wmharbo50
off to a rocking start
Member since December 2022
Posts: 3
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Post by wmharbo50 on Dec 14, 2022 17:39:39 GMT -5
I have some very petty limestone I'd like to polish and use for knife scales. I have read some articles on polishing soft stones. Starting with 220 grit instead of 80, the addition of a 1000 grit step and using a dry polish step with corn cob filler. Does anyone have any experience with this sort of material?
Thank you
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Post by vegasjames on Dec 14, 2022 19:28:02 GMT -5
I polish soft stones pretty much the same way as hard stones other that usually starting with a slightly finer grit. After finishing up the final grit I use a small amount of Zam on a buffing wheel for the final polish. Not only puts a nice polish on the stones, but also seals them. Don't use too much Zam or you will get a wax build up. So spin the buffing wheel then dab the wheel a couple of times in to the Zam then buff the stone.
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ataraktos
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2020
Posts: 140
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Post by ataraktos on Dec 14, 2022 23:12:19 GMT -5
Have you tumbled marble? I recently tumbled some from a big cheap bag from the hardware store. I still started with 60/90 but just a lot smaller amount and checked about every day and a half. Pulled pieces that were ready, added a little grit here and there. Then moved through the normal steps in the Lot-o but shortened. Did the corn cob dry polish (in a cheap brass tumbler vibe) and it turned out ok. Let my last portion of the batch polish about 3 hours longer (around 15 hours, iirc) and woops, that was too long, started to get tiny surface pitting all over!
Anyway, possibly something cheap and abundant to practice on. You might even try sending a limestone through with a batch, see how it goes (so you won't experiment on the whole batch at once).
Good luck!
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ericabelle
spending too much on rocks
Instagram acct: @erica_shoots_everything
Member since April 2021
Posts: 482
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Post by ericabelle on Dec 15, 2022 8:04:54 GMT -5
I'm really glad you asked this question, wmharbo50 . I've got (what I think is) green striped limestone that I would like to tumble. What did you use as filler in your vibe before the dry corn cob step, ataraktos ?
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wmharbo50
off to a rocking start
Member since December 2022
Posts: 3
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Post by wmharbo50 on Dec 15, 2022 12:39:29 GMT -5
So far I have used cylindrical ceramics (because that's what I had). Waiting to see if that works.
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Andrewa
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since September 2022
Posts: 120
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Post by Andrewa on Dec 15, 2022 13:55:23 GMT -5
Hello and welcome from Bonnybridge, Scotland.
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Wooferhound
Cave Dweller
Lortone QT66 and 3A
Member since December 2016
Posts: 1,423
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Post by Wooferhound on Dec 15, 2022 17:11:19 GMT -5
Limestone is about all we have here in North Alabama. Just pure gray though , No character. The next county west of here is called Limestone County.
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ataraktos
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2020
Posts: 140
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Post by ataraktos on Dec 16, 2022 10:55:57 GMT -5
I'm really glad you asked this question, wmharbo50 . I've got (what I think is) green striped limestone that I would like to tumble. What did you use as filler in your vibe before the dry corn cob step, ataraktos ? i did stages 120/220, 500 (and i can't remember if i did 1000 or not) in the loto-o with a mix of aquarium gravel and cermaics. (i'm trying ingawh 's gravel media idea. i really like all the gorgeous little rocks in with my bigger rocks!) then i switched the marble to a little hornady brass tumbling vibe with corncob. (if i had it to do over again, i'd definitely have polished with a submicron polish, rather than the 3 micro stuff. i mean, who knows if that'd turn out better or worse but that's what i'll try if i ever do it again. and i'm serious when i say, especially polishing in a vibe, check it often! i was shocked that a few extra hours was too much on my marble. like i guess the polish was trying to grind on it too, in a way?) i have the whole rest of the 20 to 30 pound bag and in a perfect world, i'd get around to doing another batch one day. they could have turned out better but to get some shine and not just grind them all totally away, i considered to be quite successful! (and they actually felt really nice before polish - probably not unlike marble statues. kiddo kept out a really nice piece and still carries it around, to feel, on car rides! =) if i had all the time in the world, i'd like some small chipped/smoothed/polished glass bits to try as filler in the lot-o for the really soft stones, especially for 500, 1000. (i'm working on a batch of glass and just realized the tiny, little tear drop pieces might make decent media for soft stuff?)
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