fredito
off to a rocking start
Member since May 2016
Posts: 21
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Post by fredito on Sept 11, 2016 20:40:43 GMT -5
I am looking at getting my first tumbler and was wondering if you guys had any suggestions on what to look for or to stay away from for that matter. If you had specific brands or models you thought might be good, that would be great. I do have some rocks that are about 2.5-3 that I would like to be able to tumble, but don't want to break the bank for a couple of rocks...have lots of smaller ones too. Thanks in advance
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dottyt
spending too much on rocks
Member since July 2016
Posts: 305
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Post by dottyt on Sept 11, 2016 21:07:04 GMT -5
I think Lortone is a great brand. They are well made and it is easy to get replacement parts. I would really consider getting a 2 barrel tumbler so you can always be doing Stage 1 (the longest stage) and also be finishing some rocks up in the later stages. Unless you do pre-shaping, you are going to lose so much rock in stage 1 that it will take 2 or three barrels of rocks to have a full barrel of rocks for Stage 2. Also, some rocks will get done with Stage 1 sooner than others. After Stage 1 you will not lose that much material and you can use the same rocks for every other stage. You can use ceramic media to make up the difference, but since my tumbler is very small, I prefer all rocks.
I have a 33B (2- 3 pound barrels), but I am really wishing I had something bigger like a QT66 (2- 6 pound barrels). If you are happy with only doing a few rocks at a time and are sticking to smaller rocks, a 33B is great.
If you are not sure that you will like tumbling you can get a 1 barrel 3A. It is inexpensive, well made, and will certainly nicely polish rocks, it will just take a bit longer. Lots of people here have vibes and I want one too, but they are more of a 2nd tumbler than a sole tumbler as they are not good at Stage 1 rounding and shaping.
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Post by Jugglerguy on Sept 11, 2016 21:14:37 GMT -5
I like Lortones for rotary tumbling and the Lot-O as a vibe. If you're just getting one, I'd get a rotary tumbler because vibratory tumblers are not good for the first stage. Rotary tumblers work for all stages.
I have a Lortone 33B, a Lortone QT66 and a Thumler's A-R2. I love both of the Lortones. I hate the Thumler's. The lids wear out quickly and then leak all over. The lids are also difficult to close and have leaked around the edges a couple of times, making a huge mess. Once the barrel jumped off the base somehow. I have had to replace the rubber lid liners on my Lortones, but only after about three years and they don't make a mess when they wear through.
All of my rotary tumblers have double barrels. They're nice because you get two barrels without having to buy two motors. It also gives you flexibility to run rocks in different stages at the same time or to keep rocks sorted by type in different barrels.
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Post by Jugglerguy on Sept 11, 2016 21:15:52 GMT -5
Dotty posted while I was typing. Looks like we agree!
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dottyt
spending too much on rocks
Member since July 2016
Posts: 305
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Post by dottyt on Sept 11, 2016 21:23:18 GMT -5
Dotty posted while I was typing. Looks like we agree! But Jugglerguy does killer rocks that leave mine in the deep shade so you can totally trust what he says.
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ChicagoDave
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2016
Posts: 720
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Post by ChicagoDave on Sept 12, 2016 7:40:03 GMT -5
I have the Lortone QT-66. I like it since I can run 2 barrels at the same time. I also like the 6lb size on each of them. Not sure what you consider "breaking the bank", though. The Rock Shed sells this model for $189.
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fredito
off to a rocking start
Member since May 2016
Posts: 21
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Post by fredito on Sept 12, 2016 16:37:50 GMT -5
I think a larger 6lb barrel would be nice, how do you go about smaller runs in it such as 8oz of garnets? Can you just run those or do you have to fill it up with other stuff? Thanks again
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salpal48
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since March 2015
Posts: 136
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Post by salpal48 on Sept 12, 2016 17:26:41 GMT -5
Most will agree Lortone "s are the best for The money. . Don't neglect some of The Older Ones If you can fined them. Sears, Star- diamond. Or Highland Park. . New parts and belts are available. . just because there 20-30 years old . they never go bad.
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scottyh
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since November 2007
Posts: 181
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Post by scottyh on Sept 13, 2016 2:23:01 GMT -5
Personally I prefer the Thumler's 15 lb style barrels on my homemade tumblers for my small loads as I have a very serious rock addiction. However, I have seen some very nice tumbles turned out by members of the forum using the smaller Lortone tumblers so while these are not my cup of tea I would have to say people seem to like them and they get really good results with them so as a beginner that's where I would be looking.
Cheers Scott
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ChicagoDave
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2016
Posts: 720
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Post by ChicagoDave on Sept 13, 2016 7:13:41 GMT -5
how do you go about smaller runs in it such as 8oz of garnets? I've never run garnets, but if I had a smaller load I would add some plastic pellets or ceramic media. I've even heard of people using aquarium gravel.
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stonedape
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since July 2016
Posts: 116
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Post by stonedape on Sept 13, 2016 10:59:32 GMT -5
I don't have a lot of money and I am happy with my tumbler. (I am new to this and my tumbler is only a month old but it has run the entire month straight) Grant it I got it for $20 at a store called "Salvage World" but it was new in a box. Harbor Freight sells them for $40-$50 and the brand is Chicago. Apparently they got a bad rap because of the belts would brake or the motor would go out on older models. I have heard they fixed the problems and they get a lot of good feedback from their improvements. It is not as good as the one mentioned above but I don't go all in and by expensive high quality "stuff" until I know it is a hobby I am sticking with.
If I had more disposable income I would get one of the above options.
Just wanted to let you know there were other options. I am probably going to by their Vib this week also.
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fredito
off to a rocking start
Member since May 2016
Posts: 21
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Post by fredito on Sept 13, 2016 12:36:27 GMT -5
Good idea about the pellets or gravel. With a Lortone 6lb do you feel 2-3 fist size rocks would be to much to run at once? Sorry about all my questions, but you guys are a wealth of information.
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Fossilman
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 20,681
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Post by Fossilman on Sept 13, 2016 13:07:37 GMT -5
Buy a Lortone,stay away from Harbor Freight!! I have two Lortones,they run great... My good friend has Harbor Freight,they are always breaking down,he finally put them in the garage and bought three Lortones...
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dottyt
spending too much on rocks
Member since July 2016
Posts: 305
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Post by dottyt on Sept 13, 2016 13:27:23 GMT -5
Good idea about the pellets or gravel. With a Lortone 6lb do you feel 2-3 fist size rocks would be to much to run at once? Sorry about all my questions, but you guys are a wealth of information. You have to make sure the rocks are tumbling around and bumping into each other to get good grinding. Thus the barrel can't be too full or too empty, Lortone recommends 2/3 full. I think most 6 lb. tumblers are about 6 or 7 inches across. If you are talking about a rock that is about 3-4 inches that is not going to result in good grinding action, but it would probably get ground eventually. If you have the barrel and put the rocks in it you can visualize what will move around and what wouldn't to some extent. I do too large pointy rocks in mine. After the points wear down they became much smaller; if they are fist or river rock shaped this is not going to happen so much. In my opinion too you should buy quality equipment. Buying something cheap that breaks costs more in the end. You should be able to resell a Lortone for about 1/2 what you paid, but not too many people will want something that broke before its time.
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Post by Jugglerguy on Sept 13, 2016 14:56:20 GMT -5
Personally I prefer the Thumler's 15 lb style barrels on my homemade tumblers for my small loads as I have a very serious rock addiction. However, I have seen some very nice tumbles turned out by members of the forum using the smaller Lortone tumblers so while these are not my cup of tea I would have to say people seem to like them and they get really good results with them so as a beginner that's where I would be looking. Cheers Scott I'd like to try a larger Thumler's some day. I don't like the small one at all, but I think the bigger ones have a different barrel design. Captain Bob has a bunch of them and seems to be happy with them too. Do the lids wear out quickly?
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scottyh
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since November 2007
Posts: 181
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Post by scottyh on Sept 14, 2016 3:49:09 GMT -5
Never really had a lid problem with the larger barrels. The top rubber seal will wear out but I just buy a sheet of rubber from a specialist supplier and cut my own. I get somewhere between 2-3 years of continuous tumbling out of the upper gasket. Have never worn out a barrel liner yet
Cheers Scott
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stonedape
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since July 2016
Posts: 116
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Post by stonedape on Sept 14, 2016 12:12:46 GMT -5
Buy a Lortone,stay away from Harbor Freight!! I have two Lortones,they run great... My good friend has Harbor Freight,they are always breaking down,he finally put them in the garage and bought three Lortones...
I simply made a suggestion if he didn't have a lot of money its a very good option. From my experience and all of the reviews of Harbor Freight Tumblers they have been overall very good. Yeah in the past they had a problem with a undersized motor on the 2 barrel tumbler but its been remedied. Also if you don't have the wheels lined up you can go through belts but the same exact thing can happen to any tumbler if its not aligned properly. I have read about people with Lortones that have had bad experiences. Even the best machines can have problems if not taken care of.
Actually the reviews of both products are very similar.
Amazon Reviews
Lortone- www.amazon.com/Lortone-3A-Single-Barrel-Tumbler/dp/B000RB16W8/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8
Chicago- www.amazon.com/Chicago-Electric-Power-Tools-67631/dp/B000NOKY2W/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8
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salpal48
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since March 2015
Posts: 136
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Post by salpal48 on Sept 14, 2016 22:04:31 GMT -5
Buy a Lortone,stay away from Harbor Freight!! I have two Lortones,they run great... My good friend has Harbor Freight,they are always breaking down,he finally put them in the garage and bought three Lortones...
I simply made a suggestion if he didn't have a lot of money its a very good option. From my experience and all of the reviews of Harbor Freight Tumblers they have been overall very good. Yeah in the past they had a problem with a undersized motor on the 2 barrel tumbler but its been remedied. Also if you don't have the wheels lined up you can go through belts but the same exact thing can happen to any tumbler if its not aligned properly. I have read about people with Lortones that have had bad experiences. Even the best machines can have problems if not taken care of.
Actually the reviews of both products are very similar.
Amazon Reviews
Lortone- www.amazon.com/Lortone-3A-Single-Barrel-Tumbler/dp/B000RB16W8/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8
Chicago- www.amazon.com/Chicago-Electric-Power-Tools-67631/dp/B000NOKY2W/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8 I have several Lortone and they are Good but have also a Harbor freight and what you said was correct. Mine was Just sloppy Or not put together Good. i realined the Motor and Belt tighten up the Rotor clip and drive rods. Now it runs well . No noise and smooth. . Most people say There Junk and That may be. but I have had mine for 3 years and still running
Sal
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