[Jewelry making - Article 00159] - Re: [Orchid] Vibratory tumbler under $100

[MillsGem]

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Dear Judy,

    Since you take issue with my statement about comparing rotary versus
    vibratory tumblers let me make a statement that illustrates what I
    am talking about when I say that rotary tumblers can damage jewelry.
    Awhile back I ordered some sterling blank rounds from a major
    supplier. All of them were heavily indented with relatively deep
    impact marks and I ultimately relegated them to the scrap pile. This
    COULD  happen in either of the machines that we are talking about,
    but it is highly unlikely in a vibratory tumbler. As a matter of
    fact, it is very misleading to refer to a vibratory as a
    tumbler....actually it is a micropeening burnisher. In a rotary
    tumbler the media and the jewelry are carried up the wall of the
    tumbler until they tumble down the face of the cascading
    load....hence the probabilty of denting. In a vibratory the item
    being processed is gently carried round fully suspended while being
    rubbed by media that is gently vibrating.. There is really no
    comparison between the two systems except to say that a vibratory is
    faster, less prone to damaging the contents and, usually , less
    messy.....you can usually retrieve the contents of the vibratory
    simply by sifting through the media with your fingers. 

    I might also add that the operational parameters of rotaries are not
    capable of easy control in that the speed is seldom variable. The
    viscosity of the load is a variable as is the load level and the
    size and shape of the contents. If the variables are not balanced
    there is a tendency for the rotary to "throw" or drop the contents
    thus causing varying degrees of damage. Anyone who has ever used a
    rotary for rock tumbling will attest to the fact that a small
    deficiency in balancing the variables will generally result in
    either not getting the desired results or in damaging the contents.
    For example, whe n you tumble agate, if you do not control the load
    ratios and /or speed you will get the familiar surfucial conchoidal
    fracturing that results in having to start all over again. 

    Ron Mills, Mills Gem Co. Los Osos, Ca.        

    P.S. You can still get a decent vibratory for around seventy-five
    dollars ! 

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