ObsidianOrder
off to a rocking start
Member since May 2023
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Post by ObsidianOrder on Jun 1, 2023 17:14:50 GMT -5
Hello! I am seriously new to the world of rock tumbling; so new that I don’t think I can even claim the rank of “Noob.” I’ve been collecting rocks and fossils for some time now, but I never tried polishing until recently. I’ve hand-polished some rocks and fossils with good results, but I have a specimen that is giving me pause, and I need help. I found this sample of hexagonaria on a trip to Lake Erie last spring. It is 3.5 x 4 inches in size, set in a matrix of 7 x 8.5 inches. I would like to try to polish it and leave it in the matrix. Now, when I say “hand-polish,” I mean exactly that. I don’t own, nor have access to, any lapidary equipment. I use Borax to clean, and sandpaper and powder grit to polish. I don’t even use a hand sander. I currently have wet/dry sandpaper in grits of 80, 150, 180, 220, 400, 800, and 1000. My powder grits are 46/70, 60/90, 180/220, and 500 in silicon carbide, and 500 and 1200 in aluminum oxide. I also have mineral oil, petroleum jelly, and Zam for helping with shine. The photos of the hexagonaria were taken before I touched the specimen in any way. However, since the photo was taken, I have undertaken cleaning it with slightly sudsy borax and a soft toothbrush. Cleaning revealed more of the pattern of the coral and a pinkish hue. My question is: Can I polish this, and if so, what is the best method? Also, if any identifying information could be given, I would really appreciate it! Let me know if I need to provide more information or photos! Thanks so much for providing this forum!
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Post by chris1956 on Jun 1, 2023 18:22:53 GMT -5
It will probably polish to some degree but the last photo leads me to believe that you will have a lot of small voids that will tend to affect the overall look of the rock when polished. I would work on a small portion and get it to the 220 grit level. When I polish these rocks, I can usually tell about how the final finish will look after 220 grit with the rock wet. That should give you an idea if it is worth doing the entire rock. Also, with the depth of the holes (eyes), it is going to take a lot of elbow grease to get rid of those to a smooth surface. You might see if you can get 30 grit sandpaper (don't know if you can or not). I got tired of working away on a cabber at 80 grit so I bought a 30 grit wheel. It helped a lot in reducing time to get through to solid material for these stones. Hope this helps.
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Post by jasoninsd on Jun 1, 2023 20:54:12 GMT -5
It will probably polish to some degree but the last photo leads me to believe that you will have a lot of small voids that will tend to affect the overall look of the rock when polished. I would work on a small portion and get it to the 220 grit level. When I polish these rocks, I can usually tell about how the final finish will look after 220 grit with the rock wet. That should give you an idea if it is worth doing the entire rock. Also, with the depth of the holes (eyes), it is going to take a lot of elbow grease to get rid of those to a smooth surface. You might see if you can get 30 grit sandpaper (don't know if you can or not). I got tired of working away on a cabber at 80 grit so I bought a 30 grit wheel. It helped a lot in reducing time to get through to solid material for these stones. Hope this helps. ObsidianOrder - Chris has got some great advice. He does know his Michigan rocks!!
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ObsidianOrder
off to a rocking start
Member since May 2023
Posts: 8
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Post by ObsidianOrder on Jun 1, 2023 21:32:01 GMT -5
It will probably polish to some degree but the last photo leads me to believe that you will have a lot of small voids that will tend to affect the overall look of the rock when polished. I would work on a small portion and get it to the 220 grit level. When I polish these rocks, I can usually tell about how the final finish will look after 220 grit with the rock wet. That should give you an idea if it is worth doing the entire rock. Also, with the depth of the holes (eyes), it is going to take a lot of elbow grease to get rid of those to a smooth surface. You might see if you can get 30 grit sandpaper (don't know if you can or not). I got tired of working away on a cabber at 80 grit so I bought a 30 grit wheel. It helped a lot in reducing time to get through to solid material for these stones. Hope this helps. Thanks, so much! I’m not afraid of a lot of elbow grease, and I’m patient enough to take however long it takes, lol. This thing just makes me nervous, and I don’t want to rub out the pattern or color. There’s also a lot of sediment in the eyes. The only weathering it received was from high water, so it’s nearly as rough as an inland variety. I definitely need direction when it comes to this little monster! I’ll post photos of my progress, if I actually progress. Thanks again, Chris! And also Jason for the backup!
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Post by jasoninsd on Jun 1, 2023 21:46:10 GMT -5
It will probably polish to some degree but the last photo leads me to believe that you will have a lot of small voids that will tend to affect the overall look of the rock when polished. I would work on a small portion and get it to the 220 grit level. When I polish these rocks, I can usually tell about how the final finish will look after 220 grit with the rock wet. That should give you an idea if it is worth doing the entire rock. Also, with the depth of the holes (eyes), it is going to take a lot of elbow grease to get rid of those to a smooth surface. You might see if you can get 30 grit sandpaper (don't know if you can or not). I got tired of working away on a cabber at 80 grit so I bought a 30 grit wheel. It helped a lot in reducing time to get through to solid material for these stones. Hope this helps. Thanks, so much! I’m not afraid of a lot of elbow grease, and I’m patient enough to take however long it takes, lol. This thing just makes me nervous, and I don’t want to rub out the pattern or color. There’s also a lot of sediment in the eyes. The only weathering it received was from high water, so it’s nearly as rough as an inland variety. I definitely need direction when it comes to this little monster! I’ll post photos of my progress, if I actually progress. Thanks again, Chris! And also Jason for the backup! Just this last week I polished a couple Petoskey Stones I got from Rob (Michigan Rocks on YouTube)...but I did mine the easy way...on the cabbing machine. I also got a Charlevoix Stone from chris1956 that is waiting in the wings for me to decide if I want to slab it...or polish it "as is". One of the Petoskey Stones had those "deep" kind of voids like your sample. I was able to grind them down to get rid of the void and it still maintained the hexagonal outline. However, the inner part didn't take a polish like the other areas did. I like Chris's idea of going with a coarser grit to start. Even 60 grit would go quicker than 80 (I know...a Captain Obvious statement! LOL). Good news is these stones are super hard...so it'll be a lot less work than trying to hand polish an agate.
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Post by chris1956 on Jun 1, 2023 21:49:40 GMT -5
Another caution (from looking at the last photo) is that the patterns you see are probably from differential weathering. Because the rock is light colored, it is possible the eye patterns won't be very visible once you have ground the rock flat. Just have to try an area and see what happens.
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realrockhound
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Chucking leaverite at tweekers
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Post by realrockhound on Jun 1, 2023 22:20:38 GMT -5
100 mg of doxycycline should do the trick.
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ObsidianOrder
off to a rocking start
Member since May 2023
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Post by ObsidianOrder on Jun 5, 2023 19:19:48 GMT -5
100 mg of doxycycline should do the trick. Yep! Should clear that right up!😂😂😂
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ObsidianOrder
off to a rocking start
Member since May 2023
Posts: 8
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Post by ObsidianOrder on Jun 5, 2023 19:33:33 GMT -5
Another caution (from looking at the last photo) is that the patterns you see are probably from differential weathering. Because the rock is light colored, it is possible the eye patterns won't be very visible once you have ground the rock flat. Just have to try an area and see what happens. Differential weathering makes sense, considering the situation in which I found it. I’ve managed to clean it up a bit, and I’ve uncovered a little more detail. I’ll post some photos when I get a chance. I’ve purchased a Dremel, but I’m not sure if I should try it on this specimen. I think I’ll try sandpaper on the underside to see where that gets me.
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realrockhound
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Chucking leaverite at tweekers
Member since June 2020
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Post by realrockhound on Jun 5, 2023 20:14:23 GMT -5
100 mg of doxycycline should do the trick. Yep! Should clear that right up!😂😂😂 It was a harmless dad joke. Glad you caught that 😂
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