peachfront
fully equipped rock polisher
Stones have begun to speak, because an ear is there to hear them.
Member since August 2010
Posts: 1,745
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Post by peachfront on Jun 30, 2011 8:25:42 GMT -5
I have two ancient cans from an estate. Both called Scott-Murray Hi-Pol. One of them is red and says, "TUmbling Charge, Polish" on the can. Is this cerium oxide? The other is gray and has an illegible word, that MAY be "tumbling," and the other word is almost certainly "charge" but it's really almost faded out. Is this pre-polish or some kind of 1000 grit or ?
He also had a full can of "pumice." What is the pumice for?
Thanks for helping me get all this sorted...I tried Google and apparently there is a famous young person called Scott Murray so I got nowhere in my search.
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Post by johnjsgems on Jun 30, 2011 8:35:02 GMT -5
I'm guessing red is rouge for metal polishing. Pumice is used as one step in polishing ceramics for metals also. I don't know of any grey rock polishes so it is likely for metals as well.
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Post by johnjsgems on Jun 30, 2011 8:35:55 GMT -5
By the way, I think Lortone ended up with most of Scott Murray so you may want to contact them.
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peachfront
fully equipped rock polisher
Stones have begun to speak, because an ear is there to hear them.
Member since August 2010
Posts: 1,745
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Post by peachfront on Jun 30, 2011 8:55:23 GMT -5
OK, thanks, I'll follow up on this lead. He probably purchased these items in or before 1979. Also, I forgot that he did a little metal work, but he had cut at least one star ruby for his wife and set it in gold. The widow was still wearing it and showed it off when I met her, so I don't know why I forgot that he did a little bit of metal work.
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Post by jakesrocks on Jun 30, 2011 9:05:37 GMT -5
Are these the cans you got ? I got these many years ago at an estate sale. These are worth keeping unopened as lapidary collectables. When lapidary really started to catch on as a hobby, there were many companies that started selling supplies. Scott Murray was just one of them. So far I have unopened containers from 2 companies in my collection, and am always looking for more companies to add. Don
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peachfront
fully equipped rock polisher
Stones have begun to speak, because an ear is there to hear them.
Member since August 2010
Posts: 1,745
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Post by peachfront on Jun 30, 2011 9:14:55 GMT -5
Yes, but they have been opened and some small amount removed from each can, so I know he used them for at least one project. If they are for metal work, I'm not surprised he didn't use much, since he mostly just cut stone. If I find any unopened, I'll let you know, because I;m already collecting too much stuff with my cabs, mineral, and book collections...don't plan to add any other collectibles to my shelves. :-) I actually plan to use any uncontaminated grits and polishes that I can...
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Post by johnjsgems on Jun 30, 2011 10:17:36 GMT -5
Hey, Don. Why don't you buy one each of my products and save them for 50 years?
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Post by jakesrocks on Jun 30, 2011 10:29:28 GMT -5
Hey John, if I saved them for 50 years, I won't be here to look at them sitting on the shelf. And if I am still here, I'll be praying for someone to put me out of my misery. Don
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blessed
spending too much on rocks
Member since January 2010
Posts: 329
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Post by blessed on Jun 30, 2011 10:57:15 GMT -5
I would guess the "pumice" was used to polish the "star ruby". Back in my day, pumice and oil was used to give a wood project a hand rubbed oil finish. High school wood shop, 1957.
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peachfront
fully equipped rock polisher
Stones have begun to speak, because an ear is there to hear them.
Member since August 2010
Posts: 1,745
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Post by peachfront on Jun 30, 2011 11:10:21 GMT -5
This gentleman's high school wood shop class was more likely to have been in 1937!!! But I'll keep your suggestion in mind.
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blessed
spending too much on rocks
Member since January 2010
Posts: 329
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Post by blessed on Jun 30, 2011 17:36:03 GMT -5
Some of the old finishes still do a good job. They take a long time and a lot of hard work. I just stated some people used it. Most people don't use varnish now days. 1957.
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peachfront
fully equipped rock polisher
Stones have begun to speak, because an ear is there to hear them.
Member since August 2010
Posts: 1,745
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Post by peachfront on Jun 30, 2011 18:36:58 GMT -5
I would still like to develop some basic awareness of the old-time techniques, even if they are rarely used, you never know when it would spark an idea...so I appreciate all comments! I have been baffled by this jar of pumice for some time. :-)
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quartz
Cave Dweller
breakin' rocks in the hot sun
Member since February 2010
Posts: 3,341
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Post by quartz on Jul 1, 2011 19:44:37 GMT -5
peachfront, If you want to learn some old line lapidary stuff, hunt used book stores for "Gem Cutting Shop Helps" pub. by Lapidary Journal magazine in 1964, last revised 1968. Fun book with lots of stilll usable tips. We got ours at Powell's books, Portland, OR some time ago. Was recently given a copy with a box of stuff that came with some equipment we bought, passed it on. I've seen other copies in second hand book depts. don't think they are rare. Another source of really old technology is "Turning and Mechanical Manipulation" Vol. 3, "Abrasive and Other Processes Not Accomplished With Cutting Tools" by Charles Holtzapffel, revised and enlarged by John Jacob Holtzapffel; published by The Astragal Press, look at www astragalpress.com
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peachfront
fully equipped rock polisher
Stones have begun to speak, because an ear is there to hear them.
Member since August 2010
Posts: 1,745
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Post by peachfront on Jul 2, 2011 9:01:47 GMT -5
Thanks, quartz. I'm making a list of books I'm hunting for, and I'll definitely add those to the list.
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brent3369
starting to shine!
Member since December 2014
Posts: 29
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Post by brent3369 on Dec 27, 2014 20:31:01 GMT -5
I just found this thread when I was searching for what kind of polish I have from Scott-murray. I have opened the pre polish can but still have the polish and one other of the grits unopened. Anyone have an idea what type of polish is in the red labelled can?
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Post by johnjsgems on Dec 27, 2014 20:37:45 GMT -5
You would have to look at the compound. In the old days cerium was the most common. Kind of a dusty peach color. Better polish was tin oxide and even back then too expensive for tumbling. It is pure white. Titanium dioxide was a popular and inexpensive tumbling polish and also pure white. Most of the aluminum oxides were in the pre polish range as I recall.
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brent3369
starting to shine!
Member since December 2014
Posts: 29
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Post by brent3369 on Dec 27, 2014 20:46:50 GMT -5
I'm going to leave the can closed since it may be a collector item. I would rather have it go to a collector than open it and find out it's not what I'm looking for.
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