Jasper-hound
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since June 2010
Posts: 208
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Post by Jasper-hound on Jul 10, 2011 16:51:39 GMT -5
I just finished 10 pounds or so of India moonstones. I rough ground these in a small rubber rotary, as the material is fragile and prone to cleaving. This took several runs of several weeks each. When I had enough accumulated for the vibe, I ran them for two days in 600 SiC followed by 24 hours wash in water and borax. Then I vibed them for two days in AO polish. With all steps, I used small amounts of rice hulls to slow down the action some. As you will see, most moons are far from perfect. But probably about a fourth of the material is very smooth and nice. I threw an AA battery into the photo for scale. The following two shots are the same stone from two different angles in the sun. It is difficult to convey in photographs the way the moonstones create the effect of aduralescence when rotated in the light. I shall try to do so, however. Again, the following two shots are the same stone. Here is a before/after shot: Here is a photo of my vibe in motion: And here is a photo of my large rotary that runs 24/7 to rough grind jaspers, agates, and snowflake obsidian: Anyway, if you have never tumbled moonstones before, I highly advise it, as it is quite fun to see the progression and final product. That's it for now, as my buddy Craig is beckoning me to play a little ball now. Gotta run! ~Jasper-Hound
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chassroc
Cave Dweller
Rocks are abundant when you have rocktumblinghobby pals
Member since January 2005
Posts: 3,586
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Post by chassroc on Jul 11, 2011 12:06:22 GMT -5
Nice job...I never tumbled moonstone, nor do I have enough, nice (adularescent?) effect on that pink stone Charlie
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