gstone
off to a rocking start
Member since April 2015
Posts: 3
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Post by gstone on Apr 1, 2015 8:23:56 GMT -5
I'm new to rock tumbling and have a ultravibe -10 from thumler. I am filling the bowl 3/4 full of rock and ceramic angle cut cylinders, and seem to be getting the correct slurry in the polish stage. Problem is that the bowl is shedding lots of little pieces some of which get embedded in the more crystalline parts of the rocks. This doesn't happen in the 120/220 grit stage. Anybody have this problem?
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tkvancil
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since September 2011
Posts: 1,546
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Post by tkvancil on Apr 1, 2015 8:42:37 GMT -5
Those are little bits of HDPE plastic from the bowl. It gets ground up in the 120/220 so you don't see it until the finer grits/polish. I have seen it imbedded in cracks or softer spots on my rocks. It can be scrubbed out for the most part if not allowed to dry out first.
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,456
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Post by Sabre52 on Apr 1, 2015 9:20:14 GMT -5
Yep, what Ken said. Also, be warned, the 110/220 and coarse grind stages will cut through the bottom of your tubs quite fast, especially if anything impedes proper rotation of the load. Try to make those stages as short as you possibly can unless you like buying replacement barrels which are sometimes hard to obtain. I never do coarse grind in my UV-10 ( use a rotary for that) and keep my fine grind stages to four days at most. Find that greatly extends tub life.....Mel
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Post by captbob on Apr 1, 2015 10:07:04 GMT -5
Just curious...
What is the number stamped on the outside of the bowl bottom? And where did you buy the tumbler?
guessing it is 4
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gstone
off to a rocking start
Member since April 2015
Posts: 3
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Post by gstone on Apr 2, 2015 8:38:46 GMT -5
Thanks for the replies. The coarsest grit I use in the bowl is 120/220. I use a separate bowl for the polish stage. I have added a bit of soap powder and it seems to cushion things a bit better and keeps the black bits off the rock. The bowl doesn't have a number stamped in it, I have 2 bowls and neither one does. They have the blue stripe around the center. I got them and the vibe from Canadian treasure hunter website. Should the rocks be totally crack free before tumbling? Not sure if mine are getting chipped and cracked in the process or if I just notice it more the smoother they get. thanks again
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Post by 150FromFundy on Apr 2, 2015 16:13:05 GMT -5
If you are fussy, there should be no cracks or pits in your tumbles for the vide. Not only will the cracks or pits not polish, they will carry grit from the previous stage to the next stage which can ruin your entire batch. Think of the UV-10 as your finishing tumbler.
I'm not sure 3/4 full is full enough. I fill flush with the top of the center cone. Too much action could be causing cracks or chips. You may need a higher ratio of ceramic pellets (cushion) in the batch.
Darryl.
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gstone
off to a rocking start
Member since April 2015
Posts: 3
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Post by gstone on Apr 3, 2015 9:22:20 GMT -5
Thanks, I will try using more filler next batch and see how that does.
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