rough, but good. There's a rustic campground with a parking lot on the east side. If you park there, you can walk the beach for miles. There's also a new roadside park west of Grand Marais. I don't know if that's more regulated for rock picking, but we found a small agate there.
Karen in the agate museum in Grand Marais hands out a list of about six locations with directions.
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Post by snowmom on Jan 7, 2015 5:58:46 GMT -5
welcome!
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