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I bought some cold mountain thundereggs from The Gem Shop and from JH Kalmore. Only one of the eggs I got from The Gem Shop was "specimen" grade. As a result I'm thinking about cutting up some material from both vendors for tumbling. I saw several threads where folks have cabbed this material, but I didn't find any on tumbling it.
Does anyone have any experience with tumbling this material? Looks like it has a hardness of 5.5-6. I was thinking about shaping it in a rotary then doing 220-polish in the vibe with lots of ceramic. It'll be a month or 2 before I free up a barrel, but it's been on my mind. Cheers
Hey Dillon! I know you saw my CMT thread when I cabbed it...but I've never tumbled it. One of the things I learned with slabbing/cabbing this material is that it's highly unstable. It seems to come apart between the materials that are in it...like it wasn't "cemented" sufficiently.
Come to think of it, I have actually tossed some scraps into the mix as "filler" and they came out alright...if I remember correctly now! LOL
I did them the same way you're describing...rotary then vibe. I know that's correct because that's how I've done all my tumbles! LOL
Favorite Quotes: "It always seems impossible until it is done." - Nelson Mandela "Life becomes easier when you learn to accept the apology you never got." - Robert Brault "You can't wait until life isn't hard anymore before you decide to be happy." - Nightbirde (RIP 2/19/22)
I did a search for “tumbling thundereggs” in the main search box for the RTH Site which gave several discussions abt this idea. Below are the top three:
I think a good response to this question is determining what your expectation is? The thundereggs in Oregon are made up of an unstable exterior matrix covering a harder interior. If you can slice it to expose a face, that can be polished with a flat lap, which you probably already know. Depending on what kind of thunder egg you are working with, results for trying to tumble them will most likely vary. If you decide to go ahead and give it a shot, please post before and after pics, and let us know how things turned out.
Hey Dillon! I know you saw my CMT thread when I cabbed it...but I've never tumbled it. One of the things I learned with slabbing/cabbing this material is that it's highly unstable. It seems to come apart between the materials that are in it...like it wasn't "cemented" sufficiently.
Come to think of it, I have actually tossed some scraps into the mix as "filler" and they came out alright...if I remember correctly now! LOL
I did them the same way you're describing...rotary then vibe. I know that's correct because that's how I've done all my tumbles! LOL
Thanks Jason. Once I get to it I'll update this post. I can definitely see what you mean about it being unstable - I experienced some of that from cutting it up. Your cabs looked real cool by the way! It seems like CMTs were real hot for a while, but now people don't do much with them. I still think they are pretty cool.
I did a search for “tumbling thundereggs” in the main search box for the RTH Site which gave several discussions abt this idea. Below are the top three:
I think a good response to this question is determining what your expectation is? The thundereggs in Oregon are made up of an unstable exterior matrix covering a harder interior. If you can slice it to expose a face, that can be polished with a flat lap, which you probably already know. Depending on what kind of thunder egg you are working with, results for trying to tumble them will most likely vary. If you decide to go ahead and give it a shot, please post before and after pics, and let us know how things turned out.
Good luck.
markb
Thanks MarkB I will definitely check out these threads. I've tumbled some some Oregon egg scraps before with mixed results. This time I'm looking to do cut up Cold Mountain Thundereggs - I bet there is some relevant info in these threads! Thanks again.
Last Edit: May 22, 2023 20:19:15 GMT -5 by dillonf
Hey Dillon! I know you saw my CMT thread when I cabbed it...but I've never tumbled it. One of the things I learned with slabbing/cabbing this material is that it's highly unstable. It seems to come apart between the materials that are in it...like it wasn't "cemented" sufficiently.
Come to think of it, I have actually tossed some scraps into the mix as "filler" and they came out alright...if I remember correctly now! LOL
I did them the same way you're describing...rotary then vibe. I know that's correct because that's how I've done all my tumbles! LOL
Thanks Jason. Once I get to it I'll update this post. I can definitely see what you mean about it being unstable - I experienced some of that from cutting it up. Your cabs looked real cool by the way! It seems like CMTs were real hot for a while, but now people don't do much with them. I still think they are pretty cool.
Thanks Dillon!
I am absolutely amazed by the material...and even tried to get a couple different batches ordered at different times. I had hoped the second batch I ordered would be a bit more stable...but it wasn't. I'd LOVE to work more cabs of this stuff...but I can't stomach spending the money "sight unseen" hoping I'm going to get some pieces stable enough to slab and cab.
Favorite Quotes: "It always seems impossible until it is done." - Nelson Mandela "Life becomes easier when you learn to accept the apology you never got." - Robert Brault "You can't wait until life isn't hard anymore before you decide to be happy." - Nightbirde (RIP 2/19/22)
Thanks Jason. Once I get to it I'll update this post. I can definitely see what you mean about it being unstable - I experienced some of that from cutting it up. Your cabs looked real cool by the way! It seems like CMTs were real hot for a while, but now people don't do much with them. I still think they are pretty cool.
Thanks Dillon!
I am absolutely amazed by the material...and even tried to get a couple different batches ordered at different times. I had hoped the second batch I ordered would be a bit more stable...but it wasn't. I'd LOVE to work more cabs of this stuff...but I can't stomach spending the money "sight unseen" hoping I'm going to get some pieces stable enough to slab and cab.
I've been cutting CMTs in hopes of getting some specimen pieces. I've had similar experiences in that a majority of it is not specimen quality. If I come across something that is big enough to cab, looks good, and is nice and solid I'll let you know. I don't mind sending some out to you if it's worth cabbing - better use of it than getting tumbled!
This is the only one I've cut so far that I would consider specimen quality - I got it from the gem shop:
Last Edit: May 22, 2023 20:57:54 GMT -5 by dillonf
I am absolutely amazed by the material...and even tried to get a couple different batches ordered at different times. I had hoped the second batch I ordered would be a bit more stable...but it wasn't. I'd LOVE to work more cabs of this stuff...but I can't stomach spending the money "sight unseen" hoping I'm going to get some pieces stable enough to slab and cab.
I've been cutting CMTs in hopes of getting some specimen pieces. I've had similar experiences in that a majority of it is not specimen quality. If I come across something that is big enough to cab, looks good, and is nice and solid I'll let you know. I don't mind sending some out to you if it's worth cabbing - better use of it than getting tumbled!
This is the only one I've cut so far that I would consider specimen quality - I got it from the gem shop:
Dillon, I seriously appreciate that offer!
I actually do have some sitting in a bag somewhere. I can't remember off hand if there was anything usable in that bag...or if I had just got irritated and shoved it to the back! LOL
Oh...and a little birdie told me you might be getting some rocks that came out of my yard!
Favorite Quotes: "It always seems impossible until it is done." - Nelson Mandela "Life becomes easier when you learn to accept the apology you never got." - Robert Brault "You can't wait until life isn't hard anymore before you decide to be happy." - Nightbirde (RIP 2/19/22)
I've been cutting CMTs in hopes of getting some specimen pieces. I've had similar experiences in that a majority of it is not specimen quality. If I come across something that is big enough to cab, looks good, and is nice and solid I'll let you know. I don't mind sending some out to you if it's worth cabbing - better use of it than getting tumbled!
This is the only one I've cut so far that I would consider specimen quality - I got it from the gem shop:
Dillon, I seriously appreciate that offer!
I actually do have some sitting in a bag somewhere. I can't remember off hand if there was anything usable in that bag...or if I had just got irritated and shoved it to the back! LOL
Oh...and a little birdie told me you might be getting some rocks that came out of my yard!
Dang! Well that is sweet! Can't wait to see what came out of your yard!
We built a big rock tumbler for our middle school kids using car tires (5 of them). When we asked them what did they want to tumble they said: geodes and thunder eggs. So we shrugged and said, sure why not see what happens. The thunder eggs definitely lost their outer covering, exposing the inner crystal orb. We dubbed these "naked geodes". We could spend some more time trying to shape them, but we don't have a saw to slice them open and see if they have a void inside.
We can do more (a lot more) if you want us to run an experiment for you Just tell me what you want, thunder eggs? What size? Grit? 60/90? Anything else?
We built a big rock tumbler for our middle school kids using car tires (5 of them). When we asked them what did they want to tumble they said: geodes and thunder eggs. So we shrugged and said, sure why not see what happens. The thunder eggs definitely lost their outer covering, exposing the inner crystal orb. We dubbed these "naked geodes". We could spend some more time trying to shape them, but we don't have a saw to slice them open and see if they have a void inside.
We can do more (a lot more) if you want us to run an experiment for you Just tell me what you want, thunder eggs? What size? Grit? 60/90? Anything else?
Wow! That is an awesome project!! Using a smaller inner-tube to seal off the tire for tumbling is ingenious! I'm just cutting up some Cold Mountain thundereggs, because they didn't have very nice patterning when cut in half, so I thought tumbling them might be cool. Don't have a good idea for an experiment off the top of my head, but if I think of one I'll let you know.
So I had off work today and cut up some of the Cold Mountain thundereggs I have for tumbling in the future:
Prior to cutting (plus a chunk of graveyard plume agate):
Bits for tumbling:
Some slices (front and back):
Cold Mountain egg that turned out to be a solid Oco.
Cold Mountain egg that had a brain inside (pretty cool):
These 2 I will polish the cut face and see how they come out:
Hopefully, I can get the tumbling bits in a rotary in a month or so . . . . I'm a bit skeptical that they will do well in the tumbler, because many of the pieces are 1/2 agate/chalcedony which is harder than the surrounding matrix.
My cold mountain thundereggs just finished 2 weeks of coarse grind 60/90. I think they are looking pretty good. The dark maroon ones with blue inclusions came from the gem shop. The more orangey ones with more agate in them came from JH Kalmore.
(The 3 in the top left of the picture are some random jasper I got in some discount bins.)
Most of the CMTE I've gotten has been from JH Kalmore...
Favorite Quotes: "It always seems impossible until it is done." - Nelson Mandela "Life becomes easier when you learn to accept the apology you never got." - Robert Brault "You can't wait until life isn't hard anymore before you decide to be happy." - Nightbirde (RIP 2/19/22)
I like the results seen in the video, thanks for posting them…I can’t help you with any tumbling advice or tips, but I am wondering if the quartz-like inclusions in those CMTs fluoresce when hit by UV light? Anyone know?
I like the results seen in the video, thanks for posting them…I can’t help you with any tumbling advice or tips, but I am wondering if the quartz-like inclusions in those CMTs fluoresce when hit by UV light? Anyone know?
I don't have a UV light - otherwise I'd check it out for you.
So I had this little chip of CMTE on my bench and I added it to the Lot-O with a batch for 220-polish, and here is how it came out:
I was pretty surprised! I didn't expect it to be so cool. Watch - this little chip will be the coolest piece in the whole batch! I am pulling the rest out of coarse grit next week . . . I think most will be ready to move on to 220 . . .
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Welcome to the Rock Tumbling Hobby Forum where we share a love of rocks and a sense of community as enduring as the stones we polish.
The RTH Forum of www.RockTumbling.com is an Amazon Associate site and we earn money from
qualifying purchases you make after clicking on our links such as this
Rock Tumbling Supplies on Amazon
link for instance, or any of our various product ads and banners. By clicking our links every time you begin your Amazon shopping
experience, you are generating a bit of revenue for the forum which helps us cover our expenses. Thank you for your support!
Just tell me what you want, thunder eggs? What size? Grit? 60/90? Anything else?
