lapidarycanary1
off to a rocking start
Member since September 2010
Posts: 4
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Post by lapidarycanary1 on Oct 16, 2010 4:43:35 GMT -5
Thank you Randy, John and Rick for those terrific points!!!  I have a Harbor Freight Light duty 5 pounder. I wasn’t really planning on doing lots of any kind of rocks, at least just yet. I had previously purchased a dual 3lb =ing 6lbs rotary tumbler in the case I might tumble some day but after hearing about the possible “weeks” involved with it, hmmmmm giggles, maybe won’t go that route. I had read some where that if I wanted to get a quick view of the shiny side of a sculptured piece, to put it in a vibrator. Darned it if I didn't loose the article, because it told you how to do the procedure without any damage to the work piece, the present one is dark jade. Would anybody have any ideas on how to carry this out without my one piece getting whacked in the process, {most of the reason for getting the vibrator} in the first place? :help: Also, can any one please explain the mystery behind the use of “Walnut Shells”? :help: Thank you again Randy, John and Rick!!! ;D Sincerely, AC |
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Post by jakesrocks on Oct 20, 2010 9:58:12 GMT -5
Walnut shells mixed with a polishing agent are primarily used dry as a way to polish and de-burr metal castings or soldered metal jewelry. It has limited use in polishing rocks, and at least in my opinion, creates more of a mess to clean up than plastic pellets or ceramic tumbling shapes.
The Red Horny Thing
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Post by Jack ( Yorkshire) on Oct 22, 2010 2:30:42 GMT -5
Hi AC, SHINNY SIDE There are 2 systems , to get one shinny side you want a Vibrating Lap , NOT a vibrating polisher (Which would polish the whole stone) People who have a vibrating lap generaly place each rock inside a piece of plastick pipe, ON the lap to stop each piece rubbing the natrual side off and bashing into each other .(others please comment) Im just stating this as It baffled me quite a while when I was getting into Vibrating polishers and heard about Vibrators just polishing one side only  ? Your rotary will come in handy for the first stage shaping , as most people who use Vibrating Polishers start at stage 2 thats 220 Grit which cuts down time to 10 days from stage 220 to polished I and others also start Pre cuts in 220 and get excelent results Hope this is of help to you and others ;D Jack Yorkshire uk |
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charles kuchar
spending too much on rocks
getting ready for the second coming
Member since November 2010
Posts: 300
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Post by charles kuchar on Nov 5, 2010 19:57:02 GMT -5
got here tonight because wasn't satisfied with my rock polishing progress. got my first thumbler tumbler, two barrel, three years ago and could get nice polished rocks, got my rocks from the owahee desert, and others given to me, but wanted to get them shining. got a couple more barrels from the rock shop, they are excellent in service, and different kinds of grit and still wasn't satisfied. this summer got a rock saw, 10 inch but can't find the name on it but it is in excellent shape with a new ten inch blade and good bearings but i have to hand feed it. then got a twelve pound thumbler tumbler from the rock shop and about thirty pounds of differnent rocks because i thought my rocks were not good enough. hey, i am still learning after 67 years so the heart is young... anyway, after some attempts and doing more reading on polishing, i went back to the rock shop and got a lot-o 4 1/2 pounder vibrator. now i am really getting enthused because i am doing the rough tumbling in the 12 pounder, the second phase, 120/220 grit in the two rotary barrels in the thumbler and finishing in the vibrator. i am doing ao 500, ao 1000 and ao polish. that is what i have so far. i do have some of the tripoli and polish from thumbler packs but don't know where to use it yet.
my problems are, like when i do ao 500 there are plenty of places where the grit is caked in. i can remove it with my fingernail but do i need to do more rough polish on the piece or ignore it? some pieces don't have this problem. i welcome the advice from 'jack' about the times and methods of grit. i will try to remember his steps. that was welcome advice and i can see where it is used after a lot of experience doing something different. thanks for some advice on getting going and i will post some pictures when i get some success. charlie
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Post by roy on Nov 6, 2010 10:20:06 GMT -5
so do you use the extra bowel for the 500 and pollish or just the pollish
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charles kuchar
spending too much on rocks
getting ready for the second coming
Member since November 2010
Posts: 300
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Post by charles kuchar on Nov 6, 2010 10:37:56 GMT -5
on the thumbler tumbler i use one spare bowl for prepolish and one bowl for polish. i don't have an extra bowl for the lot-o but am debating either getting a spare bowl or another lot-o just for polishing. some people were talking about noise. i have the tumblers in the attached garage, exactly opposite the master bedroom. the thumbler tumblers are not heard but the lot-o had to be moved on the other side of the garage because my wife could hear it plainly. it just humms more than anything and i don't mind the sound of it. charlie
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charles kuchar
spending too much on rocks
getting ready for the second coming
Member since November 2010
Posts: 300
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Post by charles kuchar on Nov 18, 2010 11:39:32 GMT -5
Hi Randy ,Chuck and all, On page 1 Chuck mentioned Conrocks (Tom's)Recepie for the smaller Batch users in passing As this hasent been given in full I hope this note will help and give the smaller user this information This is for the Lot"O" 3 1/2 lb machine so Chucks Maths is worked out on this 3 1/2 lb load I was talked into getting a vibe by Tom 3 yrs ago (The best thing I ever bought my Lot"O" ) So If the Big Guys (UV 10's) would kindley let me share Toms recepie here for other Smaller and Lot"O" users and you can work out pro rata ,your loads to grit ratio for your selfs and your own vibe . I have altered the final polish slightly but all the credit for this gloss finish recepie goes to Conrock (Tom ) Fill container with water add rocks TIP all water out of container Then at each stage add at 1/2teaspoon Soap flakes (to help carry the grit round ) and 1 teaspoon Borax Check the vibe regulary &as the grit works Add a few drops of water to keep rocks looking a Glossy Grey DO NOT add more than a few drops at a time The recepie is From 2nd Stage 6 teaspoons 220 Grit -------- Run for 48 Hours Wash Up, 1/2 Teaspoon 400 grit -------Run 24 hours Wash up, 1/2 Teaspoon 600 Grit ------Run 24 hours, Wash up Burnishing stage 1 Teaspoon soapflakes 2 teaspoons Borax--------------run over night 12 to 18 hours Wash up I also change barrel to polishing barrel at this stage. From now on NO washing just adding ingrediants 1/2 Teaspoon 1000grit ----------Run 48 Hours ADD 1/2 teaspoon Tripoli ---------Run 24 hours ADD 1/2 teaspoon TO AND 1/2 teaspoon CO -----Run for 48 Hours The finish is a very High gloss finish and has to be seen to belived Wash By Hand in warm water A problem arose when I washed in the vibe for 20 mins -- BUT forgot them till 4 hours later and by that time the gloss was a lot less and the Lapis had gone grey on th edges Grrrrrrrrrrrr hence my "Wash by hand note" Hope this is of help to the "smaller Vibe People ?" !!! Jack Yorkshire UK |
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charles kuchar
spending too much on rocks
getting ready for the second coming
Member since November 2010
Posts: 300
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Post by charles kuchar on Nov 18, 2010 11:43:50 GMT -5
this is a question for jacks information on the vibe tumbler. after washing the rocks from the pre polish for 12 hours, and then changing to the polish tumbler, do you add soap flakes and borax with the 1000 ao grit? i did that the first try on this procedure and i am starting the second batch without the soap flakes or borax. i did get a nice finish on the first batch and am learning how to chose my rocks to polish... hopefully learn it before i die... charlie
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TByrd
fully equipped rock polisher
Have you performed your random act of kindness?
Member since December 2010
Posts: 1,350
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Post by TByrd on Dec 9, 2010 16:34:29 GMT -5
OK, I read somewhere that Vibrating Tumblers were too aggressive to do pr-polish and polish, was this wrong?
My thought for this was to use the one from HF to do stages 1 and 2, and my other tumblers to do stages 3 and 4.
I have a HF, Chicago 5LB, there must have been a run on them, LOL. I do not know what all the TO, CO or BO's are, please I am new and need some definitions or explanations. Thank you.
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Post by catmandewe on Dec 10, 2010 11:17:08 GMT -5
You have it backwards, the rotary tumblers will work best on 1 and maybe 2, the vibe tumbler will work faster on all the rest.
TO is Tin Oxide
CO is Cerium Oxide
AO is Aluminum Oxide
BO is what you get when you stay out in the desert looking for rocks too long.
Have a great day...................Tony
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Post by connrock on Dec 18, 2010 7:51:51 GMT -5
Hi All,,, I don't post much anymore but after reading most of this thread I thought I would join in here,,,,, There was a question about using soap powder here,,,, I use it in all stages and about 15 minutes to an hour before I'm ready to wash the load I add about 1/2-1 teaspoon more with some very hot water.I mix the soap and water before adding it so it's all emulsified,,,,if that's how ya spell it?? Something I think is interesting is that for about a year now I've been "playing" with soap and Tripoli in my 1000 grit pre-polish. I use about 1/2-1 teaspoon of powdered soap when I start the load.After about 24-36 hours I add more soap and Tripoli.Notice that I said "add".I don't wash the rocks but rather just add Tripoli and soap. After about another 24 hours I look at a "test" rock,,(just any rock I can grab as they roll around the barrel).I was it off and dry it and I CAN NOT believe the results! I told Jack about this some time ago and he has also tried it with great results. Here's some Brazilian Agate that hasn't even see any polish,,,,,,,  Not bad,Ha? So,,,,,,,,I've become a soap lover,,,,,powdered soap not the ones on TV! LOL About barrels,,, I really don't see the need for dedicating 1 barrel for pre-polish and 1 for polish. I think just a dedicated polish barrel works just fine.The reason,,,,, If you run what I call an "over lap" in each stage the chance of cross contamination is minimal at best. "Over lap" is simply running each stage for a day longer then normal. Grit breaks down in 1/2 every 12-24 hours in a vibe.So if you're running 500 grit it will become 1000 grit in about 12-24 hours.I let this run for 36-48 hours which grinds down that same grit in 1/2 again eliminating any chance of cross contamination. Over kill??,,,Maybe but it works! I read another question about some rocks having "muck" (or something like that) "caked in" at the 500 stage. If you have ANY imperfections at that stage your wasting your time! Either you didn't rough the rocks long enough or the rocks were garbage to begin with! Something VERY important to remember,,,,,,,,Junk in,,,,,,junk out! You CAN NOT make a silk purse out of a sows ear! In order to have beautiful polished rocks (especially for a newbie) you MUST start with good rough. Many people try to polish rocks they picked up here and there and in most cases those rocks won't polish very well so they get frustrated and disgusted. I have soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo many,many rocks that friends and family have brought back from vacations and given to me to polish and 99% of them are just way too soft and or fractured to even give it a try! If I could give only 1 piece of advice to a person starting out in rock tumbling it would be to start with 100% class A rough! You may have doubts about the process your trying to work with but 1 things that's for sure is that your problem(s) are NOT with the rocks themselves! So,,,,,to repeat myself,,,bad rough is a HUGE no-no! I know I'm straying from the "vibe" thread but these things are all part of the polishing equation and if you don't know these very important factors it will be fruitless for you to try to get your rocks polished! I hope this may help at least one of you and next time I'll "try"  ;D to sty on topic! connrock |
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learn2turn
noticing nice landscape pebbles
Member since February 2011
Posts: 77
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Post by learn2turn on Feb 20, 2011 7:17:23 GMT -5
I'd like to ask a quick question to check if I'm sure I'm understanding the instructions on the first post. I was given a Custom Technology MT-10sv mini-sonic tumbler, two 4lb or one 10lb. I have no instruction with.
Instructions for rotary tumblers say to add rock and grit and then water to cover it all by a bit. This makes a rather thin slurry.
The first post on this thread says something completely different if I'm interpreting them correct. It sounds like you put in a just enough water to get the grit to stick the the rock (kinda like breading fried chicken) and let the rocks shake around with a coating of grit on them, rather than in a slurry.
Am I interpreting that correctly?
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learn2turn
noticing nice landscape pebbles
Member since February 2011
Posts: 77
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Post by learn2turn on Feb 20, 2011 10:08:44 GMT -5
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rockgirl
noticing nice landscape pebbles
great state of ohio
Member since April 2011
Posts: 99
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Post by rockgirl on May 9, 2011 13:52:55 GMT -5
Randy.....i have a small load in my vibe now for 3 days and they don't seen to be getting much of a shine to them.....should i dump it and start over or let it keep running and add more polish?? i can see water in the bottom of the bowl.not alot... but by your instructions i have too much water... i have plastic pellets in also.....
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Post by Bikerrandy on May 9, 2011 19:56:01 GMT -5
Also replied by PM.... Sometimes the polish stages can take up to a week depending on the hardness of the stones. I run everything for a week. If you stones aren't getting any shine at all, rinse them off really good and restart the polish stage. What polish are you using?
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shermlock
has rocks in the head
Member since August 2011
Posts: 612
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Post by shermlock on Aug 23, 2011 20:43:05 GMT -5
I am confused on the wash up stage between the grits. Do I add enough water to fill the bowl 3/4 full, turn on and let go for 15 minutes or longer? When I do that, I get almost no rock movement and I know that isn't correct...right?
If I am understanding correctly, I then add borax just as I would grit and run that for a few hours between stages. Then I move on to the next stage. Is that correct?
Thanks,
Scott
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shermlock
has rocks in the head
Member since August 2011
Posts: 612
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Post by shermlock on Aug 25, 2011 19:43:47 GMT -5
Bump
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Steve
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2005
Posts: 506
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Post by Steve on Aug 25, 2011 22:00:56 GMT -5
I add enough water and either borax or ivory soap shavings to almost cover the rocks and run for abour half an hour. The main purpose is to make it easier to wash the leftover grit and rock gue off the rocks. Yes, the gross movement of the rocks stop and they just shake a bit.
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jspencer
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since March 2011
Posts: 929
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Post by jspencer on Aug 25, 2011 23:28:50 GMT -5
I don`t know if I made a mistake in the beginning or not but it seems to work for me. I have a Chicago Electric I bought just to start out with. I have since replaced the motor in it with a good Dayton motor and modified the weight. It now is a smooth machine that gets good results I think. And quiet too. But I have been using way less grit and polish than I see posted here. For 220 I only use a little more than 1 teaspoon per lb. and 1 teaspoon of Borax. I only spritz the dry powder and start the machine to mix it in with just enough water to keep them moving with a good tumbling action. I check it about 3 times a day with 220 in it. I run it for 2-3 days nonstop then rinse and go to either a 400-1000 mix or use some 600 I have on hand. Same ratios used here on grit and Borax. For a super shine I run in prepolish for 2 days also before polishing for 5 days. I then mix 2 tablespoons of Borax with warm water and add enough to cover the rocks and add to the polish and run for an hour or so. Then a final rinse and that`s it. I keep my mix as dry as I can always. It also helps to quiet the machine by placing an old circular saw blade across the top of the bowl before adding the rubber and steel washers and nut. My friend at the rock shop gave me about 9 lbs. of ceramic pellets for my tumbling. Like I say maybe it`s a mistake on my part but it works for me with these amounts of grit and polish. I also have been rinsing well betwen changes and burnishing with Borax. It is more steps than most do but maybe it`s overkill on my newbie self. But I do save on grit by the amounts used. I may need to add more in the future.
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Post by Bikerrandy on Aug 26, 2011 11:36:29 GMT -5
There is no overkill with tumbling as long as you're getting the desired results. I like to keep the grit wet enough to stick to the rocks at all times. I thought about adding a pre-polish stage myself, I have a couple pounds of tripoli that I've never even tried yet.
Shermlock- Between each stage I've been rinsing the rocks by hand, and tumbling in borax (about two tablespoons) with just enough water to keep the rocks moving for about 4 hours. Then I rinse by hand again and move to the next stage.
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;D
