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Post by wolfcreekwoodcrafts on Feb 17, 2024 17:22:34 GMT -5
I am having a hard time getting my rocks to shine. I have followed all the rules in the book that came with the rock tumbler to no avail.
I have completed 2 batches of rocks. I have a third in a tumbler now. 1 batch I gathered myself and the other batch came with the tumbler. When I finished the batch that I gathered myself I just figured that they were not really meant to be tumbled. Too soft or something else, I don't know. So I thought the bag of rocks that came with the tumbler would be different. I figured that they would be shine like crazy. But nope. No shine at all. They look just like the rocks I gathered myself.
I read in the troubleshooting section of the instruction book about this issue. It said if you rocks don't shine apply mineral oil to them.... okay but, aren't they supposed to shine without having to apply mineral oil? I have applied mineral oil to them several times and they do shine...until the mineral oil just disappears. Then are right back where they started. And, again I say, aren't they supposed to shine without putting mineral oil on them? I can get the shine result with regular water too, but when it dries they sure don't shine anymore.
If anyone has any suggestions I would be so grateful. I am going to go read through the post on the forum and see what I find about this issue.
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Post by chris1956 on Feb 17, 2024 17:29:35 GMT -5
Can you change the font color to white. Not sure how you do that but someone will know and comment. Also, if you could tell us the type of tumbler(s) you have (rotary and or vibratory) and the grits and polish (size and type) you have used so far. Photos of the stones after your polishing would help also. You can find how to use the Cloudinary Upload (for photos) in the "User Guide". Let us know if you have questions on how to do this.
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titaniumkid
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2023
Posts: 501
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Post by titaniumkid on Feb 17, 2024 17:34:19 GMT -5
Hello  As well as knowing the tumbler type, grit and polished you are using, could you also tell us what type of rocks you are tumbling (if you know)? Some rocks can be tough to get shiny. Others will only ever be matte. There are heaps of expert rock tumblers here, so once they know the details they will be able to give you excellent advice. |
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Post by wolfcreekwoodcrafts on Feb 17, 2024 18:16:43 GMT -5
Okay, on the changing the font to white...it looks black to me so I am not sure what do there, sorry.
On the grit it is
Step 1 - 60 grit - 5 days speed 3
Step 2 - 150 grit - 7 days speed 2
Step 3 - 600 grit - 7 days speed 1
Step 4 - 1200 grit - 7 days speed 1
The grit packets came with the rock tumbler.
It is a rotary tumbler.
I really do not know what kind of rocks I gathered myself. I just picked up interesting looking rocks, but I don't know what kind of rock they are. They were the first load.
The second load was the gemstone rocks that came with the tumbler. Tiger eye, amethyst, rose quartz, the regulars that come with every tumbler I guess.
The rocks that I gathered myself just tumbled away, I mean, some of them actually disappeared. So I am guessing that were just too soft. They were gone before they even made it to step 3. But some of them looked very nice as long as they remained wet. Then of course I soaked them with mineral oil as per the instruction book said to do if the didn't shine. That made them pop and look great until the mineral oil kind of just wore off.
The rocks that came with the tumbler did not fare much better. It was a pound of large, very large in my opinion, rocks that I thought would do better. They did not. Most of them wore away to almost nothing and some disappeared altogether just like the rocks I gathered myself. Which was a huge disappointment as I thought they would do better since they came with the tumbler.
Any and all help and suggestions are appreciated!
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Post by Pat on Feb 17, 2024 18:23:54 GMT -5
Many RTHings use the dark blue background. When you changed it, the type turned to white on the dark blue background, and I can see it. Thanks! And welcome from California. I’m not a tumbler, but there are many good tumblers here. aDave. His initial post text is still black. |
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Post by aDave on Feb 17, 2024 18:29:53 GMT -5
Pat, I just changed it now.
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Post by wolfcreekwoodcrafts on Feb 17, 2024 18:44:13 GMT -5
I was reading about "burnishing". Would Dawn dish soap work?
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Post by aDave on Feb 17, 2024 18:45:08 GMT -5
Okay, on the changing the font to white...it looks black to me so I am not sure what do there, sorry. On the grit it is Step 1 - 60 grit - 5 days speed 3 Step 2 - 150 grit - 7 days speed 2 Step 3 - 600 grit - 7 days speed 1 Step 4 - 1200 grit - 7 days speed 1 The grit packets came with the rock tumbler. It is a rotary tumbler. I really do not know what kind of rocks I gathered myself. I just picked up interesting looking rocks, but I don't know what kind of rock they are. They were the first load. The second load was the gemstone rocks that came with the tumbler. Tiger eye, amethyst, rose quartz, the regulars that come with every tumbler I guess. The rocks that I gathered myself just tumbled away, I mean, some of them actually disappeared. So I am guessing that were just too soft. They were gone before they even made it to step 3. But some of them looked very nice as long as they remained wet. Then of course I soaked them with mineral oil as per the instruction book said to do if the didn't shine. That made them pop and look great until the mineral oil kind of just wore off. The rocks that came with the tumbler did not fare much better. It was a pound of large, very large in my opinion, rocks that I thought would do better. They did not. Most of them wore away to almost nothing and some disappeared altogether just like the rocks I gathered myself. Which was a huge disappointment as I thought they would do better since they came with the tumbler. Any and all help and suggestions are appreciated! I hope you don't mind, but I changed the font color on your original post. I didn't do anything to content. I'm going to take a wild guess that you have a Nat Geo tumbler or similar. Many of the "toy" or introductory tumblers come with different speeds, somewhat substandard rocks, and polish that isn't really polish. First, do some reading up on the Mohs Hardness scale. It's a means of determining how hard rocks are which will help you determine what rocks are most likely to polish (get a shine). Your rocks that disappeared are too soft and will never polish. They would be on the lower end of the Mohs scale. Ideally, you want rocks somewhere around 7 or above if you want them to shine. Rocks that around a 5 or 6 will probably only smooth and take a matte finish. Jaspers and agates with a hardness of 7 or above are great rocks for beginners to work with. Your 1200 grit is really not a polish, and it won't do much, if anything, to develop a shine. 1200 would be considered a pre-polish, and the best you can expect from it in a rotary tumbler is a matte finish. If you can find an AO (aluminum oxide) polish with AT LEAST a size of 8000, you'll probably be okay. If you can find something above that (say 12000 or so), even better. I can't comment on the speed thing, as I have never used a tumbler like yours. Start with some of the initial changes I've mentioned, and the finer details can be worked after you get better polish and rocks and have run a batch. |
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Post by aDave on Feb 17, 2024 18:46:38 GMT -5
I was reading about "burnishing". Would Dawn dish soap work? Burnishing will not help what you're dealing with. You have some initial "fixes" to do. |
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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 Feb 17, 2024 19:05:02 GMT -5
I would start here:
Michigan rocks has the best rock tumbling tutorials.
You will honestly learn more from his vids as a beginner than I could share here.
Cheers! And good luck! Don't get discouraged - we have all had bad tumbles! Happens to the best of us.
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brybry
Cave Dweller 
Enter your message here...
Member since October 2021
Posts: 1,221
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Post by brybry on Feb 17, 2024 19:19:14 GMT -5
Stage 1 isn't measured in days as much as weeks or months. Pretty sure the book with your tumbler sucks. The video is way better. FYI, 1200 AO isn't a polish.
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Post by chris1956 on Feb 17, 2024 19:23:21 GMT -5
Looks like you are getting some good advice. As mentioned, it is probably best to start with hard rocks.
You can find the finer grit polishes at Kingsley North or the Rock Shed.
The video from Michigan Rocks will use a vibratory tumbler. You can get very good polishes in the rotary but you will need to use more polish than he recommends for the vibratory tumbler.
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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 Feb 17, 2024 19:43:50 GMT -5
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skmcconnell361
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since August 2023
Posts: 125 
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Post by skmcconnell361 on Feb 17, 2024 21:30:07 GMT -5
At first, I was frustrated following the instructions also. They simply did not work. First, that video in the post above from Michigan Rock is the same one I watched. he has good advice which I followed mostly. The first thing I can tell you is only use the lowest speed which is too fast at that. also, I found that a longer time is better if it says 3 to 5 days, then 5 days is what you need. Also after reading the book "Modern Rock Tumbling" by Steve Hart available here rocktumbler.com/questions.shtml. I now use a 5-step process. and I use Borax in between steps. Here is my process after some adjustments, Step 1 National Geographic step 1 grit or 60/90 grit, after I use up Nat Geo, supplies. Seven days and repeat as necessary to get the desired roundness and smooth surfaces Step 2 grit or 150/220 grit 7 days or until scratches from step 1 are gone. Use ceramic media to replace lost volume from step 1 Step 3 grit, Nat Geo Pre Polish or 600 grit. 7 days or until scratches for step 2 are gone Step 4 grit, Nat Geo Polish or 1200 girt. 10 days. Note not many rocks will not polish with 1200 grit which is a better pre-polish. Step 5 is Micro Aluminum Oxide Polish 1 to 3-micron size or 8000 grit. I bought it from the Rock Shed. 10 days. now that is the shine I was looking for! As far as using Borax in-between steps and after the final Polish you only need to run it for a few hours, but I tend to start that before going to bed and start the next step when I get up the next morning. Just like cooking the instructions are just a starting point, then you adjust to get the flavor you are looking for. For me, it was repeating step 1 as necessary, and adding Aluminum Oxide Polish as a final polish. |
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Post by wolfcreekwoodcrafts on Feb 18, 2024 10:49:44 GMT -5
Thanks to all of you for all the help. OMG... I thought I could just throw the rocks in there, put in the grit, follow their directions and I would have polished rocks. I guess not. LOL Okay, I am frustrated now that I fell for that, but not frustrated enough to give up. I will watch the videos , maybe purchase that book and keep reading here. I am determined to get shiney rocks. I started with the Nat Geo tumbler but could never get the lid on and off and then in mid tumble it started leaking. Honestly? I threw it away. I then bought this one www.amazon.com/dp/B0C58TH7W6 "K2 Elite Professional Rock Tumbler Kit, Ultra Quiet & Cutting Edge Brushless Motor Rock Polisher for Adults & Rock Collector, Noise-Reduction, Extra Large 3 Lbs Barrel" Actually I bought 2 of them. They were on sale at the time. I am not unhappy with the tumblers themselves. They are a lot better in every way I can tell than the Nat Geo one I had. The tumbler does have speeds 3-2-1...3 being the faster and 1 the slowest... and you can program the days from 1 to 9. Plus the noise level is so much better with these. The Nat Geo was so loud I moved it out to my shop. That is where I found it on day 3 or 4 leaking. The K2 may not be top of the line but it's more than enough for me as a beginner. Now if I can just figure out what rocks are what and how to get them to shine LOL |
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Post by wolfcreekwoodcrafts on Feb 18, 2024 11:13:05 GMT -5
 This is what the rocks I gathered looked like before they were tumbled.  This is what they looked like after I tumbled them BUT they are covered in mineral oil to get that look they have. Before I put the mineral oil on them they were as dull as the first picture. They look totally difference and so pretty, at least to me, as long as they are wet with mineral oil. This is just a picture to show what I was talking about. Although you all probably already knew LOL |
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dshanpnw
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since December 2020
Posts: 1,158
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Post by dshanpnw on Feb 18, 2024 13:38:36 GMT -5
This is what the rocks I gathered looked like before they were tumbled. This is what they looked like after I tumbled them BUT they are covered in mineral oil to get that look they have. Before I put the mineral oil on them they were as dull as the first picture. They look totally difference and so pretty, at least to me, as long as they are wet with mineral oil. This is just a picture to show what I was talking about. Although you all probably already knew LOL Hello, you have a nice variety of rocks there. Nice photo too. The smaller ones in the second photo look like quartz which will polish okay. Some of the other large darker ones maybe not so much. They look very porous, meaning, they're not solid like a jasper or agate, but filled with very tiny holes. If you put water on a porous rock it will kind of soak right into it, sort of like a sponge. Those rocks might get a poor matte finish if that.
I think you can shine rocks with almost any tumbler if used properly. Good grit and polish does make a difference. The book, Modern Rock Tumbling is excellent and you will get a better understanding of everything the author explains as you gain experience. Anyway, lots of good advice from a lot of folks already. I hope soon you will not have to use any more mineral oil on your rocks.
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