Finishing up step 1 in a vibratory tumbler (120/220 grit), cleaning the rocks and the tumbler, and starting step 2 (pre-polish). Link to Step 3 video: • Vibratory Rock Tumbler...
After taking out your rocks and washing them off and cleaning the bowl I would put them all back into the bowl, jump some Dawn soap in with lots of water (no grit) and give the rocks and bowl a 30 min super wash. That will clean out 90% + of anything left sticking to the rocks, cracks, holes, etc Then I would do an individual exam for any remaining grit. This speeds up the process greatly because almost all the rocks are very clean after the super wash.
I don't know if this will be read since this is a 2 year old video, but I hear that you should wear down your ceramics so they don't have jagged edges during the prepolish and polishing stages. I like to use a combination of small and large ceramic pieces, but I guess everyone has their own way. Great video, you don't find much of these types of tumbling videos much on RUclips.
Absolutely. I will put new in step 2 and then use that for 3 and 4. I won't add any extra ceramics after step 2. So far that has worked pretty well for me. Thanks for the comment!
I love the fact that you went back to the video after that long because I really love that step by step tutorial. I watched other videos and was really disappointed...so, thank you.
I have just started with a vibratory (raytech tv5) and can't seem to get the rocks to actually tumble through the bowl like yours do. I am thinking it may be too full/not full enough, rocks too large, too much water.... Any suggestions what I might try?
First off experiment a little. I think when I started I wasn't putting enough rocks in. Try more and try less. With the LotO, I will start mine off and if I don't like how it's going I'll add more ceramic media. I usually go with probably more ceramic than rock. Maybe 60/40ish. I use small and large media. This comment is on my thumler vibratory, check out one of my more recent videos with the LotO. It doesn't have a center post and you can usually get a good look at how high I have it full. (Though recently, I've been trying a little less in it.) Also, watch Michigan Rocks - that guy is amazing and honestly he's a much better videographer than I am! Best of luck! -Ed
@@edcctf Okay, I will subscribe so I can find your channel again. I am trying to tweak how I do them in my rotary tumbler. My first try didn't work out. Smooth but not shiny. Definitely a learning experience. If this second try works I might get a small vibratory one next month. Or maybe July.
Yes, very much so. I run a 12 lb rotary and a twin 3 lb rotary almost constantly with 60/90 (Step 1) to get the rocks ready. It takes forever to get enough to fill the vibratory. The next batch I do will probably start this weekend and it's the next batch after the one in this video which I did in October.... but I'm probably pretty overkill. I do 3 weeks in 60/90 then pull out the ones I think are ready and throw the rest back in. A 12 lb tumbler I might keep a third and put 2/3 back in for 3 more weeks. I just keep doing this until I have enough to fill.
This is a Thumler UV18. It's a vibratory tumbler. Just a quick question: Are you doing 60/90 grit or the equivalent in a vibe?? That will ruin your bowl. With the vibratory tumblers you have to do step one (60/90) in a rotary tumbler and then you can do steps 2, 3 and 4 in the vibe. The benefit is (for me) I do steps 2, 3 and 4 in 9 days (3 each) where in a rotary that would be 3+ weeks. I also feel that I get better results from the vibe. I'm mainly using a LotO vibe now, it's 1/4 the size of the tumbler in this video and it has a rubber bowl which has cut down the noise a lot. I have no complaints on the performance of the Thumlers, but it took me forever to get enough rocks ready to fill it and it was pretty loud. (My tumblers are in my basement directly below my living room.)
The tumbler I used in that video is a Thumler's UV18. Where you have to be careful is that with vibratory tumblers they make two kinds: one for rocks and one for things like brass for bullets. The tumblers made for brass are not nearly as heavy duty and not designed for the kind of weight you have when you tumble rocks. You have to be sure you have the right one. (The rock tumblers are more expensive.) I'm not sure if that was the issue you had, but if so, from what I understand it wouldn't even work for you to get a rock bowl - the springs, motor etc on the brass tumblers are not strong enough for that kind of weight.
@@edcctf thank you so much for the response, you are right on the material about those tumbler, I went back the store and exchange a new one, no surprise this new bowl start to have holes under one 3weeks, I probably will buy the brand you are using! Thanks again and really enjoyed watching your videos, learned a lot!!!!
It's been a while since this video. I'm pretty sure this is step 2, not pre-polish (Step 3). I have some pre-polish that is almost white. It wouldn't be this grey either. That is one possibility. The other is that you might not have enough water.
@@elchapo2024 I didn't realize how soon it was. I did the same thing in one of my videos. I kept looking and it wasn't happening. It takes a few hours to really get a slurry going! Best of luck with your batch! If you're on pre-polish it won't be too long! :)
Yes, very much so. In a vibratory each stage goes a day and a half to 3 days depending on preference while in the rotary you're looking at a week or more. The caveat is that you still need a rotary. You can't do step one in a vibratory. So now I'm running both rotaries with just 60/90 grit to get enough rocks ready to move on and fill the vibratory. Once you get to the vibratory you can do fine, prepolish and polish in a week to 9 days. Oh, and they use much less grit as well.
I started out with a Thumler's 18 lb vibratory. I then bought a Lot-O 4.5 lb vibratory. I mostly use the LotO now. It is absolutely nothing against the Thumler, it did a fantastic job, it just took me soooo long to get enough rock through step 1 to fill it.
If you are considering buying a vibratory, two things: 1. There are two kinds, one is for gun brass and is not heavy duty enough for rocks. 2. You still need a rotary to do step 1. The vibratory doesn't do grit that abrasive.
The tumbler in this video is a Thumlers UV18. It takes a LOT of rocks to fill it. I don't use it too often now, I got a LotO with 1/4 the capacity. I'm running a 12 lb rotary and a dual 3lb rotary all the time and it would take me months to have enough rocks to fill the Thumlers. They both do a fantastic job though! I did a load in the Thumlers fairly recently, but only because I had a couple of rocks too big to put in the LotO.
@@edcctf , I just started out in Rock tumbling and I have the Harbor Freight 3 pounders. They're okay for the very little rocks but I got a lot of really big rocks I would like the tumble or polish but not by hand and was interested in something this big.
@@bobbieker8915 I believe it. It seems like tumblers are one of those things that are fairly hard to put your hands on right now, especially new. I haven't tried to buy one in several years, but I have noticed that even parts are hard to get. My usual go to's are The Rock Shed and Kingsley North, but even they are sold out very frequently.
*impressed with quality. my unit came 🔎🔍 **allabout.wiki/Lyman** with a pound or so of what looks like stainless steel shot and more importantly a spare o-ring for the access hatch and a toothed-belt for the motor-drum drive. Nice touch.the drum and base are both larger than I expected and heavy.the materials and build quality seem good to very good.it's been running on the slowest speed for the last couple of hours with2 pounds or so of my steel parts to be deburred,4 pounds or so of 1" ceramic stars andwater with a little bit of dawn soapfilled to 1/2 the drum volume.I weighed the drum half filled with the previous mentioned items and it came out a little under 9 **pounds.like**: I like the way the drum hatch gets locked.the robustness of the build and motor.con: no instructions that I can see on how to work the base dials/controls, but I got it running by just turning the knobs.grin.not sure if the timer is on or what the 1/0 switch does (it's not on/off to the motor), timer use maybe ??I'll have another look in the box for the instructions or maybe on line .... this is not a big enough of an issue to take rating stars off my initial 5 star rating.update 10.1.2017: ran it 24hrs/day for 4 days straight with 4 different batches of parts and it worked without issues. My a36 steel parts came out as expected with a nice even finish.BTW not mentioned but as I state in the previous line, I've been running it without a 'timer' limit. I suspect the '1/0' switch when switched to '0' disables the timer ... however I got it to work this way, it's the way I wanted, so I can run it overnight without a 3hr reset of the timer.*
You're trouble shooting tips are awesome. I'm watching this for a refresher and remembering everything I've forgotten!
After taking out your rocks and washing them off and cleaning the bowl I would put them all back into the bowl, jump some Dawn soap in with lots of water (no grit) and give the rocks and bowl a 30 min super wash. That will clean out 90% + of anything left sticking to the rocks, cracks, holes, etc Then I would do an individual exam for any remaining grit. This speeds up the process greatly because almost all the rocks are very clean after the super wash.
What a cool tumbler. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.
I don't know if this will be read since this is a 2 year old video, but I hear that you should wear down your ceramics so they don't have jagged edges during the prepolish and polishing stages. I like to use a combination of small and large ceramic pieces, but I guess everyone has their own way. Great video, you don't find much of these types of tumbling videos much on RUclips.
Absolutely. I will put new in step 2 and then use that for 3 and 4. I won't add any extra ceramics after step 2. So far that has worked pretty well for me. Thanks for the comment!
I love the fact that you went back to the video after that long because I really love that step by step tutorial. I watched other videos and was really disappointed...so, thank you.
I've enjoyed watching your videos on tumbling. I have been tumbling rocks for about 2 months now and it's a fun and addictive. Not a bad addiction.
Just subscribed!!! Thank you for shearing,I really enjoyed! Warm hugs from Portland Oregon...
Lovely video, many thanks.
Nice rocks
I use dental tools to get the grit out of the little cracks and crevices.
Wow...amazing
I have just started with a vibratory (raytech tv5) and can't seem to get the rocks to actually tumble through the bowl like yours do. I am thinking it may be too full/not full enough, rocks too large, too much water.... Any suggestions what I might try?
First off experiment a little. I think when I started I wasn't putting enough rocks in. Try more and try less. With the LotO, I will start mine off and if I don't like how it's going I'll add more ceramic media. I usually go with probably more ceramic than rock. Maybe 60/40ish. I use small and large media. This comment is on my thumler vibratory, check out one of my more recent videos with the LotO. It doesn't have a center post and you can usually get a good look at how high I have it full. (Though recently, I've been trying a little less in it.) Also, watch Michigan Rocks - that guy is amazing and honestly he's a much better videographer than I am! Best of luck! -Ed
Been thinking about getting one of these.
I love mine! I just put up a new series of videos using the vibe. The results are awesome! :)
@@edcctf Okay, I will subscribe so I can find your channel again.
I am trying to tweak how I do them in my rotary tumbler. My first try didn't work out. Smooth but not shiny. Definitely a learning experience. If this second try works I might get a small vibratory one next month. Or maybe July.
@@edcctf Yeah, posted a one minute video. I think I had too many rocks.
@@edcctf Am I doing right? This is my step one reveal.
ruclips.net/video/zveGjNpy8F0/видео.html
Big help; I can see how much water you have in the bowl (a little too much) ; so now I know what to shoot for on mine.
Ed, do you start with fairly smooth rocks in your UV-18?
Yes, very much so. I run a 12 lb rotary and a twin 3 lb rotary almost constantly with 60/90 (Step 1) to get the rocks ready. It takes forever to get enough to fill the vibratory. The next batch I do will probably start this weekend and it's the next batch after the one in this video which I did in October.... but I'm probably pretty overkill. I do 3 weeks in 60/90 then pull out the ones I think are ready and throw the rest back in. A 12 lb tumbler I might keep a third and put 2/3 back in for 3 more weeks. I just keep doing this until I have enough to fill.
isso e muito bom .como adiquirir un deste vibrador de pedra .
what tumbler are you using in this vid? i keep wearing the tubs out on mine
This is a Thumler UV18. It's a vibratory tumbler. Just a quick question: Are you doing 60/90 grit or the equivalent in a vibe?? That will ruin your bowl. With the vibratory tumblers you have to do step one (60/90) in a rotary tumbler and then you can do steps 2, 3 and 4 in the vibe. The benefit is (for me) I do steps 2, 3 and 4 in 9 days (3 each) where in a rotary that would be 3+ weeks. I also feel that I get better results from the vibe.
I'm mainly using a LotO vibe now, it's 1/4 the size of the tumbler in this video and it has a rubber bowl which has cut down the noise a lot. I have no complaints on the performance of the Thumlers, but it took me forever to get enough rocks ready to fill it and it was pretty loud. (My tumblers are in my basement directly below my living room.)
new here sir.this is interesting.
What brand do you use? I bought one and less than 2 month, the bowl start showing holes which is really shocked me
The tumbler I used in that video is a Thumler's UV18. Where you have to be careful is that with vibratory tumblers they make two kinds: one for rocks and one for things like brass for bullets. The tumblers made for brass are not nearly as heavy duty and not designed for the kind of weight you have when you tumble rocks. You have to be sure you have the right one. (The rock tumblers are more expensive.) I'm not sure if that was the issue you had, but if so, from what I understand it wouldn't even work for you to get a rock bowl - the springs, motor etc on the brass tumblers are not strong enough for that kind of weight.
@@edcctf thank you so much for the response, you are right on the material about those tumbler, I went back the store and exchange a new one, no surprise this new bowl start to have holes under one 3weeks, I probably will buy the brand you are using! Thanks again and really enjoyed watching your videos, learned a lot!!!!
I added even more than four OZ of pre-polish in an 18. It never really turned all the rocks this grey?
It's been a while since this video. I'm pretty sure this is step 2, not pre-polish (Step 3). I have some pre-polish that is almost white. It wouldn't be this grey either. That is one possibility. The other is that you might not have enough water.
@@edcctf I think I just commented too soon. It took a good couple of hours for it to finally turn the rocks grey. Strange.
@@elchapo2024 I didn't realize how soon it was. I did the same thing in one of my videos. I kept looking and it wasn't happening. It takes a few hours to really get a slurry going! Best of luck with your batch! If you're on pre-polish it won't be too long! :)
@@edcctf Thanks man. Love the videos btw!
@@elchapo2024 Thank you! Glad you enjoy! I'll probably be starting a batch soon! Ohio is starting to warm up - Spring is on the way! :)
Is this process faster than a tumbler?
Yes, very much so. In a vibratory each stage goes a day and a half to 3 days depending on preference while in the rotary you're looking at a week or more. The caveat is that you still need a rotary. You can't do step one in a vibratory. So now I'm running both rotaries with just 60/90 grit to get enough rocks ready to move on and fill the vibratory. Once you get to the vibratory you can do fine, prepolish and polish in a week to 9 days. Oh, and they use much less grit as well.
What is the brand of vibrator that you use?
I started out with a Thumler's 18 lb vibratory. I then bought a Lot-O 4.5 lb vibratory. I mostly use the LotO now. It is absolutely nothing against the Thumler, it did a fantastic job, it just took me soooo long to get enough rock through step 1 to fill it.
If you are considering buying a vibratory, two things: 1. There are two kinds, one is for gun brass and is not heavy duty enough for rocks. 2. You still need a rotary to do step 1. The vibratory doesn't do grit that abrasive.
ممكن اعرف ايش اسم هذي الماده
I appreciate the comment, but I can't read this! If it's a question, if you can translate it to English I'll be happy to respond! :)
Ultrasonic cleaner to get some of the gunk out of the cracks.
What brand/size ultrasonic cleaner please?
What brand of Tumblr are you using?
The tumbler in this video is a Thumlers UV18. It takes a LOT of rocks to fill it. I don't use it too often now, I got a LotO with 1/4 the capacity. I'm running a 12 lb rotary and a dual 3lb rotary all the time and it would take me months to have enough rocks to fill the Thumlers. They both do a fantastic job though! I did a load in the Thumlers fairly recently, but only because I had a couple of rocks too big to put in the LotO.
@@edcctf , I looked up that particular tumbler the UV 18 and it shows that it's out of stock. And they don't know if it will be in stock again.
@@edcctf , I just started out in Rock tumbling and I have the Harbor Freight 3 pounders. They're okay for the very little rocks but I got a lot of really big rocks I would like the tumble or polish but not by hand and was interested in something this big.
@@bobbieker8915 I believe it. It seems like tumblers are one of those things that are fairly hard to put your hands on right now, especially new. I haven't tried to buy one in several years, but I have noticed that even parts are hard to get. My usual go to's are The Rock Shed and Kingsley North, but even they are sold out very frequently.
@@edcctf , thank you for the information. I appreciate it.
We do not understand what you are saying, please add Persian subtitles
qqs
*impressed with quality. my unit came 🔎🔍 **allabout.wiki/Lyman** with a pound or so of what looks like stainless steel shot and more importantly a spare o-ring for the access hatch and a toothed-belt for the motor-drum drive. Nice touch.the drum and base are both larger than I expected and heavy.the materials and build quality seem good to very good.it's been running on the slowest speed for the last couple of hours with2 pounds or so of my steel parts to be deburred,4 pounds or so of 1" ceramic stars andwater with a little bit of dawn soapfilled to 1/2 the drum volume.I weighed the drum half filled with the previous mentioned items and it came out a little under 9 **pounds.like**: I like the way the drum hatch gets locked.the robustness of the build and motor.con: no instructions that I can see on how to work the base dials/controls, but I got it running by just turning the knobs.grin.not sure if the timer is on or what the 1/0 switch does (it's not on/off to the motor), timer use maybe ??I'll have another look in the box for the instructions or maybe on line .... this is not a big enough of an issue to take rating stars off my initial 5 star rating.update 10.1.2017: ran it 24hrs/day for 4 days straight with 4 different batches of parts and it worked without issues. My a36 steel parts came out as expected with a nice even finish.BTW not mentioned but as I state in the previous line, I've been running it without a 'timer' limit. I suspect the '1/0' switch when switched to '0' disables the timer ... however I got it to work this way, it's the way I wanted, so I can run it overnight without a 3hr reset of the timer.*