rockcat11
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since August 2017
Posts: 176
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Post by rockcat11 on Mar 25, 2018 20:42:15 GMT -5
I,d be happy with all the rocks in the world... but as this will be a gift I do have to keep a price limit in mind. 150 is about max
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rockcat11
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since August 2017
Posts: 176
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Post by rockcat11 on Mar 25, 2018 18:02:22 GMT -5
I have never used borax.... to each his own. Some use kitty litter.
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rockcat11
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since August 2017
Posts: 176
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Post by rockcat11 on Mar 25, 2018 13:24:57 GMT -5
Which is better the 45c or the 33b?
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rockcat11
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since August 2017
Posts: 176
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Post by rockcat11 on Mar 25, 2018 7:25:34 GMT -5
I think that I am leaning to the Loratone. I do not want to deal with leaky lids or have to replace the lids that often. I also like that I can get replacement parts from amazon. Now it’s just a matter of which one do I get....
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rockcat11
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since August 2017
Posts: 176
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Post by rockcat11 on Mar 24, 2018 20:43:33 GMT -5
I think the Lortone QT66/12 is a good upgrade... and very versatile. I have two of these and they are my major work horses. You can choose to use the two 6 lb. barrels for starters, and later buy a 12 lb. barrel for those future large loads. It sounds like you have been hooked on the hobby and desire to advance to a tumbler that can handle larger loads. Sure the Lortone 3A or 33B units are larger, but the barrels only take max 2.5 lbs of material. How soon will you become dissatisfied with small loads and want to tumble a "marvelous" find from the back yard... but it is too large of a stone for the 3 lb barrels??? Glenn Marvelous find... lol. I’m in ny
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rockcat11
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since August 2017
Posts: 176
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Post by rockcat11 on Mar 24, 2018 20:41:32 GMT -5
Working off the posts of captbob and Jugglerguy , I'd recommend the Lortones simply for the ease of sealing up the lids and availability of parts. I do have to make a disclaimer, however. I have not used Thumlers and have only been (still am) a Lortone user. That said, I think the single biggest question is how much material are you planning to process? Many of us use larger barrels due to the amount of rock we're pushing through, but it really makes no sense for a recommendation for a larger tumbler if you are only rolling a couple pounds at a time. I started in this hobby with one Lortone 45C which is a 4lb barrel. I've quickly outgrown that one tumbler and use a QT 66 for coarse grind, and I then do finish work on a couple of 45C's. If you are looking to do something smaller, consider a 33B which gives you two barrels to separate your work. Your question, while seemingly simple, has a multitude of variations with answers depending on what you are trying to accomplish. I am looking for something about 3 pounds...or so. Anything bigger would be too big for me to handle.
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rockcat11
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since August 2017
Posts: 176
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Post by rockcat11 on Mar 24, 2018 16:24:43 GMT -5
those are amazing. Am I correct in assuming that you can only do something like that in a vibe?
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rockcat11
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since August 2017
Posts: 176
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Post by rockcat11 on Mar 24, 2018 16:07:42 GMT -5
Those are awesome. You are just getting it down to a science. Do you sell them? They would make great necklaces. Do you even do rocks any more? if not this alien would love to take those pesky rocks off your hands...
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rockcat11
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since August 2017
Posts: 176
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Post by rockcat11 on Mar 24, 2018 16:05:02 GMT -5
So my birthday is coming up and my mom asked if I would like a new tumbler for my b-day. I am currently using a nat geo tumbler, and while I am getting good results, I want a tumbler with a bigger barrel than one pound. I was thinking of asking for a Thumbler Tumbler, the model T. Is this a good one?
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rockcat11
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since August 2017
Posts: 176
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Post by rockcat11 on Mar 16, 2018 21:27:45 GMT -5
Nice!
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rockcat11
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since August 2017
Posts: 176
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Post by rockcat11 on Mar 14, 2018 17:05:23 GMT -5
I personally cover the rock in a towel and hammer it. I have a little trouble with the bigger rocks, but that's because I am using a smaller hammer now. When it's nicer out I am going to move everything outside and use a bigger hammer. Ya, I've shredded a few towels as well.......used the holes it develops to place my chisel in the rock notches and still keeps the material covered. This is why I use old towels. They're bound for the trash anyway
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rockcat11
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since August 2017
Posts: 176
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Post by rockcat11 on Mar 13, 2018 17:56:14 GMT -5
I personally cover the rock in a towel and hammer it. I have a little trouble with the bigger rocks, but that's because I am using a smaller hammer now. When it's nicer out I am going to move everything outside and use a bigger hammer.
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rockcat11
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since August 2017
Posts: 176
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Post by rockcat11 on Mar 4, 2018 15:59:59 GMT -5
I know, what did she think I was going to do with it, I mean there was still dirt on it Anyway, it's in pieces a-rumbling away in my tumbler now. Can't wait for it to be done.
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rockcat11
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since August 2017
Posts: 176
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Post by rockcat11 on Mar 4, 2018 10:19:16 GMT -5
I kind of feel like I gave the one person a heart attack when I told her I was going to tumble the quartz I bought. Her face kind of fell and she just went "oh". In my defense, it was unpolished rough that still had dirt on it. Should have known better than to buy from a stall with the word "spirit" in the name
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rockcat11
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since August 2017
Posts: 176
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Post by rockcat11 on Feb 27, 2018 18:17:17 GMT -5
Just kind of stinks. I was hoping to be able to see some of the rough that I buy, to be able to pick it out myself. I've found online ordering to be hit and miss, and rockhounding is kind of non-existant in NY, not to mention that I have a bad foot. I did get the rutilated quartz though, I have been looking for some. And of course the petrified wood, love that stuff
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rockcat11
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since August 2017
Posts: 176
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Post by rockcat11 on Feb 26, 2018 7:36:51 GMT -5
Unfortunately, being in NY, I have few options. I'm still not even sure if two of the pieces that I bought were intended as rough or display...they weren't polished or anything, so I'm going with rough.
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rockcat11
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since August 2017
Posts: 176
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Post by rockcat11 on Feb 24, 2018 22:31:25 GMT -5
I have had some success with the nat geo tumbler. My best advice: Throw out the directions. Get different grit, the stuff that it comes with is garbage. I do the first tumble for anywhere from 1-6 weeks depending on what I am tumbling, with recharges as needed. Steps 2-4 I do for a week each. I use plastic pellets as tumbling media in the pre-polish and polish stages, with about a 60% media to 40% rough ratio. I also clean the living daylights out of the barrel and the rocks before I move them on. Be picky about what you tumble. Anything with pits or big fractures will trap pieces of grit and it will impact the quality of the polish. I am still learning myself. Above all else: be patient. Here is an example of some of the stuff that I have gotten out of my tumbler.
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rockcat11
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since August 2017
Posts: 176
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Post by rockcat11 on Feb 24, 2018 17:55:32 GMT -5
Never knew you could use marbles as media. Is this more for softer stuff?
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rockcat11
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since August 2017
Posts: 176
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Post by rockcat11 on Feb 24, 2018 17:34:41 GMT -5
Some of my favorite rocks have been landscaping rocks.
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rockcat11
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since August 2017
Posts: 176
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Post by rockcat11 on Feb 24, 2018 17:22:43 GMT -5
I went to my first rock show today. It was OK, but not the best source for Rough, which is what I wanted. About 75% of what was on sale was finished pieces, 15% were specimens, 3% was random stuff like jewelry making supplies, books, toys, etc, and the last 2% was rough. It was hard to find, and even then I am not sure if the sellers intended for it to be rough or a display specimen. I ended up getting: Rough:
- Rose quartz softball size
- Two pieces of Rutilated quartz, one baseball sized, and one 4 inches long and two inches thick. I think that these were over priced now that I think of it.
- One Piece of smoky quartz baseball sized . I think this was overpriced also.
- Arizona petrified wood, pretty red and black four inched wide, three inches tall.
Non Rough :
- Three little carved stone animals
- A mango sized coconut geode. The guy broke it open there...Of course I picked the hardest one. Ended up with three nice pieces and several splinters. The guy was nice and gave me some shards from other geodes to toss in my tumbler.
- A baseball sized polished jasper globe. I think that it is picture, but I could be way off.
It was fun, But I wish that there was more there for someone who likes to finish their own rocks.
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