Extend the Life of Rock Tumbler Barrels with this Quick Fix
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- Опубликовано: 21 дек 2023
- If you have a rock tumbler, you should see this. I'm so glad I prevented a costly replacement.
Here's the original discussion on the Rock Tumbling Hobby forums:
forum.rocktumblinghobby.com/t...
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Kingsley North is a lapidary store in Michigan's U.P. They make a great cab machine and sell many other brands too. They have a huge selection rough rock, tumblers, grit, jewelry supplies etc. at good prices. I buy most of my coarse grit from here in 45 lb. bags. It's the best price I have found. If you buy using the following link, I make a small commission.
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I really like your channel! You don't just show off your rocks all the time. Rather, this channel is oftentimes like a class where you teach us good rock tumbling methods and techniques. Thanks!
I'm a retired teacher, so I guess that's in my veins.
@@MichiganRockswhat did you teach?
@@coreydolan Actually, I'm still teaching. I taught 8th grade math for 30 years and retired in 2020. Then, just about a year ago, the principal from our local Catholic school asked me to help out. She is also retired from the public schools and really, really helped my kids out in high school, so my answer was pretty much an immediate "yes". I was also actively looking someplace to do some volunteering, so this was literally an answer to my prayers. So now I have three students and I teach one hour a day. It's a small school, especially at the higher grades. I'm teaching 8th grade math again.
@@MichiganRocks That's awesome! I teach CNC machining (and some manual machining) to high school students. You have a natural way of explaining things only a well experienced teacher would.
Heavy duty truck tire patches work very well on 3 lb drums. They are big enough to cover where the drum gets thin and they have cords in them which make them particularly durable. I think I was getting a pack of four at farm and home for $5 and the adhesive provided works fine.
That's good to know. Might be an easier fix.
That is what I did for my Thumler tumblers lids and bottoms.@@MichiganRocks
Did you buy the square ones and cut them to size? Or do the round ones fit without cutting. I'm looking on Amazon I need some for my 3lb barrels. Thank you.
@@tammycooper7312 I used the round ones, they have a beveled edge and don't allow grit to accumulate. Quickest way is to clean with acetone and use a screen roller for application.
Thank you very much. @@toddslingerland6110
YES ROOOBBB!!!! WOOHOOO!! Thanks for the shout-out! Good idea with replacing the bottoms.
THANKS FOR THE SHIRT!!! I hate all caps, but you deserve it. You're a genius.
@@MichiganRocks do you have a video for leaking seals or lids? My wife purchased a used tumbler for me. I finally set it up and started running in. After about an hour of use, all the water and grinding material had leaked out from around the seal.
The metal lid seems slightly warped. I was hoping since you have been doing this for sometime, that you yourself have ran into these problems.
Thanks for any info!
@@halfwaydownthewormhole2738 My Lortone barrels have almost never leaked. I'm not sure what to suggest except to make sure that the seal between the rubber is really clean. I scrub mine with a toothbrush.
@@MichiganRocks Thank you for the reply. It turns out I did a few things wrong. I did not have the lid fully seated, and I also had left out a seal that goes between the barrel lid and the metal cap. I also used a hammer this time to lightly tap and fully seat that metal cap. No more leaks and I'm on my way to my first polish!
Dynomite shirt! Well done, Sara 👌. I watched that show pretty regularly.
Thanks, Bob, for sharing your idea. Last but not least, thank you, Rob, for making this video. I'm a poor old crippled, retired woman who can't afford new barrels, that's for sure 😊. I'm a rock fanatic since I was a kid, though, and finally got a tumbler for Christmas last year. When I was little, my Gramma would find me under the patio, separating pebbles by size and color, and "washing" them in my mouth. 😊 well, they're prettier when they're shiny, am I right, Rob? ✌️
I think most serious rock hunters are also rock lickers. I hunt on the beach and I still stick them in my mouth if I'm more than ten feet from the water.
Your barrels should be fine for quite a few years. My small barrels have been going over ten years with no problem, but the big ones wear out a lot quicker.
Thank you!
@@MichiganRocks Thanks for all you do, Rob. I appreciate your time and knowledge.
Have a very Merry Christmas and all the very best to you and your family for the new year . ✌️
@saralynn518 thank YOU, for the nostalgia ✌️. Best wishes for the holidays.
@@okesoncharlie To you as well! Also, there's a message of "WOOF! ruff rrrr" coming from my golden retriever. I think it is for yours (in the picture) if you don't mind passing on the message.
What a great idea! E6000 glue is sold in different viscosities, so look for "low viscosity" to have an easier time spreading it.
Oh, really? I didn't even realize that. Thanks for the tip!
Only thing you might add. Is scuff the patch as well, rubber is smooth and shiny. Allows the adhesive to grab both pieces
I did that with the bottom of the barrel, but didn't think to do it to the new rubber. I should have, though.
I don't have a tumbler yet, but I am very grateful for this and other videos you produce. I'll be rewatching once I save up for mine. Thanks!
They'll be here waiting for you!
Great idea! I would have never guessed the barrels were so expensive to replace. I will definitely remember this when ours start to wear. Thanks for sharing!
They don't seem like they'd cost that much, but they do. I don't feel like Lortone is the type of company to take advantage of people like that, so they must be really expensive to make.
Thank you so much for sharing that video. It will make our environment be better. Every little step counts.
True. I was thinking about my wallet, but this is a great idea for a couple of reasons.
This is even more important with the latest news about Lortone closing, unless someone buys their barrel tools and continues production. I suspect someone will.
I sure hope someone buys the company and runs it better than it's been run the past few years.
OMG I’ve been thinking the same thing. So many people have their tumblers I hope someone at least buys that part of the company. It’s disturbing to see all these manufacturers going out of business. It’s definitely pushing people to DIY their own versions but the barrels are hard to duplicate.
That's a really great idea. I love it. Thank you, Rob, for that money saving tip. You are awesome.
Not my idea, but I'm glad to be able to share it.
@MichiganRocks oh that's right, someone gave you the tip and you shared it. Well thank you to whoever you got the tip from as well. It's great.
DIY is great when it saves money! Thanks for sharing❤
Thank you for sharing. Wishing you, your family and Sam, a very Merry Christmas full of love and laughter.
Merry Christmas, Teresa!
Merry Christmas, Rob and Nancy! Thanks for the info on this, will keep us all tumbling for quite a while! Thanks for sharing!
Merry Christmas, Brian!
In the past I've used shower pan liner. You can buy it by the foot from home depot.
Has that worked well?
Thanks for the tip. Interestingly, I have a barrel with a metal lid, and have done this with the rubber seal on it recently.
I haven't done any of my lids, but I'm considering it. The replacement lid gaskets are reasonably priced, so I don't know if it make sense to do this there.
Good job! Thanks for the tip.
My lid seals are developing holes where the bolt is in the middle. My brother uses 1/8 inch rubber gasket material in the machine shop he works in. He gave me a 2x4 foot piece to glue to the existing seal. Works great. The gaskets I was finding on line were 17-20 dollars each. Saved some money. My barrels aren’t getting thin yet but I will be using your tip to extend their life. Thanks for sharing your tips.
I had the same issue with the boot gaskets. I bought a bike tire repair kit from Walmart (comes with adhesive and multiple sizes of patches) and it's worked great. I've gotten a lot more use out of my gaskets.
I just priced the Lortone 6 and 12 pound boot gaskets at both Kingsley North and The Rock Shed and they both have them for $10.90. I thought about doing my lids too, but for that price, I wasn't convinced that it was worth the cost of glue and neoprene.
I used to cover the bolt with a bandaid before putting the gasket on. I have stopped doing that, but maybe I should go back to it. I'm not sure that the bolt actually wears from that side of the rubber or if it's all from the inside. I suspect all the wear comes from rocks and grit.
Rolls eyes at the shirt. Well done, love it, and while my barrels will be a long way off needing repair, this is a great idea, thanks!
My wife rolls her eyes at most of my jokes, but I still think they're funny.
That is a great idea, and yes I'm old enough to understand your shirt that is awesome.
It is awesome, isn't it?
Great tip! Thanks!
Oh man! I had a tumbler barrel spring a leak just last week. It wore a hole through just like you said! Thanks for the tip. I’ve also had them wear through the cover gasket too.
I replaced the lid gaskets once in awhile. I'll bet you could still repair that barrel with hole if it hasn't gone out in the trash yet. You'd just need to put a piece of duct tape or something over the hole on the outside before putting the glue in.
I work with this type of neoprene at work fairly often. I’m not as familiar with this adhesive, but I’m pretty sure the curling issue you had with the first one is because the solvents in the adhesive expanded the rubber it came in contact with. This caused it to curl towards the dry side which didn’t expand. Glad you were able to fix your barrels in the end though. Can’t wait to see what you tumble in them next!
That sounds like what probably happened. I was so surprised in the morning. Now I know better though.
A good fix. Thanks for sharing.
Nice walkthrough. I did a similar fix on a Lortone C-40 barrel (the lid gasket) using a scrap sheet of EPDM (instead of neoprene) at about a quarter of the cost of buying buy a gasket from a dealer. I will use your approach when it is time to fix the bottom of the barrel.
I don't know which rubber would be better. Has yours been holding up?
I'm tumbling sharp Ohio flint. After one year, the EPDM gasket looks ok (3/8 inch thick sheet). Some slight surface abrasion. Tumbling with just water and 60/90 silicon carbide grit. No Dawn soap or other additives. The EPDM was a scrap sheet from a company in Akron (that is what they identified it as).
@@plumtree1846 That sounds like it's holding up great then. Thanks for the feedback.
Bravo!!! This video is Dynomite!
Ha ha!
Dang good idea. The smartest man I ever knew, (my Dad) used to say: "watch your pennies and your dollars will take care of themselves ". Thanks for Sharing.
Yep, better to spend a little to prevent a problem down the road too.
Thanks, Rob. Great video. I am definitely going to do this.👍💞
Love the shirt!😎
It's a great shirt, isn't it?
Thanks, Rob. I could have used this tip a few times.
Love the shirt Rob. Thanks for the good video on an important fix. I am a ways away from needing to do this (I hope) but it is good to know that I can do something like this when needed.
Yep, I put it off longer than I should have, but I would wait until you actually need to do it.
😮 that puddin' stone!! Wowsa!
That's my favorite one.
Great video Rob, and love the shirt!
It's very nice of you to provide people with cheap fixes and problem solving. Merry Christmas!
Not my idea, I was just passing it on.
Thankyou ill definitely do this when my barrels get older
Great tip and great job on repairing that barrel. Greeting from California.
Haven't experienced that problem yet, but most likely will. Awesome video. Great information. Thank you. Merry Christmas to you & yours...
Merry Christmas, Dan!
Nice Rob, great advice, and I thought the same thing when you said what you were doing, is grit going to get stuck in there. But if you save a barrel from being thrown out and you’d have to buy a spar e anyway, make the patched one a dedicated 40/60 grit and there’s never an issue. Love it. Merry Christmas to you, Nancy and the family.
I use my big barrels almost exclusively for coarse grit, so I'm not worried about it. I'm not sure if it would be a problem though. Right now it doesn't look like there's a lot of places for anything to get stuck in.
As ever, Thank you, Rob.
Great tip!!!
Great tips I will be giving that a try when I need to,tip on pattern making old school way,get side measurement and length across,example 2" x5" make a paper pattern, find the center using pencil diagonally from corner to corner center is where lines cross,pin it to pattern,draw line on each edge,rotate 5 times to meet end of first line
Thanks, Mike. That would be great if you didn't have a computer.
Love the shirt & thx for the great tip!!
I love the shirt too!
Love your videos, from over the other side of the lake SW Ontario.
Thanks, Woodie!
I actually had to repair two of my barrels this morning. They are standard 3 lb barrels. The fix I came up with was to buy the lid gaskets and use them since they are the exact circumference of my barrel. I just cut off the top notch portion and glue it down. Definitely going to buy a sheet of that rubber since each gasket costs $3.
The rubber that I bought is thicker than the lid gaskets, so it should last longer too.
Yes! That’s great! You made my day 😊
Yes new barrel for a lot-o Tumbler is almost fifty dollars I'm glad I got extra ones when I picked up a used lot-o tumbler. My 15 pound tumbler drum liner is over seventy dollars now, the price for repair parts has gone up a lot. Keep up the great videos and God bless you and your family.
I don't have a Thumler's Model B (I assume that's what you have), but I'll bet you could do the same thing with the liner. It seems like only the middle of the bottom and top wear out, not the sides as much.
Thanks for saving us some money!
Thank you for the video, my 12# Lortone Barrel is getting thin on the bottom, this is a great fix! Also, love the sign on the wall! 👍 Have a great Christmas and New Year!🎅🎆
This is the first video with the new sign. I was really pleased with how that turned out. My new laser engraver is a really fun.
Great tip. Though I dont have tumbler, but I like To save money with doing stuff my self(reparecand build) thx for this. And thx of all ur videos, absolutely love them. Keep on 👍. ❤From🇫🇮
Thanks, I'm glad you're enjoying them.
That’s a great tip Rob. I’ve repaired 2 of my 3 lb barrels using some scrap pieces of plexiglass and RTV silicone caulk as an adhesive. I made the same mistake of not weighting down the repair but it turned out ok. Like you said there’s a chance of some residual grit remaining in the repair seam but as long as you use the barrel for the same grit every time it won’t be a problem.
MERRY CHRISTMAS to you and your family !!!
Does the plexiglass hold up well? I have a Thumler's A-R2 tumbler that has hard, plastic lid that wear out really fast. Rubber seems to hold up so much longer.
@@MichiganRocks They’ve been in service probably six months and still going strong. Actually the product that I used was called Lexan and not plexiglass but they are very similar and used for replacement glass at times. The Lexan has a little more bend ability before it cracks or breaks.
@@davidhile5363 Lexan is nice stuff. It's nice to have some options. Thanks for adding your two cents, Dave!
@@MichiganRocks It may not be the ideal material but it was what I had on hand so I thought why not give it a try.
@@davidhile5363 Not much to lose.
dynomite . Enjoy the show. Merry CHRISTmas and a blessed new year
Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas
Merry Christmas!
That's a great idea. I would advise cleaning the new rubber with acetone or alcohol prior to glueing to remove any release agent residue used in manufacture.
It's a little late for that now, but it's probably really good advice.
Merry Christmas Rob 🎅🏻
Merry Christmas, Charl!
Love all the information. Hahaha, love the shirt.
And here I thought I was the only person patching my barrels, I have several 3lb barrels that I've patched with 3" patches used for tires or inner tubes, they don't go clear to the walls but they more than cover the thin spots and the edges glue down nice so no grit can get under them, I've patched lid seals the same way.
Someone else mentioned the exact same thing. I might go get some of those for my smaller barrels. Thanks!
I would even do this on new barrels as a preventive measure stay ahead of the wear and give it a stiffer bottom.
Good plan.
Excellent!! I always wondered what to do with my pudding stone.😂😂😂😂
They make great weights.
Did this too..... Plastic Barrels from England repaired with PMMA
I didn't know what PMMA was, so I looked it up. It's another word for acrylic or Plexiglas. Did yours hold up well? I didn't know if a rigid material would hold up as well as a rubber material.
I got the National Geographic Tumbler and am satisfied. I got this drum from Englang. The motor appears to be durable, but the drum is made of plastic. Polymethyl methacrylate is used, for example, in dentures by the dental technician. By roughening and brushing the liquid, you can dissolve the plastic and then connect it to the mixed plastic. in addition, retentions are very important for mechanical retention (a few notches, holes). It held up relatively well, was then@@MichiganRocks
later broken again. Then I looked for this solution. Rainwater drainage pipes with end caps (in the middle of the picture below) - see link
@@mdl1402 There's no link.
I repaired just repaired the bottom of my 12lb barrel with black liquid flex seal. I scored the bottom and poured a few mml, let it try for 2 days then did a second pour. Seems to work. It didn't work well for the Lott-o that had that dip in the bottom. I occasionally get strips of the black rubber.
Someone else said they did did the same thing. Sounds like another good option.
When I first got my Lot-O, I filled the holes with epoxy. It's been over ten years and that's still holding up. I just put some on a stick, like you would with a honey dipper and lowered it in to let it drip off. I kept it all within the hole that way and didn't over fill it. I have a couple newer Lot-O barrels and they don't have as deep of a hole in them as the old ones did. I don't know if they changed something or if it was just the luck of the draw.
cool sign graphics!
Thanks! I made that with my laser engraver. I have been excited to get it into a video. I wish my head didn't block it, but I didn't know how else to do it.
I had a lid on a thumbler container wear out a half inch sized hole... i just used E-6000 to glue a cutout from a kirkland macadamia lid over the hole... a hot knife i have cut the lid nicely...
Are you talking about the small barrel plastic lids? Those things wear out so fast. I think putting a rubber liner on the inside would probably really help.
@@MichiganRocks yes, those have a hard plastic lid that pops down into the container... the lid i used to repair was a similar plastic... it's been running well since the repair, with no leakage...
@@MichiganRocks I'll keep an eye out for a piece of thin rubber should it need repairing again... thanks ...
That shirt is hilarious! I am old enough to remember lol
That was awhile ago, but I remember watching it as a kid.
I've done the same thing with a 12 pound barrel, using contact cement to glue the surfaces and silicone around the edges to seal it. I've got another barrel that will need the same treatment soon, it's getting thin on the bottom.
Has your repair held up well? It's nice to have different options.
@@MichiganRocks Yep, going on a year now and it looks fine. The neoprene seems to wear as well or better than the barrel rubber, and I haven't had any of the silicone peel away, which is where I would expect it to fail first.
@@r.awilliams9815 Sounds like a success to me.
Oh wow! Very helpful!
And that shirt??! I am dying!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣
I love that shirt.
You know, I was wondering if could line the insides of a coffee tin with thick rubber and use it as a tumbling drum. Might have to make a special inner lid.
🤔 interesting idea. Would love to know if it works if you try it
Getting a waterproof fit on the lid would be challenging, I think. Some people make barrels out of PVC pipe. From what I've heard, those are pretty loud, but if you lined them with rubber, it should quiet them down. But by that time, the price might be getting pretty high.
More informative information
Always a pleasure 🪨🪨🪨🪨🪨🪨🪨🪨🪨🪨🪨🪨🪨🪨
Question- Why do you need to cement it down? Could you just pop it out in between grit changes and rinse everything off? It seems if it were a good fit, water and a little grit might get behind, but certainly no rocks? Just a thought....
I suppose that would work, but it seems easier to not have to take it out each time to me.
Nalipoite Dolomite is a good film :)
What happens if you put the patch on the outside of the barrel? Great video thanks.
I'd rather have it on the inside. If it leaks on the inside, no water will get out. If the patch is on the outside and the barrel wears through, there would be a possibility of a leak. I guess the downside of it being on the inside is that you lose a very small amount of volume.
Don’t forget the lids!!
The lid gaskets aren't that expensive. I'm not sure if the glue and the rubber would be cheaper than just buying a new one.
I'm wondering if you could overcoat the repair with a sealant like Flex-seal to fill any voids. I've used it to seal holes in gutters, but I have no idea how durable it is.
I think I sealed around the bottom pretty well with the E6000. I have no idea how Flex Seal would work.
Would you suggest doing this to a new barrel or waiting until the bottom is getting thin?
I'd wait. If you don't seal it up perfectly along the bottom, there's a chance of creating a grit trap. If you ever plan to use your barrels for anything but the first stage, that would be a bad thing. The other thing is, that it makes the barrel a tiny bit smaller on the inside.
Sheesh, Rob, where am I gonna find a rock? 😛
They seem to be everywhere around here.
Hi, could you fit the patch on the outside?
I think it would be more likely to leak if you wore through the barrel that way. I haven't tried it though, so I don't know for sure. I like the way I decided to do it.
I was just thinking how to avoid trapping the grit.
@@keithbeardmore530 Oh, I see. It would be better in that regard, at least until the original barrel wears through.
My last 12 pound Laretone barrel began leaking around the top, spilling water and grit all over. I have use this barrel for almost 2 years with coarse grits from 60/90 to 220 grit sizes. Purchased a new top and top cover and the barrel still leaked. Have you had this problem? Do you have a possible fix?
I have only had Lortone barrels leak once or twice, and not that bad when they did. Even when the lid gasket gets a hole in the middle, the slurry stays inside the outer cover.
I think that when I had one leak, the problem was little tiny rock chips getting in between the lid and the top of the rim that the lid sets on. Now when I open a six or twelve pound barrel, I hold the lid over the top so that there's a gap on the side with the most little rock chips accumulated. I pour the slurry out that side to wash them out. Then I move the lid to expose other place where there is a build up and pour some more. Since I've been doing that, I haven't had any problems. I don't ever have problems like this with the three pound barrels.
It sounds like you might have a different problem if it's happening all the time. I wonder if those little pebbles could have damaged the rim of the barrel itself. If that's the case, you might need to buy a new barrel, which would be a bummer.
Dynamite!
I would expect the glue to dry pretty hard, but have you had any issues of grit getting embedded in the glue seal around that bottom edge?
No, this glue stays flexible. So far, I haven't noticed grit getting embedded, but I'm not concerned about it because I have only been doing the coarse grinding stage in these barrels.
Surprised you didn't use your laser to cut out shape.
I thought about it, but I wanted this to be something that everyone could do. Besides, it cuts really easily with a knife.
maybe pour some two part epoxy , you can add fibers for extra strength . it would be a perfect seal. never tried it so no gaurantees
E6000 is flexible. I don't think epoxy is flexible, is it? If it's not (I'm not sure), it would crack.
the fibers you mix in give the strength
@@MichiganRocks
@@melebmotors Oh, ok. That makes sense.
look up west systems epoxy
@@MichiganRocks
I want that t-shirt! LOL!
I made it for him lol
Excellent job! This would be a big hit in the Italian Alps.@@saralynn518
I'm sorry it took so long to get it into a video, but I wanted to make sure it would show up well. I laugh every time I look at it.
@@MichiganRocks I was patient! Now we need Nancy's shirt! I laugh when I see it too hahaha!
@@saralynn518 I'll have to figure out a way to get her into the basement for a video.
Hi, I'm just getting into lapidary. I was given a small slab of quartz and I wanted to cut a ridge around it like you do on our pendants, but I don't think it is thick enough.
Could you please give me some suggestions about how to make a pendant out of it without drilling a hole in it. Please help. 😊
You could look into wire wrapping. I only know how to do one kind of wire wrapping using the groove around the outside edge, but there are many other methods. The search term you want is "wire wrapping".
Just wondering if anyone has tried Flex seal?
I haven't. That stuff costs a small fortune, doesn't it? Might work great though. Hopefully someone with some experience will chime in.
😍😍😍
Why not use a circle and scissors?
Because the bottom is a decagon… not a circle
Yep, what Joe said.
That is DY-NO-MITE
Ha!
Why not place the barrel on top of the rubber and trace around it? Then cut it on the inside of the line so that it will fit.
I wondered that as well, why not use a circle instead of the decagon?
The inside of the barrel is not a circle, it's a decagon. The outside is a circle. I guess I didn't make that very clear. A lot of barrels are some sort of polygon on the inside to help the rocks tumble better.
Polyurethane is resistant to sic abrasive. Rubber is not. Running 36mesh or 46/70 really accelerated your big barrel wear. Some of mine have been running since before 1971. Only run max coarse of 60/90 and your barrel wear troubles go away.
It really makes that much of a difference? I'm surprised. I knew that I would wear my barrels somewhat faster with coarse grit, but I also like grinding the rocks faster. Thanks for the comment, it gives me something to think about. Hmmm...