richardh
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2016
Posts: 391
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Post by richardh on Aug 2, 2016 12:49:48 GMT -5
I agree that desert jasper is really cool. I ordered some from Hypnotic Gems on Amazon.com and have had it in the tumbler for a while and it is starting to take shape but I don’t think any of it will be anywhere near as cool looking as yours when it is done. Guess I should have gone with the rock shed.
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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 9, 2016 11:12:44 GMT -5
Tkvancil are you finding any Geodes in your area or are you too far north? I have picked up a few small ones over the years. Only one of any decent size. Kind of buggered up the cut on my tile saw though. Best area is west of me towards Iowa, or so I've been told.
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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 9, 2016 11:16:17 GMT -5
The desert jasper is really nice but the granite is also superb for a material that undercuts. Did you polish in a vibe and for how long? Thanks. Yes I use a vibe for 220 thru polish. Thumlers UV18 specifically. Lets see ... this batch ... 220 SC for 48 hours, 600 SC 48 hours, AO1000 72 hours, then rocksheds AO polish 72 hours.
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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 9, 2016 11:18:55 GMT -5
I agree that desert jasper is really cool. I ordered some from Hypnotic Gems on Amazon.com and have had it in the tumbler for a while and it is starting to take shape but I don’t think any of it will be anywhere near as cool looking as yours when it is done. Guess I should have gone with the rock shed. Rockshed usually has good rough. I've only ever bought one thing from them that I was disappointed in. Sea Jasper. They have a lot of vugs and voids. Nature of the material.
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rodeodan
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2010
Posts: 213
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Post by rodeodan on Aug 10, 2016 9:05:23 GMT -5
your obsidian came out amazing, did you do follow this process ( 220 SC for 48 hours, 600 SC 48 hours, AO1000 72 hours, then rocksheds AO polish 72 hours)as well or did you remove them and tumble separately?
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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 10, 2016 9:21:30 GMT -5
your obsidian came out amazing, did you do follow this process ( 220 SC for 48 hours, 600 SC 48 hours, AO1000 72 hours, then rocksheds AO polish 72 hours)as well or did you remove them and tumble separately? The obsidian was done along with the rest in the 220 thru polish. They were rough tumbled separately from the jaspers however. The vibe does a good job on mixed hardness. Last time I did a dedicated batch of obsidian the formula was the same for 220 thru polish.
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SirRoxalot
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since October 2003
Posts: 790
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Post by SirRoxalot on Aug 10, 2016 11:28:36 GMT -5
An inspirational batch of tumbles.
I am AMAZED that you got a shine on the obsidian along with all the other much tougher materials. That is a real surprise! Did you include a ton of smalls, or corncob, or??? Amazing batch, thanks for sharing.
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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 11, 2016 12:23:26 GMT -5
An inspirational batch of tumbles. I am AMAZED that you got a shine on the obsidian along with all the other much tougher materials. That is a real surprise! Did you include a ton of smalls, or corncob, or??? Amazing batch, thanks for sharing. This batch had about 25 to 30% ceramic media along with whatever smalls were in the pics. I have a UV18 so even with 25% ceramic there's still a lot of rock in there. I think that a vibe is very kind to mixed hardness batches. I think that one of the keys to using a vibe is to get the action to slow down. In 220 this is easy, after a few hours the slurry slows everything down. I only ever add enough water to maintain the slower roll. Don't try to get it back up to it's initial speed. With this batch I tried psyllium fiber as a thickener with the fine, pre-polish, and polish. One and one half teaspoons was all it took to thicken things up and the slow down was immediate. Thanks for the compliment on the batch.
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