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Post by knave on Feb 1, 2020 7:19:49 GMT -5
Fun read. Fun to follow along. I wonder if you will end up using a grinder to take that layer of chalk off?
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Post by orrum on Feb 1, 2020 8:36:42 GMT -5
Yes fun indeed and I am following too.
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Fossilman
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 20,666
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Post by Fossilman on Feb 1, 2020 11:02:33 GMT -5
Looks like its rolling just fine and looking great!
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Benathema
has rocks in the head
God chased me down and made sure I knew He was real June 20, 2022. I've been on a Divine Mission.
Member since November 2019
Posts: 703
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Post by Benathema on Feb 1, 2020 15:51:16 GMT -5
Fun read. Fun to follow along. I wonder if you will end up using a grinder to take that layer of chalk off? I took a small chisel and hammer to it last weekend. Just gentle tappy-tap-taps trying to knock loose whatever I could get leverage on. I had it up on its side and was chiseling downwards. Once I couldn't seem to break anymore off I called it and tossed placed it back in the barrel. To be frank, chiseling on something like this makes me nervous. I'd really hate to goof. I don't think there are fractures that run through the rock, but I don't have X-Ray vision, so... I'd really hate to split it in two on accident. I wonder if I have any bits in my dremel box that'd touch it.
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Post by Starguy on Feb 2, 2020 14:49:08 GMT -5
Benathema That is such a cool project. I’m glad you are posting pictures. I think chiseling off some of the matrix is a good idea. It probably won’t polish well. It’s probably adding to your thick slurry too. I can’t wait to see the final product. Later, Brent.
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Benathema
has rocks in the head
God chased me down and made sure I knew He was real June 20, 2022. I've been on a Divine Mission.
Member since November 2019
Posts: 703
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Post by Benathema on Feb 8, 2020 1:31:44 GMT -5
Week 3: 46/70 SiC. 875g. Running total mass loss: 16.1% I might have to pull some of that amethyst before it disappears! Whatever I did with loading the barrel last week most certainly resulted in some serious mass removal! This may not take that many more weeks in coarse grinding.
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sheriam
starting to shine!
Member since December 2019
Posts: 34
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Post by sheriam on Feb 13, 2020 7:16:01 GMT -5
Following along. Learning so much already. My stones got stuck at the bottom as well,, and the slurry (?) is really thick. almost like play dough at times. If this happens, should I check more often and add a little water?
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Benathema
has rocks in the head
God chased me down and made sure I knew He was real June 20, 2022. I've been on a Divine Mission.
Member since November 2019
Posts: 703
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Post by Benathema on Feb 15, 2020 0:58:53 GMT -5
Week 4: 46/70 SiC. 839g. Running total mass loss: 19.6% Ya dig my K'NEX stand? I think this one is getting close to moving forward. Outward appearance doesn't seem to be changing much even though it is losing mass. I'm hoping to get more of the tops and bottoms ground down so that the chatoyance appears on the faces as well as the sides... only problem is that I've burned through my stash of 46/70 and only have 60/90 left, so maybe that'll do it. (25 lbs of 36 SiC ordered)I pulled the amethyst, clear quartz, and carnelian out since they were pretty good. Based on what happened with the bruising on the giant quartz, I've decided to run them separately and not have the big bruiser bruising them. I've busted out the 33B and put them in there, along with a selection of the bruised quartz into 120/220 SiC. I'll post pics on those separately once they've ran through polish. I forget how quick the clean outs and resets are on 3 lb barrels... it's like 5 mins/barrel.
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Post by RocksInNJ on Feb 15, 2020 5:22:32 GMT -5
It’s getting there. Shame that blob won’t just pop off.
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Post by HankRocks on Feb 15, 2020 8:27:47 GMT -5
Tiger's-eye is also very soft, grinds fast both in tumbler and on a diamond wheel. Drilling holes same thing, almost like butter. As jamesp said back off on the Cat Litter. With the Quartz in there it's going to slurry up real fast.
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Benathema
has rocks in the head
God chased me down and made sure I knew He was real June 20, 2022. I've been on a Divine Mission.
Member since November 2019
Posts: 703
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Post by Benathema on Feb 15, 2020 14:19:58 GMT -5
Yea I've backed off on the cat litter, added only about a tablespoon. The slurry formation with this thing is through the roof. It's like cold soft serve at clean out... So thick things stop moving. There was a little grit still at the bottom of the container I rinsed them off in after I decanted the muddy water off. It had to be finer than 500 though.
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Benathema
has rocks in the head
God chased me down and made sure I knew He was real June 20, 2022. I've been on a Divine Mission.
Member since November 2019
Posts: 703
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Post by Benathema on Feb 21, 2020 23:13:59 GMT -5
Week 5: 46/70 SiC (4 tbsp) + 60/90 SiC (8 tbsp), recharge day 3 with 60/90 SiC. 787g. Running total mass loss: 24.5% Despite the mass loss, this thing is barely looking any different each week. I ran out of 46/70 and supplemented with 60/90 thinking this is close to moving forward. I think I'm going to move this forward. There's this weird crack line that wraps all the way around the rock. It may have healed, but it's making me nervous. I think I'll push this forward as is, and next time I get a big chunk I'll do more to remove the chalky stuff. Maybe even get something thicker, that'd be cool. The last TE I did was a decent chunk, nowhere this size, but I was super impatient with it. So, here's to the progression of the perfection of the obsession. What am I even doing anymore... El Oh El
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Post by miket on Feb 22, 2020 5:59:26 GMT -5
Slighty off topic, but is that propped up on knex? Yeah we have a few...hundred thousand of those throughout the house! 😁 Looks great by the way!
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,154
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Post by jamesp on Feb 22, 2020 7:25:40 GMT -5
Looking great Benathema. 1043 to 787 grams or 2.3 pounds to 1.7 pounds is some serious weight removal at 25%. Mud maker machine method. MMMM ha Benefit of adding a big rock and filling barrel to 80%(=more rocks/batch): 10% of a 12 pound barrel is 1.2 pounds. A 12 pound barrel filled to the commonly suggested 70% fill of average sized tumbles grinds slower than a 12 pound barrel filled to 80% with a 1.2 pound rock added. Just saying, a 1.2 big rock is the bonus rock and it speeds the tumble. Not to mention an 80% barrel fill is gentler than a 70% fill. Or 10% of a 6 pound barrel is .6 pounds. Same game. Add a .6 pound(or bigger)rock to a 6 pound barrel and do 80% barrel fills.
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Benathema
has rocks in the head
God chased me down and made sure I knew He was real June 20, 2022. I've been on a Divine Mission.
Member since November 2019
Posts: 703
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Post by Benathema on Feb 22, 2020 13:21:32 GMT -5
Slighty off topic, but is that propped up on knex? It is. Had quite the collection growing up, never had the heart to get rid of them. They're kind of handy now and again.
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Benathema
has rocks in the head
God chased me down and made sure I knew He was real June 20, 2022. I've been on a Divine Mission.
Member since November 2019
Posts: 703
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Post by Benathema on Feb 29, 2020 3:23:01 GMT -5
Week 6: 120/220 SiC. 753g. Running total mass loss: 27.8% Onwards and forwards to prepolish!
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Post by RocksInNJ on Feb 29, 2020 9:39:36 GMT -5
Looking good. What’s the other side look like?
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Benathema
has rocks in the head
God chased me down and made sure I knew He was real June 20, 2022. I've been on a Divine Mission.
Member since November 2019
Posts: 703
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Post by Benathema on Feb 29, 2020 13:47:35 GMT -5
Looking good. What’s the other side look like? Very similar to the top, but with less brown stuff
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Post by broseph82 on Mar 2, 2020 21:17:24 GMT -5
Tiger's-eye is also very soft, grinds fast both in tumbler and on a diamond wheel. Drilling holes same thing, almost like butter. As jamesp said back off on the Cat Litter. With the Quartz in there it's going to slurry up real fast. Not sure what your rough is like, but my Tigers Eye isn’t that soft!
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Post by HankRocks on Mar 2, 2020 22:32:45 GMT -5
Tiger's-eye is also very soft, grinds fast both in tumbler and on a diamond wheel. Drilling holes same thing, almost like butter. As jamesp said back off on the Cat Litter. With the Quartz in there it's going to slurry up real fast. Not sure what your rough is like, but my Tigers Eye isn’t that soft! That's curious. I measure it both by the ease of drilling pendants, and it's quicker shaping in the tumbler. After my last load of broken up Tiger's-eye rounded much quicker than a load of broken up agate and the slurry bulit up much quicker. It's rated the same hardness as agate, however I suspect the fiber structure enables the quicker grinding in the tumbler. That and shaping a pendant on the wheel is a lot quicker than say Brazilians, Montanas, of some of the Jasper's Henry
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