johnnymac1969
starting to spend too much on rocks
I Like A Rolling Stone
Member since January 2016
Posts: 139
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Post by johnnymac1969 on Apr 28, 2016 16:57:06 GMT -5
9 out of 10 times, I have no issues. Everything goes perfectly. Then every once in awhile, I have this happen… ALL of the grit gets stuck on the bottom. When this happens, I add a little hot water, a drop of Dawn, leaving the lid off for 5-10mins, etc, etc, etc. Nothing has ever worked to "free" the grit besides a total empty and rinse. This only happens with 120/220.
Here is my method of filling the vibe: - fill with various sized rocks and ceramic media - fill with cold water - swish around to ensure all of the rocks are wet - put my hand over the top and turn upside down, letting the water pour out through my fingers (just until it stops "gushing" out) - place on machine and add grit - put on the lid and plug in - check on it after about 10mins to ensure grit is being distributed and rocks look wet - if all looks good, which it usually does, I add a drop of Dawn to help distribute the grit
Any advice/info would be appreciated!
Thanks, John
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Post by Jugglerguy on Apr 28, 2016 17:07:00 GMT -5
I'm not sure what's causing your problem, but it's never happened to me. I can tell you what I do differently.
I fill with water before adding rocks. I'm confused about how you could fill with water and then swish it around to make sure the rocks are wet. If the Lot-O is actually filled with water and the rocks are submerged, how could they not be wet?
I dump out the water in a similar way, but I let it drip until not much at all is coming out. I wait after the gushing stops.
I turn on the machine before adding grit. The machine is running, the rocks are rolling, and then I slowly pour two full tablespoons of grit over the rocks. So the grit is distributed right away. I think this and too much water may be your biggest problem.
The only time I add Dawn is about 10 minutes before a clean out. I add Borax at the beginning of the stages after the 220 stage.
Something that I'm doing different causes me to have no problem. Not sure what, but give my method a try and see how it goes.
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taryn
starting to shine!
Member since March 2016
Posts: 38
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Post by taryn on Apr 28, 2016 17:34:32 GMT -5
I've only done this twice so no expertise here... But I do everything the same as what you listed except for the dawn and haven't had that problem. People seem to recommend the dawn to help wash the grit off at the end of the cycle - maybe it's washing the grit off rather than helping to distribute it?
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johnnymac1969
starting to spend too much on rocks
I Like A Rolling Stone
Member since January 2016
Posts: 139
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Post by johnnymac1969 on Apr 28, 2016 17:51:05 GMT -5
Thanks, Rob!
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johnnymac1969
starting to spend too much on rocks
I Like A Rolling Stone
Member since January 2016
Posts: 139
|
Post by johnnymac1969 on Apr 28, 2016 17:55:19 GMT -5
I'm not sure what's causing your problem, but it's never happened to me. I can tell you what I do differently. I fill with water before adding rocks. I'm confused about how you could fill with water and then swish it around to make sure the rocks are wet. If the Lot-O is actually filled with water and the rocks are submerged, how could they not be wet? I dump out the water in a similar way, but I let it drip until not much at all is coming out. I wait after the gushing stops. I turn on the machine before adding grit. The machine is running, the rocks are rolling, and then I slowly pour two full tablespoons of grit over the rocks. So the grit is distributed right away. I think this and too much water may be your biggest problem. The only time I add Dawn is about 10 minutes before a clean out. I add Borax at the beginning of the stages after the 220 stage. Something that I'm doing different causes me to have no problem. Not sure what, but give my method a try and see how it goes. Thanks, Rob. I came up with my method by watching this video on RockTumbler.com Update… about 5mins after posting this thread, I began thinking that I was leaving too much water in the barrel and went out and drained it of almost all of the water. And guess what? It began distributing grit! My brain finally figured out that the excessive water was carrying the grit to the bottom and trapping it there. Duh. The reason that I plug it in after I add grit is because the instructions that came with it specifically say to NEVER add grit while it is running. I figured that was due to the chance of it getting into the motor. I read somewhere that a drop of Dawn helps distribute the grit, and it seems to work. And I have learned, through trial and error, that foaming hand soap does a better job (than Dawn) of cleaning the rocks of grit right before a rinse. Thanks again, John p.s. - and thanks again for the advice about filling in the bottom of the barrels with epoxy! I can imagine what a pain the a** that is to clean out. And thanks to you, I've never had to
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Post by Jugglerguy on Apr 28, 2016 18:05:37 GMT -5
I just watched the video. I would never add 1/2 capful of water to a running tumbler unless I was about to do a cleanup. If mine gets dry, I squirt in water from a squirt bottle slowly. I give it a shot or two and give it a few seconds to react. If it needs more, I squirt and wait again. It's much easier to add water than to remove it, so I go slowly.
I think they recommend not adding grit while it's running because of the fans. If you don't cup your hand around the spoon, the fans could blow it back in your face. I always block the air and add while it's running.
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johnnymac1969
starting to spend too much on rocks
I Like A Rolling Stone
Member since January 2016
Posts: 139
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Post by johnnymac1969 on Apr 28, 2016 18:18:52 GMT -5
I tried it once or twice and it was never a good idea. I now do the same as you, a squirt or two of water and wait and see. And you're 100% correct… it is much easier to add than remove.
I recently started adding grit while it's running and noticed the same thing about the fans blowing it towards me, and away from the motor.
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