mgroothuis
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since November 2022
Posts: 163
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Post by mgroothuis on May 22, 2023 15:34:21 GMT -5
I plan on buying a few 5 gallon buckets of pea gravel from our local farm store. Cheap, easy, plentiful!
For rotary stage 1 tumbling, I have always sorted out the soft limestone and only used the mohs 7 pebbles. Am I wasting my time?
It seems like the limestone would simply hold the grit and thicken the slurry, maybe even pad the larger rocks better, too. (12lb barrel) I kind of like the flocculent properties of the limestone in the slurry buckets too.
Curious if others sort out the limestone too for this stage.
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Post by jasoninsd on May 22, 2023 20:54:57 GMT -5
Oh for gosh sakes, I had to look up flocculent! LOL
I don't have a definite answer...but I like the way you're thinking with regards to using it as a cushion and slurry thickener. I've used my driveway gravel as filler...and I'm not too sure it isn't limestone also...and it definitely thickened the slurry!
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Mark K
Cave Dweller
Member since April 2012
Posts: 2,567
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Post by Mark K on May 22, 2023 21:46:11 GMT -5
Try it both ways and see how it works for you. Results may vary.
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Post by velodromed on May 23, 2023 7:07:55 GMT -5
I have not had any trouble with it. I’ll use playground pea gravel sometimes when I want more cushion. It’s about 50% limestone in this area. They wear down fairly quick so definitely add to slurry.
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vance71975
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since September 2022
Posts: 760
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Post by vance71975 on May 23, 2023 13:29:04 GMT -5
I plan on buying a few 5 gallon buckets of pea gravel from our local farm store. Cheap, easy, plentiful! For rotary stage 1 tumbling, I have always sorted out the soft limestone and only used the mohs 7 pebbles. Am I wasting my time? It seems like the limestone would simply hold the grit and thicken the slurry, maybe even pad the larger rocks better, too. (12lb barrel) I kind of like the flocculent properties of the limestone in the slurry buckets too. Curious if others sort out the limestone too for this stage. FWIW I never sort my pea gravel and it works just fine, its not there to look good, just add more surface to trap grit between the gravel and the rocks you want to look good, plus provide padding. So I would say dont bother.
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mgroothuis
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since November 2022
Posts: 163
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Post by mgroothuis on May 24, 2023 14:30:51 GMT -5
Ok. Sounds like it's not too big of a deal. I didn't want to keep it in for a week and have a barrel explode from it or anything. I've only run limestone for a few days at a time when running Petoskey or lightning stones. I'll give it a whirl.
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Post by Mel on May 24, 2023 14:32:35 GMT -5
I'd give it a spin; what's the worst that'll happen? I've used a lot of random grid road gravel as filler before, sometimes it thickens up the slurry quite a bit and sometimes not at all (plus it gives the occasional treasure!). Maybe tumble it for 4-5 days and see. Can always dump some out and thin down the slurry with more water.
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geoff59
spending too much on rocks
Member since October 2022
Posts: 278
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Post by geoff59 on Jun 3, 2023 5:19:54 GMT -5
It is good for thickening a slurry. Anything like it, marble chips for example. Be really careful about using too much of it though, because you can easily end up with over-thickened slurry that loses its flow. It can end up more like wet dough, sticking to everything and creating quite a mess to clean, including within pits and crevices in the load. Ask me how I learned this! Lol!
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mgroothuis
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since November 2022
Posts: 163
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Post by mgroothuis on Jun 4, 2023 6:59:04 GMT -5
Ask me how I learned this! Lol! So, how did you learn this? My first 12lb barrel using limestone/gravel mix is due for cleanout tonight. I'm looking forward to the first results.
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mgroothuis
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since November 2022
Posts: 163
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Post by mgroothuis on Jun 5, 2023 8:14:33 GMT -5
Last night was the first cleanout using the limestone/gravel mix. I have to admit, it was the best results I've had from a 12lb barrel yet. Virtually no bruising or chipping, and it mostly ground away the chips and flaws from previous tumbles. Many of the rocks are 2-3 inches. I clearly need to add more water next time to release more of the grit. I had the consistency of "stew"... Not as thick as pudding, not as thin as soup. Good result.
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geoff59
spending too much on rocks
Member since October 2022
Posts: 278
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Post by geoff59 on Jun 20, 2023 18:55:46 GMT -5
Ask me how I learned this! Lol! So, how did you learn this? My first 12lb barrel using limestone/gravel mix is due for cleanout tonight. I'm looking forward to the first results. I learned: when I opened the barrel and had a load of rock that was in a thick goopy paste, like plaster of Paris. I spent the better part of an hour rinsing and scrubbing it off the rocks, and then had to deal with it being down inside surface defects on the rocks. Went from step 2 back in to step 1 to do another heavy grind, to get rid of the residual.
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mgroothuis
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since November 2022
Posts: 163
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Post by mgroothuis on Jul 8, 2023 21:07:55 GMT -5
I’ve been running a limestone gravel mix for a while now and I’ve never had better results. The bruising in the 12lb barrels is almost non existent now. I had stopped rolling things with feldspar (at least I think it’s feldspar…the pink brittle rock in some granite), but the limestone pads the tumble like nothing else I’ve tried so far. Extra water is necessary to make the slurry thinner, but it’s been great.
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