sak
noticing nice landscape pebbles
Member since December 2013
Posts: 88
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Post by sak on Aug 14, 2014 13:59:40 GMT -5
Hi all - After reading many posts, I realize everyone has a slightly different formula as to how much time (in general) rocks need to be within a certain stage. What I'm wondering is there any visual references that can be used to determine when a given stage is done? For example: 80 Grit is Done when:
1) Rocks are shaped to your liking 2) No Cracks/crevices/fractures 3) No Pits Polish is Done when:
1) There is no visual difference between wet vs dry In addition to SC80 I use graded SC220,SC400, SC600, & AO1000, (then I also use polishes). Have you guys come up with any visual ques that would easily dictate when each one of these (220,400,600,1000) stages are complete? I really appreciate all you feedback. Thanks. Sak...
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Post by deb193redux on Aug 14, 2014 14:12:48 GMT -5
As I blow on a wet rock and watch it dry, you can sort of see the tiny scratches. What I looked for was a sense that everything was uniform. If I saw any scratches that looked deeper than others, the stage was not done.
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Post by Toad on Aug 14, 2014 14:16:06 GMT -5
My recipe is 60/90 until all blemishes removed (recharging every week). And then 2 weeks each (no recharge)for 220/600/1200 SiC. And then 2 weeks in TiO. Some folks get great results going from 600 straight to polish. SO far I don't have any guide as to when any step is done (other than the 1st), I just run for 2 weeks and move on.
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tkvancil
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since September 2011
Posts: 1,546
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Post by tkvancil on Aug 15, 2014 9:14:58 GMT -5
I run mine much like Toad. 60/90 or 80 until shaped to satisfaction. Next 240 for 10 days to 2 weeks. At this point the rocks still look dull when dry however feel smoother than when coming out of coarse. Next 600 for 10 to 14 days. When dry the rocks have what I would describe as a satin finish. Not shiny per say but not dull either. I use AO1000 next for "softer" rocks and rocks that are translucent to transparent. Coming out of the 1000 they will have an "almost shine" when dry. Polish runs two weeks.
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Post by connrock on Aug 15, 2014 10:06:13 GMT -5
After a 220 grit run it's difficult to actually see much difference in the surface of the rocks unless you use a 10x jewelers loupe. If you save 1 rock from each stage and set them in line for comparison you can see the difference and is a good reference when needed. I don't know if this will help but there are a few photos I took through a 10x loupe to show the finish on a "problem rock" along with other photos after various stages. linkAlso,,,,if you tumble your rocks in a rotary tumbler for 7-10 days in each load from 200-polish it should be long enough as long as you did enough rough stages to get ALL of the flaws out of the rocks. One key to successful rock tumbling is the rough stages.If you don't get all of the flaws out in the rough stages it's just like doing a paint job on a car that's all rusted and dented. connrock
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electricmonk
spending too much on rocks
Member since August 2011
Posts: 281
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Post by electricmonk on Aug 15, 2014 23:05:31 GMT -5
I read that as one long string of numbers and was wondering what sort of insanely refined tumbling compound you were using. 220 million grit, for that "can't stand to have an electron microscope find a blemish" shine
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sak
noticing nice landscape pebbles
Member since December 2013
Posts: 88
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Post by sak on Aug 17, 2014 21:06:29 GMT -5
I read that as one long string of numbers and was wondering what sort of insanely refined tumbling compound you were using. 220 million grit, for that "can't stand to have an electron microscope find a blemish" shine Your pretty funny!!! At first I didn't get it, then, I realized what you were saying. You had me cracking up for a while... I did notice a slight flaw in you statement however....technically speaking it's not 220 million grit, it's actually 2 Trillion 204 Billion 6 Million 1 thousand grit... Big difference there... Sak...
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electricmonk
spending too much on rocks
Member since August 2011
Posts: 281
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Post by electricmonk on Aug 18, 2014 1:30:08 GMT -5
I read that as one long string of numbers and was wondering what sort of insanely refined tumbling compound you were using. 220 million grit, for that "can't stand to have an electron microscope find a blemish" shine Your pretty funny!!! At first I didn't get it, then, I realized what you were saying. You had me cracking up for a while... I did notice a slight flaw in you statement however....technically speaking it's not 220 million grit, it's actually 2 Trillion 204 Billion 6 Million 1 thousand grit... Big difference there... Sak... Totally reasonable then I think it was the commas that threw me! LOL
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Post by connrock on Aug 18, 2014 9:41:03 GMT -5
Rapid Polish #61 connrock
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