Pdwight
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2003
Posts: 619
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Post by Pdwight on Jan 31, 2004 0:29:45 GMT -5
Well you learn something everyday ! I got my X-mas gift to me today ;-)
A brand new QT66 tumbler !!! I was reading the directions (a novel idea) and it said to fill the barrels with water to just under the level of the rocks ?? I have always filled it to just above....OK folks jump in here ;
Thanks Dwight P
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Post by sandsman1 on Jan 31, 2004 2:21:18 GMT -5
so far when i filled it to bottom of the top rocks all i got was mud 1/2 inch think in the bottom when ya scrape it its all new grit under the mud i been covering the rocks and its workin better ok seeya john
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WarrenA
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since November 2003
Posts: 1,530
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Post by WarrenA on Jan 31, 2004 11:44:31 GMT -5
I start with the water even and let it tumble for a day and the check it sometimes I need more water and sometimes not. if the slurry is to thick small stones will not roll just sit there.
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shorty
spending too much on rocks
Member since December 2003
Posts: 392
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Post by shorty on Jan 31, 2004 20:19:50 GMT -5
;D hi all i have a book about tumbling and it says for best results fill just to the top level of the rocks. for best results. shorty
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Post by creativeminded on Feb 4, 2004 23:40:50 GMT -5
I am finally back after about a month absence. I read this message and had to reply. With my first stage of grit I didn't have the plastic pellets, however, after I got the pellets and started on the second time around with the first stage I found that bringing the water to just under the pellets worked great and my stones tumbled alot better. I must tell you that I am using the small child beginner kit and am working on the stones that came with the tumbler, and when I started the second time around of stage 1, I added some other small stones that were already smooth. I am on the finally stage and will be adding pictures soon. Tami
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donwrob
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2003
Posts: 509
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Post by donwrob on Feb 5, 2004 8:51:09 GMT -5
OK, I've been thinking about this thread. And, I don't think there is a set level that can be used for all tumbles. It must be ajusted for each and here is why. I think the harder the rock you are tumbling, the lower the water level should be to get an effective more efficient grind. At least this has been my experience so far. As an example, take glass. It is fairly soft and grinds up to produce the slurry quicker. Therefore, you need a higher water level to compensate and achieve the batter consistency that is best for good grinding. Now, compared to much harder stones like agates, if you don't use less water, wash off occurs for a good while because the rocks aren't grinding down into the batter like slurry fast enough. I use levels down to an inch or so under the rock level up to 1/2 inch or so over them, depending on what I am tumbling. Does this make any sense to you guys? That last batch of very hard raw India agate I ran made this clear to me. I checked it after 5 days and the rocks had barely shaped at all. Very little of the grit was broken down and the slurry was still as thin as plain water. I spilled out some of the water to lower the level and checked it 2 days later. I then had a good slurry and the rocks were grinding nicely. I hope this isn't confusing to anyone, but I do think that this is the key to a good first grind. Happy tumbling all, Don
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Trylobyte
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since October 2003
Posts: 101
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Post by Trylobyte on Feb 5, 2004 11:58:08 GMT -5
Yep, Don's on the right track... (No surprise there...)
I've been playing with water levels alot, and with my standard loads of agate/jasper, too much water just kills the grind. I've found that filling my 12lb Model Bs about 5/8 - 3/4 with rock, then adding water untill about 1.5 inches BELOW the level of the rock works best. When I inspect on day 2 or 3, I see grit covering all the exposed rocks, and I can imagine these stones, with grit attached, tumbling off the top of the pile and slowly getting their just grind.
I add more water in the later grits though, but never more than to the top of the rocks, to try and provide more cushion, and sometimes add thickeners and plastic pellets for the same reason.
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Justme
starting to shine!
Member since March 2003
Posts: 38
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Post by Justme on Feb 8, 2004 17:32:22 GMT -5
I am at the first phase of a batch of agate that I have lost patience with till I read this lead. So I just went and removed some water from a batch that has been running for 29 days. Since the last reload now 10 days ago, the grit had not seemed to break down. So I took Don's information and poured off some watery slurry. Also found that the rock level was only 1/2 full so I added some more agate I had run before but wanted to run more. Now, the sound of the tumbler even sounds like it is working. Tomorrow I will check the barrel to make sure I didn't pour too much off. Thanks, Andy, for this site that lets us throw out questions and possible solutions and learn together.
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WarrenA
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since November 2003
Posts: 1,530
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Post by WarrenA on Feb 9, 2004 0:13:56 GMT -5
You are on the right track. Listen to your tumbler the sound can tell you alot about what is happening.
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Post by puppie96 on Feb 11, 2004 5:54:58 GMT -5
Donwrob, yes, very well stated. I've seen the same thing, but I'm new at tumbling and just recently put that together. It became very clear with my usual obsession, the sapphires. and emeralds. Lowering the water level definitely helped. To further confuse me about these matters, my vibe tumbler has the same problem of trying to figure out the exact right amount of water. There's a twist, though, because the usual problem is too little, not too much water -- when it starts evaporating, the rocks become coated with slurry cement which is a real pain to remove.
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