ohiouiru
off to a rocking start
Member since September 2015
Posts: 2
|
Post by ohiouiru on Sept 28, 2015 19:05:24 GMT -5
Hi Everyone! I am new to this, so sorry if I'm doing this wrong. I am living in Japan for six months. Last weekend I went to a beach that was all rocks. The wave action over the years had smoothed most of them out, and from what I can tell they are mostly through a complete tumbler series. I just have two quick questions for everyone here. 1. Is it possible to polish these stones to a final "glassy, smooth" finish, or are these stones not good for polishing? 2. As I am only here for 6 months, it is not possible/practical to get a tumbler sent here. Is there anything/way I can do the final steps by hand? Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Here are a couple of pics! www.flickr.com/photos/56681594@N00/shares/j22v91
|
|
|
Post by mohs on Sept 28, 2015 19:49:00 GMT -5
Welcome to RTH!
I'll leave it to others to tell you what's polishable
but is that round stone in the center black & white? that really caught my eye
Ed
|
|
|
Post by woodman on Sept 29, 2015 9:21:31 GMT -5
I would bet that most of them would polish up pretty good. Send them home and polish them later.
|
|
Fossilman
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 20,685
|
Post by Fossilman on Sept 29, 2015 10:08:01 GMT -5
As stated,all will polish great!!!! Collect your rocks and send them back to the states and have a nice winter or spring project to have in the future... Less stuff to pack up when you move again..... PS: Welcome to the forum.....
|
|
|
Post by Peruano on Sept 29, 2015 14:25:48 GMT -5
Starting with beach cobbles is a real advantage and this stuff polishes much faster than other sources. Working with beach material is a perfect use of a vibratory tumbler, and they are small enough that you probably can get one sent to you or buy it through the PX or other sources. Look for rocks that feels smooth in your hand. They all look smooth when wet, but those that feel really slick, smooth, and don't show major crystals are the ones that will jump into the pretty saver category when you start polishing them. Good luck and enjoy. Tom
|
|
ohiouiru
off to a rocking start
Member since September 2015
Posts: 2
|
Post by ohiouiru on Sept 29, 2015 19:01:44 GMT -5
Thanks for the replies everyone! I am in Japan for a semester studying, and don't have access to a military base, but the biggest obstacle I have is my wife, who thinks I'm a bit crazy for getting so excited about "rocks" (maybe I am.....lol). I will move back to Hawaii in January, and since I live in an apartment and there are not many rocks there (lots of coral though), tumbling does not seem too practical. And shipping rocks to Hawaii is expensive, and I think half of the fun is finding them myself. So I am left with whatever I can do by hand. I tried sanding (sandpaper 120-2000) and some glass polishing compound, but have not had much success. The best I have done has been to just rub them down with cooking oil. It doesn't get the real shiny finish, but the rocks don't get the "dried out haze" either. Any 'Old school" method or other ideas will be greatly appreciated. I don't mind putting a bit of elbow grease into this!
Thanks again!
|
|
|
Post by Jugglerguy on Sept 29, 2015 19:27:59 GMT -5
Hi Ohiouiru. Welcome to RTH. Those rocks look pretty similar to rocks I collect in Lake Superior. Some will polish better than others, but most will probably do ok. I just throw them all in together and see what happens. The only rock I've ever polished by hand was a Petoskey stone. Petoskey stones are made of limestone, which is very soft. It makes them hard tumble, but possible to do by hand. For tumbling you want rocks to be harder. For the most part, the harder the rock, the better the polish. Here's the Petoskey I polished by hand. Before: After: I would not try that with any other rock that I own. Everything else would be way too hard to do by hand. Here are some beach rocks that I've tumbled. As for your wife thinking you're crazy, she's right. That's why you're here. We understand your type of crazy.
|
|
micellular
has rocks in the head
Rock fever is curable with more rocks.
Member since September 2015
Posts: 640
|
Post by micellular on Sept 30, 2015 12:47:04 GMT -5
Jugglerguy, that cloverleaf sure looks like a beach rock.
|
|
|
Post by Jugglerguy on Sept 30, 2015 16:13:25 GMT -5
That was a lucky find.
|
|
|
Post by paulshiroma on Oct 1, 2015 23:15:13 GMT -5
Welcome to the forum! I say, give it a try... you're not going to hurt anything and they're already through the rough stage! Go for it!
|
|
peachfront
fully equipped rock polisher
Stones have begun to speak, because an ear is there to hear them.
Member since August 2010
Posts: 1,745
|
Post by peachfront on Oct 2, 2015 12:00:30 GMT -5
Some of those pebbles would definitely take a polish. I would personally pick out 1-3 pounds or so of the pebbles that appeal to me best and just take them home to tumble later. However, if you only want hand polishable stones, I would concentrate on different stones-- instead of quartz, look at the fossils. Instead of granite, look at the very soft stones like serpentine. I have hand-polished both Petosky (a fossil) & serpentine. But if that's your focus, some of the shiny quartz etc. pebbles can just be tossed back in the stream.
|
|
moonmoon
off to a rocking start
Member since October 2015
Posts: 2
|
Post by moonmoon on Oct 2, 2015 12:22:59 GMT -5
some of the shiny quartz etc. pebbles can just be tossed back in the stream. GASP!!!!! Fans self frantically!!! Beautiful stones Jugglerguy, and very nice find's Ohiouiru.
|
|