Re: Need tumbling

vj found this in rec.crafts.beads, from "Karen_AZ" :

]It takes about a week to tumble with the walnut hulls.

that's good to know. i NEVER have that much time or want to listen to the tumbler that long.

----------- @vicki [SnuggleWench] (Books)

Bill of Rights - Void where prohibited by Law.Regime Change in 2004 - The life you save may be your own.

vj found this in rec.crafts.beads, from "Steve & Susan Wright" :

]Walnut hulls also will not work harden the wire.

another good point - thanks!

----------- @vicki [SnuggleWench] (Books)

Bill of Rights - Void where prohibited by Law.Regime Change in 2004 - The life you save may be your own.

How do you get five pounds of shot into a three-pound tumbler? Or is there some kind of mystical math involved?

Deirdre

Thanks. That's what I suspected.

Deirdre

vj found this in rec.crafts.beads, from Deirdre S. :

]Especially the garbage disposal, I suspect.

exactly!

]What I have read suggests rinsing it in a sieve, which makes sense.

also, some of the shot seemed to stick inside the wire in some of my pieces, so i've learned to check carefully - it can fall out at unexpected times.

]OK, I'll do an online search for it. Just wondered if I could get a ]hint from an experienced user :-)

it seems to run ABOUT $20/pound. and for my tumbler, i needed two pounds. but i'll never have to replace it, unless i get careless and spill it where i can't recover it.

my local supply store [none of the hardware stores worked on this] has a really THICK catalog from a supplier - and for the life of me, i can't remember the company name, but it starts with an "A" [Alpha?]. it's the first place they look when they are asked for something unusual. that was also the best price they found for me.

----------- @vicki [SnuggleWench] (Books)

Bill of Rights - Void where prohibited by Law.Regime Change in 2004 - The life you save may be your own.

Well, I'll be jiggered.

Could you send sheet-sandpaper through a cross-cut paper shredder to get the outcome you need for this? Since I don't do polyclay stuff, the question is theoretical for me ... but it sounds like it could save PC artists a whole lot of manual labor.

Are there drawbacks to this method that prevent it from being useful for some kinds of pieces? Sounds like it might only work well for simple forms with smooth surfaces, rather than detailed, dimensional pieces.

Deirdre

I can't remember exactly why hulls weren't recommended to us. It may have been because pieces could jam into the silver work. But they were very specific about steel shot.

Tina

vj found this in rec.crafts.beads, from "Christina Peterson" :

]I can't remember exactly why hulls weren't recommended to us. It may have ]been because pieces could jam into the silver work. But they were very ]specific about steel shot.

every place i checked, too, everyone said the same thing. steel shot. and preferably STAINLESS steel shot. the other kind rusts.

----------- @vicki [SnuggleWench] (Books)

Bill of Rights - Void where prohibited by Law.Regime Change in 2004 - The life you save may be your own.

Thanks for the feedback. I'll let you know once I decide on a source, in case others are in the market, too.

Deirdre

And about an hour with stainless steel shot Susan W

I bought 5 for a friend the other day and it was around 60. I don't have the catalog out now Susan W

The shot is denser than most items. THe barrel of the tumbler is a simply a liquid plus average stone volume I susspect with lots of water around stone. Stone weights much less than shot.. If you think 1 lb can like coffee and then compare that to 1 lb can of corned beef you will get the concept. 1 lb is a weight measure and what volume eguals a lb can vary.

Susan W

Thanks... this makes perfect sense.

Deirdre