jackson
off to a rocking start
Member since December 2011
Posts: 2
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Post by jackson on Dec 28, 2011 17:37:27 GMT -5
Hi, I tried searching the boards and couldn't quite find what I am looking for, but did get lots of great info!!
I live on the north coast of California, and the beaches are loaded with interesting stones, lots of Agate, jade, and others... I just got my first tumbler (vibratory) and was wondering, since these stones are very smooth, and seem to only be lacking the final shine, is it necessary to use the coarser grit on them? I understand that I am about to embark on a learning adventure, but would love any advice before I start from anyone experienced with these stones.
For anyone familiar with the area, I found many of my stones at or near agate beach, moonstone beach, and the surrounding areas.
Thanks!!
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shermlock
has rocks in the head
Member since August 2011
Posts: 612
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Post by shermlock on Dec 28, 2011 17:52:56 GMT -5
Welcome! There is a similar question being answered here by a few of the members: forum.rocktumblinghobby.com/index.cgi?board=tottumb&action=display&thread=49541I always run two courses of rough grit to make sure I get rid of the pits in my river, Great Lakes, and ocean finds. It does make them smaller but I think they look a lot better. Others will stick to just the first course but almost all of us agree that the rough stage is still very important to our "water finds." Good luck, Scott
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Post by johnjsgems on Dec 28, 2011 20:11:24 GMT -5
If rocks are plentiful pick only the best to tumble. Leave the fissured, crappy stuff on the beach. A short run in coarse will still be helpful (several days to a week) to remove pesky big scratches that don't show up until you get to polish.
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Post by NatureNut on Dec 28, 2011 20:12:49 GMT -5
Welcome Jackson. Just want to make sure that you know that the coarse stage in a vibratory tumbler is 220 and not 60/90 grit. 60/90 is too aggressive in a vibratory tumbler and can mess up the bowl. Good luck with them. I've picked up stones in that area. They are beautiful. Good idea to makes sure they are smooth before going to prepolish (500 grit) and polish. Jo
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Post by johnjsgems on Dec 28, 2011 20:31:49 GMT -5
Sorry, I missed the vibratory part. Couldn't hurt to run them in 220 for a couple of days.
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jackson
off to a rocking start
Member since December 2011
Posts: 2
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Post by jackson on Dec 28, 2011 21:13:15 GMT -5
Thanks everyone! I do have the 220, and that is where I will begin! Very excited to see how my first batch turns out!
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nephritenut
off to a rocking start
Member since March 2011
Posts: 6
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Post by nephritenut on Dec 29, 2011 15:42:39 GMT -5
If they are relatively smooth and the final shape of these stones will be fine as is you could start with 400 and then polish. I usually will run beach and river rock at 220 first but isnt critical if they arent jagged. My thoughts...
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