Welcome to the Rock Tumbling Hobby Forum where we share a love of rocks and a sense of community as enduring as the stones we polish.
The RTH Forum of www.RockTumbling.com is an Amazon Associate site and we earn money from
qualifying purchases you make after clicking on our links such as this
Rock Tumbling Supplies on Amazon
link for instance, or any of our various product ads and banners. By clicking our links every time you begin your Amazon shopping
experience, you are generating a bit of revenue for the forum which helps us cover our expenses. Thank you for your support!
If you cannot see Amazon ad banners directly below this text, please whitelist this site in your ad blocker(s). The ads below have been hand-selected for relevant content, and your patronage directly benefits this forum community, thanks!
Thanks Dotty. I've just got the cheapo HF, saving for a Lortone QT66. You're right that I probably should have gave it more polish time. I didn't have any borax which lots of people use in the last steps.
#15 is from an old patio paver that is flagstone or marble. Soft stuff & wont take a high polish so I put some baby oil on them.
Apologies for the poor quality pics, haven't had a digital camera in years. Not satisfied with the shine in this batch, may run again. 123456789101112131415 any guesses on this, hint - I cheated
Not an engineer but would a larger diameter barrel make for a more aggressive tumble?
Yes.
I have tried 6-8-10 inch diameters.
6 inch can run 55 rpm with thickish slurry without damaging rocks 8 inch 45 RPM 10 inch 30 RPM
All those are a bit fast. Too fast for obsidian. Fine for hard stones.
I prefer 6 inch(Inside diameter) at 55 RPM for Mohs 7 stones. Maybe the edge speed is the same for all those sizes but the higher 55 RPM cycle rate really gets it done.
Edge speed and rotation rate is two different things.
4 inch tumblers too small.
Gotcha, Should have guessed you've tried them all 🛠⚙
I just ordered that beast above. It is used to wallow out core drilled holes in granite counter tops. 20 grit, beaver teeth.
LOL, two Chihuahuas almost ran captbob off. However he does have an arsenal.
He did qualify that, "somedays".
Bet that will really chew up rocks. I like the idea about mounting it horizontal. If it grabs a rock it would launch it into the ground (might bounce so watch the twig & berries) or the next county. Are these bits sintered? High or low RPMs?
Was only running about 40psi in the video so it wasn't top speed. I'll have to crank it up to see how it does. The wheels feel like 80 grit or so & will probably wear down fast.
Since I'm not going to be tumbling boulders any time soon (ala Jamesp) I found something that does a decent job on 1-3" rocks. I'm sure all will appreciate the professional videography in this short clip. About $20 ad HF....
This space is for temporary chat only and all posts drop off automatically and are not saved.
Members with real questions or comments that need an actual response, please post on the main forum - not here! Casual PG-13 posts only, no politics or religion please!
Wooferhound: it's Cicada me if its Cicada you
May 8, 2024 20:40:29 GMT -5
1dave: To fix any body problem Just place a spoon on it and tap with another spoon. The WEB has spoken!
May 8, 2024 21:54:09 GMT -5
Wooferhound: I Like Spooning
May 9, 2024 5:42:33 GMT -5
thestripedone: I've been using ceridium oxide for my 4th step of polishing. I was wondering if there is a 5th step for a super polish
May 10, 2024 17:20:10 GMT -5
amygdule: Silicon Carbide SiC grind in Rotary then Aluminum Oxide AO polish in a vibe...
May 10, 2024 17:37:12 GMT -5
*
Welcome to the Rock Tumbling Hobby Forum where we share a love of rocks and a sense of community as enduring as the stones we polish.
The RTH Forum of www.RockTumbling.com is an Amazon Associate site and we earn money from
qualifying purchases you make after clicking on our links such as this
Rock Tumbling Supplies on Amazon
link for instance, or any of our various product ads and banners. By clicking our links every time you begin your Amazon shopping
experience, you are generating a bit of revenue for the forum which helps us cover our expenses. Thank you for your support!