rocknewb101
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since October 2022
Posts: 1,316
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Post by rocknewb101 on Apr 26, 2023 12:53:06 GMT -5
I keep seeing people (mainly on Reddit) who are asking if rocks can be polished with oil (this particular one had wd-40 or similar). Another poster said no, use mineral oil - but why? Just why would you coat your rocks in oil? I'm confused. Is this just the lazy mans way of making the rock look shiny? Or is there legitimate reason? I'm just curious because I see it a lot, but never mentioned here.
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Post by Pat on Apr 26, 2023 14:00:09 GMT -5
Sometimes it is used for a quick shine for a display case. Temporary. A little dab will do it!
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rocknewb101
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since October 2022
Posts: 1,316
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Post by rocknewb101 on Apr 26, 2023 14:02:18 GMT -5
Ahh - thanks Pat! Interesting! I think I prefer the elbow grease way - a little more satisfying. I get the temporary need. Thanks!!
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khara
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since September 2022
Posts: 1,685
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Post by khara on Apr 26, 2023 14:03:24 GMT -5
I know a tumbler who coats his rocks in mineral oil specifically for the crack areas. He tumbles very large Montana’s and Lake Superior’s. These typically have some fractures that can’t be tumbled out otherwise you’d lose too much size. The fracture area doesn’t get a polish and stands out looking dry and white. The mineral oil helps to hide this. I have a number of them. I don’t particularly care for it. The oil ultimately gets on the smooth areas too and you can see finger prints. I feel they need to be often wiped to get it off the smooth faces and then also it can be a dust collector. If trying to show off a collection though, to put it on display, it can make it look better.
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Post by mohs on Apr 26, 2023 14:30:27 GMT -5
yep
long story butte I fond a stash of rock in Papago and some of them had been oiled it was a cool stash so I've started adding to it
then I was talking to Park ranger mentioning the stash she said saw some guy over by bush taking a picture Yeah that was me
we had agneiss chat
then this welder guy showed up named Jasper major rock hound
who welded the vandalized pigeon on the LadMo bench he did such and excellent job and another long story
anyway he handed me some rocks he collected and they were WD oiled
so putting 2 and 2 togather I think he's the Papago rock stasher
he's in for pleasant surprise w/ my additions
anyway I started the hobby by finding small heart shape rhyolyte landscape gravels and spray shellac. Hand them out to clients
its all a long story and little rock rolls a long ways
mohs
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steelheader
starting to shine!
Member since September 2021
Posts: 48
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Post by steelheader on Apr 26, 2023 21:32:12 GMT -5
Some people cant afford toys. Mineral oils makes for a decent finish. WD-40 can be used to stabilize pyrite for prevention of pyrite rust.
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Post by Rockoonz on Apr 27, 2023 4:15:49 GMT -5
Interesting, so they said don't use oil, use mineral oil? Mineral oil is petroleum from the same crude oil we get motor oil or gasoline from, just comes from a different part of the refining process. The name mineral oil is a trade name there are no minerals in it, nor did it come from a mineral, though the fossil theory is a questionable one. But that's a different topic.
Gary Rider, the Montana rainbow guy who cut tons of Montana agate to get iris slabs, coated his slabs in oil instead of water to look for the iris. Other than that there's no reason to oil rocks except maybe the pyrite. I think that a product for preserving rust patina on old cars would be better for that though
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rocknewb101
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since October 2022
Posts: 1,316
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Post by rocknewb101 on Apr 27, 2023 7:02:53 GMT -5
I know a tumbler who coats his rocks in mineral oil specifically for the crack areas. He tumbles very large Montana’s and Lake Superior’s. These typically have some fractures that can’t be tumbled out otherwise you’d lose too much size. The fracture area doesn’t get a polish and stands out looking dry and white. The mineral oil helps to hide this. I have a number of them. I don’t particularly care for it. The oil ultimately gets on the smooth areas too and you can see finger prints. I feel they need to be often wiped to get it off the smooth faces and then also it can be a dust collector. If trying to show off a collection though, to put it on display, it can make it look better. Oh! Ok - that makes sense! I feel it would be a bit of a mess, but I guess no worse than dealing with slurry!! Thank you! yep long story butte I fond a stash of rock in Papago and some of them had been oiled it was a cool stash so I've started adding to it then I was talking to Park ranger mentioning the stash she said saw some guy over by bush taking a picture Yeah that was me we had agneiss chat then this welder guy showed up named Jasper major rock hound who welded the vandalized pigeon on the LadMo bench he did such and excellent job and another long story anyway he handed me some rocks he collected and they were WD oiled so putting 2 and 2 togather I think he's the Papago rock stasher he's in for pleasant surprise w/ my additions anyway I started the hobby by finding small heart shape rhyolyte landscape gravels and spray shellac. Hand them out to clients its all a long story and little rock rolls a long ways mohs @mohs - I love your stories. And one day would be interested in hearing about the vandalized pigeon! Thank you for your insight - I had no idea it was a thing Some people cant afford toys. Mineral oils makes for a decent finish. WD-40 can be used to stabilize pyrite for prevention of pyrite rust. steelheader - very fair point about affordability. Lapidary is not a cheap art for sure. I had no idea about preventing rust on pyrite - thanks for the info Interesting, so they said don't use oil, use mineral oil? Mineral oil is petroleum from the same crude oil we get motor oil or gasoline from, just comes from a different part of the refining process. The name mineral oil is a trade name there are no minerals in it, nor did it come from a mineral, though the fossil theory is a questionable one. But that's a different topic. Gary Rider, the Montana rainbow guy who cut tons of Montana agate to get iris slabs, coated his slabs in oil instead of water to look for the iris. Other than that there's no reason to oil rocks except maybe the pyrite. I think that a product for preserving rust patina on old cars would be better for that though Thank you Rockoonz - yeah - someone told him no no no to the wd but then someone else commented mineral oil - you learn something new every day - appreciate the input Appreciate all of the knowledge on this forum. I'm learning new things everyday!
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afterburnt
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since June 2021
Posts: 152
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Post by afterburnt on Apr 27, 2023 13:42:54 GMT -5
I've used mineral oil to make unpolished specimens look better.
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roQhound
having dreams about rocks
Member since March 2023
Posts: 52
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Post by roQhound on Apr 27, 2023 15:51:01 GMT -5
There are lots of people who want to display their rocks as naturally as nature tumbled them and still show their beauty. I know people that collect Columbia Basin Agates (CBAs) that are religious about this and it's not for a lack of equipment. Yangtze river agates are also done this way and are equally stunning.
First time poster, BTW.
Q
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Post by jasoninsd on Apr 27, 2023 18:34:08 GMT -5
There are lots of people who want to display their rocks as naturally as nature tumbled them and still show their beauty. I know people that collect Columbia Basin Agates (CBAs) that are religious about this and it's not for a lack of equipment. Yangtze river agates are also done this way and are equally stunning. First time poster, BTW. Q I know a lot of people use mineral oil on their Fairburn Agates...that way there's no material loss as there would be in a tumbler...yet they still get a "shine"...
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Post by Bob on May 23, 2023 14:08:29 GMT -5
I know a tumbler who coats his rocks in mineral oil specifically for the crack areas. He tumbles very large Montana’s and Lake Superior’s. These typically have some fractures that can’t be tumbled out otherwise you’d lose too much size. The fracture area doesn’t get a polish and stands out looking dry and white. The mineral oil helps to hide this. I have a number of them. I don’t particularly care for it. The oil ultimately gets on the smooth areas too and you can see finger prints. I feel they need to be often wiped to get it off the smooth faces and then also it can be a dust collector. If trying to show off a collection though, to put it on display, it can make it look better. Indeed. I purchased some Yangtze Rivers agates from an eBay seller and knew something was up when I felt them. When I inquired, she told me she had coated them in mineral oil. Almost all agates of this type have internal fractures and I was wondering why there were almost none visible. Sure enough, it took about 9 months, but the fractures started appearing after the oil started drying out. I will not buy from her again and feel that doing this w/o disclosing it in the listing is unethical. Had I know they were treated to temporarily obscure the fractures, I would not have paid as much.
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chris1956
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since July 2022
Posts: 1,171
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Post by chris1956 on May 23, 2023 15:37:41 GMT -5
I have seen people coat unpolished Petoskey Stones with mineral oil when selling them. I have mixed feelings about this. In one way it allows you to see the pattern without wetting each stone which is good as you can quickly scan a box of stones. However, it may hide cracks (as mentioned previously) that won't be found until later. I found the Stone Age Industries website (link below) that mentioned "baking" Petoskey Stones in mineral oil at 200 F for 2 hours. I have used this on several Petoskey Stones that had fractures or pits that detracted from the appearance. It tends to make the stones somewhat darker (especially the defects like cracks). It seems to work most of the time to make cracks disappear but sometimes fractures won't take the oil (must be the fractures are too tight for the oil to get into). I have stones that I have done this for that were done about a year and a half ago and still look like they did when I treated them. Don't know how long it will last. You do have to get the excess oil off which takes some time and typically, once I get the oil off I usually buff the stone with a clean cloth. You may have to do this a few times depending on how porous the stone is. Don't know how well this will work on other rocks. I haven't sold any rocks so I haven't worried about selling with oil treatment. I think it should be disclosed if you do sell after treating this way. stoneageindustries.com/product/polishing-petoskey-stone/
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Post by Mel on May 24, 2023 14:44:27 GMT -5
I keep seeing people (mainly on Reddit) who are asking if rocks can be polished with oil (this particular one had wd-40 or similar). Another poster said no, use mineral oil - but why? Just why would you coat your rocks in oil? I'm confused. Is this just the lazy mans way of making the rock look shiny? Or is there legitimate reason? I'm just curious because I see it a lot, but never mentioned here. That is called "laziness" and "impatience" (and believe me, I wrote the book on impatience!). I don't understand the appeal myself. It's for those that don't have the grit or determination to stare at a spinning barrel for a few minutes every day while grumbling "Hurry up, damn you!!".
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Post by rmf on May 24, 2023 18:59:41 GMT -5
Mineral oil is called mineral oil because it does not go rancid like veg oil. mineral oil has no smell like WD-40.
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Wooferhound
Cave Dweller
Lortone QT66 and 3A
Member since December 2016
Posts: 1,423
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Post by Wooferhound on May 25, 2023 13:54:22 GMT -5
Dead Minerals are Mineral Spirits
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