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Spare New-Old-Stock Parts For Lortone Tumblers for Sale

This past week I was rummaging through my storage building and ran across a couple of boxes of new-old-stock parts for Lortone tumblers and equipment that were part of the remaining inventory of an old jewelry supply business I bought out a few years ago. I've divided some of the tumbler parts up into three lots to offer for sell here. The aluminum inner lids and lid may have a few light scratches from where they rubbed against each other in the boxes. But none have ever been used. The Lots are as follows:

Lot A) Parts for Lortone 3-1.5B Tumblers (This barrel can also be used on a 3A or 33B Tumbler for smaller lots):
This lot contains a complete new-old-stock Lortone 1.5 barrel and assembly (#020-90), an extra inner lid (020-01), an extra knurled nut (481-70), and an O-ring belt (210-02).
Price for this lot is $20.00 plus shipping.


Lot B) Parts for Lortone QT 6, QT 66, and QT 12 Tumblers:
This lot contains a new-old-stock electric motor (301-30), two (2) inner lids (020-102, and a knurled nut (481-70).
Price for this lot is $55.00 plus shipping.


Lot C) Parts for Lortone 45C Tumblers:
This lot contains an outer lid (020-101), two (2) inner lids (020-02), three (3) rubber boot gaskets (240-11), three (3) O-ring belts (210-02), and a knurled nut (481-70).
Price for this lot is $25.00 plus shipping. The rectangular discolorations on the inner lids and the outer lid is glue residue from the part I.D. stickers which have fallen off.


If you are interested in purchasing any of these lots please post your intention to do so on this thread and then PM me your shipping address and the email address you would like your invoice sent to. And I will email you a Pay Pal Invoice with shipping to your zip code. Will ship within the U.S. continental forty-eight states only via USPS. Thanks for looking!

Larry C.

Okay. Thank you!

Larry C.

I have a small batch of brass hardware that needs polishing and was considering using a Raytech TV-5 vibe tumbler with crushed walnut shells to polish it. But was wondering if the brass residue would contaminate the barrel for use in polishing rocks later? Thought I would try just walnut shells first and if that didn't work then add some Tripoli or another mild abrasive.

Larry C.

Found the set. It was made by MAGI. There is no indication on the label as to what the Colloidal Silica polish is to be used for polishing.


Larry C.

Somewhere out in the shop I've got an old set of various polishes that were sold in spritz bottles for use in faceting. And among them was a Silica spray. I think it was labeled as Colloidal Silica but can't remember for sure. It's pouring down rain outside right now but tomorrow I'll take a look and see if I can find it and see if it says what it was recommended for.

But if it turns out that the Silver Bond B Silica is something that you don't want to use for tumbling then if you know a potter in your area I'm sure they would love to have it to use to make ceramic glazes with.

Larry C.

Sorry, your wording may have been correct and I just misread. Glad you were able to find what you needed.

Larry

I don't know what to make of that! I did business with AMLAP for several years with no issues. The owners had day jobs and ran the business out of their home so AMLAP was a second part-time income for them. And they often drop shipped orders from the manufacturer too. Both of these factors helped keep their prices low. So I understood communications would not be equal to that of a brick & mortar store like Kingsley but accepted that as the trade-off for the much lower prices. But what you've been describing seems bizarre.

Plus over the last year or so I've seen several posts on various forums from folks that claimed that they had placed orders with AMLAP online and had no response. Some stated that their payment to Pay Pal was never claimed and they had to get Pay Pal to reimburse them. One poster claimed AMLAP was out of business and that he had checked into their mailing address and found that the home had been sold and the phone number reassigned. I doubled checked this myself to verify and found that the home had been recently sold and the phone number had been reassigned. So I had assumed that misfortune, of a nature that had prevented the owners form officially shutting down their site and Pay Pal business account, had befallen them.

I'm not sure what is happening there but I hope they are able to correct their situation and continue to stay in business.

Larry C.

I buy and sell old collections. And have bought and sold literally scores of various brands and models of used faceting machines (though the vast majority have been Ultra Tec and Raytech-Shaw machines) and have never had a customer complain about a machine they purchased from me. If they had a problem they never let me know about it. And most all were sold online. So yeah, I suspect a lot of the folks warning against buying used machines on the net are dealer reps of new machines. Or well meaning individuals who are just echoing what they've been hearing the dealer reps say.

Questions on buying a first machine (new v.s. used, and brand choices) come up fairly often on the boards, so I've been meaning to sit down and write out my thoughts on the subject based on my dealings with used machines. It would take more time and space than is practical to do a thorough job of here but I'll try to offer some help.

If going the used route just use good common sense. Does the machine appear to be well cared for? Look for wear in the most obvious places. Is the person selling the machine a faceter or are they just someone who is selling inherited equipment or is a general merchandise reseller with no knowledge of faceting. If either of the later two they will be less likely to be able to answer questions accurately or make sound judgments about condition even if they are honestly trying to. So adjust your spending limit to risk ratio accordingly. Another consideration is whether or not the company that made the machine is still in business. If not, specialty parts may be hard to come by if needed.

Now as for choosing a brand or model. A skilled faceter can cut a great stone on most any machine. But the more accurate the machine, the better the repeatability and the faster that great stone can be cut. Repeatability is the machines ability to repeat like-facets in the same row without having to keep pausing to visually inspect each facet. That time spent visually inspecting each facet translates into labor $ lost. So anyone who plans to cut professionally needs a machine with very good repeatability.

IMO the three U.S. made brands of machines with the best repeatability are Fac-ette, Ultra-Tec and Poly-Metric (the Sintillator "88" model).

The shop in North Carolina that made the Fac-ette Gem Master II machines closed down in 2012. And a man named Wyatt Yeagar bought the rights to manufacture that design. I am not sure if Wyatt has ever gotten them fully back into production or not. Wyatt does have a web site up (http://www.precisionfaceting.com/ ) where he sales Fac-ette index gears, transfer jigs, and keyed dops plus offers a recalibration service which is performed by Cindy Hines. Cindy Hines is the same lady who did the machine calibrations for the Gem Master II machines back when they were still in production in eastern North Carolina. Also Wyatt does have Fac-ette machines pictured on his site but I have never seen one of his machines in person nor spoken with anyone who has. So am unsure of the current state/quality of any new Fac-ette machines if they are even in production yet. But the original Gem Master machines (made in Washington State and known as the "Seattle" Gem Master) and the Gem Master II machines were top notch.

When buying a used Gem Master the most serious factors of value are whether the EMS meter is present and working properly. And whether the strain gauge on the protractor is working properly. I beleive that the company that made the EMS meters for Fac-ette is still in business in Georgia and will service the meters but it won't likely be cheap to do so. And if the strain gauge is damaged or not working correctly then as far as I know those are irreplaceable. And the EMS meter doesn't work without the strain gauge. So if either/both are not functioning properly, or function is unknown when buying, then be very careful. The value of the machine will be seriously affected.

The Ultra-Tec machines have been around for decades and have gone through a few design changes. The original Ultra-Tec machines were made by Stanely Co.. The original version and then soon after the V2 model. Instead of having keyed dops the Stanley models had a removable dop chuck which was keyed. At least three different styles of dop chucks were utilized during various time periods. None of these dop chucks are still available new. But there are still a lot of the old Stanley Ultra-Tec dop chucks around that turn up for sale. If my memory serves me correctly, Stanley sold the rights to make the Ultra-Tec V2 machines to the current owners around the early 1990s. The new manufacturers made a few changes, including redesigning the quill and chuck to utilize keyed dops, but still called it the V2 model. The V2 model was manufactured up until just a couple of years ago. A few years before they stopped making the analogue V2 machines they did introduce an optional digital readout gauge. Production of the V2 ended shortly after the digital V5 model was introduced. I have not cut on a V5 yet but have heard only good reviews from those who have. Also I feel that I should add that I've had mixed experiences with Ultra Tec's customer service.

The Poly-Metric machines are made by Zane Hoffman. Zane is the son of the man who used to make the Prismatic brand of machines. The Poly-Metric digital Sintillator "88" machine is the only model of Poly-Metric machines that I have owned. And although the design seems a little unconventional, it is a very well made machine with very good accuracy and which I consider a good buy for the money. I suspect that Zane's other two models of Poly-Metrics are probably good machines for their price ranges as well. Also Zane Hoffman is well known for offering among the best customer service in the industry.

The last I heard Zane Hoffman will service his dad's old line of Prismatic machines. Prismatics in their day were top of the line machines. I've had a couple of models of Zane's dad's Prismatic machines and IMO they had some of the finest finishing and craftsmanship of any machines I've ever seen. Zane's dad was an innovative designer and truly a great machinist/craftsman.

As for the Facetron machines, I've had three of those. They seem to be fairly well made but they are soft-stop machines. And I personally prefer hard-stop machines. I'm afraid that my attention span isn't good enough to cut on soft-stop machines. But this is just a personal preference. I consider Facetron to be a good machine at a fair price. And from my experience with them, and by their reputation, Facetron offers very good customer service.

Raytech-Shaw faceting machines are IMO one of the best designs to learn how to facet on. Because the removable hand piece makes it very easy to inspect the stone while cutting and this helps new cutters get their heads around what is going on with the process. The accuracy is surprisingly good for an unattached handpiece designed machine. But not quite as good as some of the other afore mentioned brands. I have had many Raytech-Shaw machines. They are very popular machines with students and hobbyists. And Rick Scott, who is the man who produces the Raytech-Shaw machines is a great guy who offers good customer service.

I've owned only a few Graves machines. The Mark I and the Mark IV models. I've seen some fine stones cut on these models but still the accuracy on these models isn't that great IMO. So much of the cutting to meet points has to be done visually which takes much longer. Also I do not like that they are not reversible. However, the Graves Mark I & IV model's low price tag do make them accessible entry level machines for someone who wants to get into faceting as a hobby. I have not yet cut a stone on the newer model Graves Mark 5XL so can not speak to the accuracy of that model. Also sadly, Graves has been getting a reputation for very poor customer service.

Omni and Alpha Taurus are two of the U.S. made brands which I have never owned or used. Alpha Taurus is out of business and as far as I know Omni is still in business. I won't comment too much on either of these machines since I have no personal experience with them But would strongly suggest that a potential buyer do extensive research before investing heavily in either.

Imahashi is a Japanese made brand of faceting machine with an unattached headpiece similar to the Raytech-Shaw machine. I've had two or three of these machines and they are built like pieces of armored military equipment. Very good quality. But they only have two speeds (2-step pulley), are not reversible, and use metric 6mm diameter shaft dops. Even though there are a good number of Imahashi machines here in the States, to my knowledge there hasn't been a U.S. distributor here since the 1990s. So any specialty parts have to be ordered from the manufacturer in Japan.

LEE, MDR, American Faceter, Arrow Sapphire, Vargas, Exacta, and Taylor Allen are all machines from days gone by. There were a LOT of LEE, American Faceter, and Arrow Sapphire machines produced so there are still used machines, dops and other used parts to be had for those. But not so much so for the others. While fine stones may still be cut from any of these machines, IMO all are outdated technology and never had the accuracy of some of the better modern machines. Regardless of how great the condition, if selling I would never expect to get over $1k for any one model of these used machines. And in average condition - even less.

I hope this helps. And these are just my opinions and are not intended to offend anyone or belittle their machines. Personally, my very first faceting machine purchase almost thirty years ago was a used early model Arrow Sapphire brand machine that had been Jerry-rigged onto a wooden base to where the laps had to be stacked in order for the dopped stone in the mast to be able to reach the lap. And the platen was not level either so there was a very pronounced wobble in the rotating stacked laps. But the thing still cut fairly decent stones. It just took a very loooooong time to do so.

Larry C.

Beautiful material! Is Rio Palm typically that colorful?

Larry C.