vayank5150
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2017
Posts: 118
|
Post by vayank5150 on Jun 29, 2020 18:33:21 GMT -5
My Lortone 33B (one of two) seems to have a bad motor. I have cleaned and greased all of the pertinent points, yet even with the belt removed, the motor moves slowly and almost seems to stick. This tumbler is less than 2 years old and I am a little surprised to be having this issue. The motor is super hot when I attempt to work on it. Is this something that Lortone tumbler owners just need to deal with? Thank you in advance.
|
|
vayank5150
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2017
Posts: 118
|
Post by vayank5150 on Dec 2, 2018 20:08:15 GMT -5
This is a great post. Since I got into this hobby, I have "learned" that there are 4 stages of grit, 1) coarse, 2) medium 3) fine and 4) polish. However, you have five grit stages. How would you define those with labels, so I can help my daughter understand? 1) coarse. Most commonly 46/70 or 60/90 grit silicon carbide. 2) medium. Most commonly 120/220 or graded 220 silicon carbide. 3) fine. Most commonly 500 or 600 silicon carbide or aluminum oxide. 4) pre polish. Most commonly 1000 or 1200 aluminum oxide. 5) polish. Variety of options but I use sub micron aluminum oxide from the rock shed. A final burnish in powdered borax or ivory soap shavings could be considered a sixth stage. Chuck Got it now, that you, Chuck!
|
|
vayank5150
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2017
Posts: 118
|
Post by vayank5150 on Dec 2, 2018 19:37:48 GMT -5
This is a great post. Since I got into this hobby, I have "learned" that there are 4 stages of grit, 1) coarse, 2) medium 3) fine and 4) polish. However, you have five grit stages. How would you define those with labels, so I can help my daughter understand?
|
|
|
vayank5150
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2017
Posts: 118
|
Post by vayank5150 on Nov 25, 2018 16:54:04 GMT -5
I don't see why it wouldn't work...as long as you remember to flip the diverter before cleanouts. If you use borax, be aware that it will kill vegetation near the outlet of the hose. Thanks for the tip. I typically use Borax prior to polish. I was unaware it kills vegetation.
|
|
vayank5150
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2017
Posts: 118
|
Post by vayank5150 on Nov 24, 2018 20:05:28 GMT -5
So.....I have a slop sink in my garage that I am hoping to convert into a slop sink/cleanout station. What I would need is a PVC type diverting valve that would allow clean water to go through the trap, or divert it prior to the trap to wash away grit via an extended hose run elsewhere to keep the grit from clogging the trap/drain. Has anyone does this before? Any tips?
|
|
vayank5150
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2017
Posts: 118
|
Post by vayank5150 on Nov 10, 2018 18:52:01 GMT -5
Not a tumbler but welcome to the forum. I cannot comment on your Thumler issues, as my daughter and I started with a "National Geographic" tumbler, which we quickly outgrew and based on recommendations from folks here, I bought a Lortone 33B. Now, my daughter is 9....and her interest, or remembrance of the timing and steps is very inconsistent. I too, have lost interest simply due to her apparent lack of interest. What I learned though, was if "Daddy" showed interest and kept her in line with next steps, she was still excited about the hobby. I guess my point is, based on my experience, while I really wanted this to be her hobby, Daddy needs to lead the way and this allows us to enjoy it together. If you have the funds, I would highly recommend the Lortone 33B, as "starting and stopping" doesn't sound normal to me.
|
|
vayank5150
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2017
Posts: 118
|
Post by vayank5150 on Nov 10, 2018 17:30:20 GMT -5
Wow. Thank you for the info. It does not appear that Amber is typically tumbled. I am glad I asked. Now to find a different Christmas present. Thank you again, vegasjames. While I'm on the subject, where do most of you all buy rough from? Initially, I wanted us to only tumble stones locally found, but Virginia granite is not the prettiest stone in the world, so maybe I should branch out a bit...
|
|
vayank5150
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2017
Posts: 118
|
Post by vayank5150 on Nov 10, 2018 16:49:27 GMT -5
My wife named her Amber as my wife has been into crystals and such for many years. However, now that Amber and I tumble, I was wondering if there are forms of Amber out there that can be tumbled in a Lortone rotary tumbler? Does anyone have info on this? Any personal experience with Amber? Thinking of a cool Christmas present.
Thanks in advance.
|
|
vayank5150
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2017
Posts: 118
|
Post by vayank5150 on Nov 4, 2018 11:49:25 GMT -5
Six months in the polish stage? Wow. I thought my three weeks was a long time. Nice work. I recall you struggling a bit when you started...congrats. I know.....like I said, the delays were NOT intentional, and I am just glad we still had some rocks (not pebbles, as I assumed), when we opened her up. New batch of rough went in last night, too!
|
|
vayank5150
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2017
Posts: 118
|
Post by vayank5150 on Nov 4, 2018 10:40:31 GMT -5
Hmmmm.....having issues including photos.
|
|
vayank5150
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2017
Posts: 118
|
Post by vayank5150 on Nov 4, 2018 10:39:42 GMT -5
I have been away from the hobby and these boards for a long time due to multiple personal issues this year. My daughter and I started this batch in fine polish about 6 months ago. I wasn't sure what to expect after such a long time, but we were pleasantly surprised. I need to thank napoleonrags again, as a few of these rough rocks he sent to my daughter free of charge!
|
|
vayank5150
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2017
Posts: 118
|
Post by vayank5150 on Apr 19, 2017 20:45:54 GMT -5
Nice job! Hopefully the next batch will let you practice some of the tricks you learned along the way. It looks to me like other than the time element, you ended up with a nice group of shiney rocks for your daughter. Congrats, little one! Yeah....we learned a FEW tips. Patience is key. 1 week per stage is NOT the rule. And I truly think adding Borax in between stages at least 3 and 4 definitely makes a difference.
|
|
vayank5150
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2017
Posts: 118
|
Post by vayank5150 on Apr 19, 2017 19:14:02 GMT -5
Finally. After nearly four months of trial and error, and multiple stages and grits and re-running multiple stages and grits, my daughter and I have some shiny rocks! Now, some of our rocks took a shine better than others, but I believe this to be due to the material as opposed to the technique and dedication. I would like to thank each and EVERY one of you on this board for our little success. Whether you have responded directly to my plethora of questions, or I have gleaned information from one of your posts, there is simply NO way we could have gotten these rocks to this condition without your help. For my daughter's sake, I thank you ALL. Now, I have a decent camera (Canon Power Shot), but i struggled to get any close ups of the rocks, so I will have to settle for the batch photo, but at least you can see some shine to them. Again, these are all rocks that my daughter (and I occasionally) picked up from around our home in Richmond, VA and at her school playground. I REALLY wanted this to work out as she considers them "her" rocks and that is a big deal to her. I cannot thank you all enough...... IMG_2641 by Michael Aldrich, on Flickr
|
|
vayank5150
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2017
Posts: 118
|
Post by vayank5150 on Apr 11, 2017 18:19:01 GMT -5
So, my brother lives in Puyallup, and recently took a trip to the coast. Since he understands my daughter's new hobby, he sent along a couple of rocks he considered to look "cool". Any clues to what they might be? IMG_2638 by Michael Aldrich, on Flickr
|
|
vayank5150
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2017
Posts: 118
|
Post by vayank5150 on Apr 8, 2017 16:51:48 GMT -5
That larger piece of pet wood you could practice breaking up with a hammer. Often the insides have agatey filling. Wear protection. Good fun, have luck. Colin Stupid question....would you do this with just a hammer, or hammer and chisel?
|
|
vayank5150
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2017
Posts: 118
|
Post by vayank5150 on Apr 8, 2017 16:12:25 GMT -5
I know there is no jealousy here, so I thought I would share a bit of the rough that napoleonrags sent to us. We have what we could fit into a 3lb tumbler tumbling now. IMG_2633 by Michael Aldrich, on Flickr
|
|
vayank5150
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2017
Posts: 118
|
Post by vayank5150 on Apr 8, 2017 9:08:49 GMT -5
Are you referring to the tutorial on identifying rocks for noobs? No. I was referring to the link to the PDF that takes you to an 11 page "how to tumble step-by-step with pictures" document. Very good information in here. Thank you!
|
|
vayank5150
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2017
Posts: 118
|
Post by vayank5150 on Apr 7, 2017 18:26:53 GMT -5
Can I just say those look amazing?
|
|
vayank5150
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2017
Posts: 118
|
Post by vayank5150 on Apr 7, 2017 18:08:51 GMT -5
Nothing exotic there, but some of them should take a decent polish. After you do this for a while you'll get a feel for what to throw in the tumbler. I've never run a tumbler that small, but like others have said the coarse step takes as long as it takes. I have some running in 46/70 that has been going for months. Rollingstones recipe looks pretty good. Run the coarse until the rocks are as round and smooth as you want them. Russ Thanks, Russ. I/we are learning to put rocks back into the coarse stage after a week running. Also, napoleonrags has been kind enough to send us some local pet wood, jasper, agate, and quartzite from Colorado, so we started them in the 3lb Lortone barrel last week!
|
|