zebra61
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2024
Posts: 161
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Post by zebra61 on Apr 9, 2024 12:15:18 GMT -5
I'm using #1/2 Tsp 61 Rapid Polish in my vibes and getting a lot of suds building up in the barrel. I've got hard well water and I'm wondering if this is adding to the issue. My vendor told me to add 1 'squirt' of Soft Soap to the barrel but that just made things worse. Even cutting that down to a single drop of SS made too much suds.
So my question:
1. Do I need to add any kind of carrier at all? The polish appears to get well distributed in the barrel.
2. Is the hard water making the polish suds up?
3. Should I be drying the load more thoroughly before tumbling it? (I've straining it for 10 to 15 minutes to cut down the residual water)
I've been getting great results with TXP but my recent batches using #61RP haven't been as nice. That made me think there was contamination or carryover grit but there's no cloudiness when finishing with TXP, just #61RP. To insure there's no carryover I've ordered a dedicated polish barrel for the Lot-O.
Advice please..
Mark
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chaosdsm
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since April 2024
Posts: 162
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Post by chaosdsm on Apr 10, 2024 0:45:12 GMT -5
To reduce suds, try ultra-fine powdered activated charcoal which absorbs chemicals like surfactants (which cause suds), and/or baking soda.
Newbie here, but I like to experiment. I'm currently on step 2 of my first batch of rocks.
I decided to try 1 squirt of Dawn (roughly 1/4 tablespoon), and I must say that I'm quite pleased with the result so far. The slurry is now basically foam, and the foam has grit completely suspended throughout. This is finer broken down grit, but every rock I picked up was coated in it, where usually the grit is at the bottom of the barrel when I check the rocks. It's a pretty interesting result IMO. I think I'll continue through to the next stage as well.
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zebra61
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2024
Posts: 161
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Post by zebra61 on Apr 10, 2024 7:35:38 GMT -5
To reduce suds, try ultra-fine powdered activated charcoal which absorbs chemicals like surfactants (which cause suds), and/or baking soda. Newbie here, but I like to experiment. I'm currently on step 2 of my first batch of rocks. I decided to try 1 squirt of Dawn (roughly 1/4 tablespoon), and I must say that I'm quite pleased with the result so far. The slurry is now basically foam, and the foam has grit completely suspended throughout. This is finer broken down grit, but every rock I picked up was coated in it, where usually the grit is at the bottom of the barrel when I check the rocks. It's a pretty interesting result IMO. I think I'll continue through to the next stage as well. Well maybe my aversion to suds is the whole problem. I've been trying to 'reduce' the suds in my finishing stage, maybe that's the wrong approach. I have two 3.5lb batches running right now with lots of ceramics. In my attempt to reduce suds I set the wet batches on a bath towel and patted them down from wet to damp before loading them in the barrels. I added 1/2 Tsp of #61 and a 1/2 Tsp of Borax. They've been running for 12 hours with about 5 sprays of water each. There's a nice slurry being carried on the rocks so far. Tonight (after 24 hours of running) I plan to rinse, inspect and recharge with another dose. Everything is an experiment in this game... Maybe I should have promoted the suds in one of the vibes to compare? Too bad I wasn't thinking at the time. |
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wyorock
starting to shine!
Member since October 2023
Posts: 35
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Post by wyorock on Apr 10, 2024 7:58:04 GMT -5
It has been STRONGLY suggested to me from a popular lapidary supply company to NEVER let the stones dry until the final burnishing is completed. The reason for this is because any residual slurry will harden like concrete and is "impossible" to remove. So if there are any blemishes or fractures remaining in your rock it will show up after it's too late to address it. I assume this means short of starting over in coarse grit. I have also been told not to use liquid dish detergent for burnishing because it will dull the shine. I'm not brave enough to test this assertion, and am happy with Ivory soap shavings or Borax for the burnish.
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zebra61
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2024
Posts: 161
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Post by zebra61 on Apr 10, 2024 9:02:30 GMT -5
It has been STRONGLY suggested to me from a popular lapidary supply company to NEVER let the stones dry until the final burnishing is completed. The reason for this is because any residual slurry will harden like concrete and is "impossible" to remove. So if there are any blemishes or fractures remaining in your rock it will show up after it's too late to address it. I assume this means short of starting over in coarse grit. I have also been told not to use liquid dish detergent for burnishing because it will dull the shine. I'm not brave enough to test this assertion, and am happy with Ivory soap shavings or Borax for the burnish. That's been well drilled-into me but thanks.  I was hoping folks would notice the words "patted them down from wet to damp". I purposely avoided the word 'dry' to alleviate concerns. Well-rounded rocks (those without pits) are usually fine either way IMO. But 'dry' wasn't part of this statement. I'm more interested in improving my polish process since I'm obviously doing something wrong there.... |
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I was hoping folks would notice the words "patted them down from wet to damp". I purposely avoided the word 'dry' to alleviate concerns. Well-rounded rocks (those without pits) are usually fine either way IMO. But 'dry' wasn't part of this statement. 
