Saskrock
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since October 2007
Posts: 1,852
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Post by Saskrock on Jun 4, 2008 1:13:14 GMT -5
I got some parts at a garage sale the other day that are looking more and more like a vibe tumbler to me. I have only ever seen pictures of one though so I'm wondering are the barrels rubber or plastic and how thick? Thats the one last piece of info I need before I start building.
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Post by deb193redux on Jun 4, 2008 1:28:22 GMT -5
Gy-ROc is plastic, so is Raytech. Lot-O is rubber. UV's are somewhere in between.
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Saskrock
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since October 2007
Posts: 1,852
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Post by Saskrock on Jun 4, 2008 1:36:14 GMT -5
How thick are they about?
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adrian65
Cave Dweller
Arch to golden memories and to great friends.
Member since February 2007
Posts: 10,777
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Post by adrian65 on Jun 4, 2008 6:34:58 GMT -5
What would you use as a vibrations generator? The idea of building a vibe tumbler myself popped into my mind several times, but I couldn't figure how the vibrations occur. Is there an excentric weight on a shaft? If so, how do the roller bearings of the motor withstand to continuous vibration?
In fact, if I'd do such a vibe I'd also add a flat vibrating table, for polishing slabs.
Adrian
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drjo
fully equipped rock polisher
Honduran Opal & DIY Nut
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,581
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Post by drjo on Jun 4, 2008 9:02:45 GMT -5
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drjo
fully equipped rock polisher
Honduran Opal & DIY Nut
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,581
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Post by drjo on Jun 4, 2008 9:46:30 GMT -5
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Saskrock
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since October 2007
Posts: 1,852
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Post by Saskrock on Jun 4, 2008 11:23:02 GMT -5
drjo I was planning on building something similar to the last (speedsoft) link. I was planning on mounting the motor externaly and using a belt to a shaft on the vibrator end. I think the motor will last a lot better that way. Sort of similar in concept to the cnc zone one but a lot smaller.
Adrian, great idea. it shouldent be too hard to go dual purpose. Definantly going to do that.
My one concern now is how thick the bowl needs to be. I don't want to wear through a bowl and dump water and grit everywhere. Some one must know how thick a store bought bowl is?
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Post by johnjsgems on Jun 4, 2008 13:26:44 GMT -5
Ulta Vibe Industrial are just under 1/4". Covington and Raytech are about 1/2 that I'd say. If you read through the posts on vibe tumbling you hopefully won't have "water flying around". The shape of the bowls are there for a reason as the load rotates within the barrel. Adrian, you are right about the concentric weight. Some manufacturers use different weights for rock opposed to metal finishing. I'd recommend building from plans or buying used or new so you can spend your time tumbling rather than engineering/modifying, etc.
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Saskrock
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since October 2007
Posts: 1,852
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Post by Saskrock on Jun 5, 2008 22:27:29 GMT -5
John, half the fun is building it , but thanks for the thickness info.Well I got it mostly done, just need some bolts then I can try it out. It turned out pretty big though. I could probably put a couple gallon bucket on it with power to spare. My bowl looks a bit small. I got all high tech and made a video. If you like it go vote yes in my video section poll in the general forum. Anyhow here is the video.
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Post by Jack ( Yorkshire) on Jun 6, 2008 0:48:42 GMT -5
Hi Scott,
Did it work OK ? good vidio
Jack Yorkshire UK
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Saskrock
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since October 2007
Posts: 1,852
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Post by Saskrock on Jun 6, 2008 16:34:02 GMT -5
Just tried it out, it works really good as a vibrating lap. I improved the shine on some pieces I hand polished before. Way less work too.Haven't tried it as a vibe tumbler yet. The bushings get a bit warm though, I think I might have to replace the bushings with bearings sometime in the future.
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