alyx
off to a rocking start
Member since June 2017
Posts: 1
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Post by alyx on Jun 29, 2017 18:58:11 GMT -5
Hi folks. My father in law gave me a rock tumber about 20 years ago. I was never able to use it because I didn't have a garage or shed. I have gotten my soon to be 12 year old Nephew interested in Rock Hounding & now tumbling. My sister is graciously allowing her garage to be our workshop. Does anyone have any suggestions on maintenance I should do BEFORE running my rock tumbler that has sat in a box for 20 years? Should I take it apart to oil & or grease? It is a Nature Company model... I found this Forum by Googling a question about tumbling chert, which was not answered. Is chert treated like obsidian for tumbling? I found a LOT of chert in King City. I live in Los Angeles County, CA & I am having a hard time finding a rock shop that sells raw material. I'm not interested in buying rocks online because I want to avoid shipping costs & I like picking out my own stones. Does anyone have any ideas? I won't be going up to San Jose until next June... Can't currently afford gas to drive out to Quartzite... Thanks.
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Post by aDave on Jun 29, 2017 19:45:56 GMT -5
Welcome.
What part of LA County? There is a place in Van Nuys that sells mixed rocks...nothing special, but they're still good for getting your feet on the ground for tumbling.
As far as picking rocks vs buying on line...your choice obviously. But the Rock Shed offers a nice variety of material, but you just have to suck up the shipping.
LA County isn't a haven for rock stores, so you'll probably have to look online. Sorry, but that's the way it is. Welcome to the forum.
Dave
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Post by wigglinrocks on Jun 29, 2017 21:06:06 GMT -5
Hi folks. My father in law gave me a rock tumber about 20 years ago. I was never able to use it because I didn't have a garage or shed. I have gotten my soon to be 12 year old Nephew interested in Rock Hounding & now tumbling. My sister is graciously allowing her garage to be our workshop. Does anyone have any suggestions on maintenance I should do BEFORE running my rock tumbler that has sat in a box for 20 years? Should I take it apart to oil & or grease? It is a Nature Company model... I found this Forum by Googling a question about tumbling chert, which was not answered. Is chert treated like obsidian for tumbling? I found a LOT of chert in King City. I live in Los Angeles County, CA & I am having a hard time finding a rock shop that sells raw material. I'm not interested in buying rocks online because I want to avoid shipping costs & I like picking out my own stones. Does anyone have any ideas? I won't be going up to San Jose until next June... Can't currently afford gas to drive out to Quartzite... Thanks. Welcome from Wisconsin . I am not familiar with the tumbler you have , but most will need a few drops of oil on the bearings or bushings . After sitting so long the belt , if it has one may need to be replaced . They tend to dry rot after awhile . Treat chert like any jasper or agate . As for tumbling rough , check the RTH Marketplace here on the forum . Lot of respectable sellers with some very good material at better prices than online vendors . If you do order online , Rockshed.com is highly recommended .
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Post by Jugglerguy on Jun 30, 2017 9:46:19 GMT -5
I've always taken my tumblers out of the box and used them immediately (or immediately Christmas morning), so I can't help you much with your tumbler. If for some reason it doesn't work, consider gettinng a Lortone from The Rock Shed. They are well built tumblers.
As Rich said chert can be tumbled like jasper or agate. Jasper and agate are frequently recommended as great rocks to tumble for a beginner. That's because they are hard and polish up easily. I've tumbled quite a bit of Michigan chert and it always turns out very shiny. The hardest part about tumbling is being patient enough with the first stage. Many of us here run rocks for months in coarse grit, changing the grit weekly. That's the only downside to using hard rocks. They take longer, but then again they have a much, much better chance of looking good when they're finished. When I clean out my barrels, I remove any rocks that are complexly free of defects and replace them with more rough rock. So individual rocks get done whenever they get done. Don't expect the rocks in the first stage to all be ready to move on at the same time. After the first rocks can go through each stage for a predetermined amount of time. You don't have to be a perfectionist, but it also helps reduce the chance of contamination because grit can't get stuck in cracks and holes and sneak through to the next stage. If you are not going to run the rocks until they're perfect, make sure you clean them very well between stages.
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Tommy
Administrator
Member since January 2013
Posts: 12,652
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Post by Tommy on Jul 1, 2017 14:13:38 GMT -5
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Post by coloradocliff on Jul 2, 2017 18:59:51 GMT -5
Welcome to the forum and a big howdy from Colorado. Plus 1 on the Rock Shed from Rob. They also sell a nice set of tumble and Jason gets it to you lightening fast. Usually tosses some candies in the box too. Good place to buy your grits and to read on it too. Good luck you two.
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Fossilman
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 20,681
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Post by Fossilman on Jul 4, 2017 8:56:13 GMT -5
Welcome to the forum......
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