Luminin
spending too much on rocks
Member since August 2017
Posts: 400
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Post by Luminin on Sept 7, 2017 9:50:14 GMT -5
Welcome from Ohio! I work at the Ohio Assembly plant!
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Luminin
spending too much on rocks
Member since August 2017
Posts: 400
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Post by Luminin on Sept 7, 2017 9:47:44 GMT -5
Welcome from Ohio!
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Luminin
spending too much on rocks
Member since August 2017
Posts: 400
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Post by Luminin on Sept 7, 2017 9:45:25 GMT -5
captbob Oh, good info! Thanks for telling me about that, it would have been a frustrating and time consuming lesson! I was contemplating pulling the Lapis out, but each still had a few spots that seemed soft or rougher than the rest. Same with the Amethyst, but it also still had a few edges. The Tiger Eye had hardly rounded and I'm thinking another week or two will be needed. Thankfully I purchased a Lortone 33B from Amazon that will be delivered tomorrow, which will give me quite a bit more wiggle room and will expedite everything. I'm debating running one Lortone barrel as step one along with my Nat Geo tumbler to speed my prepping rough. I figure that's what takes the longest, so two tackling it will help. The rough is really starting to pile up and I have no plan on stopping!
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Luminin
spending too much on rocks
Member since August 2017
Posts: 400
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Post by Luminin on Sept 7, 2017 8:20:09 GMT -5
Thanks gmitch067! All of this batch came from Amazon. A seller called Fantasia Materials, which I discovered this morning is local! I'm hoping to stop there and have a look around. They brag on having 400,000 pounds of material there, should keep me VERY busy if they let me dig through it lol I'll take your experience with Lapis as a sign to keep a close eye on it. The Amethyst is very small for the most part and based on how it looked, I don't expect it to turn out nice and smooth. I almost expect It to turn to dust.
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Luminin
spending too much on rocks
Member since August 2017
Posts: 400
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Post by Luminin on Sept 7, 2017 7:06:27 GMT -5
A couple of days ago I pulled my first batch out of stage 1 to check on them after 6 days. They looked a lot better than I expected. The Tiger Eye has a long way to go, but the Lapis and Amethyst looked decent. I'm going to pull the Lapis back out tomorrow or Saturday and substitute plastic pellets until the Amethyst and Tiger Eye catch up. Thoughts, comments and suggestions appreciated! ~Luminin
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Luminin
spending too much on rocks
Member since August 2017
Posts: 400
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Post by Luminin on Sept 5, 2017 19:41:53 GMT -5
Excellent! That's exactly the info I was looking for. Thanks, Drummond Island Rocks! I'm still adjusting to navigating here. It's been a few years since I've dove head first into a forum!
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Luminin
spending too much on rocks
Member since August 2017
Posts: 400
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Post by Luminin on Sept 5, 2017 11:49:26 GMT -5
Being at work, I can't call upon YouTube. Any information about attaching findings to tumbled stones would be much appreciated.
Drilling, gluing and types of findings particularly.
Thanks, Luminin
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Luminin
spending too much on rocks
Member since August 2017
Posts: 400
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Post by Luminin on Sept 4, 2017 21:39:35 GMT -5
I'm interested in some of the roughs, pictures appreciated. For the turquoise, when you say smaller, how small?
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Luminin
spending too much on rocks
Member since August 2017
Posts: 400
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Post by Luminin on Aug 31, 2017 7:13:18 GMT -5
I'm happy to say I'm planning to head out there tomorrow, despite threatening rain, to harvest some flint. I'd be excited to trade stone, I've already been poking around that thread, but haven't gotten very far, leaning more towards the informative threads.
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Luminin
spending too much on rocks
Member since August 2017
Posts: 400
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Post by Luminin on Aug 30, 2017 17:24:13 GMT -5
Alright! Here's what's going into my first tumble! A huge thanks to everyone that gave me input and advise!
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Luminin
spending too much on rocks
Member since August 2017
Posts: 400
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Post by Luminin on Aug 30, 2017 17:02:26 GMT -5
I've actually been holding off waiting for a reply lol, as eager as I am, I didn't want to rush blindly into it. I'll go ahead and switch out some of the amethyst for some lapis. The lapis and tiger eye (thanks for the correction) are in fairly large chunks (1+ inches) and I'm worried about needing smaller stuff (my tumbler is VERY small and I'm afraid there won't be room for them to properly rub). I think I can easily do a mix of all three. I'll check on the lapis after 6 or 7 days to see how it shapes up. Thank you so much for the insight captbob , you've given me a LOT these past couple days! Here's a picture of my tumbler's barrel.
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Luminin
spending too much on rocks
Member since August 2017
Posts: 400
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Post by Luminin on Aug 30, 2017 16:00:10 GMT -5
This is a piece of the amethyst that caught my attention, it contains tiny red crystals, that seem to be forming separately from the rest of the mineral, while being embedded/engulfed? Here are pictures of the rough I plan on tumbling together.
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Luminin
spending too much on rocks
Member since August 2017
Posts: 400
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Post by Luminin on Aug 30, 2017 15:28:37 GMT -5
Having read a little more, I think I've decided to tumble the Amethyst and Tiger's Eye as my first batch. The Tiger's Eye being slightly softer. I have a LOT of the Amethyst, much of it being small, perfect for the larger hunks of Tiger's Eye?
Thoughts? Suggestions? Screams of horror at the very thought of tumbling these two together?
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Luminin
spending too much on rocks
Member since August 2017
Posts: 400
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Post by Luminin on Aug 30, 2017 14:36:45 GMT -5
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Luminin
spending too much on rocks
Member since August 2017
Posts: 400
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Post by Luminin on Aug 30, 2017 11:34:14 GMT -5
Thank you fernwood. And thank you for the encouragement!
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Luminin
spending too much on rocks
Member since August 2017
Posts: 400
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Post by Luminin on Aug 30, 2017 11:32:11 GMT -5
Thanks for the feedback! Garage Rocker, Thanks for the heads up! I'm not sure I will tumble the labradorite now. I like it as is. tkvancil That's sound advice. The blue and white stones are supposed to be Lapis Lazuli, which I believe is different than sodalite? And having gmitch067 and captbob mention setting aside the sapphire/ruby rough, that seems like a really good idea! gmitch067 Yikes! At least it's nice to know someone else was sharing that dream with me π captbob You are correct, I'm very much into video games, but I don't expect results anytime soon. I'm hoping to get a single batch, doubtfully two, done before winter sets in. I plan on setting bi-weekly reminders to go check on the tumbler (depending on the material), researching rocks or gaming inbetween work. I'm in it for the long haul! I'm starting out with a very small rotary tumbler. I'm not sure of its exact size, likely 3lbs if not smaller? You all have so much knowledge, I'm doing my best to act like a sponge!
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Luminin
spending too much on rocks
Member since August 2017
Posts: 400
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Post by Luminin on Aug 30, 2017 8:38:11 GMT -5
Also, I have no idea from the photo what this is. Not so sure I would bother trying to tumble it. I see some Labradorite in your mix. I don't recall if I have ever tumbled any, so can't say from experience, but I would keep a close eye on it if you add it with the other rocks. May even want to save it for later as I imagine it is probably a tough rock to tumble well. This is supposed to be Sapphire and Ruby rough. By feel, it's very dense. The labradorite I planned on adding into the fluorite as they both are fairly flaky, the labradorite slightly less so. Thanks for the input, captbob! P.S. Thanks for telling me about the tiger's eye! I think it's one of my favorites!
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Luminin
spending too much on rocks
Member since August 2017
Posts: 400
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Post by Luminin on Aug 30, 2017 8:17:55 GMT -5
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Luminin
spending too much on rocks
Member since August 2017
Posts: 400
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Post by Luminin on Aug 30, 2017 8:14:09 GMT -5
captbob I read that after I ordered it. I figured I could run it solo, either cutting short or entirely skipping the course (1st) grit. Advise on the first stage? Same with the tiger's eye, I'm worried I'll lose too much of the outer edges?
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Luminin
spending too much on rocks
Member since August 2017
Posts: 400
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Post by Luminin on Aug 30, 2017 8:10:54 GMT -5
ChicagoDave I have too much material to run at once, but I'm really really tempted to try that! Sounds like a more active way of tumbling! Which leads me to a question: in one of the videos I've watched, the host said to never let the stones dry fully during the entire tumbling process. I can think of a few reasons as to why he stated that, but I've come across a few pieces of conflicting, or at least non-conforming, info? I know a good few of the minerals above, namely the bulk ones I ordered. As to what I think is Labradorite, I was just proudly showing it off π. Any help identifying would be really appreciated!
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