stubby
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since April 2004
Posts: 150
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Post by stubby on May 22, 2004 16:40:52 GMT -5
I had read somewhere to add 1/2t soda to a 3lb. batch to cut down on gas. Just happened to look at the label that comes on new Lortone barrels and it said "do not use baking soda". Any thought or advice?
Eric
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Post by sandsman1 on May 22, 2004 17:15:12 GMT -5
there must be something in it that will mess with the rubber maybe dry it out or something email lortone ask why, id like to know the answer too seeya ---john
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Skipper
spending too much on rocks
Member since March 2003
Posts: 258
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Post by Skipper on May 22, 2004 22:49:09 GMT -5
Baking Soda can react with other materials and produce foam/gas. I would not put it in...you might pop the lid off during tumbling.
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Skipper
spending too much on rocks
Member since March 2003
Posts: 258
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Post by Skipper on May 22, 2004 22:50:07 GMT -5
I did read somewhere else that putting Tums in to cut down on gas didn't hurt the process (not sure how effective it was).
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James
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since October 2003
Posts: 876
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Post by James on May 23, 2004 2:41:32 GMT -5
You don't need any of that stuff. I've tumbled all types of rocks and I've never had a "gas" problem.
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Post by puppie96 on May 23, 2004 3:45:57 GMT -5
Another interesting question that I wondered about! OK, baking soda is sodium bicarbonate, a base, and Tums is also a base, the older "indigestion" remedies were sodium bicarb but tums may be a calcium compound or something, but in any case, the action of either should be about the same. It's apparently intended to buffer/neutralize something in the tumbler mix, so they're suggesting that the mix is acidic, I guess, but that makes little sense since I would think that the problem with the exploding tumblers would be alkaline mix, not acidic. But if you add bicarb to something acidic, it CREATES gas! Despite all this, I have been having such a problem with my sapphire/ruby experiment forming massive amounts of foam that I threw some baking soda in as an experiment. At first I thought it helped but if anything the problem has now worsened. I did not have this warning on my Lortones when I bought them. Wonder what's going to happen? My experiement is a long term project so I'm committed...baking soda and all.
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llanago
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since January 2004
Posts: 1,714
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Post by llanago on May 23, 2004 9:39:24 GMT -5
I used baking soda once and never again. Caused more problems than it solved.
I just toss everything in the barrel, put the top on and start rolling. I check it every day and if the barrel looks like it has expanded, I "burp" it. If the bottom is not bulging, I leave it alone.
I'm with James, I don't think ya' really need all that stuff.
llana
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