rodeodan
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2010
Posts: 213
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Post by rodeodan on Oct 30, 2016 22:26:33 GMT -5
Does anyone reuse their pre polish and polish? I have been trying and find that the polish is hit an miss, sometimes stones come out fine while other times, not much change from the previous stage. Does the polish break down like SiC?
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doublet83
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since March 2016
Posts: 118
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Post by doublet83 on Oct 31, 2016 9:53:58 GMT -5
Yes, I think you can re-use both, although the prepolish I'm less sure about. I've re-used both on my last batch and didn't notice any reduction in effectiveness for prepolish and polish. Granted I haven't tried re-using it for more than this one batch. I've heard of many people reusing polish, and some people add like 1/3 fresh polish each time, although I'm not sure what is really necessary. I haven't heard of people re-using A/O prepolish, but it seemed to work for me. Not sure about re-using silicon carbide pre-polish, never tried that.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Oct 31, 2016 12:17:52 GMT -5
Yes, I think you can re-use both, although the prepolish I'm less sure about. I've re-used both on my last batch and didn't notice any reduction in effectiveness for prepolish and polish. Granted I haven't tried re-using it for more than this one batch. I've heard of many people reusing polish, and some people add like 1/3 fresh polish each time, although I'm not sure what is really necessary. I haven't heard of people re-using A/O prepolish, but it seemed to work for me. Not sure about re-using silicon carbide pre-polish, never tried that. It would be interesting to read how you reclaimed these resources. Thank you for sharing!
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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 Oct 31, 2016 14:17:33 GMT -5
I have an old colander that i put over a small bucket, pour the rocks in and let the fluid drain down. Rinse conservatively until either the rocks are cleanish or the bucket is filling. Next day, i begin pouring out the excess water from the bucket. I don't reclaim all the polish but quite a bit is saved.
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doublet83
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since March 2016
Posts: 118
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Post by doublet83 on Oct 31, 2016 15:28:19 GMT -5
Shotgunner: basically what rodeodan said, nothing complicated.
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huskeric
spending too much on rocks
Member since May 2016
Posts: 353
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Post by huskeric on Oct 31, 2016 20:37:17 GMT -5
I recall reading something here on the boards recently that a LITTLE bit of polish goes a long way, so I just pulled the stones out and put some new ones in and let 'er rip. Seemed to work for me.
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Post by Jugglerguy on Oct 31, 2016 20:42:39 GMT -5
I have a Lot-O which only requires 1/2 TEAspoon of 500, 1000, and polish. For that little bit it doesn't make any sense to save it.
If I was using a rotary, I wouldn't save it either. I put a lot of effort into rough grinding which uses a lot of coarse grit. After all the grit used in that first stage, I wouldn't want to take a chance on contaminating my last stages. I think it would be pretty difficult to save old grit without getting it contaminated in the colander or bucket. Not worth the risk in my opinion.
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doublet83
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since March 2016
Posts: 118
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Post by doublet83 on Oct 31, 2016 22:41:12 GMT -5
Just got a vibe and don't plan on reusing any A/O, but before I was using a rotary, which uses a lot of polish (I think recommended is 1 pound of polish for the 15 pound tumbler). I think I just get satisfaction out of being cheap and using up all the polish and pre-polish in an efficient manner. Did make sure to avoid contamination thru various means, including using separate colanders, etc.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Oct 31, 2016 22:55:48 GMT -5
Re using polish has been a mental exercise for me.
If use breaks down the metal oxides, then they are finer, and better polish.
If not, it is still polish.
However, the tiny agate particles produced during polish will also be present in the settlements. I wonder if this component is good/neutral/bad?
Only testing will tell.
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