Five 7 pound capacity 6" PVC home made tumbling barrels and tumbler
One Viking 14 pound vibe
One sintered diamond pre-grinding tool
5 gallon bucket SiC 30 for rotary
5 gallon bucket Aluminum Oxide 80 (or 220) for vibe(and step 2 in rotary if vibe is busy)
5 pounds Aluminum Oxide 14,000 polish for vibe
5 gallon bucket Georgia colloidal clay for thickening slurry in rotary
10 pounds sugar for thickening Aluminum Oxide 80 slurry in vibe
1 box Borax for thickening Aluminum Oxide 14,000 slurry in vibe
Big piles of Mohs 7 hardness agate, pet wood, jasper, coral, etc. My only subjects to tumble.
Covington 18 inch saw(not required)
After 4 years of experimentation the above components are all that is needed to make fine Mohs 7 tumbles.
I have eliminated as many redundant steps as possible by letting the tumblers break down grit using slurry additives namely colloidal clay in rotary.
I have found that coarse shaping can be sped up tremendously by adding one bigger rock in the barrel of the rotary (1-2 pounds).
I have found that high rotary speeds also increases coarse grind times tremendously and allows higher frequency of coarser grit additions.
I have found that slurry is the key to faster/better rock protecting grinds with less clean outs and less media.
I consider pre-grinding rocks prior and during tumble to be rewarding and productive.
I have a fairly large quantity of abrasives that I need to get rid of.
Namely Aluminum Oxide pre polishes. 270 and 300 Garnet abrasive. AO 5000. AO 1000. Rock Shed and Lortone brands. others
Would be glad to ship them to anyone needing them if they paypal LFRB shipping costs. PM me. I move slow so be patient.
A Lortone 12 pound barrel w/lid. Anyone ? Some ceramic media.
PS Anyone that has any SiC 30 they don't want I will take it.