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Post by Jeff 2 on Jun 16, 2004 15:37:40 GMT -5
I'm tumbling some agate in 60 grit, and have been "recharging" by just adding more grit once a week. I am wondering if adding fresh grit to broken down slurry is not very productive?
Does the old slurry (which is probably broken down to 200 grit equivalent or so) act to break down the fresh grit even faster?
When I rub my fingers with the slurry it does not feel very gritty at all after just 2 days?
Any theories?
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Post by sandsman1 on Jun 16, 2004 15:59:06 GMT -5
what i do i give them a fresh start again, if not the rock dust builds up in the bottom making a thick sludge, and rock and new grit gets cought up in it and your tumbling for nothing,, but thats just my opinion hahaha seeya---john
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stubby
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since April 2004
Posts: 150
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Post by stubby on Jun 16, 2004 15:59:37 GMT -5
You will get opinions both ways from the regulars, here. My preference is to completely clean the load after week 1 and then run longer after that. It seems that you get a tremendous percentage of the grinding, initially. After that the slurry doesn't get thick as fast. The thick slurry will effectively lessen the effect of your grit, but it doesn't actually break it down faster.
My 2 cents. Eric
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Trouthunter
having dreams about rocks
Member since May 2004
Posts: 63
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Post by Trouthunter on Jun 16, 2004 16:09:13 GMT -5
I am only on my second batch, but it seems like the 60/90 I've got breaks down after only 4-5 days. I would prefer to start fresh, but last night, for example, I got home late and just threw some fresh grit in because I didn't have time to clean everything and start fresh and I knew it needed new grit. I figured that was better than just letting it tumble without any grit at all.
We'll see how it affected the rocks. I'll really take them out and clean them well tomorrow as some should be ready to move on and I have a batch finishing in 120/220 as well.
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Post by cookie3rocks on Jun 16, 2004 16:15:24 GMT -5
I'm on my third week with some agate thats moving really slow, so today I think I'll start fresh. Previously I was just adding grit but I noticed the last time I checked them that the slurry at the bottom was gettig pretty dense. Wouldn't hurt cookie
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Post by Jeff 2 on Jun 16, 2004 16:30:51 GMT -5
I tend to agree with sandman and others that the slurry gets too thick after the first grind, and I should have started over, my slurry is more like a sludge right now.
Frankly i was just being lazy, and was also worrying that my neighbors would call the FBI on me since I am always fiddling with black cylinders in the garage. (I am a Palestinian Arab-American, in white suburbia)
Jeff
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Post by cookie3rocks on Jun 16, 2004 18:54:35 GMT -5
Hi all, I just checked my agates and Finally alittle progress. They are starting to smooth out a bit. I have a vibe so I ran water in the barrel out side for awhile before dumping the in the sieveand the slurry was so thick that rocks still stuck to the bottom and I had to scrape them out. The grit was still in good shape but if stuff is sticking to the bottom it's time to recharge anew, don't you think? cookie
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tarylina
noticing nice landscape pebbles
Member since May 2004
Posts: 84
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Post by tarylina on Jun 16, 2004 19:29:20 GMT -5
OMG Jeff, that's hilarious! Kind of. Must suck to be you sometimes. It's incredibly sad that anybody would judge someone simply by the color of their skin or ethnic background, and have a simple backyard hobby seem worthy of an FBI investigation, or even think that it could be. Our world is so confused right now. Now, if you are glowing in the middle of the night while you are checking your black cylinders, that's another story altogether Maybe you should give them something to talk about. Have a big party; make a lot of noise (oohing and aahing around the cylinders)... then have a video camera ready for the big raid and the HUGE embarassment that would follow. Big Brother is watching...
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bwalters
has rocks in the head
Member since March 2004
Posts: 557
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Post by bwalters on Jun 16, 2004 19:33:26 GMT -5
Cookie, I've been running purple agate in 46/70 in a 3 lb barrel since April 18. They're due to be checked, but the last time I cleaned them out and re-charged, they were no where near being ready to move on. Maybe they will be better when I check them this time. Jeff, I've added grit without cleaning, and also recharged after cleaning. In my 3 lb barrels, it seems to make more sense to clean b-4 recharging. In my 15 lb barrel, I do tend to get lazy sometimes and just add grit. Seems to me like that's one of those personal preference and time available decisions. BE
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Post by krazydiamond on Jun 16, 2004 19:35:15 GMT -5
there is also being undercharged, overcharged or not getting the proper load proportions that can cause your first grind not to go properly/timely....i think my new batch is overcharged at the moment (greedly little bugger i am)....i'm going to let it go another few days and if it still looks pointless i will dump it all and rearrange the batch and start over....
this ain't rocket science but it ain't no brainer stuff either,
KD
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Post by stoner on Jun 17, 2004 2:20:05 GMT -5
Hi all. Okay, here's my 2 cents worth. You can clean and keep any good grit when you recharge. Put a collander in a bucket(actually, I use a salad bowl), dump the rocks into the collander, and rinse the rocks using just enough water to do the job. Remove the collander and slowly pour the water out of the bucket/bowl. Any usable grit, being heavier than the slurry, will remain in the bottom of the bucket/bowl. You can also put some water in the empty barrel and slowly pour off the water to keep the grit that was trapped in the sludge on the bottom. Then scoop the grit from the bucket/bowl into your barrel with cleaned rocks, and add more grit.
Works for me!
later, Ed
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Post by cookie3rocks on Jun 17, 2004 18:49:38 GMT -5
I was wondering if that would work. Does that apply to all stages?
cookie
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Skipper
spending too much on rocks
Member since March 2003
Posts: 258
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Post by Skipper on Jun 18, 2004 14:22:21 GMT -5
That's what I do too:
60/90 - pour off the dirty water into bucket. The unused grit is heavy and will stay on the bottom. Add more water and grit and resume.
200 - same process
Polishes - they never wear out and you aren't grinding away much rock on these stages, so I don't do any recharging - just let em run as long as you still see scratches. If you aren't already, save your polish for re-use. Saves lots of $$$
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