jasonshort
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since June 2019
Posts: 113
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Post by jasonshort on Jul 2, 2019 18:54:37 GMT -5
They did not turn out as good as I hoped. Only a few are see thru. They look like they need to be tumbled more. I have lots more to tumble so I would appreciate any thoughts on how to improve the final product. Is the problem the AR1 is too small for stage 1? Should I upgrade to a QT66 or QT12? Should I run them longer in stage 1? Stage 1 I used a Thumbler AR1 -(3 pound rotary tumbler). 1 cup apache tears and 1 cup small ceramic media made it about 4/5ths full. Added water to just a hair below the top of the rock. Used 120/220 grit. Tumbled for 10 days. Rinsed rocks then 1 Tbsp borox in a TV5 vib for 1 hour Stage 2 Used a TV 5 vib (5 lb vib tumbler), added more small ceramic to fill the bowel to proper operating speed then used 500 with 1Tbs borox added sprays of water 3 times a day. Rinsed then 1 Tbsp borox in a TV5 vib for 1 hour Stage 3 Used a TV5 vib, 2 tsp super premium cerium oxide polish and 1 Tbs borox ran for 2 days Burnish Stage Used a TV5 vib, 1Tbsp Borax and some water and ran for 1 hour Rinsed and set in sun outside for half day The grit I have is 60/90, 120/220, 100/120, lortone step 3 pre polish, lortone step 4 polish, hard stones polish raybrite TL, turkish emry Iolox, 700 and super premium cerium oxide polish I am a newbe so feel free to appreciate all your help
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Post by Pat on Jul 2, 2019 20:02:25 GMT -5
There is a tute about how to get a good shine on obsidian. Look in the tutorial section. It was by a real pro.
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Post by manofglass on Jul 2, 2019 20:06:30 GMT -5
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lancemountain
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since March 2017
Posts: 214
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Post by lancemountain on Jul 2, 2019 20:30:40 GMT -5
Besides not getting a shine I think you needed more time in rough.
I see lots of cavities and such in the obsidian. Someone here told me when I was new to never move a single rock out of rough unless you are totally happy with the surface.
I’d go back to the start and roll them for 5-6 days, clean out then go again till they are all very smooth.
I’ve gotten Apache tears super shiny and I just left made sure they were smooth then did an extra step with 1000 between 500 and polish.
Good luck!
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Post by Pat on Jul 2, 2019 21:15:58 GMT -5
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Post by fernwood on Jul 3, 2019 4:15:04 GMT -5
I used plastic pellets (stage specific) for all stages in rotary with good results. For pre and final polish it was a 60% ratio of pellets to rocks.
Agree that the rocks must be totally smooth to get a good shine.
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Post by Rockoonz on Jul 3, 2019 16:42:25 GMT -5
We're working on it too, polishing dry in walnut media with polish was suggested so we're trying it.
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jasonshort
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since June 2019
Posts: 113
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Post by jasonshort on Jul 3, 2019 18:36:43 GMT -5
Fernwood, What type of tumbler do you have?
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Post by Rockindad on Jul 3, 2019 18:41:40 GMT -5
My opinions, take them for what they are worth:
-The size of the barrel you are using does not determine your end result, your judgment does. We use 2, 3, 6 and 15 pound rotary barrels and they all produce the same finish. A larger diameter barrel may give you a more efficient grind but YOU still need to determine when they are ready to move on.
-I use 60/90 to start my obsidian. I know there is plenty of info out there that says to start at 120/220 or something similar and I did this the first time we tried it. I found it to be a waste of time and did not get as good of results as when being more aggressive. Not saying you can forget about it for two weeks but you will shape them up quicker and better.
-One thing that is nagging at me a bit is your finish. Yes, these could definitely benefit from better shaping and removal of some imperfections but I do not think this accounts for everything. There are members here that do not make sure every single rock is flawless yet they still post pictures of rocks with quite impressive shine. You're using borax and rinsing frequently but I wonder about the condition of the bowl on your vibe. Are you using a single bowl for all vibe steps? Does it appear there is any grit imbedded in the walls of your bowl? When my obsidian comes out of 500 AO it looks similar to your pics, wonder if some of this can be chalked up to the bowl itself, a lot (majority?) of vibe owners have an extra bowl that is used for polish.
You'll get it if you stick with it and learn from your mistakes. About a month and a half ago I created the thread "A Bit Of Redemption- Snowflake Obsidian" in the Rock Tumbling Photo section. In it I detailed how I screwed up our first time with Obsidian and what we learned. Good luck!
Al
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jasonshort
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since June 2019
Posts: 113
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Post by jasonshort on Jul 3, 2019 19:20:43 GMT -5
Al, Thanks for your help. I have 3 tubs for my vib 1 for 60/90 1 for 120/200 1 for 500 and polish
Do you use a rotary or vib, plastic pellets or ceramic?
Thanks
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Post by Rockindad on Jul 3, 2019 19:53:40 GMT -5
Al, Thanks for your help. I have 3 tubs for my vib 1 for 60/90 1 for 120/200 1 for 500 and polish Do you use a rotary or vib, plastic pellets or ceramic? Thanks Use both rotary and vibe. Typically rotaries feed the vibe, however we still do some polishing in rotary. We have two large bags of plastic beads that have never been opened as we have always been happy with ceramics regardless of material being run. Will use them someday to experiment I'm sure, have a few things on the horizon which are very prone to fracturing. Al
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jasonshort
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since June 2019
Posts: 113
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Post by jasonshort on Jul 3, 2019 21:29:36 GMT -5
I have some lortone step 3 pre polish and some 700 grit. Can I use either of those instead of the 1000 grit?
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