ingawh
starting to spend too much on rocks
The rock wants to shine, I just help it get there
Member since February 2011
Posts: 194
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Post by ingawh on Dec 15, 2021 18:44:11 GMT -5
I second the advice of in the posts above - check that your weights are correctly aligned, and then adjust the dowel, if needed. (I'm afraid I wasn't able to see your videos - not sure if the platform has issues at the moment - so I couldn't glean any other possible clues from visuals.) Best wishes
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ingawh
starting to spend too much on rocks
The rock wants to shine, I just help it get there
Member since February 2011
Posts: 194
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Post by ingawh on Dec 1, 2021 0:55:43 GMT -5
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ingawh
starting to spend too much on rocks
The rock wants to shine, I just help it get there
Member since February 2011
Posts: 194
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Post by ingawh on Dec 1, 2021 0:52:41 GMT -5
As this group knows, I'm a huge fan of the Lot-o-Tumbler vibratory tumbler. Sadly, most sellers appear to be out of stock at the moment, but I'm sure they will still be made.
When I got my Lot-o and began experimenting with it, I found I could vastly collapse tumbling times and expense (SO much less grit is required). Basically, after shaping, I use the vibe to put a polish on in 24 hours. This works if the rough grind has been allowed to run until the grit has all been broken down, and if the rough material is 7 mohs (like agate). Softer material can take 48 hours or so. I seldom use intermediate steps any more - just 2 usually does it: course grind for shaping, and straight into the Lot-o-Tumbler for 24 hours. Others in this group have greatly refined and built on that original idea, and are working wonders.
I have tried other vibes, but gave them away. I found them messy, noisy, and overly complicated/sensitive. If you go for a Lot-O-Tumbler, you can search this forum for people's recipes, and I'd be happy to send you mine.
Best wishes, and happy tumbling!
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ingawh
starting to spend too much on rocks
The rock wants to shine, I just help it get there
Member since February 2011
Posts: 194
|
Post by ingawh on Nov 13, 2021 2:56:54 GMT -5
The plastic pellets aren't just a royal pain (IMHO ), they actually inhibit the process, and I've never seen a real shine when I put them in the way of my polish. I have ceramics, but haven't used them for years. I much prefer small quartz/agate media, even when doing softer stones like obsidian - I just make sure they're already nice and polished when using them on softer material. Welcome to the group, and happy tumbling!
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ingawh
starting to spend too much on rocks
The rock wants to shine, I just help it get there
Member since February 2011
Posts: 194
|
Post by ingawh on Nov 11, 2021 20:13:19 GMT -5
Interesting factoid: I remember reading that each of these stones are use to make imitation turquoise as they both readily accept dyes. Lots of seediness in the rock world! YES - I have seen that issue about dying howlite! I have also noticed that with these more porous stones, the shine actually develops a little more as the stones have a chance to dry out after being tumbled.
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ingawh
starting to spend too much on rocks
The rock wants to shine, I just help it get there
Member since February 2011
Posts: 194
|
Post by ingawh on Nov 11, 2021 18:40:49 GMT -5
ingawh we did some Magnesite a couple of years ago and it looks almost identical to Howlite, apparently it is also confused by sellers as well. We were pretty happy with the results, though we were not expecting much as it still felt grainy pretty far along in the process. forum.rocktumblinghobby.com/thread/88320/magnesite Wow - gorgeous shine! I'm inspired! Looks like Magnesite is slightly harder material (4.5ish) compared to howlite (3.5), though I guess I couldn't swear what I have isn't magnesite (got it from Shawn at The Rock Shed). I Love the shaping you got! I'm inspired to go back a step and try for better shaping, then take another run at a final polish. Wish me luck...
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ingawh
starting to spend too much on rocks
The rock wants to shine, I just help it get there
Member since February 2011
Posts: 194
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Post by ingawh on Nov 11, 2021 11:23:20 GMT -5
Lol, please excuse the rant. You kidding?!? Your "rants" are filled with great info. I used my regular media in good proportion, but I also had some softer picture jasper in there with it. I think I'll run it again with just the howlite and buckets of media in my trusty AO 500. Wish me luck.
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ingawh
starting to spend too much on rocks
The rock wants to shine, I just help it get there
Member since February 2011
Posts: 194
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Post by ingawh on Nov 11, 2021 11:20:43 GMT -5
Your howlite looks pretty shiny to me! Regarding the beads, don't waste your money. I got two bags of them by accident (I had ordered 6mm & got 2mm), and they are a pain. They bounce and roll everywhere & fall through the holes in the colander. They are scattered all over my garage floor. If you get a crack or pit in a rock, they will lodge in there & can be very difficult to dislodge. I can't see that they work any better than my small oblong ceramic media. If I were you, I'd try using 60-75% small ceramics, so your rocks are swimming in them. Good luck, but I think you already did a great job. [/quote] Thanks so much for the kind words and the tip - I'll skip the beads.
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ingawh
starting to spend too much on rocks
The rock wants to shine, I just help it get there
Member since February 2011
Posts: 194
|
Post by ingawh on Nov 11, 2021 11:19:28 GMT -5
More like "humblebragged by howlite" I get worse shine on agates! That's the nicest back-handed complement I ever got!
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ingawh
starting to spend too much on rocks
The rock wants to shine, I just help it get there
Member since February 2011
Posts: 194
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Post by ingawh on Nov 11, 2021 0:16:34 GMT -5
I'll cheer you on ! The only suggestion I can give is a thicker slurry. The Asian folks have the secrets of tumbling soft stones. The challenge is in good hands. Thanks for the pep-talk! I'll keep experimenting. I actually did have the slurry super nice and thick, with more more actual slurry than usual, and given body with plenty of my old standby, Metamucil. There was a nice smooth rolling action, yet there are more chips than I'd like to see. If the answer is plastic pellets, I just can't go there! I irrationally hate those things! I was thinking about trying the little 2 mm ceramics micro-beads - has anyone tried those? I'll have to keep working at it like I did with obsidian, basalt and porcelanite. Just hoped someone might know if any particular polish or other trick worked better for howlite than others. The other thing I'm working on is getting the feel for using more or less media, so as not to impede shaping, but still protect delicate rocks correctly throughout the process. Anyway, thanks for weighing in, my friend. Nice to hear from you.
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ingawh
starting to spend too much on rocks
The rock wants to shine, I just help it get there
Member since February 2011
Posts: 194
|
Post by ingawh on Nov 10, 2021 1:25:44 GMT -5
Thanks, Stephen. Yes, it is a softer stone than I've had luck with before, so perhaps this is good enough. I was thinking it was closer to sodalite in hardness, but I guess it's softer - at only a 3.5. And I have learned that some rocks do need drying time to get their full shine to show up. Best wishes
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ingawh
starting to spend too much on rocks
The rock wants to shine, I just help it get there
Member since February 2011
Posts: 194
|
Post by ingawh on Nov 9, 2021 23:37:08 GMT -5
Update: A little time to dry out more after the long tumble, plus a bit of hand-burnishing, does seem to help...
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ingawh
starting to spend too much on rocks
The rock wants to shine, I just help it get there
Member since February 2011
Posts: 194
|
Post by ingawh on Nov 9, 2021 23:14:02 GMT -5
Who has the secret to tumbling Howlite? I haven't tumbled it before, but when I pulled them out, I must admit I was disappointed. I didn't even use just my old two-step, I added an extra step, but couldn't get a real shine - or is that just how howlite rolls? I found a rough stone had broken and was probably buggering things up a bit, but even so, I had hoped for more.... I can go back a step and do a bit of re-smoothing, then I want to take another run at getting a clearer shine. What polishes has anyone tried that might coax a little more out this stone? Any other tricks-of-the-trade you have to share would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Team!
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ingawh
starting to spend too much on rocks
The rock wants to shine, I just help it get there
Member since February 2011
Posts: 194
|
Post by ingawh on Oct 22, 2021 17:59:52 GMT -5
ingawhi found this 5 lb bag of perfectly sized polished quartz on Amazon for $15 shipped. Those look great! Depending on the tumbling stage you're in, I would still pick through and remove the couple I see with pits and rough edges, but it looks like most might usable in a polish stage right out of the bag - nice find!
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ingawh
starting to spend too much on rocks
The rock wants to shine, I just help it get there
Member since February 2011
Posts: 194
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Post by ingawh on Oct 17, 2021 23:40:40 GMT -5
My wife picked up these two bags on a recent shopping trip, before I had a chance to share the advice on this thread with her. I'm thinking of just returning the 5 pound bag of small aquarium gravel, but I'm wondering about perhaps using the white stones (from Dollar Tree) in a test Stage 1 tumble. Thoughts?
The rough white aquarium gravel is probably best exchanged for the rounded kind I pictured above, if they have that. I'm guessing the dollar store stuff is a pretty soft stone, like maybe marble...? I've actually been curious to see what I could do with a bag of rocks like the larger ones in your photo. I've been able to get pretty shapes by tumbling marble chips (f that's what it is) but it's tricky to coax what I'd actually call a shine in a tumbler, as it's only a 3 mohs. If you just want it as filler at stage one, it might work, but if it is super soft, it could also just grind away and thicken up your slurry pretty fast. That's not always a bad thing, depending on what else you're working on. Soft stones like that in later stages, however, can dull the shine of the harder stones. Final thoughts: I'm all about experimenting. For the larger stuff from the dollar store, I say - For a buck, what the heck - give it a whirl and see what happens and report back. I might try it, depending on what you find out. Best wishes!
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ingawh
starting to spend too much on rocks
The rock wants to shine, I just help it get there
Member since February 2011
Posts: 194
|
Post by ingawh on Oct 16, 2021 15:51:30 GMT -5
Those are a nice rich black. Most of the basalt I've tried, at least I sure think that it's basalt, has come from the north shore of Lake Superior, or various locations around Puget Sound area including British Columbia. Very few pieces are this black. Where did yours come from if you know? I lived in Western Washington for almost 30 years, so those pieces were most likely from my collecting around the shores of Puget Sound. You're right - I'm not finding that kind of stone here in Sacramento, California. If only I'd known it would be rare and special!
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ingawh
starting to spend too much on rocks
The rock wants to shine, I just help it get there
Member since February 2011
Posts: 194
|
Post by ingawh on Oct 16, 2021 0:51:32 GMT -5
Very pretty! I love the perfectly shaped "pocket rocks."
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ingawh
starting to spend too much on rocks
The rock wants to shine, I just help it get there
Member since February 2011
Posts: 194
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Post by ingawh on Oct 16, 2021 0:47:07 GMT -5
Love the pics! I have some petrified wood that looks a lot like your top stone, even though it's not giving you an obvious grain - could that be what it is?
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ingawh
starting to spend too much on rocks
The rock wants to shine, I just help it get there
Member since February 2011
Posts: 194
|
Post by ingawh on Oct 16, 2021 0:01:24 GMT -5
Welcome back! Best wishes with the bar. Brain will be happy for the change. Thanks so much for welcome and warm wishes.
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ingawh
starting to spend too much on rocks
The rock wants to shine, I just help it get there
Member since February 2011
Posts: 194
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Post by ingawh on Oct 15, 2021 23:21:28 GMT -5
ingawh congrats on taking the Bar! Fingers crossed for you. I'll be watching to see how these rocks turn out. Especially Tony the Tiger. What an awesome cool rock. Wish I could help with the ID. I really hope I can do Tony justice! The quest continues about what exactly these things are... Thanks for the kind words and good wishes.
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