reeniebeany
starting to spend too much on rocks
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Member since January 2020
Posts: 125
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Post by reeniebeany on Feb 16, 2020 13:33:16 GMT -5
Color me confused. There are a lot of posts about slurry. I thought that slurry was a desirable thing.
My cheapo tiny tumbler bit the dust. Based on my usage I think they figured you would get one batch all 4 stages before you were bored. Or, you would be jazzed and buy a real tumbler. Anyway, since I had a batch in there I ran down to Harbor Freight and bought a two barrel. HF is a couple miles from my house and open on Sunday. 2 year replacement plan helps if it is total garbage.
Anyhoooo. The manual says blah, blah, blah don't do this or you will get a slurry, which you don't want. So now I am a little confused. Are they referring to some other kind of slurry?
Reeniebeany
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Benathema
has rocks in the head
God chased me down and made sure I knew He was real June 20, 2022. I've been on a Divine Mission.
Member since November 2019
Posts: 703
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Post by Benathema on Feb 16, 2020 19:18:35 GMT -5
Ummm... the only problem with the slurry is it getting so thick that nothing moves. Otherwise, like you mentioned, slurry generation is desirable so it can help carry the grit and more effectively grind the stones.
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Post by knave on Feb 16, 2020 19:23:08 GMT -5
Don’t look to CE or HF for your tumbling advice. Find your style and rock it. Try 2/3 full of rock, 4 Tablespoon grit per barrel, water to about 1/2 full. Seal and roll for a week before you check it.
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Post by fernwood on Feb 16, 2020 19:57:26 GMT -5
Welcome to the world of the HF, CE tumbler. I never read the instructions. Mine had been running non stop for almost 2 years until last week, when I shut it down due to cold.
Check out the tumbling recipes here. The basic one is to fill the 3 lb barrel to 2/3-3/4 full. Add 3 TBS grit/barrel. Fill with water to just below the top surface of rocks. Let it run for a week and then check. Slurry is needed for polishing rocks. Dunno why the instructions said it was a bad thing.
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reeniebeany
starting to spend too much on rocks
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Member since January 2020
Posts: 125
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Post by reeniebeany on Feb 17, 2020 21:37:42 GMT -5
Thanks guys! I can see too much slurry being a problem. They also say to check it every day. Nuts to that! The lids are pretty tough for me to get off and on. On the other hand, they aren't leaking. My hubby took it apart and showed me how to grease the bearings, said it would be better than oil.
I know the HF is not the first word in tumblers, but it was quick and affordable. We have had HF stuff be very good, or very bad.
I see that it has way slower revolutions than the little toy I was using. And I was gleeful to be able to put all of the batches from the toy in to one drum for stage 2. Production should be up massively. And bigger stones... and yeah...
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gatorflash1
spending too much on rocks
Active in Delaware Mineralogical Society, Cabchon Grinding and Polishing, 2 Thumlers B's and a UV-18
Member since October 2018
Posts: 375
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Post by gatorflash1 on Feb 18, 2020 8:10:25 GMT -5
Don’t look to CE or HF for your tumbling advice. Find your style and rock it. Try 2/3 full of rock, 4 Tablespoon grit per barrel, water to about 1/2 full. Seal and roll for a week before you check it. This is all you need to know. Your tumbler will create its own slurry just fine. Just give it time to work and have a mix of rock sizes and some ceramic media mixed in.
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Post by joshuamcduffie on Feb 18, 2020 9:21:28 GMT -5
Definitely don't check it every few days. I check mine weekly. You'll figure out what works for you.
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Post by Starguy on Feb 18, 2020 16:01:23 GMT -5
reeniebeanyIn my humble opinion slurry after a week of tumbling is how I gauge success. The thicker the slurry is the better. I don’t use anything to thicken slurry but I am tumbling mostly agate these days. Agates are not a delicate stone. Some add cat litter, (cleaned I hope), clay or other material to develop slurry quicker. Slurry is primarily ground rock and some broken down grit. If the slurry is like pudding at the end of a week I know it was a good grind. Conditions that cause thin slurry include too much water, too little grit and/or rocks that are too uniform in size. Welcome to the forum! I can’t wait to see photos of your work.
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