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Post by Cher on Mar 9, 2005 17:17:52 GMT -5
The last few batches I've run 5 days in AO Polish and 5 days in Cerium ... got really nice shine out of it. So, naturally, I did the same on this last load which was NOT a good idea. Not that I would have had any way of knowing this but thought I'd pass it on.
When I check the stones after 5 days in AO polish, it already had a great shine, including this really nice piece of hematite that I had in there. Went to take a look at them today .. ok, it was only 3 days but I'm excited, it's the first piece of local hematite that I've run all the way through the stages.
For some reason, the hematite has completely lost it's shine. Just a nice matte finish, but that nice shine I had three days ago is gone. Talk about disappointment!!!! Any thoughts as to why it happened?
Cher
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Post by Tweetiepy on Mar 9, 2005 17:40:16 GMT -5
Is it possible to let it go longer to get the shine back - I read on a thread about something like this, but I wouldn't want to induce you in error
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Post by krazydiamond on Mar 9, 2005 18:53:59 GMT -5
um, you know i have a low opinion of Cerium. and a high one of AO. and some peeps are just the opposite. there may be a real variation in the grades of either material that could account for your results.
KD
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Post by rockyraccoon on Mar 9, 2005 19:18:44 GMT -5
cher not that i can answer your question but i was wondering did only the hematite lose its shine or all your rocks?
kim
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Post by Cher on Mar 9, 2005 21:12:14 GMT -5
No, it wasn't just the hematite, about 1/4th of the load went back into AO polish. There was a few more pieces of hematite and some mutt stuff that I'm not sure what it is. It just doesn't make any sense that it lost the shine it had. I had scanned it the other day, before going into the cerium. It's dark, but you can see that it had a nice shine already. Guess I was being greedy. Cher
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Post by cookie3rocks on Mar 9, 2005 23:07:07 GMT -5
I've had my best results with CO on really hard stones like agate and flint. Softer stones don't do as well, AO is probably the answer.
cookie
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Duckbean
fully equipped rock polisher
Looking for rocks in all the wrong places
Member since February 2005
Posts: 1,072
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Post by Duckbean on Mar 9, 2005 23:20:45 GMT -5
I read somewhere that apache tears would do that Is it best to use a o on ?hematite Bob
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Banjocreek
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since March 2003
Posts: 1,115
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Post by Banjocreek on Mar 9, 2005 23:42:21 GMT -5
I hope that is it some consolation that you didn't ruin them, just run them back through you polish of choice. I don't use cerium much so I can't solve it for you, but logic tells me that (One) you may not have run them long enough for the cerium to break down. (Two) they are a softer stones and the polish would not break down. Haven't thought of a (Three) yet I think there are more knowledgable souls here that may have some input.
AKA -no real help from; Banjo Creek ;D
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Post by Cher on Mar 10, 2005 0:56:05 GMT -5
Yes, it is a consolation that they weren't ruined. Even with a matte finish, it looks nice ... but I know it can shine. I think it was a hardness thing. The hematite (MOHS hardness 5-6) and probably a few of the other stones that had to go back are softer. I always save my polishes and reuse them so I don't know how the "breaking down' applies to that.
Needless to say, it will be a few "patience testing" days until I find out if the shine comes back.
Cher
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rollingstone
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since July 2009
Posts: 236
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Post by rollingstone on Mar 10, 2005 2:24:02 GMT -5
Since you say you re-use your polishes, is it possible that you used the cerium on something harder like some kind of quartz material, and the cerium then got contaminated with very fine quartz particles, which are now scratching up the softer hematite? That might happen even with quartz particles much too small to see -- the size of pre-polish particles for example. Something to ponder anyway.
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Post by puppie96 on Mar 10, 2005 4:22:30 GMT -5
I also have had the polish/unpolish thing happen. Same situation, I believed I could make it better, hadn't had problems in the past. Oops. The polish sequence wasn't anything in particular, just going from one to another. I just had one a couple days ago. My theory this time is that a rock fractured along a fissure that released carryover grit and contaminated the second polish. What I've been doing with these is backing them up one step to prepolish (I read this somewhere), redoing the prepolish and repolishing. After doing all that, they will be beautiful.
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MichiganRocks
starting to spend too much on rocks
"I wasn't born to follow."
Member since April 2007
Posts: 154
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Post by MichiganRocks on Mar 10, 2005 7:13:02 GMT -5
Hey Cher, I tend to agree with puppie on this one. Cerium is a lot softer polish than AO and should have worked well. Everything points to contamination. Rollingstone has a good point too. I only reuse polish when I'm running 6.5 to 7 hardness rocks to avoid damage from any possible carryover rock particles. I'm a little anal about that I guess. If a rock crack opens up, it doesn't even have to release any old grit. Just the loose rock particles plus the presence of a sharp edge can cause problems.
Good part is, all can be fixed. Ron
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Post by Cher on Mar 10, 2005 10:41:57 GMT -5
Definitely something to thing about, at least the AO it went back into is "new". I generally save that too but dumb me dumped it into the wrong container when I was changing over so I tossed it. I have separate labeled containers that the polish is drained into before I wash the stones. I suppose I should have put it back into the pre-polish instead of into another polish. If the shine doesn't come back, I'll toss it back into 1000 grit next time around. I know there is a shine in there somewhere and I will find it. ;D Thanks for your thoughts and help on this. Cher
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