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Post by grapevilliansjr on Jul 31, 2011 10:02:28 GMT -5
Hello everybody i need some advice about how i should tumble these what needs to be do how it needs to be done and how long it'll take Attachments:
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jasperblue
starting to spend too much on rocks
Diggin' This
Member since August 2010
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Post by jasperblue on Aug 2, 2011 14:59:26 GMT -5
Hey there grapevilliansjr, is all this glass? If so, you would tumble this load like you would obsidian and/or Apache tears. If there are stones in with this load, take them out. They will shatter the glass. To tumble glass, remember slower is better. Add plastic beads to every stage and even throw some regular granulated sugar in to slow em' down more. Leave em' in each stage till you are satisfied. Such as; in 'coarse' till they're shaped how you want, in 'med' till they're smooth, etc. Cull out the ones that are ready in each stage and if there is excess space, after culling, add more beads. This should get you going. Oh yeah, don't use the same plastic beads once you get into the 'fine' and polish stages. Use new clean beads (or previously 'used in polish' beads. Hope this helps. Really like to see how those zebra striped and light blue ones come out. Good luck, -Chris.
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Post by FrogAndBearCreations on Aug 2, 2011 16:17:05 GMT -5
when doing glass and obsidian don't forget to burp the barrel at least once a week, there is lots of gas in glass and obsidian
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jasperblue
starting to spend too much on rocks
Diggin' This
Member since August 2010
Posts: 140
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Post by jasperblue on Aug 3, 2011 11:13:38 GMT -5
Yes, gran-u-lated. Powdered sugar wont work. Sugar slows down the tumbling process without affecting the grit one way or the other and actually cushions the stones/glass.
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Post by ColtChainmailJewelryDesigns on Aug 3, 2011 12:41:32 GMT -5
so all this talk about gasses...... now I'm starting to think when I get my obsid going again, i should burp my barrle outside? xD
And grapevilliansjr, that looks like some really nice slag!
~Colt
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Post by krazydiamond on Aug 3, 2011 16:21:56 GMT -5
with glass, you really should burp your barrel more than once a week. i'd check it every few days.....
KD
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Post by FrogAndBearCreations on Aug 3, 2011 16:50:49 GMT -5
is there no thickener other than sugar? that could be adding to the bad smell in the tumble mix. I think I would throw in some soft stone like alabaster or the like to thicken the slurry along with a little borax
one trick I use to thicken the slurry is to save part of the thick slurry from that same grit stage of a previous batch thats moved on and re-use it with a little more grit for a new batch
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grapevillians
noticing nice landscape pebbles
Member since July 2011
Posts: 90
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Post by grapevillians on Aug 3, 2011 17:28:18 GMT -5
Thank You all for the advice jr here is my son and he loves digging the glass chunks out of the creek by our house Some of these chunks are quite large and not really sure how to cut it into smaller pieces I suppose just a hammer whack oughta do it
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snuffy
Cave Dweller
Member since May 2009
Posts: 4,319
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Post by snuffy on Aug 3, 2011 17:37:00 GMT -5
My last batch of obsidian was an odd one as far as the gas goes.In my 12lb Lortone,there was no gas buildup the first 3 or 4 days.I kept an eye on it expecting gas.Then,one day the end of the barrel was pooched out,and every day after that I had to burp it.I felt the end of the barrel to determine when it needed burping.
snuffy
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agatemaggot
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Member since August 2006
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Post by agatemaggot on Aug 3, 2011 20:34:10 GMT -5
Some of those banded pieces would make for some interesting Flintknapping projects ! That is some neat lookin material.
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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 Aug 4, 2011 1:59:41 GMT -5
Glass tumbling definitely requires burping, certainly in coarse grind anyway. You may get away with no burping for the first few days, but after that it's going to be every day (two at the maximum) or you will have a huge mess to clean up. Burping is no big deal... open the lid, clean the barrel and lid edges and dry them, then reseal the barrel and put back on the tumbler.
Sugar can slow the action in the barrel (as can sawdust, shredded paper, etc.) but anything organic like that raises the risk of fermentation/rot, which can mean stink and gas. I'd recommend plastic pellets to slow the tumbling action -- cheap, reusable, inert.
-Don
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jasperblue
starting to spend too much on rocks
Diggin' This
Member since August 2010
Posts: 140
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Post by jasperblue on Aug 4, 2011 10:47:10 GMT -5
You got me there, Daniel! My 6 pounder just blew it's lid! And now I'm enjoying a sticky clean-up. Good luck grapevillians, I,m sure in the end that glass will be lookin' good. -Chris.
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jasperblue
starting to spend too much on rocks
Diggin' This
Member since August 2010
Posts: 140
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Post by jasperblue on Aug 4, 2011 22:15:13 GMT -5
I hear ya there, Daniel!
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88pathoffroad
spending too much on rocks
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Post by 88pathoffroad on Aug 6, 2011 15:07:32 GMT -5
is there no thickener other than sugar? that could be adding to the bad smell in the tumble mix. I think I would throw in some soft stone like alabaster or the like to thicken the slurry along with a little borax one trick I use to thicken the slurry is to save part of the thick slurry from that same grit stage of a previous batch thats moved on and re-use it with a little more grit for a new batch I was thinking perhaps a carefully-determined amount of corn starch would be a good bet for a non-fermenting thickener. Or would it ferment in the absence of air?
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Post by FrogAndBearCreations on Aug 6, 2011 17:54:11 GMT -5
my vote is with saving some of the thick slurry and adding a soft sacrificial stone to the tumble to thicken more. This is what I have been doing and no problems with bad odors. I do this at every stage with the saving some of the slurry and adding new grit for the next same stage tumbles. I also add the plastic pellets, which I keep in baggies for each stage that they were used in. These pellets really help with the problem of spalding in obsidian and glass tumbles. I have lots of alabaster, pipestone and marble scrap that gets tumbled to thicken the slurry. Along with adding some borax I think that helps too!
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Post by FrogAndBearCreations on Aug 6, 2011 20:13:48 GMT -5
how about the plain clay non perfumed kitty litter as a additive for thickening. You would not need very much of it.
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88pathoffroad
spending too much on rocks
Oregon ROCKS!
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Post by 88pathoffroad on Aug 14, 2011 14:30:38 GMT -5
I tried corn starch in a polish batch. Tossed in one cup or so with the polish on a 15-lb batch in my rotary.
It started out sounding slightly muffled, not bad. The next day it started getting quieter. Day after, even quieter. Today I opened 'er up. It seems to have turned into a sort of very thick, soft, white mousse of sorts. I fished out a rock to have a look and it's in great shape!
I'm going to extract some of the white foam after it sits for a while and add more water to thin it out a bit anyway. No stinky smell, and it's been running in my uninsulated garage in 80-degree weather.
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88pathoffroad
spending too much on rocks
Oregon ROCKS!
Member since August 2008
Posts: 305
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Post by 88pathoffroad on Aug 17, 2011 12:42:05 GMT -5
Ack, I ruined it. Now it's stinky, fermented and noisy. I'm gonna have to dump everything into a bucket, wash it off and start over with fresh polish again.
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cornorstone
off to a rocking start
Member since February 2009
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Post by cornorstone on Aug 18, 2011 15:57:53 GMT -5
Instead of sugar, I've heard of using oatmeal or rice. Never tried it myself, has anyone else?
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