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Post by captbob on Jan 26, 2017 8:17:42 GMT -5
Someone may want to explain the option of pulling the rocks to check but saving the slurry and just adding grit. Sorry on the run here or I'd go into it.
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vayank5150
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2017
Posts: 118
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Post by vayank5150 on Jan 28, 2017 20:08:01 GMT -5
So, we took our daughter on a hike today at a local Virginia state park. Of course, we picked up rocks along the way. Is there any way to tell what rocks might be good candidates for tumbling, if any? 20170128_195813 by Michael Aldrich, on Flickr
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Post by Pat on Jan 28, 2017 20:31:38 GMT -5
Not a tumbler, but I'd say better rocks for tumbling would not have cracks or pits, or be soft. Holes don't polish, and grit sinks into little holes and cracks and stays there.
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vayank5150
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2017
Posts: 118
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Post by vayank5150 on Jan 28, 2017 20:36:04 GMT -5
=(
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Post by spiceman on Jan 28, 2017 20:44:10 GMT -5
It's a FYI- some of the pieces are granite and granite does not polish very well. FYI, that nice little lady in your avatar my not be real happy if they are not as shiny.
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Post by manofglass on Jan 29, 2017 1:36:01 GMT -5
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Post by pghram on Jan 29, 2017 9:20:48 GMT -5
I have, on a few occasions when I had a really nice stone with a pit that would never grind out, filled the pit with super glue before moving it to 220.
Peace,
Rich
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vayank5150
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2017
Posts: 118
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Post by vayank5150 on Jan 29, 2017 10:00:59 GMT -5
Hey Walt, That first link really made my day. Thank you. Feeling somewhat deflated last night, I decided that I had probably jumped into this hobby with both feet without really understanding ANYTHING about geology or rocks. I went to the Virginia DMME website to try and determine what type of rocks/minerals are available in Virginia and found that there was a lot of focus on gems and gemstones, but not necessarily rocks. I need to find a good book that will help me identify the rocks that my daughter and I find, plus what we should be looking for. Can anyone recommend such a book? Perhaps one that is more regionalized for my state? Thank you all in advance, and thank you Walt for the link. I am certain my daughter would be overjoyed if we could polish up some of our picked up rocks and make them look like the ones in the link you provided!
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ubermenehune
spending too much on rocks
Member since March 2016
Posts: 293
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Post by ubermenehune on Jan 29, 2017 14:20:06 GMT -5
So, we took our daughter on a hike today at a local Virginia state park. Of course, we picked up rocks along the way. Is there any way to tell what rocks might be good candidates for tumbling, if any? Toss all of 'em in and see what happens. This forum is very knowledgeable and well-intentioned, but overreacts to cracks/pits, in my opinion. I tumble "imperfect" rocks all the time and typically have very good results. Just be mindful of grit contamination and keep your eyes open for soft stones that weather away too quickly, creating lots of mud. Granite will tumble fine too, if you don't mind it not being completely smooth due to undercutting. The quartz and feldspar in granite will take a shine. You will learn what works and what doesn't through experimentation and experience. Just have fun with it.
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Post by Jugglerguy on Jan 29, 2017 15:55:28 GMT -5
So, we took our daughter on a hike today at a local Virginia state park. Of course, we picked up rocks along the way. Is there any way to tell what rocks might be good candidates for tumbling, if any? Toss all of 'em in and see what happens. This forum is very knowledgeable and well-intentioned, but overreacts to cracks/pits, in my opinion. I tumble "imperfect" rocks all the time and typically have very good results. Just be mindful of grit contamination and keep your eyes open for soft stones that weather away too quickly, creating lots of mud. Granite will tumble fine too, if you don't mind it not being completely smooth due to undercutting. The quartz and feldspar in granite will take a shine. You will learn what works and what doesn't through experimentation and experience. Just have fun with it. I am definitely one of the people who overreacts to imperfections, but I really appreciate perfect rocks. Not that all of my rocks are perfect, but the ones that are make me very happy. I completely agree with throwing them in to see what happens. I do that with rocks I collect from beaches. Since I'll be going back to those beaches, I know what to pick up in the future.
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ubermenehune
spending too much on rocks
Member since March 2016
Posts: 293
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Post by ubermenehune on Jan 29, 2017 18:26:22 GMT -5
I am definitely one of the people who overreacts to imperfections, but I really appreciate perfect rocks. Not that all of my rocks are perfect, but the ones that are make me very happy. I completely agree with throwing them in to see what happens. I do that with rocks I collect from beaches. Since I'll be going back to those beaches, I know what to pick up in the future. But you're the defending tumbling world champion and set a high bar of perfection for yourself. Nothing wrong with that. I was just referring to how we have a tendency to proselytize perfection to others. If my kids find a rock on the ground that they want to tumble, I won't discourage it b/c there's too many pits or cracks. And if a new member proudly posts pics from their first tumble, I won't say "looks good, but keep it in stage one until it's perfect." Perfection is relative. Just my 2 cents.
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Post by Jugglerguy on Jan 29, 2017 18:29:07 GMT -5
I am definitely one of the people who overreacts to imperfections, but I really appreciate perfect rocks. Not that all of my rocks are perfect, but the ones that are make me very happy. I completely agree with throwing them in to see what happens. I do that with rocks I collect from beaches. Since I'll be going back to those beaches, I know what to pick up in the future. But you're the defending tumbling world champion and set a high bar of perfection for yourself. Nothing wrong with that. I was just referring to how we have a tendency to proselytize perfection to others. If my kids find a rock on the ground that they want to tumble, I won't discourage it b/c there's too many pits or cracks. And if a new member proudly posts pics from their first tumble, I won't say "looks good, but keep it in stage one until it's perfect." Perfection is relative. Just my 2 cents. I had to look up "proselytize". Good word for the situation. Yes, I'm guilty of that!
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vayank5150
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2017
Posts: 118
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Post by vayank5150 on Jan 29, 2017 18:39:05 GMT -5
Yeah, I had to look up proselytize too..LOL. I thank you ALL for your opinions. I just liked Walt's response simply because I was looking for some reassurance that it is "OK" to tumble the rocks my daughter and I found. "OK" is a general and vague term, but I am also trying to shield my 8 year old from disappointment (especially after having to wait weeks per stage), so I may be in a unique situation.
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napoleonrags
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2015
Posts: 474
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Post by napoleonrags on Jan 29, 2017 19:20:04 GMT -5
I have found that rocks with a waxy appearance often tumble well.
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Wooferhound
Cave Dweller
Lortone QT66 and 3A
Member since December 2016
Posts: 1,426
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Post by Wooferhound on Jan 30, 2017 0:32:27 GMT -5
I always look for glassy or multicolored rocks
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rastageezer
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since December 2013
Posts: 169
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Post by rastageezer on Jan 30, 2017 1:28:15 GMT -5
Get some lake superior agate rough, some small Rio Grande agates or some Montana agates (ebay). Mix 'em in with the self collected stuff. It will take a while but your daughter will not be disappointed.
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vayank5150
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2017
Posts: 118
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Post by vayank5150 on Jan 30, 2017 14:33:36 GMT -5
Get some lake superior agate rough, some small Rio Grande agates or some Montana agates (ebay). Mix 'em in with the self collected stuff. It will take a while but your daughter will not be disappointed. This sounds interesting. So, will the agates help my local stuff, or will my local stuff help the imported agates?
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alb
off to a rocking start
Member since February 2017
Posts: 2
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Post by alb on Feb 7, 2017 17:53:56 GMT -5
Newbie here. I read all the previous posts in this thread and copied almost 3 pages of 'beyond the books' information. Great learning site! Now for my first batch of questions: Where/how do you dispose of used grit and slurry? Can we interchange barrels between Thumlers and Lorotone machines? If we were to stop a loud tumbler overnight, say one that needed to run 4-5 days, would the grit & slurry turn into a rocklike clump, and should we run the tumbler 24 hours to avoid such a (perceived) problem?
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Post by manofglass on Feb 7, 2017 18:37:08 GMT -5
My tumbler cans have been setting full For over a week I get to start them back up Sometime tomarrow wife is moving her Stuff out of my shop back to work As long as air can't get in the tumbler cans It will be fine
Walt
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Post by Jugglerguy on Feb 7, 2017 19:13:05 GMT -5
Newbie here. I read all the previous posts in this thread and copied almost 3 pages of 'beyond the books' information. Great learning site! Now for my first batch of questions: Where/how do you dispose of used grit and slurry? Can we interchange barrels between Thumlers and Lorotone machines? If we were to stop a loud tumbler overnight, say one that needed to run 4-5 days, would the grit & slurry turn into a rocklike clump, and should we run the tumbler 24 hours to avoid such a (perceived) problem? Hi Alb, welcome to the site. For slurry disposal, people do a lot of different things. Be sure not to dump in down your drain, because it will harden and fill the pipes. I made a box behind my house to dump it in. I have sandy soil, so it drains pretty well. I don't pour the last few inches in because the fine rock dust eventually clogs the sand and it doesn't drain anymore. I dump the last few inches in another bucket and let the solid stuff dry out and then put it in the trash. Other people just dump in their garden or on their driveway. I use borax in my vibratory tumbler, and it acts as a herbicide, so I don't dump that near any plants. Lortone and Thumlers barrels are not interchangeable. My tumblers have been running steady for over four years. I run my first stage for weeks or months. Running four to five days is not a reasonable amount of time to expect a tumbler to run. My tumblers are in the basement and are not very loud upstairs. I've read of people making insulating covers to cut down on the noise, but you have to be very careful not to trap too much heat from the motor.
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