blueeyes
off to a rocking start
Member since July 2008
Posts: 3
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Post by blueeyes on Jul 16, 2008 1:03:57 GMT -5
I'm new to rock tumbling and have run into a problem and looking for Help.
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blueeyes
off to a rocking start
Member since July 2008
Posts: 3
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Post by blueeyes on Jul 16, 2008 1:14:57 GMT -5
I have gone through all the steps that were given with the tumbler that I purchased, but my gems don't SHINE. I have even repeated the polishing steps, but still no shine. What do I need to do??
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Post by connrock on Jul 16, 2008 4:37:30 GMT -5
Hi and welcome!!!! There are sooooooooooo many things that can go wrong for all of us but especially for a "newbie" so don't be disappointed,,,,,,,we've ALL been there before. In order for us to help you,you have to help us first! If you would go to this link and scroll down a bit to the info on rock tumbling it will help you tremendously. www.rocktumblinghobby.com/index.htmlFor what it's worth ,the instructions that normally come with tumblers don't work in most cases and the polish supplied is not of the best quality either. connrock |
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Larry
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2008
Posts: 267
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Post by Larry on Jul 16, 2008 10:09:28 GMT -5
I'm a newbie as well but ran into the same issue and tried the same solution. The problem is that if you have no shine, rerunning the polish step may not do much to help. When I had that problem, I ran the same stones for another week and there was no difference. The issue was more than likely started 1, 2 or 3 steps back. After knocking around some ideas on this forum and rereading some old helpful posts, I finally realized that time was my issue. Simply going 7 days in each step like the book says won't cut it most of the time. To get the best shine possible, more than likely you'll have to take closer to 1 1/2 - 2 months or even more at times. One thing I was not careful with was running them in coarse enough. I saw on some other site that if you have rounded beach rocks, you can skip this step, which I found was bad advice. I run everything in coarse now and after a week I remove the ones that are done and add to the barrel and recharge with new rocks to keep it full. Of course I have a 2-barrel tumbler so I will just run one in coarse constantly and move the others along as needed. The thread that got me on the right track was this one forum.rocktumblinghobby.com/index.cgi?board=tips&action=display&thread=15332&page=1Again, I have been at this for over a month so I'm not a pro, just adding what I have learned so far and what I have read here. Patience is my enemy. It's hard to start a new hobby and have to wait 2 months for final results. I just started cabbing and will be doing some carving soon so adding more pieces to my rock addiction helps take my mind off of the tumblers. Sorry for the wordy response. Good luck with the tumbles! |
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rockwizz
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since May 2007
Posts: 971
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Post by rockwizz on Jul 16, 2008 15:18:45 GMT -5
Hey Welcome -- I was a newbie last year and ran into the same problems. One thing you need to get off your mind is what the books says that it takes 7 days for each step...that is wrong...some rocks need 3 or 4 weeks in step 1(grind) to get the shape to where you want it. Also, you will find that first step is the most important step. I create a link a while back about the illusive perfect batch...you will find a lot of good insight in that link...Do a search for it in this forum.
Good luck, and keep in mind that patience is the name of the game with tumbling.
Ozzy
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darrad
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since September 2006
Posts: 1,636
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Post by darrad on Jul 16, 2008 20:16:03 GMT -5
Hello Blue Eyes and welcome. First throw away those instructions unless the contain a parts list. Second, what kind of tumbler do you have? Vibratory or rotary? The usage is very different. I suspect rotary. My recipe is 60/90 until happy with shape. Recharge every 10 days. 2 weeks 120/220 2 weeks 500 2 weeks 100 2 weeks A/O polish (Rock Shed) Borax wash in between each stage for a few hours to a day(depending if I get busy)  Three days borax burnish after polish. I get a really good shine.  A picture of some quartz you could see. Dave. |
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Post by cpdad on Jul 16, 2008 21:18:17 GMT -5
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Post by cpdad on Jul 17, 2008 18:52:47 GMT -5
my son caught a glimpse of a piece in your batch....and said that it should have never been moved on to polish....unless it chipped during polish...i think i agree ;D. seems there is some chippies in your batch....he blowed up a section of your pic....and it shows a chippie....and maybe another at 10 o clock below it....we found that chippies can hinder a polish ;D...at least it seemed that way ;D....when we lost the chippies....we got a polish. check each and every piece with your fingers....cull out chippies....all sharp edges set aside.....add pellets to make up for lost rock....then run the load through prepolish again.....check for chippies after prepolish....remove any chippies....if you have just 1 or 2 chippies remove them...{auto-correct: MOV files not allowed}e on to polish.....if 5 or 6 chippies....repeat above steps.....until no chippies ;D. disclaimer:....above is what cp told me to say in a nutshell ;D....he seen the chippie ;D heres a pic of the chippies...clickable.  |
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blueeyes
off to a rocking start
Member since July 2008
Posts: 3
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Post by blueeyes on Aug 25, 2008 19:50:26 GMT -5
I wanted to thank everyone for their answers to my questions about no shine on my rocks. I have purchased a different tumbler and giving up on the little plastic tumblers that I had. I'm sure they were part of the problem as well as the grit they provided. As suggested, I will not be using the instructions provided with the tumbler, but will use the instructions found on several of the websites that were suggested.
Thanks again for all the responses.
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Post by Bikerrandy on Aug 25, 2008 20:22:15 GMT -5
More info! We would like to hear about your purchase...what tumbler did you get? What rocks are you tumbling?? Post pics!! ;D
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Post by Jack, lapidaryrough on Aug 25, 2008 21:57:04 GMT -5
To much Water ? keep it pasty
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Post by Jack ( Yorkshire) on Aug 26, 2008 2:42:25 GMT -5
Hi Blue eyes,
Good advice I cant add
The link Larry put on to James thread restarted my tumbling experiance (sorry about the pictures not there)
Welcome to the thread
Jack Yorkshire uk
I Think "Stonewizard " made a mistake
After 500 grit Follow with 1000 Grit not 100 grit !!!!! J
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lynskyn1970
noticing nice landscape pebbles
Member since August 2008
Posts: 93
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Post by lynskyn1970 on Aug 27, 2008 21:53:15 GMT -5
what i do for polish is i use cerrium oxide for about a week as a prepolish then i use either tin oxide or a polishing compound called M-5. the tin oxide i use with water and plastic pellets for about a week or so. the M-5 i do a bit differently. i use a heaping tablespoon of the M-5 polish to a tablespoon of dawn dish soap and a bit of water to form a creamy consistancy also for about a week or so. this is in a 3 pound rotary tumbler. well good luck and don't give up!!!
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tombodc
noticing nice landscape pebbles
Member since August 2008
Posts: 88
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Post by tombodc on Aug 28, 2008 20:54:20 GMT -5
What do you mean by a Borax wash between cycles?
What do you mean by Borax "burnishing" after polishing?
Cheers,
Tom
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ejs
spending too much on rocks
Member since July 2008
Posts: 478
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Post by ejs on Aug 28, 2008 21:34:18 GMT -5
Hi, Tom. A "Borax wash" means at the end of a tumble (usually after medium, pre-polish, or polish), you load the rocks into a clean barrel, add about one tablespoon of Boarx ("20 Mule Team Borax" - sold in many supermarket laundry aisles), and let it run for 4-24 hours (depending on who you talk to). This cleans the rocks (as evidenced by the dirty water that is rinsed away at the end) and helps remove any stray grit from the barrel and/or rocks.
A "burnish" is a final step, after the polish run, where you do the same thing, but let it run 1-2 days. This adds an extra gloss to the rocks as a final step.
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tombodc
noticing nice landscape pebbles
Member since August 2008
Posts: 88
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Post by tombodc on Aug 30, 2008 14:08:31 GMT -5
So when you use the Borax to wash the rocks I am assuming you add water (since you mention rinsing away dirty water  . Do you fill it to the same level as if you were going to recharge the barrel with grit or do you add more/less water? So when you burnish do you add water too? How much? Do you use Borax for burnishing also or something else? |
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ejs
spending too much on rocks
Member since July 2008
Posts: 478
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Post by ejs on Aug 30, 2008 15:03:01 GMT -5
As far as I know, you always add the same amount of water (just under the tips of the highest rocks) no matter which step you are doing.
As for the wash and burnish, some people recommend Borax, some pure Ivory soap (you must find the pure flakes, no additives, or do as I did and grate pure Ivory soap bars with a cheese grater into shreds), and some both together. Most people seem to recommend 1 tablespoon in a 3 lb. barrel for either the wash or the burnish. I use 1 TB Borax after medium and pre-polish (and run for 24 hours), and then 1 TB Borax + 1 TB Ivory after the polish (and run for 48 hours). I'm sure there are lots of different formulas, so try it yourself and see what happens!
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tombodc
noticing nice landscape pebbles
Member since August 2008
Posts: 88
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Post by tombodc on Aug 30, 2008 15:54:50 GMT -5
Thanks! I will! It was just the burnishing thing that confused me. For some reason the word "burnish" just sounds like something done dry and I couldn't quite grasp the logic of putting dry soap in a tumbler with polished rocks and that it actually would make them shinier???
Cheers,
Tom
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Three days borax burnish after polish. I get a really good shine.
. Do you fill it to the same level as if you were going to recharge the barrel with grit or do you add more/less water?
