jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,154
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Post by jamesp on Jan 8, 2020 5:58:43 GMT -5
I save a lot of money on silicon carbide by buying a raw form used in melting with steel. It is like giant grit from 3/8" and smaller. I manually screen it with a 60, 30 and 10 grit screen. This is the 10 grit. It is heavy and requires both higher rotation speeds and thicker heavier slurry to get it to distribute in the rocks/glass. It is only 90% pure but only costs 45 cents per pound. Has a bit of quartz and rat bones mixed in but works great for chopping rocks up fast. It will also eat some tumbling barrels. A product of the mighty Washington Mills. Cleans intestines.
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,154
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Post by jamesp on Jan 8, 2020 7:13:44 GMT -5
The wetted sugar is slick like psyllium duskygrouse. Borax and soaps too. It has a syrup like viscosity similar to psyllium, adjustable by adding more sugar and/or less water like psyllium. Basically pulling the rocks into each other with cohesive forces increasing rubbing pressure. Like a boot sticking in mud. Every little bit of force helps. Lubrication is another important property of a slurry. Slick em down and the vibe gets more done with less effort. Psyllium is an interesting natural compound because it has silica in it like horsetail plant. "psyllium - Herbal medicine An annual herb, the seeds of which contain alkaloids, glycosides, mucilage, silica and tannins." ingawh scores well using psyllium. Was always amazed at her amazing 2 step tumbling recipe.
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Wooferhound
Cave Dweller
Lortone QT66 and 3A
Member since December 2016
Posts: 1,422
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Post by Wooferhound on Jan 8, 2020 8:46:31 GMT -5
One thing I can say for sure is.......DO NOT USE FLOUR as a thickener. Lmao, I know most of you knew this already, but I always have to learn the hard way. After a few days of it being in there, I opened the barrels and omg the smell was horrendous and it was all stuck on the bottom with rocks glued into it. I wound up cleaning everything out and really well at that and then just added water and some salt to prevent freezing. In the right amount, Flour would thicken the slurry, but it would act as cushioning which is Not Normally used in Stage 1 Tumbles because it slows everything down.
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EricD
Cave Dweller
High in the Mountains
Member since November 2019
Posts: 1,142
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Post by EricD on Jan 8, 2020 9:08:09 GMT -5
I tried psyllium husk powder once. It almost instantly turned into dough and was a royal pain to clean out / clean up. I will not do that again. I take it the psyllium you guys have used is a lot different from the husk powder
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whyofquartz
spending too much on rocks
So, Africa is smaller than I expected...
Member since December 2019
Posts: 316
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Post by whyofquartz on Jan 8, 2020 9:17:23 GMT -5
I save a lot of money on silicon carbide by buying a raw form used in melting with steel. It is like giant grit from 3/8" and smaller. I manually screen it with a 60, 30 and 10 grit screen. This is the 10 grit. It is heavy and requires both higher rotation speeds and thicker heavier slurry to get it to distribute in the rocks/glass. It is only 90% pure but only costs 45 cents per pound. Has a bit of quartz and rat bones mixed in but works great for chopping rocks up fast. It will also eat some tumbling barrels. A product of the mighty Washington Mills. Cleans intestines. i find you assurance that it cleans intestines a little odd, when combined with your assurance it includes rat bone it becomes a mite troubling
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,154
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Post by jamesp on Jan 8, 2020 9:23:51 GMT -5
Lol. If a man can pass 10 grit SiC it seems to reason that a rat bone or two would be quite harmless whyofquartz.
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,154
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Post by jamesp on Jan 8, 2020 9:25:22 GMT -5
I tried psyllium husk powder once. It almost instantly turned into dough and was a royal pain to clean out / clean up. I will not do that again. I take it the psyllium you guys have used is a lot different from the husk powder I believe tkvancil uses a form of psyllium. He has killer polishes.
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Post by knave on Jan 8, 2020 9:55:59 GMT -5
Lol. If a man can pass 10 grit SiC it seems to reason that a rat bone or two would be quite harmless whyofquartz. There an old joke from Russia the old man called the bologna company and complained: “Hey bologna company. I can understand the bones and the fur, but these nails and wood chips are totally inexcusable! I understand cutting corners and such, but please at least take the dog out of the doghouse before it goes to the grinder......” Yuck....... This was funny when I was young for some reason. Not funny anymore.
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,154
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Post by jamesp on Jan 8, 2020 10:32:36 GMT -5
Lol. If a man can pass 10 grit SiC it seems to reason that a rat bone or two would be quite harmless whyofquartz. There an old joke from Russia the old man called the bologna company and complained: “Hey bologna company. I can understand the bones and the fur, but these nails and wood chips are totally inexcusable! I understand cutting corners and such, but please at least take the dog out of the doghouse before it goes to the grinder......” Yuck....... This was funny when I was young for some reason. Not funny anymore. And leaving yourself open for accusations of lewdness and foul language. PETA on the way to perform protest marches in front of your home. Escalating to violence of extreme proportions.
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Post by knave on Jan 8, 2020 10:34:16 GMT -5
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NRG
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since February 2018
Posts: 1,630
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Post by NRG on Jan 8, 2020 10:42:37 GMT -5
I use cheap ass kitty litter from Walmart.
But i would think hardwood fuel pellets would become sawdust fast.
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Post by knave on Jan 8, 2020 10:45:34 GMT -5
What kind of kitty? Jk
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,154
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Post by jamesp on Jan 8, 2020 14:37:02 GMT -5
(cat screaming sounds)PETA certainly on the way. Cat Jk(just killed).
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,154
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Post by jamesp on Jan 8, 2020 14:56:46 GMT -5
I use cheap ass kitty litter from Walmart. But i would think hardwood fuel pellets would become sawdust fast. I have seen kitty litter fired from kaolin clay in Georgia. I know of one gumbo clay kitty litter mine in Florida. The mine loaded with shark teeth. Gumbo sits on top of limestone bedrock in central Florida and under the sand layer. Must be the pastiest clay known. Washed and abused all the way from the Appalachian mountains in Georgia. Check it out: "The Florida Peninsula is a limestone plateau formed many millions of years ago when the area was a warm, shallow sea. Millions of years of deposits from small sea creatures make up the limestone, which is several thousand feet thick. Basic Geology Limestone, a carbonate rock also known as calcium carbonate, is formed in warm shallow seas. As all the tiny sea creatures die, they sink to the bottom and their bodies build up on the sea floor. Limestone is basically the fossilized and calcified remnants of these creatures. Geologically speaking, Florida limestone is very new. It is only 50-60 million years old, as compared to say the limestone in Kentucky, which is about 430 million years old. Florida limestone is very soft, very white, and contains many fossils. Central Florida limestone is known as the Ocala Group (made up of the Inglis Formation, the Williston Formation, and the Crystal River Formation, but that is probably more than you wanted to know.) This is the principle type of limestone in the area. Sitting on top of the bedrock is a clay layer named the Hawthorn Formation. Made up of deposits from ancient rivers from the Appalachian Mountains, this clay (some people know it as gumbo clay) is a grey/greenish in color and very tacky. The clay layer is impervious to water, which means that water cannot seep through it to the underlying bedrock. Also, water, under pressure from the aquifer, cannot seep back out."
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NRG
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since February 2018
Posts: 1,630
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Post by NRG on Jan 8, 2020 18:35:41 GMT -5
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Post by knave on Jan 8, 2020 18:43:13 GMT -5
That’s for sure you should smell my garage when daughter doesn’t get her chores properly done. Lol
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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 Jan 21, 2020 20:55:48 GMT -5
Well, it's been about 10 years since I was on the forum...since then I've probably done 1000#s of agate in my 6 12# tumblers, one 40#er, and a couple 15# vibrators. I religiously use borax in every load. I find it odd that no one has mentioned it??? In the 40#er I add 2 cups of Borax, 1/2-3/4 a cup in the 12#ers, and a 1/4 cup in the vibrators. Borax not only thickens the slurry, but it seems to help the slurry stick to the rocks. Also important, it helps the muck rinse from the rocks, and leaves no residue. It's cheap...5 or 6 bucks a box at Safeway. I literally haven't done a load in 15 years without borax...
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Post by joshuamcduffie on Jan 22, 2020 8:30:56 GMT -5
I'm just curious, has anyone tried corn starch? Don't cooks use it to thicken liquids?
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Post by HankRocks on Jan 22, 2020 8:52:42 GMT -5
Corn Starch being an organic material might present some issues. On the other hand you might be making some killer Sour Mash!!!
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Post by knave on Jan 22, 2020 9:36:19 GMT -5
Tumbled kombucha...
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