georgeb138
having dreams about rocks
Member since April 2017
Posts: 68
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Post by georgeb138 on Dec 3, 2017 23:43:39 GMT -5
So you got them clean of rough rock, shaped them and then tumbled? Where would I find this pumice for tumbling? Did you do the plastic media and water? 1 tbsp of pumice and one of AO per lb? I tumbled 11 pounds fluorite. About 20% of it was fracture free. Like glass clear, no cracks. All the others had fractures. They tumbled terribly. I would not bother tumbling fluorite unless it is AAA grade with no fractures. I don't see any fluorite in your photo that would tumble well. I can give you a link to pumice. I ran one load with coarse pumice(0-1/2 size) and AO 14,000 mixed in. Vibe. agate media. Hinting at you not to bother I'm becoming more wary of tumbling these. I'm gonna try it with the small stuff I have but don't expect good results. It's useless otherwise though. Probably gonna shape it with an angle grinder and get some polish wheels to make display pieces, with the larger ones. Not sure what I'm gonna do with the mediums yet.
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georgeb138
having dreams about rocks
Member since April 2017
Posts: 68
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Post by georgeb138 on Nov 26, 2017 21:14:52 GMT -5
So you got them clean of rough rock, shaped them and then tumbled? Where would I find this pumice for tumbling? Did you do the plastic media and water? 1 tbsp of pumice and one of AO per lb?
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georgeb138
having dreams about rocks
Member since April 2017
Posts: 68
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Post by georgeb138 on Nov 26, 2017 20:42:22 GMT -5
Vibe tumbled serpentine and fluorite together in 3 to 5 micron kaolin with lots of media. The serpentine improved greatly but the fluorite was terrible. mysterious >??@#$% Thanks for the input! Very interesting
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georgeb138
having dreams about rocks
Member since April 2017
Posts: 68
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Post by georgeb138 on Nov 20, 2017 0:12:09 GMT -5
I have tried to tumble fluorite before and had horrendous results. Do you have a method that you would be willing to share? What steps did you take in your last tumbling batch of fluorite that resulted in your horrendous results georgeb138? I have 3 lbs of rough fluorite (Amazon) that I intend to attack soon. jamesp has mentioned in other posts that it is a soft stone that is prone to frosting. Using Silicon Carbide grits is a death sentence. He is experimenting with softer grits, like Pumice, to see if he can realize a better shine on both fluorite and obsidian. The fluorite in your photo looks real nice... lots of purples. I am interested in your future tumbling results. I used the SiC. And I turned a lb into less than an ounce. I have a vibratory now. I may just shape some smalls and see it I can get them to shine in the vibratory. Otherwise it's all hand work. There are some great deep purples and greens. But I am not seeing as many cube like shapes as I was hoping for. I will definitely post some more when I get into it.
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georgeb138
having dreams about rocks
Member since April 2017
Posts: 68
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Post by georgeb138 on Nov 19, 2017 13:20:20 GMT -5
No slab saw, no lap equipment. 😭 You could donate it all to me and I can slab and cab it. Fluorite is soft enough that you can create a flat surface by rubbing it on a sidewalk. The polish it up with some medium and fine sanding sponges and superfine sandpaper. If it is nice material then there are options such as swapping for other materials or working out a trade for someone to slab and/or cab or tumble the material in exchange for a percentage. On the Facebook swap board the normal trade is the person doing the work keeps 60% of the finished material and sends back 40%. Or put it up on Ebay with pics of what it will look like polished. I have tried to tumble fluorite before and had horrendous results. Do you have a method that you would be willing to share?
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georgeb138
having dreams about rocks
Member since April 2017
Posts: 68
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Post by georgeb138 on Nov 19, 2017 13:19:25 GMT -5
What about that material makes one say it's fluorite? No color? no cubes? Just curious Board is being dumb and won't let me upload photos. There is color. And some cubing. I'll try again soon. But I think I am gonna use an angle grinder on the larger stuff to cut/grind the rough off. And some polishing wheels and see if I can make some display pieces.
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georgeb138
having dreams about rocks
Member since April 2017
Posts: 68
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Post by georgeb138 on Nov 19, 2017 13:17:29 GMT -5
What about that material makes one say it's fluorite? No color? no cubes? Just curious
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georgeb138
having dreams about rocks
Member since April 2017
Posts: 68
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Post by georgeb138 on Nov 19, 2017 13:14:08 GMT -5
What about that material makes one say it's fluorite? No color? no cubes? Just curious
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georgeb138
having dreams about rocks
Member since April 2017
Posts: 68
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Post by georgeb138 on Nov 18, 2017 20:49:42 GMT -5
I would start with cabbing a scrap piece to see how stable it is and what it looks like polished. No slab saw, no lap equipment. 😭
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georgeb138
having dreams about rocks
Member since April 2017
Posts: 68
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Post by georgeb138 on Nov 18, 2017 20:46:48 GMT -5
Got a large box of fluorite from a friend in Colorado. I was hoping to make some octahedrons. But I don't think I have the quality needed for that. Any suggestions what to do with this stuff?
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georgeb138
having dreams about rocks
Member since April 2017
Posts: 68
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Post by georgeb138 on Nov 17, 2017 19:50:59 GMT -5
Neat stuff. Going to try to shine it up manually? I should try. Rubbing it on a wet wash cloth laced with aluminum oxide polish should get the job done. I have some Linde 50,000 if I can find it. I've never heard of that method before. Interesting.
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georgeb138
having dreams about rocks
Member since April 2017
Posts: 68
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Post by georgeb138 on Nov 15, 2017 19:38:29 GMT -5
Neat stuff. Going to try to shine it up manually?
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georgeb138
having dreams about rocks
Member since April 2017
Posts: 68
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Post by georgeb138 on Sept 16, 2017 19:47:28 GMT -5
Very nice!
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georgeb138
having dreams about rocks
Member since April 2017
Posts: 68
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Post by georgeb138 on Sept 16, 2017 15:06:42 GMT -5
Here's a batch I just finished. Not super shiny but a decent luster. Skipped step one altogether. Did a few days at step 2(might go a bit longer next time) and couple days of pre-polish, and about a week(hard to tell with the damn hurricane) at polish(tin oxide). Burnished between each step for 12 hours. And used as much plastic and ceramic as I could fit in there. I'm pretty happy. I started with 3 lbs and only lost half a lb of weight in the process. Which is a huge improvement over my first batch(we don't discuss that batch). All in a Lortone QT-66.
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georgeb138
having dreams about rocks
Member since April 2017
Posts: 68
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Post by georgeb138 on Aug 31, 2017 20:23:28 GMT -5
Keep us updated Georgeb138. I am interested in the results of your Aquamarine rotary tumble when it comes out of the final burnish. I actually think they will polish better in a regular tumbler that has plenty of small ceramic cushioning. The vibratory tumblers seem to be a little harsh on heavily fractured stones. (... a much debated issue follows... You make your own decision... It will probably be a good one) I use the same ceramics throughout the whole process. As long as you take the time to wash them in soapy water between grit changes. I put them in a Tupperware container (with a lid) and a squirt of Dawn. Then I shake-rattle-n-roll them until clean... seems to be no problem with that. If you are doing a burnish run before AND after the pre-polish stage... that should clean the ceramics just fine - just make sure you wash it off well with fresh clean water. The larger ceramics are good for making up lost volume (after the 80 grit chews away at the rocks for a week or three), while the small ceramics are really good at cushioning. Vibratory tumblers get sort of choked-up when to many small ceramics are used (especially the new 2mm ceramic beads! However, the 2mm ceramics will work very well in a rotary tumbler). I haven't been changing my ceramic either. I burnish it with the rest and rinse everything thoroughly. I might try the dawn method though. Thanks for the input.
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georgeb138
having dreams about rocks
Member since April 2017
Posts: 68
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Post by georgeb138 on Aug 29, 2017 18:29:15 GMT -5
They look GREAT George. What did you use for the polish stage? What size tumbler did you use? I have some Apache Tears, and some larger pieces of Mahogany Obsidian that I have slated for a future tumble. Would they be OK to tumble together, or would the larger Obsidian destroy the Apache Tears? I think I would suggest getting the mahogany rounded before mixing the 2
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georgeb138
having dreams about rocks
Member since April 2017
Posts: 68
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Post by georgeb138 on Aug 29, 2017 17:40:08 GMT -5
They look GREAT George. What did you use for the polish stage? What size tumbler did you use? I have some Apache Tears, and some larger pieces of Mahogany Obsidian that I have slated for a future tumble. Would they be OK to tumble together, or would the larger Obsidian destroy the Apache Tears? Since they are bothe technically obsidian I would think they would be fine to tumble together, but check your hardness levels and use a TON OF CERAMIC. These were 2 lbs in a 2 lb barrel. They practically filled the barrel, and then I added a lot of very small ceramic. Used AO for the polish stage, 2 weeks of prepolish one week polish. Burnish for 12-24 hours between stages. Didn't even change the ceramic. This was my first time with apache tears. But I got some great advice on a Facebook group. I have some mahogany obsidian as well. It has been..... troublesome. I got a decent luster to it, but can't get that deep shine that makes it look wet. Like it did when it was raw(in hand). Sigh
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georgeb138
having dreams about rocks
Member since April 2017
Posts: 68
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Post by georgeb138 on Aug 28, 2017 18:10:41 GMT -5
I tried it. A petite into the tumbler equals blemish graphics mud out. They ground up and mostly disappeared. That happened to the first batch I tried as well. I plan on checking these a few times a week. I'm guessing that they are so soft that the standard week per step is too long.
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georgeb138
having dreams about rocks
Member since April 2017
Posts: 68
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Post by georgeb138 on Aug 28, 2017 18:08:09 GMT -5
Pretty happy with this batch! Lots of ceramic is a must!
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georgeb138
having dreams about rocks
Member since April 2017
Posts: 68
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Post by georgeb138 on Aug 28, 2017 18:06:53 GMT -5
Does anyone care to share a recipe for tumbling Blue Apatite? Any input is greatly appreciated.
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