nursetumbler
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Post by nursetumbler on Sept 28, 2022 13:20:15 GMT -5
electrocutusThat reminds me of the calcite (mohs 3) I tumbled. It shrank fast and caused the foam and thick sludge. I'm not saying that's what it is (lord knows I'm not a Geologist just a tumbling nurse) but that's the exact results I seen with Orchid calcite. To get pink quartz to look as good as that it tumbled for months and I don'tthinkbyou have been tumbling it that long. If it is calcite you'll get a matte at best finish and not mirror shine although you can coax a pretty good shine with the dry polish method, Crystal something or another talks on YouTube about dry polish method.To eliminate the rapid breakdown and foam i added a Tablespoon of Baking soda because I read, don't know if on here or somewhere else, that calcite breaks down slower in higher ph solution and it didn't foam up as bad. Just a thought. Take a piece and see what scratches it. That will give you some idea wherebto start. electrocutusI took a screen shot of your original barrel load photo and ran it through a rock identifying app (I know most times they are wrong) but the only ID it came up with was calcite. Maybe there is something to it.
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electrocutus
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Post by electrocutus on Sept 28, 2022 15:29:43 GMT -5
I think your opening it too soon or too much grit. Let it roll I often open the barrels midway just to check how things are going, and I had never seen something like this. Usuallym, when I open barrels too early, the slurry is just too liquid. This is the opposite.
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electrocutus
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Post by electrocutus on Sept 28, 2022 15:34:24 GMT -5
electrocutus That reminds me of the calcite (mohs 3) I tumbled. It shrank fast and caused the foam and thick sludge. I'm not saying that's what it is (lord knows I'm not a Geologist just a tumbling nurse) but that's the exact results I seen with Orchid calcite. To get pink quartz to look as good as that it tumbled for months and I don'tthinkbyou have been tumbling it that long. If it is calcite you'll get a matte at best finish and not mirror shine although you can coax a pretty good shine with the dry polish method, Crystal something or another talks on YouTube about dry polish method.To eliminate the rapid breakdown and foam i added a Tablespoon of Baking soda because I read, don't know if on here or somewhere else, that calcite breaks down slower in higher ph solution and it didn't foam up as bad. Just a thought. Take a piece and see what scratches it. That will give you some idea wherebto start. electrocutus I took a screen shot of your original barrel load photo and ran it through a rock identifying app (I know most times they are wrong) but the only ID it came up with was calcite. Maybe there is something to it. Thanks for the tips. I also tried a rock ID app, and it came up with either aventurine or serpentine, but I am pretty sure it's not. I'll look closer into calcite. I already started it on stage 3. Maybe I'll pull one out and do a scratch test. I tried the dry polish method on sme fluorite. I was not too impressed but I'll definitely give it another try. Thanks.
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Post by broseph82 on Sept 28, 2022 15:50:05 GMT -5
I think your opening it too soon or too much grit. Let it roll I often open the barrels midway just to check how things are going, and I had never seen something like this. Usuallym, when I open barrels too early, the slurry is just too liquid. This is the opposite. I know it's exciting, but let the rocks do their things. No peaking. You're going to waste a lot of grit doing this thinking you need to empty and recharge (trust me I've been there). The only time I open my barrel is to let gas out. If after 3-5 weeks they make a weird sound then I may look inside cause I'm thinking then they might have ground down enough to be clunking. Other than that they just roll. I mean you do you. I'm just trying to help you save some peace of mind and money down the line.
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nursetumbler
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Post by nursetumbler on Sept 28, 2022 16:53:57 GMT -5
electrocutus I took a screen shot of your original barrel load photo and ran it through a rock identifying app (I know most times they are wrong) but the only ID it came up with was calcite. Maybe there is something to it. Thanks for the tips. I also tried a rock ID app, and it came up with either aventurine or serpentine, but I am pretty sure it's not. I'll look closer into calcite. I already started it on stage 3. Maybe I'll pull one out and do a scratch test. I tried the dry polish method on sme fluorite. I was not too impressed but I'll definitely give it another try. Thanks. electrocutusI coaxed the shine on orchid calcite in dry tumble tumbling it for 3 weeks because I didn't need the barrel. I posted the final outcome in the thread I started titled orchid calcite. Would I do calcite again? If I am board and have a couple weeks off work so I can watch it every minute. 😆
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electrocutus
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Post by electrocutus on Sept 29, 2022 9:17:46 GMT -5
I often open the barrels midway just to check how things are going, and I had never seen something like this. Usuallym, when I open barrels too early, the slurry is just too liquid. This is the opposite. I know it's exciting, but let the rocks do their things. No peaking. You're going to waste a lot of grit doing this thinking you need to empty and recharge (trust me I've been there). The only time I open my barrel is to let gas out. If after 3-5 weeks they make a weird sound then I may look inside cause I'm thinking then they might have ground down enough to be clunking. Other than that they just roll. I mean you do you. I'm just trying to help you save some peace of mind and money down the line. I usually do not do a full clean and recharge when I peak. I just get a couple samples from the barrel, then put them back in, clean the lip of the barrel, and close it back up :-)
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waterboysh
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Post by waterboysh on Sept 29, 2022 10:40:33 GMT -5
I am wondering if what I have is something else then lemon quartz, but I still do not understand what kind of rocks would give me those results. They seem to have shrunk more than hat I would have expected from quartz, but I don't have too much experience with different types of quartz. The sodalite I got from the same store looks very nice, so I have no reason to believe I got "bad stuff". For reference, here's what the rough looked like before this whole adventure started. I don't think that what you have is Lemon Quartz (which is heat treated Amethyst by the way). For reference, here is some wet rough Lemon Quartz I got from The Rock Shed. It's much more translucent than what you have.
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electrocutus
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Post by electrocutus on Oct 6, 2022 16:00:24 GMT -5
Another update: My stage 3 (500 SiC) gave me the same results: thick putty-like with foam. You know what they say about people who keep trying the same things expecting different results!!! :-)
I definitely agree now that I am working with calcite. They are really pretty. I will most likely try dry polishing for my last stage.
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JR8675309
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Post by JR8675309 on Oct 7, 2022 8:01:03 GMT -5
I've had the same issue with calcite... it's plentiful here and I tumbled a bunch with the same results about two years ago.
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nursetumbler
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Post by nursetumbler on Oct 7, 2022 16:18:40 GMT -5
Another update: My stage 3 (500 SiC) gave me the same results: thick putty-like with foam. You know what they say about people who keep trying the same things expecting different results!!! :-) I definitely agree now that I am working with calcite. They are really pretty. I will most likely try dry polishing for my last stage. electrocutusMaybe you should contact whomever sold it to you as lemon quartz. Let them know you were sent the wrong product.
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electrocutus
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Post by electrocutus on Oct 15, 2022 11:27:39 GMT -5
Another update: My stage 3 (500 SiC) gave me the same results: thick putty-like with foam. You know what they say about people who keep trying the same things expecting different results!!! :-) I definitely agree now that I am working with calcite. They are really pretty. I will most likely try dry polishing for my last stage. electrocutus Maybe you should contact whomever sold it to you as lemon quartz. Let them know you were sent the wrong product. Should I tell them they sold me a lemon? :-)
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electrocutus
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Post by electrocutus on Oct 15, 2022 11:35:31 GMT -5
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vance71975
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Post by vance71975 on Oct 15, 2022 13:17:03 GMT -5
OK, so... after 6 days of stage 2 in 280 SiC in my Lortone rotary, I am still seeing weird results. When I opened it, the top of the barrel was quite foamy, but the sides and bottom had very thick sludge, almost as if I had left the barrel sitting not tumbling for a long time and all the grit had started solidifying. But I had not. Just to compare, I had a separate batch of Sodalite that I started at stage 2 at the same time, with the same grit from the same container, and tumbling side by side on the same tumbler. The sodalite came out beautifully. Here's what the barrel looked like after 6 days of 280 SiC with the thick sludge stuck in it and on the rocks. After cleaning up, the rocks look pretty good so something has worked. I am wondering if what I have is something else then lemon quartz, but I still do not understand what kind of rocks would give me those results. They seem to have shrunk more than hat I would have expected from quartz, but I don't have too much experience with different types of quartz. The sodalite I got from the same store looks very nice, so I have no reason to believe I got "bad stuff". For reference, here's what the rough looked like before this whole adventure started. I just started stage 3 with 500 SiC so we'll see what that brings in about a week :-) Thanks all! Let me start by sayin I am a noob, so I could be way off. I have no Idea on the foaming issue, but I will say, that in the photo of the raw stones before tumbling I am almost positive that those are not quartz. They look a Lot like either Yellow Calcite or Yellow Quartzite. If your water is slight Acidic and they are yellow calcite this might explain the foam, as I understand it Calcite will react and bubble when exposed to an Acid, so if your water is say a pH 6.7 or so, very mildly acidic, you could get foaming over time. Link below has a photo of Yellow Calcite. Hope this helps some. www.magiccrystals.com/products/raw-pineapple-calcite-stone?variant=40314881999011¤cy=USD&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic&gclid=CjwKCAjwtKmaBhBMEiwAyINuwOUc5S6DZ2CZH2RJtK5Y3V5GctJpYWeWH56FwdN4kD4fNmSW3zILJRoCbV8QAvD_BwE
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nursetumbler
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Post by nursetumbler on Oct 15, 2022 18:20:49 GMT -5
electrocutus Maybe you should contact whomever sold it to you as lemon quartz. Let them know you were sent the wrong product. Should I tell them they sold me a lemon? :-) electrocutusLMBBO
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Oct 16, 2022 5:02:00 GMT -5
My experience mirrors Son Of Beach and pebblesky, too many rocks. 'Sound of the quiet tumbler' is a typical trait. Step 1 should make grumbling noise. If the 3 pound grit dose is 4 full tablespoons consider running it the first day or two with 2 tablespoons and add the other two in the next day or two. Small tumblers are especially sensitive to having too many rocks and too much abrasive. Any highly alkaline rock like calcite or alkaline material like soda lime glass and concrete is notorious for foaming. The water and SiC is usually lower in ph(more acidic), then the tumbler mixes the two and quickly grinds soft calcite particles off and the reaction begins. Ever seen vinegar mixed with baking soda... Nice finish on the (serpentine ?) electrocutus. I tumbled that stuff before. It was sold under the name of yellow/green jade lol. Our Mexican neighbors are tellin white fibs ! I never could get a wet shine on it, actually surprised to get a nice matte finish like yours considering how soft it is and it never frosted. It does make a nice FAST tumble with few fractures. I believe they make/find (ha ha perhaps dye ?) the same material in green and maybe blue. You probably had little to no foam in steps 2-3-4-5 because you were not grinding powder off that alkaline mystery rock to assist in a ph reaction. That is a tale tale sign of a ph reaction - step 1 foams, the other steps do not. Conclusion is that when you have the mysterious foam things get tricky to troubleshoot.
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electrocutus
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Post by electrocutus on Oct 16, 2022 17:20:53 GMT -5
My experience mirrors Son Of Beach and pebblesky , too many rocks. 'Sound of the quiet tumbler' is a typical trait. Step 1 should make grumbling noise. If the 3 pound grit dose is 4 full tablespoons consider running it the first day or two with 2 tablespoons and add the other two in the next day or two. Small tumblers are especially sensitive to having too many rocks and too much abrasive. Any highly alkaline rock like calcite or alkaline material like soda lime glass and concrete is notorious for foaming. The water and SiC is usually lower in ph(more acidic), then the tumbler mixes the two and quickly grinds soft calcite particles off and the reaction begins. Ever seen vinegar mixed with baking soda... Nice finish on the (serpentine ?) electrocutus . I tumbled that stuff before. It was sold under the name of yellow/green jade lol. Our Mexican neighbors are tellin white fibs ! I never could get a wet shine on it, actually surprised to get a nice matte finish like yours considering how soft it is and it never frosted. It does make a nice FAST tumble with few fractures. I believe they make/find (ha ha perhaps dye ?) the same material in green and maybe blue. You probably had little to no foam in steps 2-3-4-5 because you were not grinding powder off that alkaline mystery rock to assist in a ph reaction. That is a tale tale sign of a ph reaction - step 1 foams, the other steps do not. Conclusion is that when you have the mysterious foam things get tricky to troubleshoot. Thanks! I might have been guilty of putting too much grit too. I hadn't thought of that. I use 1.5lb barrel and only do small batches for fun, so I'll try starting with less grit. I usually put 2 full spoons in the early stages.
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Oct 17, 2022 8:36:18 GMT -5
You can always put half the dose in and let it run a day or two. Then add the other half electrocutus. You might find that if you add a tablespoon of baking soda each time you add a full dose of fresh 60/90 the foam issue goes away. I remember rolling that yellow rock, it made an overnight slurry ! Faster than any rock I ever tumbled which tells you how soft it is. Yet it takes a fairly good polish and that is unusual for such a soft rock. It would be nice to know what that rock is, my guess is that it is high grade serpentine(i.e. soapstone !!). Could it be that serpentine is a fine rock to tumble ? I consider some serpentine to be totally beautiful: Serpentine tumbles with the similar matte polish. Beautiful ! Heck yes I would tumble serpentine ! Plus it tumbles so fast.
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electrocutus
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Post by electrocutus on Oct 17, 2022 10:43:09 GMT -5
jamesp that sphere is gorgeous!
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Oct 17, 2022 13:18:27 GMT -5
jamesp that sphere is gorgeous! I just ordered some green/yellow serpentine to tumble(you inspired me electro !) Only 3 days to shape in step 1, how can you go wrong ? Most serpentine is either yellow or green or a combination of those two. May have black markings too. If you get your big wallet out you can get purple serpentine called 'stichtite'. This is what I ordered(so the photo says..). What do you think ? EBAY listing says 1.5 to 2 inch pieces.
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Oct 17, 2022 13:26:28 GMT -5
When a kid my elderly neighbor took me garnet collecting in north Georgia mountains electrocutus. The mine was a dug horizontal shaft and outside the shaft were large plates of yellow/green serpentine rough slabs 2 to 3 inches thick, 1 to 2 feet around. This was the rock they dug out to make the shaft(tailings). You could hold those plates up and see light passing thru it even when 2 to 3 inches thick. Yea, it was incredible. And it could be hand sawn faster than sawing wood just using a carpenter's handsaw. Never could find that site as an adult darn it.
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