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Rock&Lap
Приєднався 26 жов 2010
This channel is a wonderful place to share hobbies and learn from each other. I'll be sharing things regarding the outdoors, rock hounding, fossils, and lapidary. Maybe some guitar playing too!
My name is Vince Conforti. I'd like to personally thank you for visiting my channel.
My name is Vince Conforti. I'd like to personally thank you for visiting my channel.
Beautiful Chert- Translucent rocks from the Clinton River
Hello friends and folks who enjoy cool looking rocks. I wish you a great day and I really appreciate you stopping by my channel! In Feb-2024 I walked to the Clinton River in Rochester Hills Mi for a quick rock snoop’ on a gravel bank. I found a couple real beauties that are a bit translucent. It took me a few months to tumble, polish, and finally get around to posting this summary video of the final results.
I hope your are able to do some rock hounding yourself and thanks much for watching!
Please consider subscribing. Join me at Rock & Lap to learn rock polishing, be creative, make things, etc. The "Lap." in the channel name is short for Lapidary! This channel is a wonderful place to share hobbies and learn from each other. I'll be sharing things regarding the outdoors, rock hounding, fossils, and lapidary.
www.youtube.com/@RockandLap/videos
I hope your are able to do some rock hounding yourself and thanks much for watching!
Please consider subscribing. Join me at Rock & Lap to learn rock polishing, be creative, make things, etc. The "Lap." in the channel name is short for Lapidary! This channel is a wonderful place to share hobbies and learn from each other. I'll be sharing things regarding the outdoors, rock hounding, fossils, and lapidary.
www.youtube.com/@RockandLap/videos
Переглядів: 748
Відео
Translucent Rock Tester / Flashlight Cover
Переглядів 75Місяць тому
Hello Friends. I recently bought a 5000 lumen flashlight for night use when walking. I recently had a coyote encounter at night, where the critter did not run off, and I needed a brighter flashlight. This flashlight works great when walking and looking for rocks too. But when trying to bring a rock close, to check for translucency, it’s annoying to have that bright light shine directly in one’s...
Large Desert Jasper Polish Results
Переглядів 8933 місяці тому
Hello Friends. In early 2024 I bought 5lbs of Desert Jasper from The Rock Shed in Keystone South Dakota. I rotary tumbled this batch for over three months. Most of the rocks are flawless, very very smooth. I did this wanting to feed Big Blue a very smooth batch in an attempt to achieve some super polish results. These rocks from The Rock Shed served very well to that end- they turned out beauti...
Beautiful Pudding Stone found - Rockhounding near Michigan farm fields
Переглядів 2354 місяці тому
Hello Friends. A Friday eve in April I walked another edge of a cleared farm field in search of (you guessed it) interesting rocks. I’ve shared before- it’s very common for farmers to clear their fields of rocks to prevent damage to their equipment and to facilitate better crop management. Generally these rocks get dumped along the edge of fields or property boundaries. Today’s walk was short, ...
Crazy Conglomerate in Oakland County Michigan
Переглядів 1,5 тис.5 місяців тому
Hello Friends. I have a few walks planned this spring. On my list are walking the edges of open farm fields which have been cleared of rocks many years ago. Farmers cleared these fields to prevent damage to their equipment and to facilitate better crop management. It was common for farmers to dump these cleared rocks along the edge of fields or property boundaries. And this is what I want to ch...
Vibratory Tumbler Build: Big Blue #2
Переглядів 8 тис.6 місяців тому
Hello Friends. A couple months ago I built my first vibratory rock tumbler. I shared the maiden voyage and polishing results with you. Named ‘Big Blue’ the tumbler did a great job. At this same time the motor in my first vibratory tumbler (a Raytech TV-10) completely burnt up. So, I decided to make a second unit with a couple lessons learned from my first one. In addition, several of you asked ...
I recorded Lightning in February!
Переглядів 467 місяців тому
Hello Friends. Who doesn’t like lightning? I love watching lightning! Around 2am on 2/28/24 strong storms passed through Oakland and Genesee Counties here in Michigan. We did not experience high winds at my home, but I was wakened by a significant amount of lightning. And, there was a lot of lightning happening! Since it was about 70 degrees outside I made an attempt to record the lightning wit...
Winry Fossil Find
Переглядів 767 місяців тому
Hello Friends. It's windy today and mild temps for February. I took Winry for a walk and happened upon a couple fossils. Does she have a nose for it? I doubt it, but it's fun to think she does! Please consider subscribing. Join me at Rock & Lap to learn rock polishing, be creative, make things, etc. The "Lap." in the channel name is short for Lapidary! This channel is a wonderful place to share...
Clinton River Walk 2-8-24
Переглядів 687 місяців тому
Hello Friends. It was 54 degrees today, and sunny! So, I took a quick look at one of my favorite spots along the Clinton River in Rochester Hills, Michigan. This is the same location where I picked up a coral specimen -which is my current UA-cam profile picture. It was very peaceful along the river and I wanted to share it with you. - Please consider subscribing. Join me at Rock & Lap to learn ...
Sand and Gravel Pit Rockhounding
Переглядів 4,1 тис.8 місяців тому
Hello Friends. Join Winry and I as we walk through my favorite sand and gravel pit on a chilly new years day, 2024. I do find a few interesting rocks and fossils. Once we are back at the shop I'll clean them up and shine a 365nm UV light on a few and show how they light up. - Please consider subscribing. Join me at Rock & Lap to learn rock polishing, be creative, make things, etc. The "Lap." in...
I Built and Tested a Vibratory Rock Tumbler
Переглядів 2 тис.8 місяців тому
Hello Friends! Join me on my efforts to build and test a vibratory rock tumbler. The last year I've used a Raytech TV-10 which is a nice little unit. I wanted a vibratory tumbler which was much larger in size, and could polish larger stones. Thus- I ended up with a design that I named "Big Blue". This is Big Blue's maiden polishing voyage where approx 20lbs of material was in the polishing' bow...
Clarkston Michigan Fossils 2023
Переглядів 1919 місяців тому
Hello Friends! Here's a short video where I share close ups of various coral fossils I found near the area of Clarkston, Michigan. I found my first coral in our front yard a year ago, when a large pine tree blew over. It was within the root ball of the tree. Since I've found dozens more. In this video I share some of the finds through summer of 2023. - Please consider subscribing. Join me at Ro...
Mexican Crazy Lace Agates - Final Polish Close-up
Переглядів 11310 місяців тому
Hello Friends! Enjoy some close up clips of Mexican Crazy Lace Agates that I rotary-tumbled for several weeks in rough grit. Then polished via my three step process in a vibratory-tumbler. The three vibratory stages took one week to complete. These stones are all dry- they have a nice shine, and that banding... wow! I thought it would be fun to record some background music too. The rough-rock w...
Harvesting Black Walnuts in Michigan
Переглядів 41510 місяців тому
I've wanted to harvest black walnuts for a few years. This year our trees produced thousands of large green husked' walnuts. So I thought I'd give it a try. There are probably easier ways to do this but- we learn by trying things! Before cracking them open I dried these in the oven for about an hour at 200degF. And yes, I did eat them they taste good. More flavorful than what you can buy in the...
Did you just have to add a standard three-wire wall plug to the motor?
@@mikemastrangelo6141 yep, I think I grabbed one at Ace hardware for a couple bucks or less.
Hmmm curious if this could be improved a little....like 2 motors attached to a bar with multiple bowls...only tumbling 70/30 cartridge brass and stones...
@@kingdarkem good idea give it a try!
Is there a parts list and plans somewhere? I am 79yrs on a fixed income and would love to build one.
Love this build! It's affordable and doesn't require allot of fabricating experience. Thanks for sharing!
@@phillipkenewell2225 thank you Phillip! It’s straight fwd build for most handy folks. I may weld big blue #3 and skip much of that drilling, tbd 😊
Talk about Ingenuity. Outstanding
@@ROCKINWHEELERS LOL, it’s simple and effective! That 5000 lumen flashlight is so bright. The worst thing you can do is have it shining your face (when looking at something up close) this little jelly jar works perfect, thanks for watching!
I thought at first you were going to stick a sheet of rubber or some other flexible material around the end of the lense cap. But that works!
I built a similar tumbler but my motor gets extremely hot within an hour or two. I am going to modify it for more air flow but it is relatively open. I was wondering if you have a heat issue too. I didn't see any fan on or near yours. Maybe my motor is defective.
Outstanding, thanks for sharing.👍
Thank you Don!
That’s so cool! Thank you for making this video
Thanks! Glad you liked it!
What is he doing
@@Arun-b3o that is a professional tree cutter, cutting down a dying tree, he’s about 25 feet off the ground with his harness.
This may sound silly, but if you cut the dead part off the tree, can it recover.
@@Arun-b3o younger trees, depending on the species- maybe. But older trees like this one at probably 50 years old generally, it’s time to cut them down before they fall. And that was my concern that this would fall over; it was leaning and rotting at the base.
👌
Awesome channel great video keep them up make sure you like and subscribe thank you for your support
I love it! I want to copy your build. Can you provide the names of the items u ordered? Part number and where u purchased? This could easily become the most popular build. I really like the vibration motor, it looks like it will hold up. Tks in advance!
@@aubreyansell1019 Hey, thanks for that. Great feedback! I did list all the part numbers between the two videos. I do not have a build list, but all the information is there. The motor is from Amazon, the bowl is from Kingsley North, and the springs are from Granger. You can buy the steel almost anywhere or use scrap if you have that.
Hi Vance! My husband and i just watched your video when you kayaked out to Potters Point 1 yr ago. Could you please tell me where you were able to put in at? Thank You so much!
@@catherinesomers-g1u hello. I’ve entered at both the Alpena Township nature preserve, and the DNR state forest El Cajon Bay trailhead. The DNR path was a bit easier but kayak hauling’ wheels are necessary in my opinion.
Can't seem to find the vibratory motor you used online can you tell me where you bought it?
@@clannishkobra8965 Amazon. They still have them for $60. TOAUTO Concrete Vibrator... www.amazon.com/dp/B076Q6T4H5?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
@@RockandLapthanks I ended up finding it. I also have some suggestions or ideas if you are willing to chat about it. Also to nerd out if you'd like. I have a Raytech Tumble-Vibe 10 that the motor burnt out and I replaced it with a stronger version with additional cooling computer fan and aluminum heat sinks and it burnt out in an hour. Some of my ideas on your original design would make it very modular and easier to assemble, easier for people to order online, as well as a little cheaper without sacrificing build quality.
I've been looking to make my own homemade vibratory tumbler for a while, but couldn't really find a useful video. You knocked it out of the park and as soon as I can scrape up the coin, I'll start building. Thanks for the tutorial!
@@kengensjewelry glad you like it and hope it helps. Send me some pics when you get one going. Thanks for the nice comments and best to you, Vince
Very impressive! I would never have even considered trying to build a vibratory! You nailed it! Well done!
@@edcctf thank you!
What are the measurments for the holes in the angle iron?
@@nigelbentley4161 about .5” in from the ends.
Have you tried to trumble aluminium in it? I'm looking at getting me a vibratory tumbler to deburr my parts.
Hello. I have only used this for stones. I have ran the bowl dry, full of media and the tumbling action was similar to what I've seen accomplished on metal deburring applications. As long as your aluminum parts are sized to fit in the bowl, and 'mix, curn, etc' with media I see no reason why it wouldn't work.
If rocks could speak... Oh man!! You've got a twin here. I just LOVE these!!! Yes, we simply enjoy them. I never tire of them. Fascinating, and again OMG I love these so much. They sound so perfect and I can entirely imagine how they feel. Thank you for sharing this💝
Gorgeous!!!!
1:50 ,was super pretty right from the start!
I love jaspers! These are so very beautiful!
Me too, and yes these turned out very nice indeed!
Ok I'm convinced! I can make this. After watching several tumbler reviews/comparisons and having my own experience with a 3lb vib tumbler and needing to upscale I think this is the solution. Can you tell me if you mirrored the 4 dimple counterbalance setup on BOTH sides? Also, can you please do an update when you have discovered the perfect settings for counterbalance vs bearing longevity? Although, at about $50 each I can almost consider the motor semi disposable as well as easily replaceable. Thank you.
Hello, yes, I put the four dimple setting the same on both sides. I’ve been very happy with the results so I don’t plan on making any adjustments. If I do I’ll post an update. And you make a good point, that motor is very low cost, and I would also consider it a disposable item. I’ve been running BB nonstop for a few months and it continues to perform well. I’ll also update if there’s any motor issue, wear, etc. Thanks for watching!
Now I know why my results with the big Harbor Freight unit were disappointing...not enough material in the bowl to result in good tumbling action. Duh. I bookmarked this video for future reference when I can return to tumbling the mass of stones waiting to shine!
Yes, it’s all about surface area. Need lots of it… and the small ceramic media works perfectly. Don’t give up! You can re-run those again, with more media and may get better results. Good luck trying and learning!
@@RockandLap Thanks, I am definitely not giving up. Today I found tiger-eye in the driveway, so one more reason to get this process down.
Those are excellent. I also think about the possible history of rock formation. But, what was your process with the vibratory tumbler? Grit and timing?
Hi Rockn-UV. I rotary tumble for as many weeks as needed until smooth. For this batch I used a 15lb Thumbler Model-B tumbler with 60 grit silicon carbide. Then I run my Big Blue vibe' tumbler for about (8) days: (3) days 220 silicon carbide, (3) days 500 Al oxide, followed by (2) days Al oxide polish. I show an example of the entire process in Big Blue video #1. Thanks for that feedback and your question!
The triangular ones are actually real hearts.
Those turned out great. I also like the one you said was your favorite. Looks like a beach scene. That scallop pattern as you call it I’ve heard called mermaid scale pattern.
It does look like a beach a bit, and I like the mermaid-scale reference too! Some of this jasper reminds me of picture jasper, in that it sparks the imagination a bit. Fun stuff to work with. Thanks for the feedback & watching with us JnVrockhounding!
Beautiful Creations!!!
Thank you! 😊
SWEET results eh...
Bravo! Good job! :)
Thank you 😊
What was your final cost on this build!!!if you don’t mind saying!
Hi Dale. Big Blue #1 was around $200 with the bowl and motor being largest cost items. Most everything else I had on hand. I think Big Blue #2 was around $240 as I bought more of the material, iron. Etc. Both continue to run strong.
Beautiful 😍
What a find that was, I have it proudly resting by my front door. Thanks for watching Gerald!
Thanks You for Sharing
That is a WOW WOW WOW!!! Man-Thank You For Sharing.
We Enjoyed Your Awesome Video.
Thank you so much RockinWheelers!
I have been looking at a lot of DIY ideas for a vibratory unit and this plan is the one I like best. I have the parts on order already. I plan to try adding a speed controller to see if I can do minor adjustments. That and a round base only because I am neurotic and must have symmetry. 🤣 you did all the hard work for me with the testing. Thanks for a great design!
That’s awesome @Woodjunkie and thanks for the feedback. Glad the video was helpful and good luck on your build. Please send me a pic of your work I’d like to see the results!
You found no petosky here?
Hi @jamesrich8463. Yes, I picked up a few in the video. Petoskey stones in abundance in that area.
The second stone kind of reminds me of a dinosaur head. With the seams looking like a row of teeth.
Thank you. I live in Oakland County. Any tips on where to look?
Hello @Peelingoffthelayers. I recently discovered 7 lakes state park and plan to explore there. But any time you have access to property lines (think farm fields), sandy gravel pits, road cuts, excavation sites, or erosion you will find fossils and interesting stones. I believe most of Oakland County has this and I’ve found to be specimen rich. Sometimes the walk is empty handed and others I have full pockets. I just found my biggest pudding stone yet on the edge of a hayfield, video coming soon. Thanks for watching, asking, & participating!
Very interesting and educational in various ways. Love your dog, who seems to greatly enjoy exploring! Thanks for sharing. Subscribed! 😁
Winry is such a good participant. She keeps an eye on me during the excursions!
Best video I've seen on building a vibe.
Thank you; I appreciate that!
Outstanding Vid!!! Thanks For the good work. Couple questions: did u use the 3/8 ply to make it easier to locate screw head recess locations, or thickness? The 5" piece of angle iron, where does it go? Did I miss something?
Hi William. I used the 3/8 ply simply because I had it in my barn stock. I like plywood as it's less prone to warping with moisture compared to a ~3/4" slab for the bowl's base. And... you asked a question that I anticipated: The 5" pc was ultimately not used. It would have fit between the two bracket sides, oriented to support the bowl's base. It wouldn't fit due to the screw heads/bolts colliding & I determined it wasn't needed. Lots of bolts, and future welding opportunity to simplify things. Great question, and good catch on the details! Thanks for watching and best to you,
@@RockandLap Thought that might be an oopsie with the 5". Have U tried rubberized strips under the bowl? Most every store bought tumbler has something along those lines, less wear on the bowl maybe. Using a uv-10 bowl with the same basic design. Would a 40w motor be more appropriate driver with smaller springs. To compensate for less of a load. Or just tune the motor to a less aggressive vibration.
I do have a rubberized strip that came with the bowl I ordered. I haven’t used it yet, and maybe I’ll put it on. I know the Raytech TV 10 that I burnt up did not have that and it’s bowl seem to last fine for just over a year before I burnt the motor out.
How much did it cost you to build?
Kyle (World of Rockhounds) posted your video. My dad had bought a machine made vibratory flat lap that uses an eccentric gear to vibrate the upper platform. I’ve had limited success with it because the homemade lap isn’t the best, but thinking about getting a bowl and seeing if it will work better as a vibratory tumbler.
Super cool video. All those rocks are looking good. Here from Kyle (WorldOfRockhounds). I’m subbed and look forward to your future content.
Thank you Kurt, I appreciate that feedback. I have some other items in the build roadmap that I believe will be very unique. Just need more time to get them off paper concept! Thanks for that feedback and I'll check out your content too!
great video!!! michigan is so awesome! i am a great lake surfer from the west side of the state... i have been curious about that area, have you ever seen any1 surfing near those areas? ive surfed the south end of Huron but nothing above lexington! thanks for sharing!
Thank you @CHillAdventures! I have not witnessed anyone surfing in north' end of Lake Michigan & Huron or my visits to Superior. I have seen people surfing near lower Lake Michigan ie Grand Haven and further south. Yes, Michigan is a wonderful place!