Intheswamp
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Member since September 2015
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Post by Intheswamp on Oct 6, 2015 0:50:24 GMT -5
I know the question in the title sounds like a basic question...but I tend to ask that kind and then complicate it. I'm trying to figure out how much grit and polish to keep on hand. I've already covered my coarse grit with one of Kingsley's 45# box but I have no idea about the finer grits and polishes. The Rockshed's best deals on 220, 500, 1000, and polish are in 5 pound bags. I'll be using this in a Lot-O which I'm told uses very small amounts of grit/polish. I plan on tumbling rocks regularly, not the volume of Chuck or JamesP but plan on tumbling a good many if I can keep enough rough on hand. Would the 5 pound bags compliment the #45 box from Kingsley? Would buying the 5 pound deals be the way to go or will I be buying enough finer grits and polish to last me several lifetimes? I have no idea how long a 5 pound bag of polish would last....I'm figuring that at 1/2-1 teaspoon per load in the Lot-O that there will be enough polish there to last me possibly several years. If I opt for the 5 pound deals my plans are to rebag over half of it to store, keeping a smaller amount out to work with...but it still seems like a lot of grit and polish!!! Any pointers or tips you'd like to share would be welcomed!!!!
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Post by captbob on Oct 6, 2015 1:05:20 GMT -5
I might go with 10 of the 220 (or 120/220 would be cheaper). The finer the grit, the less you will be using as fine cycles usually only take one run while the coarser grits may take several runs before moving on.
5 pounds of polish should last you quite some time (probably years), but probably not "several lifetimes". The 45 pound box of coarse grit will be gone before you use a pound of polish.
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rastageezer
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since December 2013
Posts: 169
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Post by rastageezer on Oct 6, 2015 1:45:01 GMT -5
the Rock Shed ships quickly (if you run out) so the 5 lbs should do you fine on the smaller grits. Coarse depletes faster than you will believe!
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Post by Drummond Island Rocks on Oct 6, 2015 6:33:50 GMT -5
My coarse grit is easy to figure out because I put one pound in each 12 pound barrel every week. Estimate at least one once of stage one grit for every pound of capacity in your rotary barrel and that will get you very close for ordering. So If you have 8 three pound barrels going all the time plan on using 24 pounces of grit every week etc.
Stage 2 for the loto uses about 2 tablespoons per week. My loto's run non stop all year and I use under 5 pounds per year in each one.
Stages 3 (500), 4 (1000), and 5 (polish) in the loto are all 1/2 teaspoon per week and I bought five pounds of each about three years ago and I am still nowhere near running out.
Chuck
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Post by Jugglerguy on Oct 6, 2015 8:07:52 GMT -5
I buy all my grits from The Rock Shed except coarse. My most recent purchase was 50 lbs of 46/70 from Kingsley. I always ask them to ship in large flat rate boxes. The shipping cost on their site is not accurate.
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Post by captbob on Oct 6, 2015 9:13:28 GMT -5
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Post by Noosh9057 on Oct 6, 2015 9:27:09 GMT -5
The Rock Shed mite not always have the best price but there customer service is the best!!!!!! They also ship very fast.
Roger
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Intheswamp
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Member since September 2015
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Post by Intheswamp on Oct 6, 2015 9:36:47 GMT -5
Thanks for the feedback!!!! captbob, there's no benefit from using graded 220 in a vibe? I figured while I was buying it that I'd get the graded...seems I've read where it performs better, but for the life of me I can't remember, nor find, what I read about it.<duh> If there's no benefit from using the graded grit then I'll certainly go the less expensive route. Well, maybe it won't last lifetimes...I just didn't want to be the dude that had a truckload of crushed granite dumped in his driveway to fill a couple of small potholes, if you get where I'm coming from (or going ). rastageezer, I agree with the fast shipping from The Rockshed. The little bit that I've ordered from them has arrived very fast so you make a good point regarding acquisition time and personal stock levels. Chuck, that's some good information and helps me tremendously. I won't be doing as much tumbling as what you apparently do so I think the 5# deals would serve me well for at least a couple of years (finer grits longer than that). If you're only using 5# of 120/220 or 220 grit each year then 5# will be a plenty for me. The finer grits and polishes makes me wonder, though. My biggest concern would be over a period of time exposing them to contamination. I think that if I buy the 5# deals that I'll simply repack portions....maybe in 1 pound bags for safe storage. Considering your usage rates, Chuck, and my anticipated, guestimated usage I may have enough of the fine grits and polish on hand to last a year. I bought a grit pack from The Rockshed that included a pound each of 60/90, 120/220, 500, and polish. I could add a pound of 1000 in there and grab #5 of 120/220 or graded 220 and should be covered for quiet a while. By the time I need more grit maybe I will have figured out my "style" and what the future of rock tumbling is for me and I'll have a better idea of what I need in quantity, quality, and type of grits. At the risk of starting a full-fledged debate...would you go with 120/220 or graded 220? Rob, when I ordered the grit pack from The Rockshed I ordered 5# of 46/70. In the past I've seen where you were using 60/90, have you switched completely to 46/70? Being as I will have a large supply of #80 grit I'm thinking on down the line of starting out with an initial tumble with the 46/70 and subsequent stages with the 60/90 that I have (came in the grit pack) until it runs out...after the 60/90 runs out I'll then move to the #80. I don't know if doing the very coarse grind (#46/70) and then moving to a moderate coarse grind will help things, but doing that will help me use some grit up and get standardized on a single coarse grit size. Thanks again for the feedback!
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Post by captbob on Oct 6, 2015 9:52:13 GMT -5
I don't do vibes Ed, so I can't answer that for ya. Just not in that big a hurry...
Vibes are from the Devil
Looked further at the Kingsley page after I posted and that sale could save everyone here some decent change if in the need for grit.
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Post by Drummond Island Rocks on Oct 6, 2015 9:52:53 GMT -5
I meant to add that my stage one is always 46/70. I tried the deal on 80 grit at Kingsley one time and regretted it. I could not get rid of it fast enough. Using 46/70 for stage one is also why I use 120/220 for stage two. If I were using 80 for stage one then maybe graded 220 for stage two would be OK but the jump from 46/70 all the way to graded 220 is too much for my liking.
Chuck
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Post by Drummond Island Rocks on Oct 6, 2015 9:53:56 GMT -5
That's a good one captain! Chuck
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Intheswamp
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Member since September 2015
Posts: 1,910
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Post by Intheswamp on Oct 6, 2015 10:04:32 GMT -5
I meant to add that my stage one is always 46/70. I tried the deal on 80 grit at Kingsley one time and regretted it. I could not get rid of it fast enough. Using 46/70 for stage one is also why I use 120/220 for stage two. If I were using 80 for stage one then maybe graded 220 for stage two would be OK but the jump from 46/70 all the way to graded 220 is too much for my liking. Chuck <ARRRGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!> Oh well, I've got a box of the #80 coming to me...I'll just have to deal with it. What was the issue with the #80?...simply not aggressive enough and too slow? From your comment and captbob's regarding the graded 220 vs. the 120/220 I can see that the slope from coarse grind to the next stage is much less with the mixed grit of 120/220...the 120 grit being somewhat of a "bridge" size. I'll go with 120/220...that box of #80 still is hard to swallow, though....but, I'll get over/through it.
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Post by Drummond Island Rocks on Oct 6, 2015 10:11:53 GMT -5
I meant to add that my stage one is always 46/70. I tried the deal on 80 grit at Kingsley one time and regretted it. I could not get rid of it fast enough. Using 46/70 for stage one is also why I use 120/220 for stage two. If I were using 80 for stage one then maybe graded 220 for stage two would be OK but the jump from 46/70 all the way to graded 220 is too much for my liking. Chuck <ARRRGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!> Oh well, I've got a box of the #80 coming to me...I'll just have to deal with it. What was the issue with the #80?...simply not aggressive enough and too slow? From your comment and captbob's regarding the graded 220 vs. the 120/220 I can see that the slope from coarse grind to the next stage is much less with the mixed grit of 120/220...the 120 grit being somewhat of a "bridge" size. I'll go with 120/220...that box of #80 still is hard to swallow, though....but, I'll get over/through it. Don't worry too much about your 80 grit purchase. If you are using smaller round barrels you may not notice the difference as much anyway. Larger barrels with the flats inside are more aggressive for roughing and it shows up more. I got frustrated with the 80 and started mixing it 50/50 with 46/70 just to use it up. Chuck
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Intheswamp
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Member since September 2015
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Post by Intheswamp on Oct 6, 2015 10:18:13 GMT -5
Thanks for the encouragement, Chuck. I'll be using round barrels with the largest most likely being 6" ID...*maybe* 8" if I can figure out the cap/lid situation for them.
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Post by Jugglerguy on Oct 6, 2015 10:34:53 GMT -5
I started out using 60/90. Then I ordered 90 lbs of 80 grit from Kingsley. I thought they performed about the same. Chuck convinced me to switch 46/70 and I've noticed a difference. I've only been using it for about a month. The 80 grit will work fine, it's just slower than the 46/70.
I was afraid the 46/70 would be harder on my barrels, but I don't think Chuck has had a problem after several years of use.
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Intheswamp
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Post by Intheswamp on Oct 6, 2015 10:56:14 GMT -5
Apparently I had been convinced of using the 46/70 earlier being as I ordered 5 pounds of it in my initial order to The Rockshed. I think information overload since then made me miscue on ordering the #80 rather than the 46/70. Ah well, I may do as Chuck did and do a half and half with 46/70 for a while or do a 46/70 initial stage and follow-up coarse grinding with #80.
I'll pretty much be using pvc barrels with rubber inner-tube liners in them for my coarse stage so I shouldn't have any worries about wearing them out.
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Intheswamp
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Post by Intheswamp on Oct 6, 2015 10:57:03 GMT -5
...as an added thought, I might just use the 46/70 that I have on the granddaughters' rocks. You know, get them through the stage a little faster for their young attention spans.
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quartz
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breakin' rocks in the hot sun
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Post by quartz on Oct 6, 2015 23:33:48 GMT -5
I run 16 grit, 2wks. then add grit and run another two wks. Then 10 days to 2 wks. of 80 and 220 with cleanouts between grit changes. This in 12" dia. x 12" long blue PVC barrel, 5 lbs. of grit each run. This cycle time uses the grit up to mud. It took ~12 years of run time to wear the 7/16" initial thickness of the barrel down to a bit under 1/8" thick when it cracked. May have lasted longer, but I was running a 7 3/4 lb. rock in it when it failed. My personal impression of much of the above discussion is that it is getting too close to rocket science. Get 46/70, run it to mud, then 220. 80 works fine in a smaller barrel [thinking 6"] too, obviously a little slower than 46/70.
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Intheswamp
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Member since September 2015
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Post by Intheswamp on Oct 7, 2015 9:06:36 GMT -5
(In my feeble mind) I'm figuring that a 12x12 barrel is running about a 55# pound load... ? When you say "5# of grit each run" are you meaning per 10 days to 2 wks or total per grit stage? I'm taking it as per each period of time between clean-out and recharge or change of grit size...?? If I'm right (and I'm probably wrong) about the ~55# load size, then that equates out to about a pound of grit per 11# of rough or around 1.45oz of grit per pound of rough. Remember, I'm on a small scale so I've gotta get it in down to my level. What I need to do now is weigh some measuring spoons full of grit and see what they come up to...then I'll have a pretty close idea of yield per pound. Yes, 6" barrels will pretty much be what I'll be using in the coarse stage. Later on I might try to do something with the ~8" piece of pipe that I have. It sounds like you've gotten excellent mileage out of your pvc barrels. I'm seriously considering lining mine with rubber inner tube material as I have what seems like an endless supply and the only expense would be "Shoe Goo". My reasoning for lining would be for noise reduction and possibly to cushion the stones some as I may one day try ramping the speed up to the 50rpm range. I know it's not rocket science, but it's interesting to me to have a good basis of knowledge to start out with....besides, I feel *confident* that captbob really wants to know this stuff, too. Thanks a lot for the info, quartz, it helps!
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quartz
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breakin' rocks in the hot sun
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Post by quartz on Oct 7, 2015 23:53:33 GMT -5
You have it right, ~55# per load. I run the 16 for 2 wks., open the barrel and add another 5# of grit, then run that for 2 wks. Then cleanup and check for finish to go to next stage. I certainly wouldn't consider you to be either of feeble mind, or probably wrong on anything, respect your interest in establishing a good knowledge base. I find it comforting to do similar on different projects. Provides information base to back up changes in procedure. If you do line your barrel with rubber, be very watchful for delamination of the liner, would make a magnificent grit trap, this learned by experience.
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