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Uncle
Tom's Lot-O-Tumblers
LOT-O-TUMBLER & LOT-O-TWIN-TUMBLER
MOUNTING INSTRUCTIONS
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Using Solid Cement Block (40 lbs.)
Coat top of block
with latex base paint (old inside wall paint
will do nicely). Allow to dry. Remove protective
paper from double sticky tape on bottom
of board. Apply unit to floor and press
down firmly.
This ensures that the motion is applied to the barrel and not the base.
For Lot-O-Twin-Tumbler (100 lbs.)
Use solid cement
block 12 x 12 x 12 or 100 lb. minimum or
on cement floor. Remove protective paper
from double sticky tape on bottom of board.
Apply unit to floor or cement block and
press down firmly.
CAUTION
1. Keep fingers
and grease off double sticky pads.
2. The heavier the base the better the action.
3. Do not mount on table or bench without
putting unit on block first.
4. On Lot-O-Twin-Tumbler both barrels must
be in use.
5. Plastic pellets are not recommended in
a vibratory tumbler. They float! |
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| OPERATING
INSTRUCTIONS |
1.
Fill barrel with agates - about four pounds
of stone. These can be mixed sizes. (Action
is fast, but gentle.) It is important to
keep the barrel full. If after grinding
it is not full, add some from a previous
batch to keep it full.
2. Rinse agates with water to remove mud.
(Submerse filled barrel in container of
water. Remove, shake and drain off water.
3. Replace barrel in frame firmly. Add 2
Tbls. medium 180 to 220 grit size. Place
cap on barrel. (Punch small hole in cap
to relieve pressure.) Add 1/2 cupful of
water to keep a creamy consistency.
4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 at 12 hour intervals
until desired amount of agate has been removed.
Average time: 3 to 4 days. Add 1 capful
of water after 12 hours if rocks cannot
be washed.
5. Repeat steps 2 and 3 for 24 hrs.
6. Repeat steps 2 and 3, substituting 600
grit. Tumble 24 hours or less. Use only
½ teaspoon of 600 grit.
7. Repeat steps 2 and 3 using only ½ teaspoonful
of tin oxide, Rapid Polish No. 61, or Lusterite
Formula II.
Tumble 24 hours, and no more.
Rinse thoroughly and admire.
Suggestion for easy clean-up: About 15 minutes
before cleaning out each time, add 1 cap
full of water and about 2 drops of liquid
detergent. Let run for 15 minutes and your
rocks will wash off sparkling clean. |
DETAILED
INSTRUCTIONS
STEP 1: ROUGHING
In the roughing cut the goal is to remove
the undesirable outer portion of the agate.
This usually takes the longest time and
is not as critical as some of the other
steps. With the Lot-O-Tumbler, use of a
medium grit such as 180-220 will do the
fastest job of removing this outer material.
(Use of a coarser grit such as 60-90 silicon
carbide does not improve the performance.)
The grit has to cling to the agate as it
rotates in the barrel. Coarser grit tends
to fall off the agate as it rolls and delays
the roughing action. In order to grind away
the rock, the grit must be in between the
agates when they come together. If two rocks
merely tumble together, there will be a
buffing action but the outer portion will
not be removed. Anything which keeps the
agate from coming together on the silicon
carbide grit will reduce the action of removing
the undesirable rock. The best action is
achieved by wetting the rock just enough
for the silicon carbide grit to cling to
the agate as it tumbles. This is achieved
by putting just enough water in the unit
to insure that the agate is wet. If too
much water is used, it will cushion the
vibration and increase the roughing time.
For a full barrel of agate in a variety
of sizes, start with only the agate wet.
If the agate cannot be rinsed in 12 hours
add 1 capful (red tumbler cap) of water.
The Lot-O-Tumbler breaks down the 180-200
grit rather rapidly. Therefore, on the first
two days of tumbling, there should be a
fair amount of grit placed in the unit.
The usual amount is about two tablespoons
of silicon carbide. When the agates are
washed daily mud and grit will be observed
coming out. There should be a small amount
of the original grit remaining to insure
that the unit is grinding over the full
period of time. On the last day of the 180-220
grit, it is best to use a light charge of
silicon carbide so that all the grit will
break down and the agate will start to polish.
This insures that none of the coarse grit
is carried over into the next polish. As
the grit breaks down and the excess material
is removed from the agate, mud forms inside
the barrel. This mud tends to reduce the
action of the unit so regular removal is
important. The barrel and agate should be
washed every 12 hours if possible. In this
washing, where the same grit is used, it
is sufficient to simply fill the unit with
water and swish it around. For a faster
roughing the mud and excess material should
be removed every 12 hours. Some difficulty
may be encountered in this first step if
the lid pops off the unit. This is due to
the generation of gas during tumbling. The
problem can be reduced by punching a small
hole in the top of the cap to allow the
gas to escape without removing the lid.
The normal grip of the lid is gas tight
and should remain on the unit unless it
is stretched by some means. In this case,
a substitute lid can be used from such items
as potato chip, dog food, or cat food cans.
STEP 2: START OF FINISHING OPERATION In
the first step of tumbling agate, a rough
grinding action is used to remove the undesirable
overburden of the agate. This rough grinding
action produces a finish which is smooth
and is dull in appearance. In order to obtain
a bright luster, the external surface of
the agate must be smoothed so that no visible
scratches are seen. This intermediate polish
or 600 grit silicon carbide is used to start
the polishing action. By allowing the tumbler
to run fort a longer time on the roughing
grit it is possible to break down the roughing
grit and start the polishing process. However,
this process takes longer than changing
to a finer grit. In the Lot-O-Tumbler process
all that is necessary is the rinsing of
the agate and dumping of all the old mud
and grit. 1/2 teaspoon of the fine or 500F
silicon carbide type is added. This insures
the breaking down of the grit and less difficulty
of carry-over to the polish stages. After
24 hours of tumbling the agate should show
an increase in luster. In order to polish
materials such as Apache tears and quartz,
it is necessary to cushion the action in
the 600 grit and polish of the tumbler.
This cushioning is easy to do by adding
more water with the grit to reduce the action
and bring on a luster to these hard-to-tumble
materials. The grit and agate are placed
in the barrel and enough water is added
to be visible through the top of the agates.
This cushioning material is adequate to
produce a fine finish on hard to tumble
materials without the addition of any other
materials such as tumbling pellets.
STEP 3: FINAL OR POLISH STEP (A separate
barrel is recommended for this step) Before
proceeding into this step all the material
being tumbled should be removed from the
tumbler barrel and inspected for any residue
grit left from the previous step. The barrel,
too, should be inspected to be sure that
it is clean. If any of this grit is carried
over it will continue to scratch the surface
and prevent development of a high luster.
With the proper amount of 500 grit there
is less chance of carry over and less washing
to be done. This polishing operation is
accomplished in the same ways as the previous
steps except that a polishing compound such
as Rapid Polish, tin oxide, or Lusterite
Formula II is added instead of the silicon
carbide. Again, only enough water to wet
the agate is placed in the barrel. Then
add about ½ teaspoon of polish - just enough
to insure a light coating on the outside
of the agate - indicating that enough polish
has been added. This polish does not break
down like the silicon carbide and can be
reused. However, the quantity used in this
unit is so small that it may be more practical
to discard after use. The risk of contamination
of polish increases with each reuse and
could produce inferior results. On the hard
to polish materials such as Apache tears
and quartz, the polish is introduced along
with sufficient water to submerse the agate.
This provides the cushioning action necessary
to produce a shine on these materials. In
some instances it may be desirable to operate
the unit for more than one day to produce
the desired finish. Usually one day is enough
time, but longer times will not materially
effect the agate and may produce a higher
shine on hard to polish material but not
on agate. |
| SPECIAL
OPERATIONAL PROCEDURES |
SLABS:
Aluminum oxide
pellets are recommended for slabs. To keep
them apart and for faster grinding action.
It is possible to tumble a full load of
slabs in the lot O Tumbler by using the
regular techniques described. Some difficulty
is encountered if the slabs are not completely
smooth, or are stepped by the saw cut. A
longer tumbling time will remove the step.
If the slabs do not seem to polish adequately,
the difficulty is usually in the roughing
of the slabs prior to polish. A fair amount
of material must be removed from the surface
the slab prior to polishing. This may involve
considerably more time than the three days
necessary for the round agate. More frequent
washing is needed. Follow the normal instructions
being used for cabochons below, after roughing
to achieve a high luster in 4 days.
CABOCHONS
OR FREE FORMS: The finishing of cabochons
cab be completed in the Lot-O-Tumbler, normally
if the cabochons have been taken from a
220 grit silicon wheel. Normally the amount
of material removed in one day of tumbling
in 220 grit is equivalent to the thickness
of the pencil line used to mark the cab,
and almost insignificant in the mounting
of the cab. Cabochons finished with a tumbler
are sometimes more desirable than those
finished by hand because the tumbler polishes
both front and back of the cab.
Day 1:
Put cabochons or performs that you want
polished in barrel, fill with aluminum oxide
pellets to 3/4 full, turn on machine and
add aluminum oxide pellets to get best rotation.
Add 1/2 of red cap of water, 1 1/2 tsp of
180-220 grit. Run for 24 hours. Wash out
and put contents back into barrel.
Day 2:
Add 1/2 tsp of Fine Grit run for another
24 hours and wash out.
Day 3:
For the best results we have found that
on the 3rd day, to add 1/2 tsp of 1000 or
1200 graded aluminum oxide grit. Run for
another 24 hours then wash out.
Day 4:
24 hours, add 1/2 tsp of polish. You should
have a great polish if you follow this.
To help you in cleaning out the tumbler,
about 1 hour before you wash it out, add
a few drops of liquid soap and a small amount
of water. You will find the stones will
wash off sparkling clean.
Note: Use
very little water in each step as to much
water only washes the stones and slows the
action of the tumbler.
APACHE
TEARS: In the finishing of Apache
tear, it is important to remember that they
are delicate and chip easily. Care should
be taken in the final finishing to prevent
chipping. Tears are started in the same
way as agate with 200 grit and a small amount
of water in the tumbler to assure fast removal
of the extra material. This requires two
to three days of tumbling. Wash away the
excess material that has been removed and
replace the grit after each day. After roughing
in 200 grit, all of the tears should have
a uniform surface. When the tears have been
ground so that most of the chips in the
tears have disappeared, the finishing operation
can be started. The tears are placed in
the barrel with enough water so that the
water is visible down through the top of
the tears, and 1/2 teaspoon of 600 grit
added to begin the polishing. After 18 hours,
the tears will begin to shine but will still
look cloudy and non-transparent. At this
point all evidence of grit is removed from
the tears and the tumbler barrel. The tears
are put back in the barrel with water to
cover and one teaspoon of Rapid Polish 61
or tin oxide for polishing. Two days is
usually sufficient to produce a high luster
on the tears. (Experimentation with a long
period of time in the 600 grit will help
the operator find the fastest time for polishing
this material. When tumbling tears it is
recommended that one tear be removed daily
to use as a comparison with the progress
of the others. If the corners are shining
while the flat portion is still cloudy,
a longer period of tumbling is needed to
improve appearance. If the corners are checking
out and the flat portions are shiny, the
action is too aggressive. It is important
to keep the tumbler as full of tears a possible
during the polishing operation in order
to avoid the too aggressive action.
QUARTZ:
All styles of what is normally referred
to as quartz are handled in the same way
as the Apache tears. The same method of
roughing and polishing will produce excellent
results.
TURQUOISE:
Turquoise is an extremely soft material.
Care must be taken in the roughing cut so
that not too much material is removed. Start
with a 200 grit, or better yet, plastic
pellet with grit imbedded and check the
operation periodically. Intervals of two
or three hours are usually adequate in the
roughing cut if turquoise. The finishing
procedure is the same as for normal agate
but the polish will be less than adequate.
After normal polishing the unit can be filled
with water on the polish cycle to obtain
a more lustrous finish. A dry polish is
then required to obtain the best results
such as that used to polish silver to brass
(walnut hulls and red rouge).
SMALL
STONES: Small stones are processed
in the same manner as other material of
similar hardness. Sometimes the smaller
stones will increase the weight of the tumbler
and reduce the action. If the stones are
all less than 1/4 inch in diameter, the
load size should be reduced.
LARGE
STONES: Normally anything that can
be put thought the lid of the tumbler can
be tumbled. If one or two large stones are
tumbled, the remaining load should be of
small size in order to obtain roper tumbling
action. It is not advisable to tumble just
two or three large stones by themselves.
Large stones are handled in the same manner
as other material of the same hardness.
A mixture of sizes in a single load is suggested.
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WARNING:
If the material in the tumbler does not
roll, difficulty will be encountered in
all steps.
A small load is one reason for lack of rolling.
The other reason may be mechanical, lack
of adequate anchor weight, broken springs
or faulty motor.
Cerium oxide has not proved to be a good
polish for use in the Lot-O-Tumbler.
Plastic pellets are not recommended for
a vibratory tumbler.
The unit as it is shipped from the factory
is resonantly tuned to provide the maximum
amplitude of vibration under a full load
condition.
The tuning is accomplished by the position
of the tuning bar which is underneath the
springs on the motor end of the unit.
Moving the tuning bar changes the amplitude
of vibration.
It is not recommended that this be done
until the operator has become familiar with
the unit.
With the tuning set for maximum vibration
it is important to have a full load of agate.
Anything less than the four pounds which
the unit is designed to tumble will generate
an action that is too aggressive and could
result in damage to the unit or to the agate.
Do not attempt to tumble small quantities
of precious material without providing a
filler to bring the weight close to four
pounds.
Use a tennis ball with a hole, set in barrel
instead of the cap for a few stones.
Be sure to add agate to the regular barrel.
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| Taken
from Instruction booklet for the Lot-O-Tumbler
manufactured by BELT INC |
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| Editorial
Review of Machine by Amazon |
| Rock
polishing is a fun activity for kids of all ages.
With a vibratory rock tumbler you see progress
on polishing the rocks in hours and your rocks
are completely polished in days. Rotary tumblers
are cheap, but it's hard to keep your interest
up for the 4-7 weeks, yes WEEKS, that it takes
to use a rotary tumbler. And they tend to make
rocks into marbles by rounding them. You put the
rocks and grit in, seal the drum, and check how
it's doing in a week. There's that word ''week''
again. The Lot-O-Tumbler Single Barrel Vibratiory
Tumbler can process up to 4.5 pounds of material
at a time AND it can process it in 5 to 7 days!
No waiting weeks for tumbling with a rotary tumbler
to be complete. Vibratory tumblers don't shape,
actually round, the rocks as does a rotary. The
material comes out basically in the same shape
as when it went in only polished and with the
sharp edges smoothed down. The Lot-O-Tumbler can
process anything that can fit through the 2 1/4
inch opening. That's slabs, cabs, preforms, rocks,
. . . anything! The rubber barrel is easily removed
for cleaning. At any time you can easily remove
the cap to see the material being processed, something
you can't do with a rotary tumbler. Each tumbler
comes with basic instructions and enough grit
and polishing compounds for one load. We recommend
purchasing additional polishing kits as well as
a second barrel. Use the second barrel for the
final polishing stages just in case grit from
the grinding stages isn't completely removed when
cleaning the barrel. Otherwise the material will
never get a polish. When the grinding barrel gets
worn out, rotate the polish barrel to the grind
stages and add a new barrel for the polishing
stages. |
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