rockinronda
spending too much on rocks
Member since December 2023
Posts: 266
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Post by rockinronda on Apr 13, 2024 11:47:43 GMT -5
I was recently cutting through a block of cheese, jokingly said to my hubby I should take it downstairs and slab it with my rock saw. Which got me thinking if in fact cheese could be polished, what that might look like, would it be non perishable of the outside were polished smooth and shiny, and what really weird out-there things people have polished, attempted to polish. My next thought was wonder if anyone has ever literally polished a turd? Which led me to if someone did, would someone buy it? It’d be a small niche group of ppl who would buy such a thing, but my hunch is there is such a small group of ppl worldwide who would. Then I thought well, I bet if it was pet poop, a LOT more ppl would be into that. Because ppl do all sorts of weird things for their pets they’d never even do for another human or themselves. Which got me thinking if crematory ashes could be solidified (resin?) and then polished like a rock for display instead of an urn? I would actually do that with my grandma’s and dad’s ashes. That could actually be a thing I believe.
So what kind of non-rock things have you polished and what was the result?
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Post by vegasjames on Apr 13, 2024 16:36:16 GMT -5
If you want to actually try to polish the cheese, dru it out thoroughly then soak in oxalic acid so the oxalic acid will bind with the calcium forming an insoluble an somewhat calcium oxalate. I would also add some oxalic acid to the water tray of the cabbing machine so that any newly exposed calcium that did not react before will form calcium oxalate. Not sure if it will be hard enough, but if you want to experiment then that is what I would recommend.
As for cremation ashes and stones, they have been doing several variations of this for a while including ceramic stones made with cremation ashes.
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rockinronda
spending too much on rocks
Member since December 2023
Posts: 266
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Post by rockinronda on Apr 13, 2024 19:16:10 GMT -5
Oxalic acid is that BKF?
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Post by vegasjames on Apr 13, 2024 19:23:31 GMT -5
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RWA3006
Cave Dweller 
Member since March 2009
Posts: 4,670 
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Post by RWA3006 on Apr 13, 2024 21:37:38 GMT -5
If you want to actually try to polish the cheese, dru it out thoroughly then soak in oxalic acid so the oxalic acid will bind with the calcium forming an insoluble an somewhat calcium oxalate. I would also add some oxalic acid to the water tray of the cabbing machine so that any newly exposed calcium that did not react before will form calcium oxalate. Not sure if it will be hard enough, but if you want to experiment then that is what I would recommend. As for cremation ashes and stones, they have been doing several variations of this for a while including ceramic stones made with cremation ashes. James, what about sodium silicate? I've never played with it but have been told I can make a sort of coprolite by taking an old dry cow turd and treating it with this stuff. Any truth to it? |
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Post by vegasjames on Apr 13, 2024 21:54:20 GMT -5
If you want to actually try to polish the cheese, dru it out thoroughly then soak in oxalic acid so the oxalic acid will bind with the calcium forming an insoluble an somewhat calcium oxalate. I would also add some oxalic acid to the water tray of the cabbing machine so that any newly exposed calcium that did not react before will form calcium oxalate. Not sure if it will be hard enough, but if you want to experiment then that is what I would recommend. As for cremation ashes and stones, they have been doing several variations of this for a while including ceramic stones made with cremation ashes. James, what about sodium silicate? I've never played with it but have been told I can make a sort of coprolite by taking an old dry cow turd and treating it with this stuff. Any truth to it? I use sodium silicate a lot. It can work with calcium as well forming a calcium silicate, but the problem I see is that sodium silicate is very alkaline, and it polymerizes very quickly with acids. Cheese is acidic, which would likely polymerize the sodium silicate at the surface of the cheese preventing it from really penetrating deeply in to the cheese. |
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Post by jasoninsd on Apr 13, 2024 21:57:53 GMT -5
Somewhere on here there's a thread about someone pondering tumbling their Thanksgiving leftovers...the turkey bones I think. I posted I would wait for the results to be posted...I'm still waiting! LOL
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quartz
Cave Dweller
breakin' rocks in the hot sun
Member since February 2010
Posts: 3,359
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Post by quartz on Apr 13, 2024 23:09:55 GMT -5
vegasjames, BKF is "Bar Keepers Friend", a powdered cleanser that has a fair amount of oxalic acid. I learned the translation from a friend who cleans his quartz pieces in it, don't have the mix in water ratio handy.
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rockinronda
spending too much on rocks
Member since December 2023
Posts: 266
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Post by rockinronda on Apr 14, 2024 12:13:55 GMT -5
vegasjames, BKF is "Bar Keepers Friend", a powdered cleanser that has a fair amount of oxalic acid. I learned the translation from a friend who cleans his quartz pieces in it, don't have the mix in water ratio handy. Sorry I couldn’t get here sooner but that 👆 is correct and exactly how I came to know of it lol. |
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rockinronda
spending too much on rocks
Member since December 2023
Posts: 266
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Post by rockinronda on Apr 14, 2024 12:16:08 GMT -5
If you want to actually try to polish the cheese, dru it out thoroughly then soak in oxalic acid so the oxalic acid will bind with the calcium forming an insoluble an somewhat calcium oxalate. I would also add some oxalic acid to the water tray of the cabbing machine so that any newly exposed calcium that did not react before will form calcium oxalate. Not sure if it will be hard enough, but if you want to experiment then that is what I would recommend. As for cremation ashes and stones, they have been doing several variations of this for a while including ceramic stones made with cremation ashes. James, what about sodium silicate? I've never played with it but have been told I can make a sort of coprolite by taking an old dry cow turd and treating it with this stuff. Any truth to it? Now Googling sodium silicate… |
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Post by vegasjames on Apr 14, 2024 18:20:56 GMT -5
James, what about sodium silicate? I've never played with it but have been told I can make a sort of coprolite by taking an old dry cow turd and treating it with this stuff. Any truth to it? Now Googling sodium silicate… Also known as water glass. Has a lot of uses and very easy to make as well. Molten sodium hydroxide and glass. There is also potassium silicate made using potassium hydroxide instead. |
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ThomasT
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2022
Posts: 624
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Post by ThomasT on Apr 14, 2024 18:28:20 GMT -5
I believe there is an old, patented process that can create petrified wood with sodium silicate and acid.
To answer your question though, I've cleaned and polished metal objects in a vibratory. No cheese.
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Post by vegasjames on Apr 14, 2024 20:24:41 GMT -5
I believe there is an old, patented process that can create petrified wood with sodium silicate and acid. To answer your question though, I've cleaned and polished metal objects in a vibratory. No cheese.
"Is a few million years too long to wait? Scientists have developed ways to petrify wood in the laboratory in as little as four or five days. One such process was developed at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory about a decade ago. It involves soaking a section of wood in hydrochloric acid for two days and then in either a silica or titanium solution for another two days. After air-drying, the wood is placed in an argon gas filled furnace and slowly heated to 1400° Celsius over a period of two hours. It is then left to cool to room temperature in the argon gas. What results is a block of ceramic silicon carbide or titanium carbide. Probably not as beautiful and interesting to look at as the one that took millions of years to form, but cool nonetheless."
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rockinronda
spending too much on rocks
Member since December 2023
Posts: 266
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Post by rockinronda on Nov 10, 2024 12:52:01 GMT -5
Well while I was laid up for a while and couldn’t tumble, I did polish all kinds of things around the house with a tiny 50,000 grit diamond paste on a microfiber cloth. Like brass light fixtures, glass bulb covers and even the bulbs themselves! I polished my grandmother’s drinking glasses, the fireplace tool handles (also brass). A solid brass elephant trivet that was also my grandmother’s. Hmmm 🤔 what else…oh everything on my grandmother’s grandfather clock (that wasn’t wood), the face, weights, chains, pendulum, glass case fronts. Uhm…I actually painted my nails (clear coat), then polished them. My eye glasses and watch face and phone screens. Vases. Parts of the stove and refrigerator. I was down for abt 6 weeks. I am not now, nor ever been an addict, but I do have OCD! It is SO extremely satisfying to see that extra shine ✨
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Post by rockjunquie on Nov 10, 2024 14:02:47 GMT -5
Uhm…I actually painted my nails (clear coat), then polished them. THAT'S funny!!! And, dedication.  |
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rockinronda
spending too much on rocks
Member since December 2023
Posts: 266
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Post by rockinronda on Nov 10, 2024 14:40:59 GMT -5
HA! Or one who flew the coo-coo’s nest 🤪 🤷♀️
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Post by whalecottagedesigns on Nov 10, 2024 19:45:14 GMT -5
 Try and guess the material! :-) Theo |
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Post by vegasjames on Nov 11, 2024 2:41:31 GMT -5
Try and guess the material! :-) Theo Sponge? |
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Post by whalecottagedesigns on Nov 11, 2024 4:02:18 GMT -5
Try and guess the material! :-) Theo Sponge? Nope! :-) |
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Post by liveoak on Nov 11, 2024 7:22:22 GMT -5
Corian ?
Patty
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