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Post by Bluesky78987 on Sept 18, 2012 13:55:40 GMT -5
Ok, so that recent post "Aggravated" got me thinking I need more smalls in my rough grind loads. I use rotary tumblers.
I use up all my saw cuttings, but still need lots more smalls.
Do you all just use pellets in there in rough grind tdoo? Do you buy those "tiny" tumbling rocks from rockshed and elsewhere? Do you use driveway gravel or some other rock/gravel?
Will those tile spacer things work?
What's the cheapest, easiest thing to use?
Thanks, and sorry if I'm repeating questions already asked -- didn't find an answer in my search.
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darrad
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since September 2006
Posts: 1,636
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Post by darrad on Sept 18, 2012 14:06:43 GMT -5
I bust up a lot of larger rough with a hammer which gives me an ample supply of small grit carriers along with the larger pieces to tumble. It will be interesting seeing the other responses you get.
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meta99
has rocks in the head
Ohio Flint Ridge flint
Member since October 2010
Posts: 540
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Post by meta99 on Sept 18, 2012 14:10:06 GMT -5
If you want reusables, then ceramics from the Rockshed.
Otherwise I have read a wide assortment here: marbles, aquarium gravel, tile spacers....
I'm finally getting through a bunch of stuff so I will use ceramics once I'm down to "the end" (yeah, like there really is an "end" to this! HA!)
Sue
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Post by Bluesky78987 on Sept 18, 2012 14:13:05 GMT -5
Will the ceramics hold up through multiple loads on 60/90 with hard rocks? If so, then that seems to be the way to go maybe? or tile spacers, same question, I'd just get whichever is cheaper.
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Post by Drummond Island Rocks on Sept 18, 2012 14:25:12 GMT -5
As long as I am tumbling something hard in 60/90 I have been throwing in rock shed "small" lake superior agates as filler that way we still end up with something instead of just tumbling ceramics. I just looked and they are out of stock right now though. heres a batch we did with a mix of his regular size agates and the small stuff mixed in. Chuck
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Post by FrogAndBearCreations on Sept 18, 2012 14:29:04 GMT -5
any of your rejects for cabbing can be broken up into small stuff.
I keep the smalls from each batch to go back into the next untill they are gone and I need to add more
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Mattatya
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2012
Posts: 452
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Post by Mattatya on Sept 18, 2012 14:51:29 GMT -5
I tried using cut up rubber bands during 60/90 and it clumped up my grit to the bottom of the barrel. Only cut the rubber bands once so they may have been to long. I did the noob mistake of set and forget for 30 days. This is why I still don't have pics up of a successful tumble lol.
I saw the idea as cheap way to cushion while in pre and polish stage. I did try it again on polish and burnish stage but cut up the rubber bands to an inch in length and the blood stone polished up well.
I have heard of folks using leather and denim fabric cuts during polish stages but thought the fabric would soak up the polish and waste good polish.
No this noob is learning fast and just sticking to RTH member recipes and only use rock shed ceramic, pellets and patience ;D
Cheers, Matt
Sent from my SPH-D710 using proboards
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Post by Bluesky78987 on Sept 18, 2012 15:10:17 GMT -5
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Post by Drummond Island Rocks on Sept 18, 2012 15:44:52 GMT -5
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Post by Bluesky78987 on Sept 18, 2012 15:54:54 GMT -5
Yeah, I was wondering about that. Thanks Chuck.
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Daddio
noticing nice landscape pebbles
Member since May 2012
Posts: 94
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Post by Daddio on Sept 18, 2012 16:54:28 GMT -5
I had some of those stubby ones left over from my last tile job. Now I just need to figure out where I put them.
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herchenx
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2012
Posts: 3,360
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Post by herchenx on Sept 18, 2012 18:11:59 GMT -5
Susan, to answer the question about the ceramic holding up to 60/90 - I have a bunch that I have been using for ~6 months.
To be honest though, I generally don't worry as much about ceramic in the coarse tumble. I have my first load of glass running and I have that pretty full of ceramic, but for agates and a lot of the other stuff in the rotary I let it beat the heck out of itself to get smooth.
I use ceramic every load in the vibe though, for all the stages.
SO - my experience is for tougher material in the rotary 60/90 stage I don't need ceramic. But in all stages of the vibe I use ceramics or small stones.
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Post by Bluesky78987 on Sept 18, 2012 18:22:15 GMT -5
I use hardly any smalls, I figured ceramics would make the grinding go faster probably with more grit carriers. Gotcha on not needing it for cushion in course grind, thanks.
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Post by johnjsgems on Sept 18, 2012 18:32:19 GMT -5
Pea gravel would be least expensive although the tiny ceramics would be better grit carriers and weigh less. The tile spacers are available in quite a few sizes at Home Depot but you would have to have dedicated portions per step as they would embed with grit. You can buy bags of pea gravel at Home Depot I think.
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The Dad_Ohs
fully equipped rock polisher
Take me to your Labradorite!!
Member since September 2012
Posts: 1,860
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Post by The Dad_Ohs on Sept 18, 2012 23:06:52 GMT -5
I use a mix of the large & small ceramic from the rock shed with my tumbles for course & Media in my rotary tumbler, then switch to plastic pellets for pre polish & polish stages... the plastic pellets float when the rinsing is done making it easier to separate ten from the rocks!!
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Post by susand24224 on Sept 18, 2012 23:36:03 GMT -5
There are loads of potential "smalls" for Mohs 7. There's the shoe box full of small pieces from rocks I broke up, there's those quartzes sold for $1 a bag at dollar stores for putting on top of plant pots, landscaping gravel for cheap at Lowe's and Home Depot, crummy tumbles from previous loads, any quartzes and granites by the side of the road broken up, etc.
I use ceramics on softer stones where I can't just toss in anything. The ones sold by the Rockshed aren't really ceramic, they are compressed aluminum oxide and while they wear down, they last quite awhile. I only buy the large size since at any given time I have a variety of sizes due to the wearing down factor.
I never use plastic pellets--I hate chasing the little buggers around on top of the water.
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Minnesota Daniel
freely admits to licking rocks
A COUPLE LAKERS
Member since August 2011
Posts: 891
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Post by Minnesota Daniel on Sept 19, 2012 15:01:58 GMT -5
You are correct that using smalls speeds the grinding -- more surface area to make contact.
I think it comes down to cost and practicality. I pick up small quartz, agate, jasper, chert... anywhere I see it. We have a lot of glacial outwash around here. River gravel and beaches usually have at least small pieces of quartz. If it's a nice place to hang around anyway, why not pick it for smalls? Even if it's only a handful at a time, it adds up. Much of the small stuff I pick though is lost in the rough grind (60/90, 120/220 in my rotary), so I still need more filler that's already smooth enough for the 500 grit in the vibe. That's when I add ceramic. It is usable many times, especially if you only use it for the 500 grit and finer, so the cost isn't as much as it seems when you buy it -- it's actually pretty cheap. I use a fair amount of the small size ceramic in the vibe stages. When I'm done with the polish, I put the remaining smalls and the ceramics in the same bag to be used again when I have another batch ready for the vibe.
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tkvancil
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since September 2011
Posts: 1,546
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Post by tkvancil on Sept 22, 2012 0:58:59 GMT -5
I do rotary only 3# barrels. I save the chips and smalls from hammer breaking and cutting on the tile saw, pick up river pebbles etc. and use them as smalls. I generally don't pass anything along to 220 that's less than a quater inch. Any thing smaller is reused. I have used plastic pellets as filler in 60/90 several times and never been happy with the results. Slows everything down too much I think as the slurry always seems thinner than what I'm used to. The grit is never used up and larger rocks don't shape much. I wonder if tile spacers might do the same. I have heard of others using them with sucess though. I have also used ceramic in the 60/90. They worked well in my opinion. Rocks shaped the way I expected and grit used up. So I'd lens towards ceramic over anything plastic if not using rock.
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jspencer
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since March 2011
Posts: 929
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Post by jspencer on Sept 24, 2012 22:47:26 GMT -5
I also use pea gravel sold at Home Depot for a soil cover for houseplants. 5 lb. bag for about $3 or so. A bag last me a long time and you come out with pretty smalls with a mix of colors.
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Post by Bluesky78987 on Sept 25, 2012 9:56:56 GMT -5
I was at Lowe's on the weekend and for $3.98 they had a ginormous (Had to be close to 30 lbs) of some kind of driveway gravel or something. Included a range of sizes from super small up to about 3/8" pieces. Will see how that does. If it fails miserably, will maybe try the Home Depot kind.
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