jimaz
spending too much on rocks
Member since July 2018
Posts: 461
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Post by jimaz on Dec 21, 2018 21:29:16 GMT -5
I've noticed several references to storing material in water between steps. Is this to keep grit from drying on the material, or something else? How important is it to store material wet?
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Post by Jugglerguy on Dec 21, 2018 22:25:03 GMT -5
It's to keep the grit and rock sludge from turning to concrete in any cracks. I only store my rocks after the first stage and I never worry about storing them wet. On other stages, which I do in a Lot-O vibratory tumbler, my rocks don't dry out, because there is no storage. They just go from one stage directly to the next, so they never have time to dry out.
I try not to have lots of cracks and holes in my rocks, so there aren't many places for the grit to get caught in. Some cracks are hard to avoid though, so it's still best not to let any sludge dry on the rocks.
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Post by MsAli on Dec 21, 2018 22:36:26 GMT -5
I keep mine in a container of water after coarse. They get scrubbed really before they go in and there they wait their turn to go to the next stages.
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kskid
Cave Dweller
Member since July 2014
Posts: 98
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Post by kskid on Dec 22, 2018 23:59:40 GMT -5
I tumble start to finish. I grind them smooth to the eye and touch in coarse, but I still keep them wet between all the other stages. There are still tiny pores in the rock. I don't want a million tiny grey spots to dilute the natural color of the stone. Probably over the top, but it makes me happy. In my experience once the slurry dries it becomes part of the rock, i.e. the only way to remove it completely is to grind it away. There's also the issue of contamination. I like to think that if I keep the rocks wet, a grit particle won't likely make it any further than the next finer step. Thereby keeping a chunk of x00 grit from making it into a x000 stage before dislodging and gouging everything up. Obsess to whatever degree keeps the hobby fun. If it becomes a chore, back off some.
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Post by aDave on Dec 23, 2018 0:23:33 GMT -5
I've noticed several references to storing material in water between steps. Is this to keep grit from drying on the material, or something else? How important is it to store material wet? As others have noted, this practice relates to trapped grit not being allowed to dry in imperfections in your rocks. If you tumble stuff, and there are no cracks, pits, etc., you probably wouldn't worry about this. Even so, if you inspect and clean all your rocks after each stage, water storage probably isn't too important. That said, I'll go against the grain and mention I'm not too concerned about contamination from one stage to another. As long as rocks are cleaned between stages, there's little risk of contamination down the road. I say this having tumbled rocks that have large vugs that I want to maintain, simply due to the uniqueness. I've not yet had a batch finish the way I want, simply because I have rocks with large pits and such. Just be sure to clean them as need be. YMMV.
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