NevadaBill
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since January 2019
Posts: 1,332
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Post by NevadaBill on Feb 6, 2019 13:55:40 GMT -5
Good day, [Moderators] - I could not really find a section of the forums where it was appropriate to post this. I am kind of new here. Could you please move this post if this does not fit the intent of this sub-forum? Thank you. I am just starting this hobby, and have only produced about 10 lbs. of finished rock so far. I believe that I will be making about 75 - 100 lbs. of finished rock each year. I am not selling any of it. But am looking for creative uses for lots of beautiful rock! My wife came up with the idea of putting some in some clear vases which we have already, to kind of beautify flower arrangements. I also saw the someone had filled in a garden flower bed with rocks. That might be nice too, but the plants / flowers might cover up all of the rocks, and leaves and dirt, and rain water (very high chloride water were I live) might stain the rocks too? I mean, I could just put them in to a wooden bowl. I might have couple around. But I really think this forum has some great collective experience displaying nice stones! All ideas welcome! Pictures even better!!
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NevadaBill
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since January 2019
Posts: 1,332
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Post by NevadaBill on Feb 6, 2019 14:00:09 GMT -5
Also, not meaning to bump my own thread here, but another idea I had was from a trip I took to China a few years back. I am not sure that I am this handy with flooring or cement work. But I sure like the idea!
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Kai
spending too much on rocks
Member since December 2018
Posts: 331
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Post by Kai on Feb 6, 2019 14:04:09 GMT -5
Woooow!!! You must have: a.) craaazy skills, b.) lots of space and c.) LOOOOTS of patience!! Looks great, if you start doing stuff like that, make sure to post lots of pics!
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Post by MsAli on Feb 6, 2019 14:52:22 GMT -5
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hnhstngs
noticing nice landscape pebbles
Member since September 2018
Posts: 93
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Post by hnhstngs on Feb 6, 2019 14:57:00 GMT -5
I haven't been tumbling very long but I've already ended up with more rocks than I'll ever use. My daughter is the librarian at our local, small town library so I give them to her. She keeps them in a big bowl on her desk and when kids bring their library books back they get to pick out a rock.
Anything to encourage kids to use the library!
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Post by johnw on Feb 6, 2019 16:36:17 GMT -5
Also, not meaning to bump my own thread here, but another idea I had was from a trip I took to China a few years back. I am not sure that I am this handy with flooring or cement work. But I sure like the idea! Look like Alien circles to me. Cheers, johnw
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Post by aDave on Feb 6, 2019 16:39:39 GMT -5
What we do with the rocks is pretty simplistic. With the exception of one carved wood bowl, tumbled rocks go into some type of glass vessel. They are in old mason jars, a clear glass beer mug, vases, and even in an antique gumball machine. They are just on display in one form or another.
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ivan
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since March 2014
Posts: 165
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Post by ivan on Feb 7, 2019 7:47:49 GMT -5
Good day, [Moderators] - I could not really find a section of the forums where it was appropriate to post this. I am kind of new here. Could you please move this post if this does not fit the intent of this sub-forum? Thank you. I am just starting this hobby, and have only produced about 10 lbs. of finished rock so far. I believe that I will be making about 75 - 100 lbs. of finished rock each year. I am not selling any of it. But am looking for creative uses for lots of beautiful rock! My wife came up with the idea of putting some in some clear vases which we have already, to kind of beautify flower arrangements. I also saw the someone had filled in a garden flower bed with rocks. That might be nice too, but the plants / flowers might cover up all of the rocks, and leaves and dirt, and rain water (very high chloride water were I live) might stain the rocks too? I mean, I could just put them in to a wooden bowl. I might have couple around. But I really think this forum has some great collective experience displaying nice stones! All ideas welcome! Pictures even better!! Greeting NevadaBii .... Missed your initial posting. Must of had another SM. Welcome to the Forum. Nice to have you here.
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Post by HankRocks on Feb 7, 2019 8:05:55 GMT -5
If your tumbling for yourself then it might be good to have a different mindset. Take time with your tumbles, a few extra days here and there does not matter and it probably improves the result. Don't be afraid to leave the tumbler idle for a week or more while you build up a supply of rocks you want to tumble. Don't be afraid to experiment a bit, different grit grades and steps, different slurry consistencies, etc. Have fun and learn and make some pretty rocks while you are at it.
I just turned off my double 12 pound tumbler. The stockpile would support my sales for most of the coming year and I am electric supply challenged in the garage. Turning it off lets me run the big saw and preform arbor a lot more. Plus I am going to take time to build up a good supply of tumble material when i do crank it back up in a month or so. For now it's finishing the backlog of stage 1 finished rocks and slabs and preforms in my two 15 pound tumblers.
Henry
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bcrockhound
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2014
Posts: 418
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Post by bcrockhound on Feb 7, 2019 9:19:12 GMT -5
I feel like polished rocks could get so much more mainstream in the right medium. Young people love spectacles of nature and even videogames like Minecraft have stimulated people's thoughts about mining, harvesting materials etc. I feel like there's got to be a way to package polished rocks that make them really take off outside of rock shops.
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RWA3006
Cave Dweller
Member since March 2009
Posts: 4,213
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Post by RWA3006 on Feb 7, 2019 23:15:13 GMT -5
I feel like polished rocks could get so much more mainstream in the right medium. Young people love spectacles of nature and even videogames like Minecraft have stimulated people's thoughts about mining, harvesting materials etc. I feel like there's got to be a way to package polished rocks that make them really take off outside of rock shops. Agreed, but what is it? I'm another one who is looking for more options of what to do with all these beauties. I've racked by brain for other ideas but I'm just not that inspired. I wish one of you creative people would step up to the plate and enlighten this old stick in the mud.
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Post by Pat on Feb 7, 2019 23:36:32 GMT -5
I don’t tumble rocks, but I put water tumbled rocks at the base of poles set in a cut out area of cement. The vines wouldn’t grow up the pole, so I surrounded the pole with rounded rocks. I also put them in flower pots to keep the water from evaporating so fast.
You can also toss them around your garden, so little kids can find them; similar to an Easter egg hunt.
I’ve given them out to adult students when they mastered something. Very popular!
I’ve also had a small bowl of them on a side table for guests to pick through.
I give them to anyone who notices them many remember liking rocks as children.
That’s about it!
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kskid
Cave Dweller
Member since July 2014
Posts: 98
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Post by kskid on Feb 8, 2019 0:27:22 GMT -5
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Wooferhound
Cave Dweller
Lortone QT66 and 3A
Member since December 2016
Posts: 1,423
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Post by Wooferhound on Feb 8, 2019 18:48:33 GMT -5
One of the best places to look for creative Ideas is the Creations Area on this forum
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Win
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2017
Posts: 336
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Post by Win on Feb 9, 2019 10:30:08 GMT -5
My wife has rocks displayed in a couple of places. I gave 12 lbs of polished rocks to a friend, she has them in lighted, glass top table. One of my wife's displays, mostly Crazy lace: Wife saves the "crumbs":
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Post by fernwood on Feb 9, 2019 12:57:12 GMT -5
I added some flatter tumbled rocks to the edge of a mirror I had etched. It was the perfect frame. Just roughed up about an 1" area around the edge of the mirror. Roughed one side of the rocks. Then used epoxy to attach them.
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,159
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Post by jamesp on Feb 10, 2019 10:12:11 GMT -5
Consider tumbled adornments on driftwood. In this case 'pecky cypress'. Other types of driftwood have random shaped pockets to accept your random shaped tumbles. Plenty of receptacles for tumbles using pecky cypress. Driftwood limbs and limb clusters are real eye catchers, like a tree of tumbles.
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NevadaBill
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since January 2019
Posts: 1,332
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Post by NevadaBill on Feb 12, 2019 0:09:49 GMT -5
Goodness! I forgot about this topic, and then remembered it, and I haven't been able to find all afternoon when looking for it again. And look at all of the great ideas! Kai ~ Yes, I would have to be really talented to do the floors. I wish. These stone pebble floors were fairly common for courtyards of royalty. Alikat ~ Heavens to Murgatroyd! I really like the lamp idea! Thank you so much for actually digging up the link too. I am sure this will happen. Braat ~ Yep, I've got something like the bowls of rock going now also. Like you, I'm going to run out of bowls too I like the pictures, and actually like the table in photo 1 they are sitting on. Great ideas and stories of allowing people to take some stones too. I am also propping up some plants in my courtyard with nicer stones too. So we have that in common too. JohnW ~ Maybe the Chinese were connected to aliens. mosiac stone floors are common in palaces, summer homes, gardens, and homes of royalty. I guess, if you have got a lot of stones, money, and patience, that anything is possible. I think "John Wayne" when I see your avatar name. aDave ~ Those are all good ideas. I think "vases" also. And a nice carved wood bowl or two full would be nice. I am digging the gumball machine idea, but don't collect them. Perfect though. Ivan (Peter) ~ Thank you much. Same. HankRocks (Henry) ~ That is great sage advice. I wish I had many of the qualities you list, and ability to be patient and relaxed, and easy going with the rock batches. trying new ideas. My first couple of batches have been rushed, are rough, and reflect my character. I couldn't wait to pop the lid open and see what was inside. Sooo, yes, I need to start doing all of those things. I hope I mellow a bit after a few batches. Cool avatar name by the way. BcRockHound ~ I agree. Rocks should return to the mainstream again. How about the return of the "Pet Rock"! Seriously. Instead of mundane rounded granite fished from the banks of the Yosemite valley (Merced) river, we could actually put fist sized polished examples of jaspers, quartz, marbles, jades, etc! A real pretty stone that people might want to buy or even collect all of them? Might take off. If it did, I would probably need to buy a fleet of cement mixers to process all of the stone, just to keep up with demand! Even come with instructions "how to care for your pet rock". Pat ~ All good ideas. Kids do seem to love polished rocks, don't they. People do like to pick through them don't they? I do. KSKid ~ Thanks for the link. I didn't find that when I searched. Some other good ideas and applications in that thread. WooferHound ~ Another great set of links. Bookmarked! Love the avatar by the way. Win ~ The backlit table of rocks could be interesting, especially if the rocks were translucent, somewhat. I love the antlers and bowl in that shot. That is my style all the way. It is really creative. I also really love the place to put the small "crumbs"!! Braat ~ I wish I could thumbs up twice on your post of the airplane. That is brilliant, simple, and great artistic execution of an idea. I love that plane. I would buy that plane if I saw it at an antique shop. Fernwood ~ Neat idea. A mirror would effectively double the amount of rocks. I can picture this. JamesP ~ Are those rocks for real?? That is crazy good looking on the driftwood! But are those really rocks? Man, I just became aware that I have a looong way to go in this hobby. I bet you had to cut and preform those rocks, with a calculated guess about how the banding would appear once tumbled. A big chance. Because you could potentially never see anything, and grind away the beautiful rock. And also possibly break one in half trying too. Thank you for posting your art. I appreciate the feedback. I orphaned this topic by accident, and it really grew on its own, thanks to the efforts of all here. Thank you for all of the great ideas. And more.
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