adam5
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since August 2023
Posts: 153
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Post by adam5 on Oct 15, 2023 12:44:32 GMT -5
Since the results of my tumbles have improved to some degree, I guess I will start sharing photos of them in this thread  Here are some that I found locally (except for the black landscape rock on the lower left):  The epidosite in the rear were tumbled in corn cob media to cut down on undercutting. It did help to some degree. I don't know what exactly the larger orange rocks are. But they are somewhat plentiful around here |
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Post by chris1956 on Oct 15, 2023 12:56:13 GMT -5
Nice polish! Thanks for sharing.
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Post by pebblesky on Oct 15, 2023 13:10:11 GMT -5
Beautiful colors and nice polish!
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Post by jasoninsd on Oct 15, 2023 23:46:08 GMT -5
Great job on that polish Adam!! |
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hplcman
spending too much on rocks
Looking forward to my Friday Night Barrel Clean out!
Member since August 2022
Posts: 492
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Post by hplcman on Oct 16, 2023 9:48:59 GMT -5
Those are really nice! I love the colors, perfect for Halloween!
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adam5
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since August 2023
Posts: 153
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Post by adam5 on Oct 18, 2023 17:53:31 GMT -5
Thank you everybody  I am having a blast learning how to tumble. |
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Post by Starguy on Oct 18, 2023 23:39:35 GMT -5
Tumbling is fun! Your batch looks great.
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adam5
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since August 2023
Posts: 153
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Post by adam5 on Oct 20, 2023 13:32:19 GMT -5
Thanks!
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adam5
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since August 2023
Posts: 153
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Post by adam5 on Oct 20, 2023 13:34:02 GMT -5
Here is a mix of quartz, some found locally and some bought from the Rock Shed:  |
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Post by hummingbirdstones on Oct 20, 2023 20:49:13 GMT -5
Nice job on the tumbles! Very pretty.  |
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Post by jasoninsd on Oct 20, 2023 21:04:08 GMT -5
Adam - You're doing fantastically well on these tumbles! Those are awesome! |
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doublebluff
having dreams about rocks
Member since September 2021
Posts: 60
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Post by doublebluff on Oct 21, 2023 10:38:25 GMT -5
Can you explain what this means? Why corn cob media and what is undercutting?
"The epidosite in the rear were tumbled in corn cob media to cut down on undercutting."
The pics are great- thanks for posting.
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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 Oct 21, 2023 12:17:00 GMT -5
Really nice tumbles! Great job on the quartz!!
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adam5
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since August 2023
Posts: 153
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Post by adam5 on Oct 21, 2023 16:25:00 GMT -5
Can you explain what this means? Why corn cob media and what is undercutting? "The epidosite in the rear were tumbled in corn cob media to cut down on undercutting." The pics are great- thanks for posting. Undercutting is the term for a pitted surface caused by uneven wear. Most hard, homogenous rocks will develop a smooth, polished surface without much trouble. But rocks that are composed of minerals of different hardnesses can develop a pitted surface. The classic example is granite. The black mica is softer than the white quartz and pink feldspar that is commonly found in granite. So the mica wears away faster than the quartz and feldspar and leaves pock marks on the surface. In my case, the green epidote is softer than the quartz in my epidosite. It wears away evenly, but faster than the quartz. The quartz ends up falling out and leaves a depression. Also, I think the darker mineral may be hornblende, which is softer than the epidote. The end result was that I could get it to shine, but there were a lot of surface defects. I switched to using corn cob media (no water) as the tumbling media during prepolish and polish since it would be easier on the surface of the rocks than the ceramic media. I got a better but not perfect result. |
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adam5
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since August 2023
Posts: 153
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Post by adam5 on Oct 24, 2023 5:28:04 GMT -5
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adam5
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since August 2023
Posts: 153
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Post by adam5 on Nov 4, 2023 4:42:48 GMT -5
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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 Nov 4, 2023 4:52:18 GMT -5
Very cool! You got a great shine on those! The look of stones that are done solely in the vibe - no rotary - is very interesting. I've done some turritella agate like that for the same reason as you - I thought they were too small to survive rotary. There is something to be said for getting a great shine and keeping that original organic shape. adam5 What type of vibe tumbler do you have? |
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adam5
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since August 2023
Posts: 153
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Post by adam5 on Nov 4, 2023 9:07:34 GMT -5
Thanks dillon!
I have two RayTech TV-5 bases, several TV-5 bowls, and one UV minibowl. I primarily used the minibowl for these rocks. I used 80 SC during the shaping, then eventually moved on to 120/220 SC, and then prepolish and polish
I forgot to mention that I did put these in a 3# barrel for 3 days at one point to soften the edges. In my opinion that was a day or two too long.
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adam5
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since August 2023
Posts: 153
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Post by adam5 on Dec 17, 2023 7:35:12 GMT -5
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Post by jasoninsd on Dec 17, 2023 11:12:39 GMT -5
The pics are incredible in the new light box!! |
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