HuntingHuron
starting to shine!
Member since October 2020
Posts: 39
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Post by HuntingHuron on Jun 21, 2021 18:32:07 GMT -5
Thanks greig. The reason I ask is that I can pretty much deal with the small pellets in the 3lb barrel, but with the 6lb barrel I didn't want to deal with double the amount of pellets. So I figure the tile spacers are the way to go.
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Post by Rockoonz on Jun 21, 2021 20:48:17 GMT -5
The tile spacers at my home depot are $3.28 for 500.
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electrocutus
spending too much on rocks
Member since October 2020
Posts: 331
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Post by electrocutus on Jun 22, 2021 8:29:32 GMT -5
I use plastic pellets once in a while in either pre-polish or polish stages when my rocks shrank too much to fill the barrel and I don't want to wait to combine with another load. Since the pellets float they are pretty easy to separate from the rocks when I wash them out. In general, I prefer using small ceramic media to top up and cushion my rocks. Yes, ceramic is hard, but by using it to top up the load, it does provide some cushioning. I was told that using plastic pellets makes the run take longer because there is less rubbing of the rocks. But, for softer rocks at the polishing stage, better to take it slower anyway. The ingredient I often miss in my batch is the extra patience :-)
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lunker
Cave Dweller
Member since April 2021
Posts: 425
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Post by lunker on Jun 24, 2021 22:03:06 GMT -5
I cut up a couple of broken black tarp straps into little pieces. I used them on my last tumble during polish then again during burnish. I got my best results yet but was also using better quality grit. It did seem to work well as filler and was easy to separate. I will try it again on my current batch after stage two and give an update.
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HuntingHuron
starting to shine!
Member since October 2020
Posts: 39
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Post by HuntingHuron on Jun 28, 2021 20:29:12 GMT -5
Tarp straps....who'da thought. Great idea. For those who live in Canada, anyone find a good place to buy reasonably priced plastic pellets? I got gouged big time when I bought on Amazon.ca. There has got to be a better place to get them. I may have to resort to the method that greig uses....cutting open those cute little plush animals, and using their innards .
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NDK
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 9,440
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Post by NDK on Jun 29, 2021 13:48:05 GMT -5
IDK about there in Canada, but I bought plastic pellets at either Walmart or a craft store when I was tumbling. Much cheaper than the "tumbling" pellets and afaik the same thing. Was a few dollars for a bag with more than I needed.
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Post by greig on Jun 30, 2021 13:44:28 GMT -5
IDK about there in Canada, but I bought plastic pellets at either Walmart or a craft store when I was tumbling. Much cheaper than the "tumbling" pellets and afaik the same thing. Was a few dollars for a bag with more than I needed. I agree, craft pellets work fine and can be bought in bulk
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Post by Mel on Aug 2, 2021 20:59:58 GMT -5
I just use ceramic. Washable, reusable, and lasts a long time, plus it's easy to sweep up off the shop floor. I've always disliked the plastic because it gets everywhere and it's stage specific (and my cats used to love trying to eat it...). I'm also trying to use less plastic in general, but they're very budget friendly and widely available so can't fault people for using them.
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