lapidary1234
starting to spend too much on rocks
"If you like rocks you can't be all bad!!" ~ old timer quote
Member since October 2021
Posts: 241
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Post by lapidary1234 on Sept 9, 2023 23:43:52 GMT -5
Hello friends, I currently have some rocks in a diamond pacific mt-4 vibe tumbler stage 3 400 grit churning along nicely. I have a fresh selection of grits that I ordered and have thought about switching it up (hence the 400).
Keep in mind in mind I've only had the mt4 for around 3 months but I've done a couple batches with decent results using the common sequence of Stage 1 (rotary) 1 week 80 grit Stage 2 (vibe) 3-5 days 220 grit Stage 3 (vibe) 3 days 500 AO Stage 4 (vibe) 3 days 1000 AO Stage 5 (vibe) 3-5 days micro alumina polish
This time id like to experiment a bit so I put through the first stages like normal but then went with 400 grit sc.
My next thought is whether to do a run of 600 grit sc for a few days and then drop back to 500 AO. I've read that AO will breakdown into a finer grit so if you run for a few days the 500 may be closer to 750-800 by the time you clean out.
If anyone has thought on this or does something similar please chime in, any advice is good advice. I was also thinking about just running the 600 sc for a few days and then going to 1000 grit AO.
Alot of options here, let me know whats worked for you!
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dillonf
fully equipped rock polisher
Hounding and tumbling
Member since February 2022
Posts: 1,622
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Post by dillonf on Sept 12, 2023 18:26:07 GMT -5
I have a Lot-O I sometimes do a 500 SiC tumble before 500 AO as well. I do this when I feel the stones need a more aggressive 500 stage to really smooth everything out. In my opinion this only really matters with some stones like quartz/aventurine/amazonite - I don't think it makes any difference with a tough stone like Bots or Swazi agate.
I also think tripoli pre-polish is very effective in the vib - I have had some great results with more "delicate" materials. I would recommend experimenting with it.
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Post by rmf on Sept 13, 2023 8:40:28 GMT -5
lapidary1234 I knew a guy that tumbled with one grit. He used 46/70 SiC in steel drums. Rocks were tumbled for 1.5 to 2 months. Rocks cleaned and then put back in with wooden pegs (about 1" long with pencil diameter) for polish. He got a good commercial polish. this is because all grits break down over time and when he was done grinding his 46/70 had completely broken down to -600. Tumbling is not like baking a cake where you can't leave out the flower or you won't have a cake. If you change grits adjust with more time or more grit etc. This allows "Rock Tumblers" (the people) to take advantage of cheaper grit options as they come up
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lapidary1234
starting to spend too much on rocks
"If you like rocks you can't be all bad!!" ~ old timer quote
Member since October 2021
Posts: 241
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Post by lapidary1234 on Sept 13, 2023 15:48:52 GMT -5
@hefty (hope this tags you, still learning!)
Thanks for the detailed reply! Between the grit sets that I recently purchased (80,220,600, micro alumina), some 500 AO, 1000 AO,raybrite A. I also have a bunch of grits in coffee cans that (I hope) are properly labeled (46, 90, 320, 400, tripoli). So I have a VERY comprehensive set of grits to use!
I suppose my main question is one that is hard to answer but here it goes...Does anyone have a good idea/estimate of how much/what grade SC breaks down after 5-7 days? Or the same question for AO? I have read and believe that AO breaks down faster/finer
Right now my stones are in 600 sc, I plan to leave them in that for 3-5 days. I am thinking about going to 500 AO after that, I just hope that say after 5 days in 600 sc that the 600 grit won't have broken down to around 1000 because if it will then I may as well just go from 600 sc to 1000 AO.
So if anyone has any ballpark figure for what grit the 600 sc will be after 5 days? I feel like I've read many folks will run 500 AO in a rotary for 2 weeks and skip the 1000 AO altogether. I realize there is more than one way to skin a pig, just seeing what others think.
Also, regarding how much grit I use in the mt4...I also use less than the manual states. Now I'm not sure if it's because I tend to have the barrel very full or I put too much Borax in or what but with a full mt4 barrel I find that the slurry looks much better with 1.5-2 TEASPOONS and close to 1 TABLESPOON Borax.
I also read varying opinions on whether/when to add borax...some folks only use it in prepolish/polish stages but I have found that if I put it in all stages after coarse the stones end up having much less grit stuck in crevices during clean outs!
I am definitely still learning with the vibe, its only my 3rd or 4th batch and I have gotten varying results so far. My best polish came out of a batch of small slabs and cabs. I also got an excellent polish on a batch of only wisconsin moonstone. Finally less than desirable results on a mixed batch of agates/jaspers/moonstones but I think the less polished results came from not long enough in 220 stage or not enough of the 220 grit.
I have read that some folks only run each stage in a vibe for only 2 days but my experience thus far is that I need a little more time AND a little more grit than some of these folks (still less than the manual states). Like I said before, I've also been filling the barrel up VERY full/ bordering on over full.
If you've read this far thank you and I will try and post some photos of the finished batch in a week or so, trying my best to be patient with this one and see if I get better results!!
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lapidary1234
starting to spend too much on rocks
"If you like rocks you can't be all bad!!" ~ old timer quote
Member since October 2021
Posts: 241
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Post by lapidary1234 on Sept 13, 2023 15:56:13 GMT -5
dillonf Thanks fir the reply, I am starting to agree that the sc seems to be a little more aggressive than the 500 AO. The run i did in a rotary with sc/micro alumina came out beautiful! I also find that the AO tends to really get stuck in any crevices! Still experimenting still learning! This forum is a trove of useful information, thanks everyone
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lapidary1234
starting to spend too much on rocks
"If you like rocks you can't be all bad!!" ~ old timer quote
Member since October 2021
Posts: 241
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Post by lapidary1234 on Sept 13, 2023 18:30:14 GMT -5
@hefty Wowzas! That is a detailed thread and congratulations on the tumbling contest, that petrified wood has an amazing shine!! I wonder if I can extrapolate/hazard a guess from your experience...it sounds like the 800 grit was a great intermediary step between 500 and 1000 AO. My only question would be how long did you have the stones in 500 AO? Since I plan to only run 3-5 day stages maybe stepping backward from 600 SC to 500 AO isn't as good of an idea if tha AO won't break down enough to surpass the 600 SC. A better experiment probably would have been to go from 400 SC to 500 AO to 600 SC and see if the 600 SC came put rougher after 5 days than the 500 AO... oh well, always next time. Sounds like I might want to invest in some 800 AO. Yes I am in central Wisconsin (wausau) Regarding the wisconsin moonstone, there is a newer landowner and has contacted a local rockhound/lapidary and worked out a deal with him allowing him to bring out groups for collecting. His name is Bill (not sure if he's a member here or not), but he has a Facebook page and local rock shop under the name "Bill's Moonstones". You can find contact info via Facebook. Collecting is done Wednesdays and (possibly) Saturdays. As far as the price people ask for it, I agree it can be steep but after working with it, you quickly learn how brittle it is and it is and prone to breaking at some stage in the lapidary process. I think the amount of time you have to put in before you get a good solid piece with good color along with it has to be considered! On the other hand the collecting fees at $25 entry & $2/lb are quite reasonable, for less than $100 i was able to pick a 5 gal bucket. Here are some pics from a thread I made showing it: forum.rocktumblinghobby.com/thread/103166/wisconsin-moonstone
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