rrod
having dreams about rocks
Member since December 2020
Posts: 72
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Post by rrod on Mar 20, 2021 11:13:40 GMT -5
To those of you who happen to both use thickener and only use a rotary: How many stages do you run with thickener? Is it just shaping that you use it for, or does it help all the way up to polish? Especially with polish, I wondered if the thickener could inhibit the grinding.
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Wooferhound
Cave Dweller
Lortone QT66 and 3A
Member since December 2016
Posts: 1,424
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Post by Wooferhound on Mar 20, 2021 11:39:15 GMT -5
I absolutely thicken the slurry in all my Stage 1 Tumbles to help the grit cling to the rocks to be effective. All the smaller grits seem to suspend in the water fine producing the grinding I need. I wouldn't try to make a thickener for other stages cause there is no way to control particle size easily.
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,165
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Post by jamesp on Mar 22, 2021 4:17:02 GMT -5
I use clay to thicken for steps 1 and 2. Barrel filled to 70% For the polish steps I either use sugar to thicken or add pre-polished quartz pea gravel till barrel is filled close to 80% for padding. And/or slow the barrel down. You want to run pre-polish and polish gently.
Clay can be used for pre-polish and polish but many clays have abrasive quartz sand which can damage polish.
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Post by greig on Mar 22, 2021 10:17:39 GMT -5
I used to add thickener (different ones, at different stages) but don't anymore. Once in a while, I had gassing happening and rightly or wrongly blamed the additional stuff added, interacting with some kinds of rock, as the culprit. I am still known for inappropriate gas, but no longer in my tumbles...
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Post by Rockindad on Mar 22, 2021 11:19:57 GMT -5
Depends on what is being run. Harder stuff gets no thickener in rough stage while softer stuff may. I should note that I am not looking to clean out the rotaries more than once a week due to my schedule. We primarily use an obnoxious amount of 46/70 SiC in 6lb. and 15lb. barrels and almost never have any grit left. In my opinion one of the most important things to learn is how the amount of water used affects the slurry.
We are more likely to thicken as we get to the last couple of stages, even with the hard materials. Haven’t rotaried any stuff in polish in quite a while as we have been using a vibe for that.
Al
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electrocutus
spending too much on rocks
Member since October 2020
Posts: 331
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Post by electrocutus on Mar 22, 2021 12:44:03 GMT -5
I've never heard of a thickener, but now I am interesting in finding out more! I just finished reading Steve Hart's wonderful "Modern Rock Tumbling" and thinkeners are not covered. He talks about adding other media to soften the action, but not really a thickener as such. Is the thickener's main prupose to achieve a slurry of the right consistency? Can the same effect be achieved by experimenting and adjusting the amount of water and grit only?
Thanks!
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Wooferhound
Cave Dweller
Lortone QT66 and 3A
Member since December 2016
Posts: 1,424
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Post by Wooferhound on Mar 22, 2021 17:16:39 GMT -5
I've never heard of a thickener, but now I am interesting in finding out more! I just finished reading Steve Hart's wonderful "Modern Rock Tumbling" and thinkeners are not covered. He talks about adding other media to soften the action, but not really a thickener as such. Is the thickener's main prupose to achieve a slurry of the right consistency? Can the same effect be achieved by experimenting and adjusting the amount of water and grit only? Thanks!
Here is how I recover old grit and make a Thickener for Stage 1 Tumbles. - 10 minutes -
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electrocutus
spending too much on rocks
Member since October 2020
Posts: 331
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Post by electrocutus on Mar 23, 2021 13:31:39 GMT -5
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stefan
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2005
Posts: 14,095
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Post by stefan on Mar 23, 2021 18:16:00 GMT -5
Course (60-90) Medium (120/220) Fine (500) Pre Polish- (Tripoli) Polish (AO or TO) Borax
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rrod
having dreams about rocks
Member since December 2020
Posts: 72
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Post by rrod on Mar 23, 2021 20:53:57 GMT -5
Thanks for the replies! Was trying to gauge the relative value of thickeners versus filler in the later stages. If abrasiveness is the main concern, I might give things a try since I'm using guar which shouldn't scratch anything up. Guess it's time for more experiments…
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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 Apr 2, 2021 7:59:09 GMT -5
I don't run with the thickener gang. My tumblers are big enough that after a week of tumbling they generate all the goo I need to finish the tumbling job for the step. I'm more concerned with how easy it is to clean up the barrel mess before starting the next tumbling batch. I've never had a gas problem, at least with my tumblers!
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