How To Reduce Ceramic Media Size

[anrd]

Hi all,

I'm a new contributor to the forum but I've been following it and tumbling for years. I recently started tumbling at a larger scale using a vibratory tumbler. To save cost, I purchased the Harbor Freight ceramic media, which I know some people have qualms with but the quality of the media is not the heart of my question. The media is flat and triangular, and I find that their size and shape are hindering their ability to effectively rotate in a vibratory tumbler, unlike the 1/2" cones that I've used.

I've seen threads on this forum about recycling tiles and other ceramics to make media. However, I can't find any mention of taking existing media and breaking it down into smaller pieces. I was wondering if anybody has tried this and what their experience has been?

Thanks!

[pebblesky]

How about just tumble them with other rocks in stage 1 and as time goes they will get smaller and rounder?

[anrd]

Thanks for the response. I've certainly considered that, but it feels like a waste of media and would take quite a while, especially since I have about 60 lbs to modify. I'm aiming to break them into pieces about 1/4 of their current size. I'm thinking about wrapping a few at a time in a towel and then using a hammer on them. Before I start experimenting, I thought I would ask here to see if others have had similar experiences and a more efficient method.

[titaniumkid]

I've had pieces break naturally because of their flat shape. They got small and flat, and once that process started it seemed to accelerate them unevenly wearing down (probably by getting stuck in the barrel), making them very prone to being broken by rocks during tumbling. I've never deliberately broken them, but I can see the appeal for breaking certain shapes to prevent what I experienced and ensure they move properly in a tumbler.

Breaking so many manually seems time consuming. A quicker way to reduce the size is running them in coarse grit, like pebblesky suggested, especially if you can do it in a rotary tumbler. It will waste grit and media, so whether or not this works for you is really about what you think your time is worth. Is the time it takes to break the pieces with a hammer better spent than the time, grit, energy, tumbler usage, and lost ceramic media it would cost to run them in a tumbler? To avoid wasting grit or taking up barrel space, they could be run with any rocks you are sending through the coarse stage. It will be a slow way to process all the ceramic media, but less wasteful.

[rockjunquie]

Your towel will very quickly be torn apart. It is also pretty dicey to break pieces like that. Certainly wear eye protection and a mask. Do a search in the archives for breaking up rocks for tumbling. I know I have seen some pretty ingenious ways of safely doing it.

[rockjunquie]

Here is something I was thinking about.  forum.rocktumblinghobby.com/post/1147552/thread

See if this link will work, too.