Vibratory tub

[wyn]

do you plan to put a lid on it, if you do you would only need a small amount of liquid in there to stop the dust and would end up a sludge

I'm not too sure on a lid yet.

From what i've read the liquid is just supposed to keep the ceramic clean so it "cuts" better and the abrasive surface doesn't block up.

Too much water is supposed to be bad as the ceramic just sort of floats and doesn't do anything.....it has a drain in the bottom so liquid can be constantly circulated around.

 

[the snooper]

if too much is not good you could maybe use a timed interval spray, a burst every so often

 

[wyn]

A few i have seen seem to have a tube that just drips a bit of water on rather than spraying it.

I think i'll just start with something straight forward and see how it goes.

 

[Hitch]

From memory its hardly any liquid required, just a bit of drip.

 

[the snooper]

good to see a new project appear that no one seems to have covered before

 

[gordon stephenson]

Nice one Wyn,I see its built to the standard that will last forever(or almost) I worked on a titanium plant years ago, they had some long tubular conveyers that were operated by eccentric weighted motors attached to the tubes, worked very well.

 

[wyn]

It's surprising, there's not much to it really.......frame, motor, shaft/weights and the tub.

I see a few new ones of a similar size and construction for around £6K....They do have a cast polyurethane lining though..however much that costs.

 

[MattF]

I'd be tempted to just chuck a pint of whatever fluid you're planning on using in there and see how it fares. Should give you a basic notion to work from when you watch how it behaves then.

 

[wyn]

I'm thinking i'll start with hanging a 25L drum of liquid above it, pop a small hole in it and see what happens.

 

[MattF]

It'll be easier to gauge if you add known amounts. Less farting around than measuring how much liquid remains in the container if/when you find the sweet spot.

 

[wyn]

It'll be easier to gauge if you add known amounts. Less farting around than measuring how much liquid remains in the container if/when you find the sweet spot.

That makes sense....maybe a small tap and a bit of a bar to put the liquid in 2 or 3 different spots along the back of the tub.

 

[MattF]

I'd do it piecemeal, personally. I'd figure best quantity first, (easy enough to just pour the liquid evenly over the surface before starting, and then let the tumbling action distribute it thoroughly), and then work on the distribution system. Saves distracting yourself with two setups at once, so you can concentrate on the specifics of each more thoroughly.

The tube with holes sounds a decent idea. You'd need to make sure the holes were small enough that the fluid would distribute evenly, rather than just pouring out of the central hole(s), which would also mean that some form of filtering of the fluid would be essential, to prevent blockages.

 

[wyn]

I got round to making a bit of a spray bar and mounting the whole lot in a shed.

I made the mistake of mounting it to a wall so it makes a bit too much noise.

The drain was causing a problem as chips of ceramic were going through the 5mm holes but the space underneath was less than 5mm so they wouldn't go much further. I'll have to see if i can open up the gap a bit or maybe fit some sort of gauze.

The spray bar was probably putting on too much water but it has a tap so i can cut down the flow from the pond pump.

Here's a vid..There seems to be a bit of heavy breathing at the start

I think i need to take it off the wall and fix it to the floor some time but the main thing is it's up and running.

I will also need to get some smaller ceramic so it doesn't stick on the inside of the CDS tubing.

 

[wyn]

The sludge from the water has recently killed the water pump, so will have to get another and keep it a bit cleaner

It also doubles up as a handy paint stirrer.

 

[pedrobedro]

We used to have one at a foundry I worked in and it used to get topped up with rinsed aggregate. It was used to clean zinc anodes and just used to run continuously. The gravel eventually turned into perfect rounds and was good for catapult ammo.